Granny Smith apples burnt by the summer heatwave........ the pear picking has ended, and what a season it was, the heat was unbelievable, in the eleven seasons I've done here it was really something else. Jenny and I resorted to a style of picking I had until now thought a little extreme, only for "hungry" pickers. To beat the heat we purchased "miners" lamps, worn on the head, and began our picking day an hour and a half before first light, thus despite having to retire early for the day due to heat stress we still picked our usual number of bins. The funny thing is we actually enjoyed it, and when the weather finally cooled down we continued the practice. Picking pears under the stars in peace and quiet........ now the burnt apples have begun, which can't be picked unless dry, and these autumn mornings can be dewy, so we start work at gentlemens' hours these days......
