In Orkney, it's said that people who have drowned
turn into seals.
We call them selkies.
At the highest tides, they slip off their seal skins for the night
and they come to the shore as beautiful people.
And they dance together,
naked in the moonlight.
The selkies return to the sea at dawn.
Unless they're seen by a person.
And then they're trapped in their human body
and cannot return.
And they'll always remain discontent on land because
they belong to the sea.
Oh, everyone's gone.
- Yeah, everyone's gone. - Apart from me.
Rona?
What are you doing?
Please, please, please, come on.
Come on, I gotta get you out.
- Time to go home. - Why?
I remember...
Look, everyone is really long gone.
No, there was, um...
- The lights are on. - The lights...
That really means the night's truly over.
- Ow. - Come on, what are you doing, Rona?
We gotta get you out now. Come on, come on.
- Let's dance. - Come on, Rona.
Fine, I'll dance with you instead.
Dave?
- Get up. - Aha!
- Come on. - Dave, give me a twirl.
- She's long gone. - Come on, my love.
The door's there and you're going out of it. No, no, no. Not under the table.
Out you come. Come on. Out you come.
- You're leaving now. - You can't see me. Right, right, Dave.
Stand up.
To the door.
You're nearly there. Come on.
- Come on. You've had a bit too much... - Get her out.
God, I'm strong.
Come on.
Come on, love.
Dave, what are you gonna do? Make me leave?
I'm gonna to take you outside.
Rona!
- You're gonna ****ing make me leave? - Enough!
****ing ****hole!
- Time to go. - Get off of me!
- Make him stop! - Time to go!
****hole!
Hey,
you need a ride?
I can give you a lift, if you like.
Rona.
Um, is it okay if I get some details from you?
Hm-hm.
Yeah? Just check your age.
Twenty-nine.
And...
what's your occupation?
Er, I'm unemployed right now.
But I got a masters in biology.
Just get a few more details.
So, are there any illnesses that run in the family?
Anything like any heart attacks or strokes?
No.
Any diabetes?
No.
Anyone in the family have any kind of mental illness?
Come on.
- I'll just leave it here. - Thanks.
How's Dad?
He's fine.
I heard he's been putting his rants on Facebook again?
He's not.
Have you decided what colour you're gonna paint the walls yet?
What do you think?
I found...
There's a sort of a...
duck egg?
- Not sure. - That's nice.
Yeah.
That'd be nice in the living room, I think.
Matches your trousers.
Oh,
look what I found.
The RSPB is hiring. For summer jobs.
They're looking for...
But I have a life that I have to get back to.
I know, of course. And I'll pray for you.
Mum. Don't do that.
Of course I do.
Rona, do you want some tea?
I'll be down in a bit.
Okay.
I'm really bored.
Are you bored too?
I see what you're trying to do, you know.
Come on, this is almost done.
Trust me, if you can't handle your book on mushrooms or whatever that is...
- What is it? Mushrooms, um... - Fungi.
You know, I hate the way you barely need to read a book
and all the facts still somehow get into your head.
That's 'cause you've been staring at it for hours.
Yeah, I've literally been staring at this page for like 25 minutes.
I know, so just leave it and let's go to the pub!
- What was it like growing up here? - Growing up in London?
Yeah.
Growing up in London is just... there is always low-key something.
I didn't actually really clock it until the first time I went to the countryside.
And everything there was, like, so quiet.
I'm just gonna get another one, is that alright?
No problem.
Er... excuse me.
- Yeah? Sorry? - You don't have a lighter, do you?
I don't, sorry. I'm not a smoker myself.
Right. That's very sensible.
I like your hat you've got on, by the way.
- Oh, thank you. - Very interesting.
Do I recognise you?
- Possibly, are you from here? - Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Oh, I was thinking from the accent you must be from somewhere else.
No, no, my mum and dad are English.
- So that's why I've got a weird accent. - Oh... That'll be it. That'll be it.
Yeah, I've actually... I've been away for about ten years now, so...
My God, long time.
Yeah, I don't really come back that often.
So what are you doing now, then?
I'm just going off to meet a couple of friends.
- Ah, friends. - Yeah.
Yeah, I don't really know anyone here any more, so...
- No. - I was a bit desperate to...
see if there's anyone younger hanging around.
Oh, yes.
Do you want to have a cup of tea before you go maybe?
No, I really can't. I've got to catch up.
- Another time maybe. - Right. Yeah.
I'm staying with my mum at the minute, um...
But I usually live down in London.
I came to help my dad with the lambing, so...
But I'm going back down there soon, so...
Could you just give me your hand just so I can try this again?
- Yeah, yeah, it's no problem. - Alright, thanks.
- The wind. - Yeah, it's not easy.
- Got it! - Yeah, alright.
- Okay, I gotta go. I'll see you later. - Alright.
Sometimes you can feel a vibration in Orkney.
A low rumble.
A tremor.
It takes over the whole island and every part of your body.
But, of course...
it could all just be in your head.
Some people say it's the sound of underwater military experiments.
Others say it's the waves caught in caves deep below the land.
But the one that brought me nightmares when I was little
is the oldest theory.
A ginormous monster called the Mester Muckle Stoorworm,
who was so big
his tail would wrap around the whole world.
And he was defeated by a young lad called Assipattle.
He killed the stoorworm with a burning peat.
Fire burned inside its body.
And it was in such pain that its neck
reached nine times to the moon and back.
And then its teeth fell out
and formed the Orkney Islands.
The liver is still burning today.
And we feel that as the tremors.
Oh, that was just lovely.
- Absolutely gorgeous. - I think there's a bit more mince,
if anyone wants another...
- Couldn't have any more. No, thanks. - Rona, I notice you haven't eaten much.
- Are you alright? - Yeah, yeah. I'm just not hungry,
but it was lovely, yeah.
I'd just like to say thank you.
Thank you, Father, for this delicious food
and for this wonderful company at my table today.
We thank you, Lord, for the food on our table, for the sun in the sky...
So are you up for long?
No, I'm going back down to London next week.
'Cause there's a service for healing on a Thursday evening.
You might find it interesting.
- Your husband used to go, right? - Yeah, my Mark went last year.
He was having a bit of trouble with drinking and just needed a bit of guidance
and, you know, just a bit of support and that.
You know, a bit of help really, you know.
- No, I'm doing fine. - Anyone can go. It's not...
Oh, Rona, your mum was saying that you're taking a break from your study?
- Please don't. - Don't what? Don't what? This?
I'm sober. Do they know that?
'Cause they seem to know everything else, don't they?
You've clearly told them everything that's going on.
Rona, I'm sorry.
- You coming back inside? - I'll be in in a minute.
Don't start reading the Bible without me.
Get a shift on, Daynin. Come on.
Hurry.
Oh, ****! Oh, ****!
- Daynin. Rona. - Daynin.
- Give me your hand! - Please...
put two hands on the bicycle!
Hi.
Sometimes when I hallucinate,
I transpose the island's boundaries onto a map of London.
In Hackney, thousands of people live in the same area of the farm
that was home to just our family:
150 acres.
The screaming gulls are sirens,
the sea, traffic.
The tower blocks are cliff faces.
The warning lights on top of tall buildings are lighthouses.
The Tower of London is Skara Brae.
And the Millennium Dome is the ancient Ring of Brodgar.
Yeah, Rona, I just wanted a quick catch up really just to see how you are.
Yeah, good. Why?
It's just that we had the lab meeting last week
and you weren't there, everyone else was there.
Well, yeah, I had, um, a dentist appointment that day.
But also I've just been really busy with the project.
You could've told me about the dentist.
Some of the other guys in the lab, they said
that you've distanced yourself a little bit.
I did, um...
You're not going to coffee with them as much as you used to.
Sorry, um...
I mean, you had promised to get a report to me last week as well.
Dad!
- Dad? - Yeah.
There you are.
Hiya.
- Hi. - You alright?
Yeah.
I'm heading off soon, so I wanted to say goodbye.
- Are you? - Yeah.
- Already? - Mmm.
You want to see a lump of something, might be worth a fortune?
What?
"One test for ambergris is to poke it with a hot needle and a liquid should ooze out."
Here we go.
Look, look, look, look.
That's liquid. Oh, my God.
Wow.
"Ambergris is a rare and highly valuable substance
produced in the stomach of sperm whales, either vomited or excreted
and found floating on the seas. It has a bad smell."
Does it have a bad smell? Doesn't smell like anything.
Still, it is liquid.
It says...
- for one gram... - Yes.
you can get twenty-eight dollars.
- What's that, twenty-five quid? - Like twenty-five quid.
Let's see, so that's... This is...
This is ten pounds. That's four and a half kilos,
that's four thousand five hundred, that's...
Twenty-five... That's over £100,000.
Over one hundred...
- Well done! - That is one big tractor.
- Seriously. - My God.
Oh my. Oh, well.
- Will you send me updates when you hear? - I will. Why don't you stay?
No, I can't.
I'll tell you what I could do help with is...
You know, there's a couple of dikes have come down on the outrun there.
I could do with some help building them back up again.
No, I've really been here for long enough.
- London's calling me. - Alright.
I got to go back.
So, because you're gonna be rolling in it,
do you think maybe you could lend me a few quid just to tide me over
- for when I go back? - I just can't.
- Right. That's okay. - Have you asked your mum?
Um, she offered to put me into her prayers.
you will see passenger emergency instruction notices
in various parts of the vessel and in the passenger cabins.
Please study these...
located in the following positions: In the breakfast restaurant...
The urge to drink can come out of nowhere.
You think you're doing well.
But suddenly you want nothing more than a drink.
When people drink, alcohol, or more specifically ethanol,
is absorbed into the stomach lining and enters the blood stream.
In the brain,
alcohol confuses messages
between neurotransmitters and acts as both an intoxicant
and a depressant or a relaxant.
Hiya.
Hey.
- You alright? - Yeah.
- That's good. - Just going to the loo.
For those of us susceptible to addiction,
alcohol quickly becomes the default way of alleviating anxiety
and dealing with stressful situations.
Through repeated use of the drug,
our neural pathways are scored so deeply
they'll never be repaired.
- You good? - Yeah, yeah.
- Hi, Elena. - Hello, good to see you back.
Elena, this is Rona. Rona, Elena.
- Nice to meet you. - Rona has a training day with us.
Elena quite often works for us at the RSPB on the island
- and manages our cottage here on Papay. - Yes.
- So you're gone take us to the Holm. - Yeah, that's right.
The tides look perfect for going there just now. Boat's ready in the water.
It's the first time that you've visited Orkney?
Eh, I'm from West Mainland.
Ah... very nice.
We can just maybe like spend about an hour and a half there, if that's okay with you?
- Great. - Then we'll get you back to Papay.
Oh, Papay really is my favourite island.
Do you all have time for a cuppa like or a coffee at Rose Cottage?
So there's a grey seal on the rocks.
Yeah.
The grey seal pups are all fluffy and white.
They're really, really nice.
And they can't swim right away.
But the common seals, they can swim almost right away.
They can just get into the water the same day.
People really like them and folk here,
what they really like is the sound they make.
Woo!
Yeah, nice one. Can you do it?
Woo!
A bit like a wolf.
Quite eerie, especially if it's at night.
Hi.
Homo sapiens have about 79% of the same DNA as seals,
50% as plants,
a banana,
a cucumber
or seaweed,
60% as jellyfish.
Jellyfish are only capable of upwards independent movements,
so they're moved horizontally by currents and tides.
Wait!
The day I was born, my father became unwell.
One of the bipolar episodes he'd had periodically since he was a teenager.
If you go mad in Orkney,
they just fly you out.
So, what you've got in front of you here is
what I would say is a really well-mowed field.
Okay?
And so what he's done is he's gone from the inside
and he's mowed all the way out
so any corn crakes that might have been on his land in the field,
they can come all the way into the long grass.
Mm-mm.
Okay, so when it comes to the survey, you'll have one of these
in front of you and it's like a grid system.
Mm-hmm.
- So you start here from 12 to 3:00am... - Yeah.
and then you go every 200-500 metres, and then you stop.
You wind down your window,
set a timer on your phone for two minutes,
and listen.
For what?
For the sound of a corn crake. Have you heard a corn crake?
- No. - Right, well...
- How would you describe it? - Uh, I'd say it's quite like...
Maybe like a cat hissing?
I would say more like a cranking chain, something like...
- Right. - That's good.
Get it up on YouTube for her.
Uh-huh.
So,
can you tell me why you're here, Rona?
Yeah.
I'm here for a referral,
for rehab. Um, residential.
I just want you to lock me up.
Okay.
Well, there can be quite a rate sometimes for residential places.
But there are some other options.
This programme is a zero-tolerance abstinence-based programme.
Which means that if you don't turn up,
for any reason, you are off the programme.
It means if you relapse,
you are off the programme.
What is said in this group, stays within the walls of this group.
No phones.
I would ask that you only check them at your break times.
Also, all fag and bathroom breaks
will be accompanied by a counsellor.
Statistically, only 10% of you will make this.
I know that sounds tough.
But it is a tough journey that you have started.
Rona!
Come on.
No, Mum, I'm okay, thanks.
Oh, come on, Rona, it's lovely.
I'm fine.
Whoo!
How's Mum?
You could always just call her and ask her yourself.
How's the job?
Um...
Well, I haven't heard a corn crake yet.
So, not that great.
I can't do that.
I did find out that there's a large
population of corn crakes in Eastern Europe.
By the way, it's not ambergris. I got the results back.
Oh.
Well, what is it then?
Paraffin wax or something.
Probably.
Hm.
Thanks for staying longer.
Hey, Dad.
I made another flower picture.
Dad-dad-dad-dad-dad...
The past follows us.
Energy never expires.
The energy of waves carried across the ocean
changes into noise and heat and vibrations
that are absorbed into the land
and passed through the generations.
Waves break when the wave height is more than one seventh of the wave length.
Although they collapse in different manners,
there is only so much height any wave can sustain
before it comes crashing down.
I'm so proud of you!
- Really? - Yeah.
- Oh, really? - Yeah, you're doing so well.
- Go on, go on! - Grab a shot!
- Cheers, guys! - Okay.
- Make a speech! - Don't make me make a speech.
Come on! Speech! Speech!
You think it's about me? But I wouldn't have been able to do it without all of you.
He's so humble.
- Cheers. - Go on, go on, go on!
Yes, yes, yes, yeah!
Would you want to marry me?
Do I want to marry you?
- Do you think you'd want to marry me? - Oh.
One day, maybe.
- Maybe? - Maybe...
One, two, three, four.
Hey!
- Haha, ow. - For ****'s sake.
- Babe. - Ow.
You okay?
- You alright? Rona? - Alright, honey?
- Rona, babe? - Where's my compass?
Did you definitely bring it out with you?
Did you have it on whilst you were dancing?
- Oh no, don't worry. - It's okay.
- My compass. - Maybe it came off.
Have you seen... she wears this like, like this necklace thing.
- It's a compass. - Get up, honey.
- Her compass. - Sorry...
I don't know where it's gone.
My dad gave me that compass.
- What are you laughing at? - No one's laughing.
You think you're great because you earn more money than me?
You're not laughing now, are you?
Rona! Get a grip!
Whoah, whoah, ****! ****!
What the **** was that?
Okay, babe, we need to go outside.
Rona?
Rona, listen to me. Listen to me, just breathe.
Just breathe. It's okay. You're okay.
You're okay, just deep breaths, you're fine, okay? Just breathe.
Please don't. Rona, you're hurting yourself.
- Has she taken something? - No, I've not given her anything.
Get off.
- Just listen to me. - Get off. Double vodka.
You can't order another drink. We're going.
- Chill out. - Oi, oi!
I'm too tired for this!
We're going home, alright? No, you can't have that!
Rona!
For ****'s sake, Rona!
Be careful!
- Will you listen? - Get off!
No! No! Would you just listen? I am begging you.
No! No!
No! Get away from me!
- Where are you going? - Get away from me!
Listen to me!
You have a problem!
No, you're trying to control me.
I'm not trying to ****ing control you. This has nothing to do with me.
- This is about you. - I hate you.
Morning.
What did I do last night?
You don't remember?
Daynin, I'm sorry.
Daynin, I'm so sorry.
Whatever I did...
I'm not drinking any more. I'm sorry.
And I'm so tired of hearing you say that.
I can't hear you say that again.
What do you mean?
I don't even recognise you any more.
I wish you were a completely different person.
Don't say that.
I can't do this.
What do you mean, you can't do this?
I just can't do this.
Did I do that to you?
I'll never do that again. Right?
Whatever I did, I'll never do it again.
I'm never going to drink again. I promise you.
Right? Because I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose you.
Please don't go.
I love you.
God,
grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change,
the courage to change the things that I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Thank you, Steven.
Rona.
Would you be happy to share with the group today?
Perhaps...
some of the feelings that you experience when you think about drinking.
Mm-mm.
Um...
I miss it.
I miss how good it made me feel.
I fell in the canal.
And I broke the bike.
But I'm gonna sort it out.
- Are you gonna not say anything? - What do you want me to say, Rona?
You're always judging me. You're being so hard on me.
I made a mistake.
I'm sick of it. I'm honestly... I'm sick of you.
- Yeah. - Like you want me to become...
one of those women that just caters to you
with a big smile on my face and that's not the way I am.
That's not the way I'm ever gonna be. I'm not like that. And you know that.
I don't know why you're expecting that from
me. You're trying to tame me and control me.
Thank you for your honesty.
Rona. Rona, um...
Just want to share this... I don't know... with you...
Basically, I, um...
My girl... my ex-girlfriend found my stash and threw it down the toilet,
so I left her a little gift in the bed. I just basically shat in the bed.
I left her a little prezzie.
Oh, yeah, I got one. I got in at about 3:00am.
Snuck up to bed, got into bed, right?
Then at about four, five o'clock, I get a...
Whack! She has booted me, right?
Kicked me straight up the **** and she pulled the covers up.
And I've pissed from her neck down, right down, all over her jammies, everything.
Uh, talking of peeing... in my days...
Here we go.
Hello.
- Aye-aye. How you doing? - How you doing?
- How you getting on? - Nice to meet you.
Um, so I'm with the RSPB, I was just wondering if I could
- have a couple of minutes of your time. - Yeah.
We're trying to figure out
how many corn crakes are still on all of the islands throughout Orkney.
And how we can actually protect the corn crakes
because they're on the red list.
Are you wanting to come in for a cup of tea?
Yeah, I will in a minute. I'll just... I'll tell you this really, really quickly.
Basically, what we're trying to get farmers like yourself to do
is to change their mowing pattern.
Did your father sell the farm?
- He sold the house. - Oh, right.
- But he's still on the farm. - So where the heck does he abide then?
- He's in a caravan. - Oh, Lord.
Yeah. It's enough for him, really.
It's got all his records and stuff.
Good, good.
working my way through the whole island and...
- every inhabited island in Orkney. - Indeed.
Yeah.
To see how many people we can get on board.
I don't know if you'd be up for doing something like that.
- Yeah, absolutely, okay. - Yeah.
- Oh, really? - Yeah.
Okay, great.
- Have you heard one? - No.
- Have you not? - I haven't.
You will do sometime. I've not for a long time.
Which is a bit disappointing 'cause they used to be quite common.
Yeah.
- But things change. - Yeah.
Because people rarely saw the corn crake fly,
it used to be thought they would go underground in the winter,
transform into other species,
or even ride on other birds' backs to migrate.
We now know that they do migrate
all the way to Central Africa.
And GPS trackers have placed them
in Congo in the winter.
But it's a dangerous journey.
Only 30% make it.
Hi.
Daynin.
****.
That's it then, corn crakes.
So, is this your first meeting?
No. Good, okay.
Well, why don't we start with the preamble as usual.
Hello. I'm James. I'm an alcoholic.
- Hi James. - Hello James.
So, we'll do the preamble.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women
who share their experience, strength and hope with each other
that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
There are no dues or fees for AA membership.
Our primary purpose is to stay sober
and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things that I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Amen.
Meg!
Dad.
I can't find Meg anywhere.
I'm just gonna leave her some water for her and some food.
But you've got to remember to do that, okay?
And I'll ask Mum to get someone in to just help you with the farm.
Just until you feel better.
You warm enough?
I'm scared.
I don't know if I can do it, Dad.
I wish you a very happy future, you deserve it.
Rona, it's been a fantastic journey being with you here.
I wish we had met elsewhere.
But I think we've come a very long way.
And congratulations.
Well done, Rona, all the best to you.
Uh...
Thanks for making me strong.
I hope I don't let you down.
Mum, are you there?
Er...
I finished.
I did it, 90 days.
Yeah.
Thanks, Mum.
Um...
Can I come up home for a few days?
Hey, you've reached Daynin. Leave a message and I'll get back to you.
Daynin.
It's me.
Don't know if you'll get this message.
I miss you.
I miss... talking to you.
I know why you left me.
I get it.
Where are the apples?
The apples... Oh, shit.
I was just getting an apple.
He's not real, you know.
They have you brainwashed.
Come to bed, Rona.
That's why Dad left you, you know.
Because you chose them over us.
Can't believe that you still believe...
You're so stupid.
There's another one.
Lies.
All that praying didn't help, did it, Mum?
It didn't help me.
- Come on, lie down. - Didn't help me.
Come on.
I'm sorry, Mum.
I'm sorry, Mummy.
Washing machine, the cooker, pots and pans, and the stove.
Watch the handle for it can get hot.
Um, there's firewood there
- and there's more in the shed. - Okay.
But when it gets really cold you might want to order a bag of coal from the shop.
It's pretty rough in the winter time.
Eh...
No fancy going somewhere warmer like the Canary Islands or somewhere like that?
Well, it's cheaper to come to Papay.
Well, that is very true.
Er, this is your bedroom, living room.
It still smells a bit fusty, um...
But there's the bed. It's quite cosy.
And, um...
We meet on a Wednesday in the hall, if you fancy a cup of tea and a blether.
We're just 60 people but there's plenty going on.
- If you're wanting a bit of company? - Yeah, I might do. Yeah. Maybe.
I'll away. I've got stuff to do and I'll see you soon.
- Have you got the keys? - Oh, sorry.
- It's alright. - Not that we need them.
- Thanks, Elena. - Not on Papay. You take care, Rona.
- Bye. - Cheerio.
Britain is an island off Europe.
Orkney is an island off Scotland.
Westray is an island off Orkney.
Papay is an island off Westray.
According to Orcadian folklore,
the island Hether Blether only appears in the fog.
It was said that once a girl was kidnapped by a fin-man
and taken to the mystical island
and never could return.
Hi Mum, it's me.
Um, sorry I didn't get to see you before I went to the airport.
Um, I just wanted to let you know that I got to Papay safely.
Um...
I don't know yet how long I'm going to stay.
A couple of months, I think.
The signal's not great here, but it would be good to hear from you.
Yes!
On icy mornings with high heating bills.
Why don't you come outside?
Don't! You get off of me!
Open the door, Daynin!
Answer me!
Why are you doing this to me?
Piece of shit, I hope you ****ing die in hell!
So, how does London compare to Papay?
Uh, well,
there's a bit more going on.
- I guess. - I'll bet.
Have you ever been down south?
Sometimes, not very often.
Not very often.
We hardly get away and me husband's going,
"Oh, I can't see the sea and the trees.
And you can't see anything. When are we going home?"
Thank you very much. All the very best.
- Cheers now. - See you again.
Yes, thank you very much.
- See you on the ferry now. - Yes. All the very best.
- Hello there. - Hello.
Cheers. All the best now.
- Aye-aye. How's it going? - Aye-aye. Good.
Lovely.
I should introduce you to me brother, Calum.
- Oh, hello. - Hi. How are you doing?
- Rona. - Hi, Rona.
Good to see you.
Rose Cottage?
Aye.
Is it bird work you're doing?
Calum, stop.
He's so nosy, he's like an old wife.
Well, um,
I was the warden of the nature reserve up there.
- Back in the eighties. - Right.
Before we had Rose Cottage. I stayed at Gowry just across the way.
It was very basic.
Rose Cottage is a palace.
Gowry was a hovel. But it was my hovel. I loved it very much.
Um, could I get some tobacco as well, please?
Oh, sure.
Is that it? Is that everything?
- Yeah, yeah. - Okay.
The original Beaufort scale didn't give wind speed in miles per hour,
but rather in terms of its effects on sailing ships.
From "just sufficient to give steerage" to
"that which no canvas sails could withstand."
The wind is our most defining weather in Orkney.
Even in summer, there's usually a breeze.
Beaufort force 3 or 4 on average.
In Winter, gales are coming.
Come in! Come in!
I'm one with the wind.
You're upsetting her!
Beautiful, Annie! It's beautiful! Listen to it.
Breathe it in!
- God, God... - We are one with the wind.
Please help him!
King of the castle!
Hey!
My subjects. Welcome to my house.
Rona, get in here!
- I'm gonna watch. - If you're not gonna come in...
You having fun?
Nah, I'm having an awful time.
Looks like it.
- Really reminds me of home, you know. - I forget you're a farm girl.
Aahil! Really? You really need to do that?
What's the big deal?
What do you mean, "What's the big deal"? Pick it up, it's not a bin.
That's what the big deal is. ****'s sake.
- You know he's terrified of you? - He's not terrified of me.
- He is. - He just knows I'm right.
No.
I'd never let my boys get away with any of that shit.
What do you mean, your boys?
You have kids?
Yes, I have two boys.
- Really? - Yeah.
It's why I get up every morning, it's...
you know, for them.
So, what age are they?
- 17. - 17!
Yeah, 14.
I've not seen them in ten years, though.
Better that way, who wants...
You know, who wants a crack head for a dad?
Once I'm clean and...
then I'll... bring them here.
We're nearly done. What are you gonna do after all of this?
Don't know.
Nothing.
I ****ed it up.
- I did. - Hang on, hang on.
Shut up. You asked.
- You asked. - Well...
Come on, listen.
See, I don't mean to... Look at this brigade.
If they can make it, you can make it.
- I don't know about that. - You'll be fine.
I can't be happy sober.
Hi Rona.
- Hiya. - Hiya, how are you doing?
- Good, how are you? - Not bad at all.
What a lovely day, isn't it a cracker?
- You getting in among the seaweeds? - Aye.
Aye, you've come to the right place. It's a seaweed supermarket.
Are you doing well?
- Lovely, lovely. - Yeah.
I've just been doing a spot of beach-combing. What do you make of this?
"The city of New York."
Very nice.
Well...
Well, I'll let you get on.
And, uh... if there's anything you need,
just give us a shout, okay?
- Yeah, I will. - Okay? Right-o.
- All the best. Cheerio for now. - Bye.
- Ro, there you are! Listen! - Hi.
This storm came through and I've had to patch up another window.
- Oh, no. - Listen up.
I almost ran out of gaffer tape.
- You've got to get that fixed, right? - I've spoken to the bank.
And I've arranged a loan. And I've...
- But for what, Dad? - I've not arranged it yet, but I will do.
Can you turn the music down? I can't hear you very well.
- Can you turn it down? - offshore wind farms and...
And the other thing is there's a...
You'll love this. I talked to the geothermal physicist about the caves...
Dad, have you been sleeping?
And the thing about the geothermal thing is...
Dad.
Okay, Dad, you need to sleep.
You're not sleeping, right? You're getting high.
- Ro! Ro! Ro! - Yes, I'm listening to you.
I've no time for this.
You need to calm down.
the forefront of the ecological revolution.
Will you please take some sleeping pills and just go to sleep for a few hours?
Ah!
Oh God!
Hello?
Eh, yeah, I'd love to talk to him. Thank you.
Hiya, Dad.
Rona?
Yeah, are you okay?
Hello?
- Hiya. - Rona? It's Dad.
Yeah.
Listen, I've a really important...
Would mind giving me some...
Oh, well. Sorry, I...
Dad, are you okay? Are you alright in there?
Listen, I have to talk very quietly.
- I'm surrounded. - Okay.
I'm being held against my will in an institution.
And I need your help to facilitate my release.
Do you think you can do that?
No, Dad, because you have to stay there until you get better.
God! God!
You put me in here in the first place
and you won't give yourself the opportunity to redeem yourself by getting me out.
Dad, I didn't put you anywhere.
You goddamn know bloody well what you did!
- What did I do? - You called the cops.
Dad, I didn't call the cops. Not at all.
You called the cops. They came and they took me away.
I know, but I think everyone was worried about you.
I think somebody else called.
You break my heart.
You are a deceitful woman.
You are a...
- Hi, um... - Don't disappoint me...
- any more than you already have. - I'm gonna go. I'll check in later, okay?
Rona! Now you pull your...
****!
Hey! You need a ride?
I can give you a lift.
- To Daynin's house. - Good.
I'll take you there. Jump in.
Thank you.
Hi.
Hiya.
Well, I bumped into someone who's giving me
a lift to yours,
because he knows where you live.
Don't you want it?
You *****!
Help me!
Help!
- Stop! Help me! - Come back. Wait!
Help!
Hi.
Hey.
So, how have you been?
I'm good.
How's your job?
I mean, I got that promotion.
Oh, wow.
Big bossman now.
- Got an assistant. - Ah...
- Office? - Tiny one.
Are you seeing anyone?
Yeah.
Right.
She's... nice.
Kind, you know.
It's different.
Hm-hm.
It's boring, I bet.
I'm glad you're happy.
I like your hair.
Yeah?
Yeah.
It's nice.
**** you!
You wanna go for a drink?
There's a berg.
Lads, there's a berg! There's a berg to the starboard.
Woo!
Steady as she goes, lads. Steady as she goes!
We got a berg to the starboard, lads! You gotta hustle up, hustle up. Go on.
Okay.
Crow's nest!
Can you hear me?
Is it all clear up north?
Yep, we're heading north.
Come on, come on!
Well done. You did really well.
- Hi, Rona. - Hiya, you alright?
- Aye, not bad. How's yourself? - Yeah, I'm good.
Just had to get a bit of air, it was getting really hot in there.
Aye.
There's a lot going on.
- Aye. - Aye.
So how long you been sober?
63 days.
Wow.
That's the steepest bit you've done.
So, what about you?
Oh, boy. Um...
twelve years.
Four months.
And...
29 days.
Yeah.
How is that?
Well, it's okay.
Started off one day at a time.
Twelve years and four months later, it's still one day at a time.
Because that's the only way. And it works.
And you're doing it.
So it gets easier, does it?
Oh, yes. Yes, it does.
You have my word on that.
Hmm.
But...
it never gets easy.
It just gets less hard.
The marine traffic and flight radar websites
show in real time the paths of all vessels at sea
and all commercial aircraft in the sky.
A light that moves above the cottage is a Lufthansa flight
from Los Angeles to Frankfurt.
I monitor the path of the International Space Station
and find out when it's passing over.
Tonight it flies over Orkney.
- Merry Christmas. - Hi, Rona.
Not got good news. There's no flights coming in today.
- What? - There's a technical fault with the plane.
- And there's no flights coming in at all. - What about tomorrow?
No, they're waiting on parts and engineers and...
And I'm afraid the boats are away into the town for Christmas.
A fresh day with strong easterly winds and rain.
Winds are likely to get up to near gale force just before midday,
but will ease off for the afternoon.
Temperatures are unlikely to hit double figures.
Maybe 9 degrees Celsius at a push...
Woo!
Oh!
- Hey Rona. - Hi.
- How are you doing? - Good.
You been for a swim?
- Yeah. - Fantastic. Gosh, look at you.
Ahhhh.
Come on!
Hey.
- How is it? - Windy.
Yeah.
Elena, this is my mum.
- Oh, it's really nice to meet you. - Yeah, nice to meet you, too.
- You have a lovely daughter. - Thank you.
- She's been looking after me. - Oh.
They're just some drawings I've done and stuff.
- Do you want a cup of tea? - Oh, yes.
- It's warmer in the kitchen. Shall we go? - Lovely, thank you.
And I made some bread.
It's your recipe.
- Oh, Rona, that looks wonderful. - It may poison you.
So, do you like it?
Mmh.
So how long do you think you'll stay here for?
Um...
Don't know, probably till the spring.
- That long? - Yeah.
Well, I'm thinking about changing my PhD.
I've become really, really fascinated with seaweed and the whole seaweed industry.
Seaweed farming is kind of changing the world.
It's always been around in eastern parts of the world.
And, yeah, we're not really exploring it as much as we used to.
So, what I'm thinking about doing is studying seaweed farming.
So I started to look into it and there's a lot of different benefits to seaweed.
There's, you know, soil fertilisers.
So if you feed it to cows, it's a really great natural way to fertilise the soil.
The cattle produce less methane when they burp and when they fart.
And it supplies your body with...
magnesium, copper, all these different things.
It also supplies the earth with 60% of its oxygen.
- I thought that was the rainforest. - No.
Common misconception, but it's marine plants.
It's in our toothpaste.
It's part of our culture, our mythology, everything.
If everyone got on board with it, it could change the world.
And so, I want to be a part of it.
- How's Dad? - He's coming home next week.
Where is he going to stay?
- In the caravan on the farm, of course. - Of course.
I mean, we're not going get him to live anywhere else, are we?
Absolutely not.
I should go back then.
At least I can cook for him, get him stuff in.
Rona, please don't worry so much.
- But I do worry. - No.
He's had to go through this over and over again.
You know, you have to look after yourself.
That's what I had to do.
Was it really hard for you?
Just having me, having the farm, he just wasn't...
there.
Mm, it was.
It was.
At times it was very difficult.
He'd be away for months.
And then...
even when he wasn't away, I was...
very lonely, sometimes.
Yeah.
Then I found God, or rather...
God found me.
All things come from the ocean. And the ocean takes them back.
And eventually, one day, they might come back again to the land.
After a gale is when the best things are found.
Parts of the Udal Law from old Norse times still apply in Orkney.
If you find something on the shore of your farmland,
and it's above the low watermark,
it's yours.
There's a festival about to happen here, it's called the Gyro Nights.
Oh.
So all these artists from all over the country,
all over the world, actually, are coming in.
And we've been, like, arranging the whole thing.
- And putting banners up. - Oh, yeah?
You're coming for my job.
So, um, no, but really, how are you doing?
I'm fine.
- I'm actually, yeah... - I mean, you look great.
I'm probably the best I've been in...
a really long time.
Promise.
Gyro!
Want to sit down?
Yeah, please.
- It's a bit messy. - That's okay.
So cold.
- Mind if I take my socks off? - No.
- That's what I'm gonna do. - Soaking wet.
- Give me the socks. - Thank you.
- Ah, that's better. - So much better.
I loved that tonight, it was fun.
Such a nice evening.
I had a dream the other night that all my hair was on fire.
Okay.
- That sounds quite scary. - Yeah.
Kind of amazing, though.
My hair was just flames...
running round.
- So, you go back tomorrow? - Getting the ferry in the morning.
Hm.
In grandiose moments,
high on fresh air and freedom on the hill,
I study my personal geology.
My body is a continent.
I grind my teeth in my sleep like tectonic plates.
And when I blink,
the sun flickers.
My breath pushes the clouds across the sky.
And the waves roll in to the shore in time with my beating heart.
The island's headlands rise above the sea like my limbs in the bathtub.
My freckles are famous landmarks.
And my tears...
rivers.
Lightning strikes every time I sneeze.
And when I orgasm,
there is an earthquake.