I went down to the chain saw store...

This is a view (looks better in big) snatched as I went along the narrow winding road this morning between the cypress trees that goes from Fiesole to Compiobbi. Don't be fooled (as if you would). It is poorly stitched and jammed together. But it gives a sense of Florence awakening beneath the January sun.

Back over in the Casentino I went to the Post Office to pay an electric bill, to the Agricola Casintenese where I bought an unwanted piece of wired broom shielding - 5m of the stuff for €10 which was, as the guy said, un prezzaccio - a deal.

Then to the chain saw store. I talked decompressing the cylinder of my Husqvarna with the very nice woman - who I assume is Simone's wife. She said more or less, 'That's only for people who aren't capable of turning the motor over without it. And that's not you, right?' 

She checked out my chain file and said I needed a bigger one - which cost me €3 - and took my Kawasaki hedge cutter in for a service. And then I bought two lovely splitting wedges forged in Italy. They are sold by the kilo - €6 a kilo. I plumped for the 2kg ones. She said, re the beast, 'It's when you get confident that accidents happen.' And then wished me, Buon lavoro.'

Then to the house where S is coming down with the dreaded flu. I cracked on with the laurel clearing after chatting with the boss - of the building site - about possible opening up an old window, the cost of the mason's replacement window lintels, the possibility of not re-pointing the barn but patching it (he's going to bring a bag of a more-or-less matching mortar so we can give it a try).

The first side of the house is complete. The scraping off is quite a process in order to give the lovely precise finish to the pointing (see extra).

I worked on until 5.30 as I still had a roaring bonfire going - it's on its fourth day now.

The real Boss is still very poorly.