A recent report stated that Barcelona has 3,343 publicly planted orange trees, 35% of which live in Sant Andreu. The reason for this is that in the 1980s and 90s, when the district was going through a period of redevelopment, the city councillor in charge had a love for orange trees. As per his wishes, along the narrow, tiled streets of Sant Andreu, orange was the tree of choice.

This decision based on one man’s love of oranges has created a picturesque feature in the neighbourhood, the bright orange hue of the fruit creating a great photo opportunity. However, while they might look pleasing, unfortunately their bitter taste makes them unpopular for eating.

Rather than finding their way into people’s homes for consumption, most oranges end up squashed on Sant Andreu’s streets, causing a headache for the district’s cleaners. As one cleaner noted, during the orange season her workload doubles, as she is busy picking up oranges from the pavement. It’s not just the orange trees and gravity she is up against, but also the school children who have a love of shaking the orange trees on their way home, sending the fruit tumbling all over the tiled streets.

In this work, the listener occupies the role of the city cleaner. It’s the end of their working day and finally they have finished cleaning one particular street. Admiring their work, they soon hear the school bell in the distance and the growing chatter of students on their way home. In the narrow streets around them, they hear the thud of falling oranges and laughter of children. As the thuds increase, they know tomorrow will be a busy day once again.