Our monthly visit to Horsenden Farm included more horns than recent tasks as we were in close quarters with the Horsenden goats, Yogi and Alfie. As we had such a large group of 9 GoodGymers today, we were given 2 tasks on the farm to achieve.

Happy As A Pig In Mud

Those who were happy to work with and around the friendly goat pair were digging a trench for new fencing for the pig pen. The cunning pigs had learned how to escape from the pen that GoodGymers created last year, so an even more secure barrier had been designed. The fence was going to go under ground level and be secured in place, so a trench needed to be dug to take the fencing and lock it in place, so the new team of pigs wouldn't tunnel out.

The ground was quite muddy (as the other group would discover later) so wellies were the order of the day to keep feet dry. Everyone managed to find a pair to wear apart from Steph, who soldiered on with his custom brown Asics. The fencers worked quickly around posts, trees and their new goat friends to prepare the trench, ready for Horsenden volunteers to put the new fencing up later.

A Great Disappondment

Elsewhere on the farm, there was a plastic pond which wasn't sitting flush with the ground. Task owner Elsa wanted to dig out the dirt below and secure the basin at ground level. Once the GoodGymers emptied it of rainwater and lifted out of the ground, the team found there was more water underneath too.

After a quick assessment of where the hole needed to be bigger, shovels of sticky, wet, clay soil were scooped out. Wellies were needed again as those in the hole were shin deep in mud and frogs. Yep, there were frogs camouflaged in the mud, so Christos became their saviour, relocating them to a safe bucket during the operation.

After a lot of muscle work, it was time to put the plastic basin back in the hole, fill it with water and pack the sides with mud and hard core to keep it stable. The water filled slowly, so everyone waited. After around 20 minutes, it looked like the tub had risen out of the ground. Sure enough, there was a big puddle of water underneath again, so disappointingly the pond achievement wasn't unlocked. There may be a leak in the basin or something else environmental, it was hard to tell. Still, we had a muddy lot of fun.

The first task after Christmas was surprisingly popular among Ealing GoodGymers. Was the Magnificent Seven, who showed up on Saturday morning, already bored with the "take-it-easy" approach to the festive end of December? The seemingly quiet air was growing tense with a silent "bring it on!" cry. A small crowd gathered near Walpole Park's cafe. Were they thirsty for a cup of coffee or for a challenge? Maybe both!

A suitable challenge awaited outside the walled garden gate: the remainder of a woodchip pile that the GoodGymers had attacked last week. All the Rickyard tool storage could offer the eager team was five wheelbarrows, four shovels and a few buckets. Oh, and - of course - the usual puzzle of opening the Fort Knox of gardening tools!

When Diana and Kash worked together to break the tool store security, Sevan spotted a new face to GoodGym Ealing. Roxy chose a perfect task for joining our crew for her first GoodGym session: a prominent location, a good crowd and a classic winter task: shovelling woodchip! Welcome to GoodGym, Roxy!

I attended my first volunteering session today, met some lovely people and we worked so well as a team to smash through the community mission! Can't wait to do more - Roxy

After picking up the tools, the team of four met the rest of the Magnificent Seven at the walled garden gate: Lena, Marta and Mohamed, who was bringing a wealth of experience from last week's session. Would the skilled shovellers, a larger team, more time for the task and Kash's constant promises of coffee make the woodchip pile disappear this time?

The eager shovels plunged into the heap, the woodchip flew into the sky, and the clangour of speeding metal wheelbarrows filled the air. The GoodGymers were on it, determined to finish off the job. There's a wealth of woodchip waiting in Ealing to be moved this winter, and the gang wouldn't have left the Walpole Park pile for yet another session! In about 40 minutes the woodchip heap was gone, and another compost bin was filled to the brim. All that was left was clearing the wheelbarrows (and shoes!) of woodchips.

With spare time earned thanks to teamwork, the gang headed for a coffee as the reward for helping the Walpole Park Ranger today.

Next Saturday morning we are heading to Horsenden Farm for the volunteering day, followed by a pizza lunch at the farm's bakery - sign up now!