Mr R had two jobs for me today: trimming three rose bushes and chopping down two trees. I started with the easy win, cutting back the largest of the rose bushes, and emerged victorious from the battle with that thorny subject.

Hungry for a greater challenge, I had a rummage in Mr R's superb, even if a bit worn, shed. I wanted to cut down that tree! I tried three different saws (out of six that were in sight) that looked like they were designed to cut through wood. All of them were equally rusty, and I went as far as a quarter of the way into the tree's trunk. While I was in denial that I got stuck, Mr R came to the garden and asked how I was doing.

I admitted that the saws could have been a tad sharper. Mr R pointed me to the shed and showed me that there were more saws on the cupboard, which was taller than me, so I hadn't noticed those tools before. Bluntly speaking (pun intended), none of the three other saws would cut it (pun intended again). Mr R then reached for his ultimate weapon, which he had used for carpentry back when he was younger. Finally, that little saw did the job. Amid the intense sawing, the blade came out just when the tree was going down. Luckily it was not broken and I asked Mr R for a screwdriver to attach it back to the handle so that I could take down the second tree.

"So you're a jack of all trades!" - Mr R.

I guess I am. Before leaving I spoke with Mr R about him looking after his shed, sitting in the greenhouse in the summer and about his work at British Home Store. The chat was so enjoyable that I forgot to take an "after" photo of the trimmed rose bushes. I left wishing Mr R a nice dinner, which I knew he had planned for later in the day.