I'm a lumberjack ...

He's even got the shirt! 

We've been looking for a replacement for our half-barrel flower tubs for a long while now. You can see the disgraceful state of the previous ones just behind S, and that is the more respectable one. The other was disintegrating into staves even before it was disembowelled by a passing dog a few days ago and is now in the firewood basket. S hadn't found any barrels for an acceptable price, but today he went and asked a wine-making neighbour and he actually had one there, in excellent condition, for 60 euros, a very reasonable price. It can't have been used for more than one or at most two vintages.

It seems a shame to saw up such a good barrel, but S set to. I know his tool looks inappropriate, but the electric jigsaw retired hurt (snapped blade) within a centimetre of starting. Anyway, predictably, before he was even halfway round, a neighbour went home to fetch his electric saw and it was soon done. 

In other news I heard the first hoopoe of spring this morning. I didn't even bother going to look for it -- they are very elusive.