Don't thistle till you are out of the weeds

"Hello, this is Kash from..."
"Yes, speaking."
"No, I am Kash from GoodGym."

After a short conversation on the phone, Mr R's neighbour, Kash (which is not exactly her full or real name), sent her son to let me into the beneficiary's back garden through the side entrance. He closed the gate behind me and promised it was not locked and that he would open the garden for me from the inside.

The backyard was fully covered with gravel, which in turn, was covered in weeds. A lot of weeds. The majority of them came out just by pulling. The Other Kash advised me to concentrate on big wins, which was what every true Kash would do. But everything seemed to be a big win: the tall weeds at the back and the patches of Herb Robert - everything that was not prickly and nasty like the thistle or a piece of barbed wire I uncovered.

I didn't take my bramble-proof gloves (which may not have been thistle-proof after all), but I found a left glove in decent condition, which provided some protection when worn on top of my own PE. The weeds were easy to remove, but numerous, so I decided not to feel too bad about leaving some thistles at the back of the garden by the end of the mission. They were popular among bumblebees, so taking out all the thistles felt like a crime against pollinators.

Throughout the task, The Other Kash and her son checked on me several times, offering refreshments, but Mr R remained a mystery. I wondered whether he was so unwell he couldn't leave his bed. At some point, I questioned whether he existed. I stayed an extra 15 minutes to remove the weeds close to the entrance as The Other Kash suggested. That would reduce the risk of falling for Mr R.

When I was moving all the garden waste bags closer to the house, The Other Kash called me. Inside the door frame stood the silhouette of Mr R leaning against his walker. He was real! Despite not being well, the older man wanted to say thank you to me in person, which touched me.

I have not finished the task (I had been warned it is a big job!), but made visible progress and ensured the path to the garden is safer for Mr R. Hopefully, another GoodGym adventurer will visit Mr R soon and dispatch the thistles. I cannot speak on behalf of bumblebees, but I'm sure they will find other flowers to hang out.