Second Monday of the month meant that, No Surprise, GoodGym Richmond were returning to their original Avant Garden Plot, The Three Pigeons, showing yet again that they have Got What it Takes to keep Buccleuch Gardens blooming and beautiful.

Preparing for Autumn, we were wielding secateurs to tidy the plot, diggin’ and weeding the perimeter and preparing for the Seasons of Wither. Pampas grass seed heads were removed and self-seeded St. John wort cut down. And at the Arcade, Lords of the Thighs JP and Chris wielded forks to turn our compost heap and dig out some rich organic matter to help with some late summer planting.

By now we were more than half way there and everyone chipped in to plant thyme and a selection of bargain-basement bedding plants (begonias, verbena and petunia) that will hopefully provide a splash of late summer colour for a few weeks.

The Three Pigeons Plot was looking Drop Dead Gorgeous by the time we finished. Around 8pm, as Darkness was falling, it was time to Draw the Line, clear up and run, cycle and Walk this Way back to the Tap Tavern (where the lime Deuces are Wild) for a quick GG social, before we all had to Head Home Tonight.

But we will be Back in the Saddle again soon, including a super Saturday on 14 September with our regular monthly GG Mission at Ham Lands at 10am https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/helping-the-happy-ham-landers-bd191a17-5b00-42da-ae77-5a8eed086ac4 plus an awesome Treasure Hunt late summer social at 2pm https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/end-of-summer-social.

An evening of watering at our sponsored beds in Buccleuch Gardens to help the plants get through this spell of hot dry weather.

.... and a picnic afterwards sitting next to the last remaining Canarian palm.

Joanna, Sam and Anita were channeling Aquarius the water-carrier (Zodiac sign for those born 20 Jan to 19 Feb) rather than the 1960s hippie musical.

When Joanna, new to GoodGym’s gardening work in Buccleuch Gardens, asked the question ‘Where’s the water?’ she may have been expecting a tap or standpipe rather than the huge River Thames.

This was a humorous start to an intense 45 minute workout. We drew water from the river , carried it up stairs (looking fantastic after Monday’s Group Run weeding efforts) and along the Thames Path to water some of the thirstiest plants at the Three Pigeons Plot, around the benches and in the Arcade Planters and Rockery .

Great work water-bearers.

....... benefit plants that are a bit stressed by the warm, dry weather.

Some of the plants in GoodGym Richmond's sponsored plots in Buccleuch Gardens were very grateful for a bit of TLC in the form of water from the Thames, to help them survive this dry spell.

Summer weeding had me a blast

Summer weeding happened so fast

We met in Richmond , group run GG,

onto Buccleuch, fast as can be

Summer days weeding away

Oh-ah! Oh, the summer nights

Well-a, well-a, well-a, huh

Tell me more, tell me more

Did you get very far?

Tell me more, tell me more

Like did Three Pigeons star?

doo ah hah, doo ah hah, doo ah hah ..doo

The arcade was opened, tools got decamped

onto Three Pigeons, dry plants made damp.

Down by the river, the steps and surround

We showed off, clearing the ground Summer sun, gardening fun

But ah! Oh, the summer nights

Well-a, well-a, well-a, huh

Tell me more, tell me more

Did the Plot look alright?

Tell me more, tell me more

Did weeds put up a fight?

Shoo Da Bop Bop, Shoo Da Bob Bob Shoo Da Bop Bop Yeah…

Took to composting, down by the Arcade

We went sweeping, litter was raized,

We cleared out, all-round the plot

We stayed working, past eight o'clock

Summer stings, were a bit of a thing

But ah! Oh, the summer nights

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Tell me more, tell me more

Did the litter get bagged?

Tell me more, tell me more

Was the weeding a drag?

Shoo bop bop, shoo bop bop Shoo bop bop, shoo bop bop Shoo bop bop, shoo bop bop Shoo bop bop, yeah!

We got friendly, chat, tools in hand

Well, we got fitter, working the land.
Task complete, turn out thirteen*

Well, it was good, you know what I mean

Summer heat, GoodGym meet

But ah! Oh, the summer nights

Whoa, whoa, whoa

Tell me more, tell me more

How great it looked at the end!!!!

Tell me more, tell me more

Could we do it again?

It turned eight thirty, that's where it ends

A GoodGym photo with all of our friends

Then we made … our group social vow

onto the White Cross, we’re running now

Summer team, achieving great things

But, oh

Those summer nights!

(Tell me more, tell me more, more, more)

• Including Hunter the dog.

With apologies to Sammy Hagar, Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta and the ensemble cast of Grease.

Golden hour gardening in Buccleuch Gardens , Richmond was a glorious way to end a summer Sunday, with evening sun bathing the Arcade Rockery as Sam and Anita tidied GoodGym’s sponsored plot.

The first task was clearing plants, mainly Hypericum (aka St John’s Wort) from the brickwork below the Petersham Road using a long arm tool (essentially a very big pair of secateurs atop a very long pole).

We discovered a crack running down the brickwork that had become colonised with tiny Hart’s Tongue ferns and we transplanted about a dozen of these to the far end of the Arcade , hoping to add greenery to an area that has proven determinedly resistant to all our previous attempts at planting.

We finished the session by pruning out all the spent Lamb’s Ears (Stachys) flower heads, weeding out plantains and willow herb as we went. After adding huge bundles of silvery stachys green waste to the compost heap, we left the rockery looking wonderful in the last of the Sunday sunshine.