The end of July saw the arrival of the sugar-filled, larger-than-usual mirabelle plum from Lorraine, which is ripening sooner and earlier due to climate change. About fifteen pickers are strolling through Cecile Blanpied's orchard in Vigneulles-les-Hattonchatel, in the Meuse department of France, on a summer morning in August. Up to five kilogrammes of the valuable yellow fruit are stored in a green bucket that they wear around their waists and dangle from their belts. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES