The September Grove Farm conservation day was a little bit like a rock star arriving late at the stage. The sense of anticipation started to build up when the GoodGymers received a message that Mike, the Grove Farm task leader, was running late.

The suspense didn't last long as Mike showed up only 2-3 minutes after his set time. But the support band was still playing! David Lloyd's forklift was dancing around the Friends of Grove Farm container after we had pointed out that pallets with cement had been blocking the entrance to the tool store.

When Afshin, Steph, Sevan, Mike, and Deborah set off to the top of the lane, near the Sudbury Hill tube station, Kash and her bass guitar (guess what tool was that) disappeared backstage (in David Lloyd's bathrooms). Later, she claimed something nasty had stuck to her backpack and hand, and the delay wasn't a case of fixing the stage makeup.

The Saturday's gig was all about chopping and raking the brambles and other weeds that (again!) overtook the patch that we had been preparing for the wildflower seeding last year. The clearance of the green stuff was quick, so the next part of our set was a litterpick. Among the ubiquitous beer cans and vodka bottles, we found three boxes of cereals of unknown provenance and known best-before date: the past. No one dared to claim the shady Cheerios and Coco Pops, so sadly, they went to the bin.

The next opportunity to get involved in the conservation work at Grove Farm will be next month - sign up now!