One thing I’ve learnt is that you don’t have time for doubt in this job. You jump in and learn as you go while treading water in the deep end and hoping there are no sharks circling down below.

‘You’re keen.’ Noel supports the next tree, peering around it to watch the cut I’m making.

‘You’re not always going to be here to help me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you teaching me stuff like this, but I have to get the hang of it myself.’

‘I know, but my season is over for the moment so I’ve got time, and I love this place. I love being here again. I even love watching you grow into this role and the way you pick things up and have ideas that I would never have thought of. It’s inspiring to see it all through the eyes of a newbie again.’

Inspiring. Something I never thought anyone would say about me, ever.

‘You keep thanking me for helping you, but I’m enjoying it too. I loved fixing up the caravan with you and seeing it take shape into something fantastic before our eyes. Even Gizmo is enjoying his new red markings.’ He gives me a grin. ‘And yeah, my season starts again in January with digging over the land and planting seeds in propagators, but until then I’m only running the market stall and the corn maze at the weekends until the corn dies back. I’m happy to help.’

He makes an ‘oof’ sound as the tree I’ve just cut down falls into him, and I can’t help the grin of glee. He was so distracted that he didn’t even notice me slicing through another trunk.

I run my gloved fingers across the fresh stump. It’s not as smooth as Noel’s, but it’s better than my earlier cuts. For the first time since he knocked on the door this morning with a backpack over his shoulders, two bow saws in one hand and coffee and muffins in the other, I feel like it’s actually something I’ll be able to do.

I grin up at him as he sets the tree on the ground and walks around it to assess the trunk and gives an approving nod.

‘And we haven’t even started on the chainsaw cutting yet. And yes, you do need to learn how to use a chainsaw,’ he says, pre-empting what I was going to say. ‘If you’re harvesting a lot of trees in one go for wholesale or something then you need the speed, and mainly, if any customers cut their own trees down with wonky cuts then you have to straighten them up before they leave, otherwise the tree won’t stand right in their house and they’ll blame you even though they did the wonky cut themselves.’