Week 32: Jussi, Ari, Jouni, Jari, Outi, Aino, Anna
Saturday 02.08.2014
New group, as usual in Saturdays. A nice and quite lazy day, everyone was getting familiar with their duties and settling in in their new home, and of course carrying stuff for the week. Almost everyone has been here before, so it was more like a homecoming. Despite that there is so much happening in Märket, that there are always new things and changes even if you have been here last year.
Sunday 03.08.2014
Märket is a place where different people join together with different skills and problems, but that’s just like a lighthouse, witch is made from stone and glass, light and darkness. All together it works perfectly and it’s strong enough to fight agains storms and cruel nature.
Unfortunately we can’t do much when its raining and thundering, like it was this Sunday morning, except admire the view. However it came a nice but windy day and we get the waterpipe fixed, we were chopping wood, building scaffolds by the wave barker and Aino and Anna removed old plastering of the wave braker and Lilla Märket.
Monday 04.08.2014
Has human been a fish in the beginning of the world, because salty fog tast so sweet? Or has it been a bird, because warm wind makes your mind so calm? Or may it has been a frog, because it’s so fanny to jump and play in puddles? Who knows, but we think that people are born of rocks, because Märket’s smooth boulder with all rough scarfs feels like your own skin, when you sit there watching ships go by.
In the morning we was very inspired to start work on the roof, but hard wind (10-12m/s) stopped our plans. Girs continued their job on the wawe breaker and the others cleaned front yard and digged open those little ditchs in the rock.
Swallows was teaching their little chicks to fly. Märket’s windy environment makes that job very challenging too.
Tuesday 05.08.2014
Today was warm and a lot less windier than earlier, so naturally we had lots of visitors. Before noon we got twelve guests from Åland and Finland. We guided them around the islet and the lighthouse.
Besides of the tourist group Matts brought, Russian father and son came by kayaking and decided to stay over night because of the wind which got stronger in the afternoon.
Poetry after the work day
The sea spins like
a merry-go-round
when the storm arises.
Seagulls are restless,
flying as if they’re dancing.
The sea carries the wind.
The sun dives under the waves.
Slowly the moon rises over the island,
calming down the day.
Wednesday 06.08.2014
When you climb up to the light tower, you can see the horizon around you. It is an endless line. There is no start, no end. It’s a line of time. It’s a line of life. It’s a line of love and hope, fear and loneliness. And it’s endless like voluntary work in Märket. Just when you think it’s done, you have to start all over again. It’s endless, but so close to heaven and so close to the sea. There is no door to Utopia in Märket, but you can always find a key.
Yesterday came three swedish paddlers, and in the morning they continued their journey to Åland. Russian paddlers left Märket about 4 am, just after the ambulance chopper had suprised us by landing straigth beside the lighthouse. They were practicing nightfly and landing. We were relieved, nothing to worry about. Well, heh heh, the girls were sleeping on the rocks and were terrified of that giant hungry mosquito witch which came to hunt yummy little girls to eat.
Before noon came more suprises: Granberg landed with little group professionals. Annika from Visit Åland guided three men. One of them was photografer from Geo-Magasine, who was making an article of Åland, and the two others made advertising films for British Airways.
Thursday 07.08.2014
There is a magic sound when wind is humming at the stairs of the light tower. It sounds little bit sad and restless. Is wind made of plans and dreams which never became true? Lighthouse is weird place. The light is shouting that be carefull, don’t come too close, and otherwise the lighthouse sings like sirens and allure voluntaries to came back year after year. Does we all have lost dreams? Maybe you can find them at the stairs of the light tower. Who knows?
It was a strange morning. Hard wind was calmed down, there was little fog and thunder rumbled somewhere far on the sea. It seemed to come fery nice working weather, but just when Mats, Sebastian and Marcus arrived to take down the wind generator, it started to rain. But Sebastian is really professonal and did his work brawely on the mast despite wind and rain. We worried about thunder, but luckyly it didn’t come too close, and we get the genarator down.
With Mats came also a tourist group to visit Märket. Girls plastered warehouse wall and men installed ground gable for the mast. Quite busy day, but it’s normal when you live on a desert island in the middle of the sea.
Friday 08.08.2014
Waves are emotions of Märket. Emotions are powerfull. Sometimes they are huge, sometimes your mind is calm. Sometimes feelings crush against you, breaks little drops and slide down to born again. Emotions make us what we are.
There is no other islet like Märket. Märket is unique. Just like we all. There is pure nature around the islet, you can feel the power and beauty of it. Nature is strong. It is much stronger than you, because you are just a part of it. Just a little piece, but without all the pieces, picture is not perfect.
Yesterday evening came a swedish paddler Erik. He get immediately warming in the Märket’s great sauna and then he slept over the night in his tent.
This was our last whole day here, so we did normal service work to bio-toilets etc. Marcus brought with him the led lights and now we have good worklights over the gas stove. It was nice weather to make the roof but drills didn’t think so. It’s so frustrating. You are in the good mood but tools won´t work. Anyway, we got sticked up the asphalt felt around all these camera and generator keepers. We did also paintings in the kitchen and on the lighthouse wall.
