On an exceptionally warm September day, I spontaneously decided to go on a second date with Mr D's hedge after work. I had a pleasure to meet the hedge for the first time in June on a hot summer evening. Things got physical and I ended up giving the hedge a very neat trim.

Now, after three months, I felt I should leave my perfectionism at home and don't try to make the best impression. The days got shorter and I had no intention to fiddle with the hedge after sunset. I had one hour before the sun kissed the horizon, and I think I used it wisely. After the first half an hour, I could say that the hedge was trimmed. The next ten minutes I spent on polishing the details without going over the top. Before the sunset I swept the trimmings and dropped them into a communal bin, then I run towards... well, the setting sun, of course.

Writes Charlie,

"We gathered for yet another memorable evening of volunteering at this well-known urban community garden in the heart of Bethnal Green.

What started as a routine mission to move soil and wood chips quickly turned into an unexpectedly lively and fun event—complete with record-breaking attendance, a pink-hued sunset, and the kind of teamwork that would make even the busiest ant colony jealous.

We were all hands on deck right from the off.

As soon as the shovels hit the ground, it was as though we collectively tapped into some sort of communal rhythm. A human chain formed, with everyone passing, digging, and moving soil with the efficiency and focus of, dare I say it, a swarm of ants. You could almost hear the theme music to a heist movie playing in the background. (Instead of robbing a bank, however, we were enriching the earth and helping the garden flourish).

Emma, assumed the role of our unofficial forewoman. Her managerial oversight was crucial to the operation—spurring us on from a comfortable vantage point. (We’ll pretend the regular supply of snacks and much-needed pep talks didn’t help that much).

We also welcomed a couple of new and familiar faces into the fold: Ramón, the rookie of the group, stepped into the gardening scene with admirable enthusiasm. And then there was Anton, back for his third round of soil-shoveling glory.

As the evening progressed, the sun began its slow descent, offering one of those final summer sunsets you wish you could bottle for the darker months ahead.

The sky turned a brilliant pink, casting a soft, warm light over the garden, a reward for our hard work.

Hard to say what felt better: the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of our labour come together, or the stunning sight that marked the end of the day.

And the best part? We finished everything double quick. Whether it was the accompanying breeze, our ‘swarm-of-ants’ approach, or simply the record turnout, we blitzed through what should’ve been an all-day task in less than an hour.

Of course the evening wasn’t complete until we wrapped at a pub nearby. What’s an evening’s productivity without a pint to celebrate. So a few of us found our way to local favourite, The Approach Tavern. With (garden) gloves off, dirt-free pints in hand, we toasted to an evening well spent and a garden well nurtured.

Cheers to all who came out. Here’s to the first of some fabulous Autumn evenings, both in the garden and down the pub."

Tonight's big shout-outs

• To Charlie, and Emma, powered by ChatGPT, for tonight’s splendid report.

• To Gurprit for tonight's ace pun.

Next week we're back to the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park for our first Autumn visit!

Until then.

And one by one our little group grew tonight, until there were no fewer than 13 GoodGymers working on the new hazel fence at the pretty St Leonard's Priory Park up in Bromley-By-Bow.

We said hello to first time GoodGym-ers Gurprit, Anton, Anna, and a warm welcome to Tower Hamlets to Anna!

Starting with four teams (one chopping hazel, one weeding, one digging fence-holes and one repairing our less-than-perfect previous hazel fence), it was definitely a case of learning on the job as we pruned, stripped and chopped; weeded and wove, blitzing multiple jobs at one time.

With the team working flexibly, rotating out of one task to another, particularly as time sped on ("Hazel! We need more hazel!"), it was a busy but sociable evening, with the countdown to sunset well and truly on.

A decent workout was had by all, whether digging up weeds or sawing tough branches.

It was after 8 before the team were generously stacking up the kit, and wheeling barrows to the back of the park.

With Kareem providing decent tech assistance, the all-important group pic remained in tact, despite the lack of light.

A great effort, everyone - and a final shout-out to Charlie, who came up with tonight's belter of a pun.

Next week

...we're back to Hollybush Gardens, for our first visit of Autumn with Margaret and Ash.

Until then.

A brilliant little squad showed up tonight to help Margaret and Natalia tidy the well-used garden around Patriot Square.

This small garden area aligns both sides of the path leading off the square. Used as a useful access to Russia Lane and neighbouring Old Ford Road, as well as a popular dog-walking spot, overhanging rose and blackberry bushes can mean the path gets a little congested.

Last month we headed to join the team to tackle the worst of the branches, returning this evening to finish the inside and bag up last month's stash.

With Natalia on Operation Strimmer and Margaret joining the pruning team, it was down to Oliver and Lucinda to tackle the bulk of last month's waste.

As luck would have it, we were joined relatively early in the proceedings by Cameron, also part of the neighbourhood gardening team, who kindly brought us the team's new supply of sturdy gloves, which helped matters no end.

It was a lovely evening to watch the sunset and join this productive, welcoming team for a spot of gardening, getting the week off to a really great start. Well done everyone.

Next week, we join Larry back at St Leonard's Priory Park, for our first visit of 2024!

Until then.

Emma and I nearly had a "specsavers moment" (other brands of eye tests are available) when we got to Mrs E's lift lobby to start today's mission...one lift was definitely out of order, and the other seemed very quiet...fortunately it was working, and when we got in we discovered it was of the extra large variety too.

Mrs E was so very grateful for our help - especially as she's currently sleeping on one of the armchairs in her living room, and only once we'd removed the sofa could she get her new one delivered which would make her life more comfortable.

After a bit of the usual furniture Tetris, we got the sofa out of the (wide) front door, into the lift and thanks to a helpful man on the door, out into the disposal area. We returned quickly to take the one remaining armchair down that Mrs E wanted rid of, said goodbye to her tiny kitten, and wished her well with her new furniture.

The deliveroo man in the lift was probably surprised to find himself sharing the space with an armchair - we were just both very glad we weren't taking the stairs...

Weeding garden for Mrs K. Removing brambles and weeds with a spade by scraping it along the flagstones. Weeding quite easy getting brambles into bag quite hard. Job 2/3rds done. Very nice to meet a neighbour.