Today's chosen spot was a flower bed being choked by bindweed, brambles as well as plants (some of which we like!) takin gup half the width of the path - so lots to do!

Rose shrubs were pruned and bindweed and jasmine climbers untangled (we want to keep the jasmine when it's in the right place), brambles were removed left, right and centre and the Jerusalem Sage cut back and, with tender loving care, ripped back from the path.

The pile of green waste to be removed was the biggest yet with 3 GoodGymmers and £ Friends of Brunswick - all from just one of the beds. We're looking forward to seeing how it gets on, especially after being soaked by teh rain we mostly avoided.

The planned task may have been postponed but thats not going to stop GoodGym Bristol from helping out somewhere in the community.

Off to Brunswick it was with the sky looking like it was going to rain, as it had on and off all day and humidity high. The walkers were glad to be walking!

We're going to be at Brunswick next week, too, but this was a great opportunity to get stuck in with the grounder a bit damper and perfect for getting peaky weeds out of the spiral path as well as cutting back Jerusalem Sage that has flowered and is getting ready to spread seeds to create EVEN MORE of the lovely plant that spreads weed-like in the Cemetery.

The chopping was taken to a whole new level with the skilled removal of the shrub threatening the trellis, and some quick appreciation of the mural visible from the corner of the park before we headed back to Workout for more chat and drinks.

Same again next week?

It was a lot warmer than forecast and, as ever, plenty of jobs to choose from at the Cemetery Gardens.

Helen set to on a flower bed with lots of Jerusalem Sage seed heads to sacrifice whilst George continued his grass clearance in a different flower bed and Melanie was still clearing buttercup seed heads (and some with roots and all) from the paths and between the tomb stones. We’re never short of a place to tidy!

A few photos of both progress today and the general loveliness of the unbaked cemetery- and more next week!

It was great to welcome George to GoodGym Bristol and Brunswick Cemetery, where there was (as ever) a variety of tasks to get our teeth into.

Having started on some deep-rooted weeds on the spiral path whilst I was nearby weeding some of the shrubs that some “helper” had strummed to ground level in early spring, we discovered the heatwave had revealed A METAL EDGE marking the end of the grass and beginning of flowerbed. This was declared VERY EXCITING INDEED and George showed his flexibility by switching to de-grassing the bit we now know should be flowerbed.

Such exciting times, and together with 5 of the Friends of Brunswick, we left a huge pile of brambles, branches and bags of weeds for the Council to collect.

Brilliant to meet you at the community mission, George - here’s to many more!

Oodles of plants and weeds going to seed in the Cemetery gardens so we’re scooped up and bagged or piled to limit the number of new plants (especially of the weed variety) next year.

The soil was bone dry so some weeds were easily pulled out and others were holding on as if planted in cement.

When 12 noon approached, we tidied up and headed to a café for, well, coffee and the heavens opened with much-needed rain bouncing off the vehicles passing by and pedestrians dashing for doorways to shelter. And me declaring this was one of my favourite smells - summer rain. Queue Richard’s extensive general knowledge to tell us this has a special word, Petrichor - the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil or pavement. Will wonders never cease?

Jerusalem sage, buttercups, brambles. These are all our enemies at the moment and our job to clear today along with other adhoc neatening of Brunswick Cemetery. I marvelled at the fancy secateurs, which you really have to try to appreciate the genius. We also had an additional task of looking out for a yellow ball that a dog had lost, but this eluded us. A lovely morning out in the deceptively hot sunshine.

Until next time…