Original subtitles

It's said that people who have drowned turn into seals.

We call them Selkies.

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.

Selkies always remain discontent on land because they belong to the sea.

Hi, everyone's gone. Yeah, everyone's gone.

What are you doing? Time's gone.

Bye. It's really long gone.

It was, um, the night, the lights. The night's true.

Come on, what are you doing, Rona? Come on, Rona.

Fine, I'll dance with you instead.

Right, right, right, Dave.

Stand up.

You're nearly there, come on.

You're a bit too much.

But I'm strong.

Come on.

Dave, what are you going to do?

Are you going to meet me?

I'm going to take you out.

Rona!

Let me live!

Fucking asshole!

Time to go.

Is it okay if I get some details from you?

Yeah.

Just check your age.

29.

And what's your occupation?

I'm unemployed right now.

I've 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?

How's dad? He's fine. I heard he's been putting his rants on Facebook again. He's not. You

Have you decided what colour you're going to paint the walls yet?

What do you think?

I've found...

It's a sort of a...

Dark egg?

Not sure.

That's nice.

Yeah.

That'd be nice in the living room I think.

Matches your trousers.

Look what I've found.

The RSPB is hiring for summer jobs.

They're looking for 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 see what you're trying to do now.

Come on, this is almost done.

Trust me, if you can't handle your book on mushrooms, whatever that is...

I hate the way that you barely need to read a book and all the facts just somehow get into

your head.

That's because you've been staring at it for hours.

Yeah, I've literally been staring at this picture for like two and a half hours.

I know, just leave it.

Let's go to the pub.

What was it like growing up here?

Growing up in London?

Yeah.

Growing up in London, it's just, there's 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 going to get another one of these.

No problem.

Excuse me. 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.

Oh, I was thinking from the accent you must be from somewhere.

No, no, my mum and dad are English so that's why I've got a weird accent.

That'll be it, that'll be it.

Yeah, I've actually, I've been away for about ten years now, so.

A 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, I'll be.

Ah, friends.

Yeah.

Yeah, I don't really know anyone here anymore, so.

No.

I was a bit desperate to see if there's anyone younger hanging around.

Okay.

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, but I usually live down in London.

I just came to help my dad with the lambing. 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, no problem.

The wind.

Yeah, it's not easy.

Got it!

Yeah, alright. I've got to go on. See you later.

Alright.

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 Mestermuckle Storeworm, who was so big, his tail would wrap around the whole world.

He was defeated by a young lad called Asipal.

He killed the Storeworm 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 its teeth fell out and formed the Orkney Islands.

The liver is still burning today,

and we feel that as the trekkers.

I just like to say thank you, thank you Father for this delicious food and for this wonderful

company at my table today.

Of course we thank you Lord for the food on our table, the sun in the sky.

So are you up for London?

No, I'm going back down to London next week.

There's a service for healing on a Thursday evening, you might find that interesting.

You and your husband used to go on to it.

Yeah, my Mark went last year, he was having a bit of trouble with drinking and just needed a bit of guidance

Do you need a bit of support on that? Do you need a bit of help?

I'm doing fine.

Anyone can go, it's not really a...

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?

Because they seem to know everything else, don't they?

You've clearly told them everything that's going on.

Well, no, I'm sorry.

Come back inside.

Yeah, I'm alright.

Don't start reading the Bible without me.

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.

Screaming gulls are sirens, the sea traffic, tower blocks are cliff faces, the morning

lights on top of tall buildings are lighthouses. The Tower of London is

Scarabrae 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? No, it's just that we had the lab meeting last week and you weren't

Well yeah I had a dentist appointment that day but also I've just been really busy with the project.

You didn't tell me about the dentist. I mean some of the other guys in the lab, they said that you sort of distanced yourself a little bit.

I did.

That you're not going to coffee with them as much as you used to.

Sorry.

I mean you had promised to get a report to me last week as well.

I used to think my dad could control the wind when I was little.

Dad!

Dad?

Yeah?

There you are.

Hiya. Hiya. Hi. You alright? Yeah. Heading off soon so I wanted to say goodbye.

Hiya. Yeah. Already? Well you wouldn't see a lump or 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.

Hamburgerie 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?

It doesn't smell like anything.

It's down 10 quid.

It says for one gram.

Yes.

You can get 28 dollars.

What's that, 25 quid?

Like 25 quid?

23 quid.

This is ten pounds, that's four and a half kilos, that's four thousand five hundred, that's twenty-five, that's a quarter of a tonne, that's half a tonne.

Well done!

That is one big tractor.

Seriously.

My God.

You send me updates when you hear them.

Why don't you stay?

I tell you what I could do help with is, you know, there's a couple of dykes have come down on the outrun there and I could do with some help building them back up again.

I've really been here for long enough. London's calling me. I've got to go back.

So because you're going to be rolling in it, do you think maybe you could lend me a few quid?

Just to take me over for when I go back.

I just can't.

Right. That's okay.

Who are you asking, your mum?

Em, she offered to put me into her prayers.

The urge to drink can come out of nowhere.

You think you're doing well, 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 bloodstream.

In the brain, alcohol confuses messages between neurotransmitters and acts as both an intoxicant

and a depressant, or a relaxant.

Hiya.

Yeah.

Just going to miss the line.

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.

Oh, it's good to see you back.

This is Rona, Rona, Alena, Rona.

It's a training day with us.

Alena quite often works at the RSPB on the island.

Managers our cottage here in Parkes.

Great, so you're going to take us to the home?

Yeah, that's right.

The tyres look perfect for going there just now.

Boat's ready in the water.

The first time that you've visited Orkney?

I'm from Westmainland.

Ah, very nice.

Maybe like spend about an hour and a half there, if that's okay with you.

Get you back to Pappy.

Oh, Pappy really is a favourite island.

Do you want a cup of coffee at Rose Garden?

So that's the grey seal on the rocks.

Yeah.

The grey seal pups are all fluffy and white.

They're really, really nice.

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.

Yeah, nice one. Can you do it?

A bit like a wolf. Quite eerie. Especially if it's at night.

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.

The day I was born, my father became unwell.

One of the bipolar episodes he'd had periodically since he was a teenager.

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 that any concrete that might have been on his land in the field, they can come all

the way into the long grass. Okay, so when it comes to the survey, you'll have one of

in front of you and it's like a grid system mm-hmm so you start here from 12

to 3 a.m. and then you go every two to five hundred meters and then you stop

you wind down your window, set a timer on your phone for two minutes and you

listen. For what? For the sound of a concrete. Have you heard of concrete? No. Right well

it. How would you describe it? I'd say it's quite like a cat hissing. I'd say more like

So, can you tell me why you're here right now?

Yeah.

Hi, I'm here for a referral for rehab and residential. I just want you to lock me up.

Okay, well they can be quite arrayed sometimes for residential places, but there are some other options.

This program is a zero tolerance, abstinence based program. Which means that if you don't

When you 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.

No, mum. I'm okay, thanks.

I'm fine.

How's mum?

You should always just call her and ask her yourself.

Oh, it's a job.

Erm, well I haven't heard of corn crake yet.

So not that great.

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.

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 pass through the generations.

Waves break when the wave height is more than one-seventh of the wavelength.

They collapse in different manners.

There is only so much height any wave can sustain

before it comes crashing down.

I want you to marry me.

Maybe.

One, two, three.

What about?

Where's my compass?

Oh.

Did you definitely bring it out?

Did you just have it on whilst you were dancing?

Oh no, don't worry, don't worry, don't worry, don't worry, don't worry.

My compass is gone.

Have you seen?

It's like his necklace.

It's not a necklace, it's a compass.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry about it.

My compass is gone.

My dad gave me that compass.

What are you laughing at?

What are you laughing at?

You think you're quick because you earn more money than I do, is that it?

Yes.

That's your line, okay?

Please don't.

No, no, you're hurting yourself.

I can't do this.

She's taking too long.

No, I'm not taking too long.

Please, just...

No, no!

Will you just listen to me?

I am begging you!

No!

Get away from me!

Where are you going?

Get away from me!

Listen to me!

Get away!

Help me!

I'm not trying to fucking contrive! This has nothing to do with me!

This is about you!

I hate you!

What did I do last night?

You don't remember?

Dean, I'm sorry.

Dean, I'm so sorry. Whatever I did.

I'm not drinking anymore. I'm sorry.

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 anymore. 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?

Shh. 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.

He's drunk.

Thank you, Stephen.

Rona, would you be happy to share with the group today?

Perhaps some of the feelings that you experience when you think about drinking.

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 going to sort it out.

Are you gonna not say anything?

What do you want me to say about that?

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.

I feel like you want me to become one of those women that just caters to you.

And then with a big smile on my face, I'm like, 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 you're trying to control me.

Thank you for your honesty.

Hi, I just want to share this with you.

Basically, my ex-girlfriend found my stash and threw it down the toilet,

so I thought I'd leave a little gift in the bed, which was just basically shat in the bed.

I left a little prezzie.

I got one, right, in about three o'clock in the morning.

Sucked up to bed, got into bed, right?

At about four or five o'clock I'll get out. WHACK. She has booted me, right, kicked me straight up the arse,

she pulled the covers up and I've pissed from her neck. Right down to Alderweireld Jammies and everything.

Talking of being, my day.

Here we go.

Hello.

Hi, how you doing?

How you doing?

Yeah.

Nice to meet you.

Yeah.

Yeah, so I'm with the RSPB. I was just wondering if I could have a couple of minutes of your time.

We're trying to figure out how many corn creeks are still on all of the islands throughout Orkney

and how we can actually protect the corn creeks 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 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 show you the farm?

He sold the house, but he's still on the farm.

Oh right, so what the heck does he buy then?

He's in a caravan.

Oh lord.

Yeah, it's enough for him really.

He's got all his records and stuff.

Good, good.

I'm working my way through the whole island and every inhabited island in Orkney.

Yeah, that's good.

To see how many people we can get on board.

So, I don't know if he'd be up for gin or something like that.

Yeah, I'm sure he'll be OK.

Yeah?

Yeah.

Oh really? Yeah. Okay. Great.

Have you heard one?

Have you not?

You will do sometime. I've not for a long time.

Which is a bit disappointing because they used to be quite common.

Yeah.

Things change.

Yeah.

Because people rarely saw the corn creek 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 very dangerous journey.

Only 30% make it.

That's it then, corn crepes So, is this your first meeting, or?

Well, let me 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.

Courage to change the things that I am.

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Amen.

Dad, I can't find Meg anywhere. I'm just going to leave some water for her and some food

but you've got to remember to do that, ok? And I'll ask mum to get someone in to just

I'll help you with the farm, just until you feel better.

Are you warm enough?

I'm scared.

Rona, it's been a fantastic journey. I wish we had met elsewhere, but I think we've come a very long way. Congratulations.

Well done, Rona. All the best to you.

Thanks for making me strong I hope I don't let you down

Mum, you there? I've finished. I did it. 90 days.

Yep. Thanks mum.

Can I come up home for a few days?

I miss you. I miss talking to you. I know why you left me. I get it. I get it.

Where are the apples?

Oh shit.

I'm just getting an apple.

It's not real, you know.

They have you brainwashed.

Come to bedroom.

That's why dad left you, you know.

Because you chose them over us.

I can't believe it, it's a relief that you're in costume, it's fun, it's light.

All that praying didn't help, did it mum? It didn't help me.

It didn't help me.

I'm sorry mum.

I'm sorry mum.

The washing machine, the pots and pans, and the stove.

Watch the handle, for it can get hot.

There's firewood there, and there's more in the shed.

But when it gets really cold, you might want to order a bag of coal for the shop.

It's pretty rough in the wintertime.

No fancy going somewhere warmer like the Canary Islands or somewhere like that.

It's cheaper to come to Papi.

Well, that is very true.

This is your bedroom, living room. It still smells a bit frosty, but there's the bed.

It's quite cosy and we meet on a Wednesday in the hall if you fancy a cup of tea and a bleather.

We're just 60 people, but there's plenty going on if you want a bit of company.

Yeah, I'll meet you, yeah.

Okay, I'll await. I've got stuff to do and I'll see you soon.

Have you got the keys?

Oh, sorry.

Not that we need them.

Thanks, Elena.

You take care, Rona.

Bye.

Cheerio.

Britain is an island off Europe.

Orkney is an island off Scotland.

Westray is an island off Orkney.

Pappy is an island off Westray.

Hi mum, it's me. Sorry I didn't get to see you before I went to the airport. I'm just

I just wanted to let you know that I got to Pape safely.

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'd be good to hear from you.

Yes!

So how does London compare to Papi? A bit more are going on. I'll bet. Have you ever been

down to? Sometimes, no very often. No very often. We'll hardly get away and me husband's

Oh, I can't see the sea and the trees and you can't see anything. When are we going home?

I should introduce you to my brother, Callum.

Oh, hello.

Hi.

Hi, how are you doing?

Hi, Rona.

Good to see you.

Rose Cottage?

Aye.

Is it bard work you're doing?

Colin.

Stupid.

He's so naughty.

He's like an old wife.

Well, I was the warden of the nature reserve up there back in the 80s.

Right.

Before we had Rose Cottage, I stayed at Gowrie just across the way.

It was very basic.

Rose Cottage is a barn.

I loved the palace. It was a hovel but it was my hovel. I loved it very much.

Em, could I get some tobacco, please?

Oh, sure, yeah yeah.

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

Often in summer, there's usually a breeze, Beaufort force three or four on average.

In winter, gales are common.

Come in! Come in! I am one with the wind!

You're unexpected, Hans!

Beautiful, Annie! Beautiful! Listen to it! Breathe it in! Breathe it in!

We are one with the wind!

Help him!

King of the castle!

My subjects, welcome to my house!

Crona, get in here!

You don't watch!

Alright, if you're not going to come in...

Finn!

Argh!

You having fun?

No, I'm having an awful time.

Looks like you.

Really reminds me of home, you know.

Forget you're a farm girl.

Arhil! Really?

You really need to do that?

It's a 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.

You know he's terrified of you.

He's not terrified of me, he just knows I'm right.

You know, I never let my boys get away with any of that shit.

Do you know your boys?

You have kids? Yes, I have two boys. Really? Yeah, well I get up every morning, it's for them.

So what age are they? 17. 17? Yeah, 14. I haven't seen them in 10 years though, so, better that way, who wants a

You know, he wants a crackhead for a dad.

He wants him clean and, you know, bring him here.

And we're nearly done here.

What are you going to do after all of this?

I fucked up.

I did.

I know.

Shut up.

You asked.

You asked.

Well, come on.

Listen, sit down with me.

Look at this brigade.

If they can make it, you can make it.

I don't know about that. I can't be happy sober.

How are you?

I'm not bad at all. A lovely day, isn't it? A cracker.

Getting in among the seaweeds.

Hi.

You've come to the right place. It's a seaweed supermarket.

Are you doing well?

Lovely.

Yeah.

Well, I've just been doing a spot of beachcombing. What do you make of this?

It's like evening work. Very nice.

Well, I'll let you get on and if there's anything you need, just give us a shout, okay?

Yeah, I will.

All the best. Cheerio for now.

The storm came through and I've had to patch up another window there.

Right, we've got to get that fixed then, don't we?

But for what, Dad?

Can you turn the music down? I can't hear you very well.

Dad, can you turn the music down?

Dad, have you been sleeping?

Dad!

Okay, Dad, you need to sleep. You're not sleeping, are you? Because you're getting horny.

Yes, yes, I'm listening to you. You need to calm down, okay?

Dad, will you please take some sleeping pills and just go to sleep for a few hours?

Hello? Yeah, yeah, I'd love to talk to him. Thank you.

Hiya dad.

Rona?

Yeah, are you okay?

Rona?

Hiya.

Rona?

It's dad.

Yeah.

Dad, are you okay?

Are you alright in there?

I need to go to the institution.

No, dad, because you have to stay there until you get better.

Oh.

Don't give yourself the opportunity to redeem yourself by getting help.

I didn't put you anywhere.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Get back here!

What did I do?

I 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, Dad, but I think it's because everyone was worried about you.

I think somebody else called.

No. You break my heart.

You disappoint me any more than you already have.

I'm gonna go. I'll check in with you later, okay?

Luna!

Get up!

So how have you been? I'm good.

How's your job? I mean I got that promotion.

Oh wow. Big boss man now. Got an assistant.

Office? Tiny one.

Are you seeing anyone or anything?

It's nice.

Quiet, you know.

It's different.

It's boring, I bet.

I'm glad you're happy.

Like, yeah.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

It's nice.

There's a bark, lads, there's a bark, there's a bark to the starboard, steady as she goes,

lads, steady as she goes, we've got a bark to the starboard, lads, come on, hustle up,

Come on, come on.

Okay.

Can you hear me?

Is it all clear up north?

Good.

I just had to get a bit of air, it was getting really hot.

Oh, yeah, I know, there's a lot going on.

So how long have you been sober?

63 days.

Wow, that's the steepest bid you've done.

So what about you?

Oh boy, em, 12 years, 4 months and 29 days.

How is that?

It's ok, it started off one day at a time.

12 years and 4 months later there'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.

But it never gets easy, it just gets less hard.

Green 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.

I've 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 I'm afraid the boats are away into the

tomb for Christmas.

A fresh kind of day with strong easterly winds and rain.

Winds are likely to get up to near Guilford just before midday, but the wellies off for

the afternoon.

Temperatures will be struggling to get into double figures.

Hey Rona.

Hi.

How you doing?

Good.

Have you been for a swim? Yeah. Fantastic. Gosh, look at you.

This is my mum. Oh, it's really nice to meet you.

Yeah, nice to meet you. It's really nice to have a lovely daughter.

Thank you. She's been looking after me.

Oh. Do you want a cup of tea?

Oh, yes. It's warmer in the kitchen.

And I made some bread, and it's your recipe.

Oh, Verna, that looks wonderful.

It may poison you.

So do you like it?

So how long do you think you'll stay here for?

Um, I 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.

It's kind of changing the world. It's always been around in eastern parts of the world and yet 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 all these different benefits to seaweed.

There's, you know, soil fertiliser, 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 bark and when they fart.

And, you know, 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?

Coming home next week.

Where's he going to stay?

I should go back then. At least I can cook for him, I can get him stuff in.

Rona, please don't worry so much.

Well 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, you just wasn't there?

It was. It was. At times it was very difficult. You'd be away for months.

And then, even when you wasn't away, it was very lonely sometimes.

When I found God, I wrote it. 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 Udalaw from Old Norse times still apply in Orkney.

And if you find something on the shore of your farmland, and it's above the low water mark,

it's yours.

There's a festival that's about to happen here, it's called the Gyro Nights, so all

these artists from all over the country, all over the world actually, are coming in and

we've been arranging the whole thing and putting banners up.

Oh yeah?

Coming for my job?

I'm fine. I'm actually, yeah. I mean you look great. I'm probably the best I've been in

It's been a really long time, I promise.

Do you want to sit down?

Yeah, please.

It's a bit messy.

No, it's ok.

It's so cold.

Do you want me to take my socks off?

No, that's not what I'm going to do.

I'm soaking wet.

Give me your sock. Thank you.

That's better. That's so much better.

I loved that night. It was fun.

It was such a nice evening.

I actually had a dream the other night that all of my hair was on fire.

Okay. That sounds quite scary.

Yeah. Kind of amazing though.

My hair was just flames.

Running around.

So, you go back tomorrow?

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

I blink, the sun flickers.

My breath pushes the clouds across the sky, and the waves roll into 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's an earthquake.