Today's valentine's mission was delivering 3 x chicken and wedges to Mrs N. The queue at humdingers soup kitchen was long and friendly as usual on a Friday. Mrs N very pleased with delivery and in good spirits. Was a bright clear day for running. All good.

Ms A's discharge from hospital is 3 months overdue and being prevented by the lack of a bed at home. Luckily, there was a new bed ready for assembly. Cue GoodGym to get the task done.

Ivo and Anne were greeted at the property by a member of Ms A's support team from the hospital who gave access to the property and then busied herself cleaning the kitchen while the bed assembly ensued.

Boxes 1-4 were opened, emptied and their contents laid carefully on the floor. Mild panic at the lack of any instructions or worse, any nuts and bolts, proved unfounded when the critical items were found encased within the wrapping of the bed's platform. (A folding, preconstructed platform - I've not come across one of those before in all the bed assembly tasks I've done!)

From there, it was reasonably plain sailing. Ivo interpreted the instructions, proving very adept at distinguishing a 4 inch bolt from a 4 3/4 inch bolt, and soon there was a recognisable bed.

Progress ground to a halt, however, when the 'arms' and cylinders, which lift the mattress and allow access to storage below, resolutely did not move and remained in the open position.

With visions of Ms A having to sleep at a 45 degree angle, balancing on her head with her feet to the ceiling, we couldn't give up. Finally to our relief, Ivo's suggestion of 'pure brute force' proved to be exactly what was needed (the instructions didn't mention this) and the bed platform eased into it's horizontal position. And stayed there..... until we let go ...

Thankfully the deep, luxurious mattress was weighty enough to keep the arms and cylinders in check and there was a perfectly normal and very comfortable looking bed to admire when we left.

A group of dedicated community GoodGymers gathered at the Cranbrook Community Centre this evening to help clear the borders of this well used garden of fallen leaves.

Our group of 10 slowly gathered inside and outside the centre, where we collected bin liners, gloves and rakes.

After saying hello to task owners Janet and Eileen, and welcoming first time GoodGymer, Liz, we divided into four teams, spread out over all four borders.

What’s with the leaves?

Good question, given the number of tasks that currently include leaves.

Fallen leaves may look attractive, but leaving too many on the ground can cause problems. Wet leaves can become slippery, and if left in too dense a layer, they can also block sunlight and air from reaching grass and plants beneath, affecting their growth. Decomposing leaves also create the perfect conditions for mould and unwanted pests.

By carefully clearing the borders and some of the grass areas, we’re helping to keep the garden both safe and healthy.

While the leaves were bagged up and carried away in multiple trips to the bin, the gathered sticks were put to good use. Rather than them meeting the same fate as the leaves, Ivo and Rohan set them aside in a quiet corner of the garden, where they’ll hopefully provide shelter for insects, and useful materials for birds building nests.

By the time the last bag of leaves, meanwhile, was taken to the bin, the evening chill appeared to have set in.

After our obligatory final pic, and a cheerio to Janet and Eileen, we rounded things off with a short stretching session, focusing on upper body stretches to help ease us into the week.

With the borders now looking a bit tidier, we headed home, pleased to have seen Janet and Eileen, cleared a bit of the garden and helped to support the wildlife that calls it home.

Next week, we’re back to the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, for another fun-filled evening with Ken.

Until then.

Welfare check for Mrs P. Job done and reported back to base. Last task of Jan 2025. Bright sunshine and a speedy run from office through town.