Island Everyday Life

“Everyday life on the island moves to its own rhythm, guided by nature. The day is shaped by wind and sunlight, and by somewhat laborious daily tasks. Life inevitably slows down when carrying water or running to the root cellar. All of this has a grounding effect. The gaze frequently drifts to the open sea, and the mind humbles in its presence. One feels part of nature’s cycle. In the old house, the marks of ancestors also remind me of the generations I am part of.”
Merita Petäjä, Tammio

Many prefer the simplicity of island life over the hustle of the city. Conditions on the islands are much like a hundred years ago: in many homes, water is still carried in and dishes are washed by hand. Food preparation, firewood, repairs and yard work take time. Toilets are often composting outhouses or dry toilets. For many, sauna and sea are enough for bathing. Some find peace in doing things by hand, others feel pressured by constant chores. Meeting basic needs takes effort – but the result feels earned.

Cooking for one is simple, but things get busy when family or friends arrive. Many houses still have traditional wood-burning stoves, though electric and gas ranges speed things up. Outside, grills and fish smokers buzz – Baltic herring is still smoked the old way. For decades, groceries have been delivered to Tammio via scheduled boat service. In Kuorsalo and in off-season Tammio, one still needs their own boat and car for shopping.

Grain has rarely been grown on the islands, but nearly every respectable housewife once maintained a kitchen garden. These gardens have shrunk over the decades, although useful plants are still often harvested from one's own soil.

Kuorsalo was connected to the grid in 1952. In Tammio, power comes from solar panels, batteries, generators, and gas. A drinking water well may be shared between households, since even new boreholes don’t always ensure clean water. Many still bring water from the mainland in canisters. Radio masts allow vital connectivity, and safety equipment on land and sea keeps improving. Thanks to 21st-century technology, remote work is now possible – and one might even make it to their day job onshore by boat and car.

In the 1970s, it was believed that summer cottages would disappear as the rural-born generations passed. The opposite happened: Finland now has more summer homes than ever. First, native elderly islanders extended their seasons into spring and fall. Later, their retired children embraced cottage life. And now, so do remote workers. One can no longer ski to the islands – but some winters, the ice and wind conditions even allow boating in midwinter.