Mr R had two jobs for me today: trimming three rose bushes and chopping down two trees. I started with the easy win, cutting back the largest of the rose bushes, and emerged victorious from the battle with that thorny subject.

Hungry for a greater challenge, I had a rummage in Mr R's superb, even if a bit worn, shed. I wanted to cut down that tree! I tried three different saws (out of six that were in sight) that looked like they were designed to cut through wood. All of them were equally rusty, and I went as far as a quarter of the way into the tree's trunk. While I was in denial that I got stuck, Mr R came to the garden and asked how I was doing.

I admitted that the saws could have been a tad sharper. Mr R pointed me to the shed and showed me that there were more saws on the cupboard, which was taller than me, so I hadn't noticed those tools before. Bluntly speaking (pun intended), none of the three other saws would cut it (pun intended again). Mr R then reached for his ultimate weapon, which he had used for carpentry back when he was younger. Finally, that little saw did the job. Amid the intense sawing, the blade came out just when the tree was going down. Luckily it was not broken and I asked Mr R for a screwdriver to attach it back to the handle so that I could take down the second tree.

"So you're a jack of all trades!" - Mr R.

I guess I am. Before leaving I spoke with Mr R about him looking after his shed, sitting in the greenhouse in the summer and about his work at British Home Store. The chat was so enjoyable that I forgot to take an "after" photo of the trimmed rose bushes. I left wishing Mr R a nice dinner, which I knew he had planned for later in the day.

Steph arrived in Hammersmith after a morning community mission. Rang ahead to tell Mr W son that would be there in 30 minutes as his son doesn't live there and would meet to open the door and garden. Mr W son welcomed Steph and both went to the garden through the kitchen where we stopped as it was cat feeding time. We went outside to feed the cat..no sorry the cats - 3 cats were waiting outside to get their lunch. Steph in the meantime started wedding the garden, but then Mr W son asked if could tidy the garden up as a lot of items all over the place. Steph moved and sorted items that could be binned like wet cardboard, empty bags full of water, broken plastic items etc.. Put aside the items that would need to be sorted and either keep or recycle etc with Mr W's son on another occasion. In the meantime. Steph was under neighbourhood watch : the 3 cats had finished their lunch, but then were intrigued with what was happening in the garden. Weed, grass, moss, wild mushrooms and leaves removed and more space in the garden as tidy up near the cat territory. The cats were keeping an eye on Steph and started adventuring in places they havent been before in the garden as tidy and easier for then to adventure. The cats approved the works and went to their occupations of eating leftover food and watching birds coming into the garden.

It felt more like Boxing Day than St Patrick’s day in Hammersmith tonight, as six GoodGymmers from across West London came to help out at the TRAID restock. A regular jaunt, the task tonight was to help the clothes charity ready for the new season restock. Hangers were cleared from the rails and clothes methodologically folded into giant cardboard boxes to be taken off for restock. Not all heroes wear capes, some have tape - Sevan and Monika did a class job of making and packing the boxes. GoodGym Hammersmith Legend Jonathan lent a hand when he wasn’t too busy checking out some of the latest fashions (he was gutted that the Thai boxing shorts weren’t quite in his size), and we welcomed Hannah and Lizzie along to their first ever GoodGym tasks - and they did a rail-ly great job getting the clothes where they needed to be. Mission completed, box ticked, and six good deeds done!

Kash and Sevan returned to Mrs Z a few months after completing her application for a blue badge. While they were waiting outside, Kash tried to find a spot that was in the sun and shielded from the chilly wind, which led to a strange squat on the ramp leading to Mrs Z's building.

The pair were happy to hear that the blue badge application was successful and now, she wanted to apply for a Taxi Card. Her grandson was in hospital and she didn't have any way to get there. Paying for a taxi herself was just too expensive for a pensioner to manage.

Kash and Sevan had a read through the 12 page form, then asked Mrs Z each set of questions. Some were straight forward and others more nuanced, needing Kash and Sevan to clarify the answers a few times. Many were similar to the last application they'd done, which had been online. A paper form needed paper evidence, which turned out to be the most difficult part as Mrs Z didn't have any way of copying these documents to submit.

The GoodGymers completed 10 of the 12 pages, with a follow up session to come when Mrs Z can prove her creds.

After the junior parkrun volunteering, the soaked GoodGymers, Sevan and Kash, took a chance to get a hot beverage and even put their wet gloves on a radiator in a coffee shop while catching up with Alan on the Christmas break. 30 minutes of cosiness or so, and - although not warm and dry at all - they were ready to get drenched again!

After a 20-minute run to an area which Kash categorised as East Acton and Sevan as Shepherd's Bush (to avoid disagreements, let's say it was White City), the GoodGymers met Mr E. Mr E was the son and carer of Mr W, the beneficiary of Sevan and Kash's mission. Mr W could no longer move and care for his garden, which was ridden by weeds after the recent replacement of the neighbour's fence - an improvement that had damaged Mr W's anti-weed membrane.

Mr E was very grateful for the help GoodGym offered to his dad. As he was getting ready for work, he briefed Sevan and Kash on the task and how to make hot beverages in his kitchen. It was lovely to see such hospitality from someone benefitting from GoodGym's support for the first time!

Soon Mr E had to go to work and left Sevan and Kash with his dad and three cats. The GoodGymers went to the garden and each focused their attention on their speciality: Sevan on detailed scraping of pavement slabs and Kash on big wins (or easy wins) - pulling out larger weeds growing around the membrane.

After 90 minutes, the results were pretty good! The green, invasive stuff was nowhere to be seen in the back garden. The GoodGymers didn't have time to weed the front garden or help themselves to the tea as they were scheduled to help another older person. They disposed of the bags with the weeds, said goodbye to Mr W and the cats (who dutifully warmed GoodGymers running bags with their fluffy bodies - such hospitality!), then ran to catch the overground to the Hackney area, where the last mission of the day awaited.

Mr C needed his gas and electricity meter readings done as the energy company sent a hefty bill which does not seem to reconcile with his actual usage.

The meters were located really high up near the ceiling by the flat door and the gas meter in particular was located deep in a cupboard located really high up.

They both required access via a ladder but Mr C's conditions meant it wasn't safe for him to use this ladder.

The job was super quick- it only took 15 minutes including a chat with Mr C to find out what's going on. He has been trying not to turn on the heating as much as he could - hoping it can be sorted quickly before it gets any colder!