Apple orchards on Åland

A wet working day in Tjudö

6.30am, somewhere on Åland Islands. It’s raining outside. I can hear the drops knocking the windows. I don’t want to get up. And if it wasn’t the end of the season I wouldn’t have to. But it’s getting late and we need to pick those apples, rain or no.

I pack my bag with my lunch and a big thermo of hot tea. I’ll need it: it’s cold outside. I put some warm clothes on then I wrap myself in flashy plastic. Green rain pants, orange raincoat, yellow plastic gloves and red rain boots. With those layers I look like a colour blind Michelin Man.

It’s more and more difficult to walk in the orchard as the mud is forming all around. And I don’t even talk about the stuck trailers we have to push. The bags are heavier, our movements slower and the morale is down. Well I must admit that with all this plastic I don’t mind that much. It’s just less exciting because it’s more difficult to talk with a hood. And because I can feel the boys unhappy around me.

But that’s it. After six hours outside the boss decides that it’s raining too much. It’s 3pm and I already finished my day at work.

That’s where I leave you. Do what you want: I’ll take my bike and have a 30 minutes ride to the closest shop and buy some food. My hair will be wet so will be my sweatshirt. But I don’t care: the sauna is waiting for me home…

Breathe the damp air.

Enjoy

...* Practical Corner*

Did you know that the orchards of Åland provide most of Finnish apples for the year to come? There are a lot of different varieties such as Rubinola, Santana, Lobo,... All are picked between August and November then stocked and packed depending on the demand.