Winter is coming. In the Riverlands a silent enemy is advancing. The brambles creep slowly and menacingly from the banks of York Stream, ready to wrap their thorny stalks around the bodies of unsuspecting canoeists. Fortunately Dominic, Sol and Sheila from House GoodGym were on hand to help. Armed with loppers, secateurs and a hedge trimmer they joined Friends of Maidenhead Waterways volunteers for the Battle of the Brambles. Slashing, cutting and slicing, the heroic warriors advanced, pushing the enemy back. Sheila was in the maintenance boat Yorkie and Sol was on the banks, both fighting with courage, filling a dozen large bags with green waste. When you play the game of thorns, you win or die. House GoodGym prevailed.

Today at the Community Allotment was all about getting the site ready for winter. I did the watering, cut down the old raspberry canes, and mulched the old tomato bed.

4 GoodGymers helped out at the Baby Bank this morning, and were asked to do the clothes sorting upstairs. It was great to welcome Jane back for her second session, and she joined Carol and Karen doing a second check on clothes that already been through a first check by a corporate team. Meanwhile Sheila helped put together Referral packs. One was for a mother and her 3 daughters who had received clothes only last week. Unfortunately the flat below theirs had caught fire and they lost all of their possessions too. So tragic - they were left with only the clothes they were wearing. Some of the age groups we are short of clothes for anyway, but we put together what we could for them.

Eight goodgymers made their way to the Riverside family hub to remove weeds and small shrubs from the area. There was lots of tugging, cutting back and scooping of leaves. The time flew by as many hands made light work! A fun evening with lots of chatting and catching up of news. Rachel generously shared her birthday Celebration sweets to celebrate a job well done! Also well done to Jen who completed 115 skips as part of her 100 a day challenge for charity!

Despite have lived in Maidenhead for 36 years, I have never done the annual Boundary Walk. When the Rotary Club put out a call for a walking steward, I took the opportunity! They needed someone to be out on the course in case of any incidents between marshal points. It was a beautiful day, and I joined hundreds of walkers doing the 13.1 mile route around the town boundary. It was lovely to walk the whole route, finding some new paths, seeing some familiar faces, and enjoying a boat trip across the Thames courtesy of the Sea Scouts. I came across no incidents on the route, so could just enjoy it! I can recommend it for next year!

No watering was needed at the community allotment today, but plenty of tidying up was needed. Sheila joined another volunteer,and between them they trimmed a tree, pulled out old courgette plants, tidied up old pieces of wood scattered around the site, and weeded between the Welsh onions