Despite no one really knowing where Aldbrough House was/is, we had a great turnout to help clear the communal garden. The team made light work of clearing the weeds and ivy and generally giving the garden a good tidy. There was also a seemingly never ending supply of car parts and tools buried in the garden, suggesting Aldbrough House has at some point been home to either a mechanic or a super string yet efficient Magpie.

It was just Michael and I this week and some of the tables and chairs needed to go in different places due to Open Studios. Michael therefore took charge of making sure everything ended up in the right place and we got on with wiping down and folding up the tables and shifting everything to where it should be. After that, there was just sweeping the hall and hoovering the rooms, which we made fairly short work of.

Michael did a great job of ensuring I couldn't leave without a pannier stuffed full of leftovers, but I did manage to decline the offer of a massage.

Everything tidied away as usual, including the hoovering! another successful mission for intrepid goodgymers

on our first head torchless run of the year, we headed to Holgate Allotments.

We were met by Paul and tasked with breaking up an already flattened shed and carrying it to where it will be collected.

By using a range of techniques, including sawing and jumping, half the group completed the task, whilst the other half cut back brambles.

By the end the plot was in slightly better shape so hopefully it can now be let.

We then finished with a game of peg pinching with the prize of re usable cable ties. The enthusiasm for both the game and the ties varied but overall another good group run out.

Shout out to Jenna for the delicious baking back at base too!

It was all hands on deck as we teamed up with the lovely guys from the Arts Barge for the first time, but certainly not the last.

We arrived to a very comprehensive task list and soon began getting stuck in. The majority of the team began clearing debris from the landing and shifting the gangplank (not entirely sure if these are the correct nautical terms but they sound legit). Meanwhile the rest of the crew got on board with clearing the barge's deck and giving it a good sweep.

The most interesting task was snapped up by first mates Hannah and Leanne who were clearing rubbish (mostly loaves of bread) out of the water around the barge, using a basket attached to a rope and basically playing a life-size game of the claw-grabby things you get in seaside arcades. The basket wasn't going to cut the mustard with the floating sleeper and door which required a more novel approach involving floating it further down to some steps where we could just about reach into the water and rescue them

We managed to get a great deal of work done, much to the delight of the task owners, but there's still plenty more that needs to be done before the barge is ready to figuratively set sail again. So keep an eye on the listings for the arts barge mk.2

Another sunny morning on Kimberlow Hill, another bathtub sunk for our tiny forest! We also did some weeding before taking a break to enjoy some home-baked goods around the picnic table.