0:00:08 > 0:00:13# Katie Morag Ran away across the ocean
0:00:13 > 0:00:17# Katie Morag Over the sea to Struay
0:00:17 > 0:00:22# Katie Morag Ran away across the ocean
0:00:22 > 0:00:26# Katie Morag Over the sea to Struay. #
0:00:32 > 0:00:37My name is Katie Morag McColl and I live on the island of Struay.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41I suppose it's quite wee, but it's ginormous to me.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42And everyone looks out for me
0:00:42 > 0:00:46when I'm out and about having my adventures.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50'I reckon people make far too much fuss about clothes.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Don't open them.
0:00:52 > 0:00:53I won't.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- 'So long as you have a nice, warm jumper...'- Left hand.
0:00:57 > 0:01:03- Other left hand.- '..and a good pair of wellies, what else do you need?
0:01:03 > 0:01:07'Course, once in a while, it's fun to try something different.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10'And today was one of those days.'
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- Keep them shut!- They're shut.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15'My class was going to the beach,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18'and we all had to wear a very special outfit.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22OK. And...
0:01:22 > 0:01:23open them!
0:01:28 > 0:01:33- What do you think?- I'm supposed to be a seal.- You ARE a seal.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34I look like a collie dog.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36You do not!
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Mmmfff...
0:01:45 > 0:01:46Better?
0:01:47 > 0:01:49SHE SIGHS
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Children, I must say, you all look absolutely splendid
0:01:53 > 0:01:56in your seal costumes. There's a good reason for this.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00I'm going to read you a bit from one of the legends of Struay.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04It's a legend about seals and selkies.
0:02:04 > 0:02:10"The boys and girls all ran together holding hands in one big line."
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Now, what do you think they could hear?
0:02:14 > 0:02:15I know! I know!
0:02:15 > 0:02:17The sea!
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Very good. They could hear the sea, like we can now.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22What else could they hear?
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I know! I know! The seagulls.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28Excellent. Now, listen very carefully.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31"The children stood and closed their eyes.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34"And they heard the sea and the seagulls.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37"They heard a ship's horn in the distance.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41"But, if they listened the best they could,
0:02:41 > 0:02:46"they could hear something else as well, far away in the distance.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50"The sound of seals singing.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56"It was the song of Struay. The most beautiful sound they had ever heard.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00"And after that, whenever they heard the seals singing,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04"they knew their island would be safe."
0:03:07 > 0:03:10All right, children, stop! Stop!
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Stop, come here. Come here. Listen.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Shh. Listen. Can you hear them?
0:03:16 > 0:03:21- Mmmm?- I can hear them singing!- Can you hear them?- I can hear them!
0:03:21 > 0:03:23What about you? Katie, can you hear them?
0:03:23 > 0:03:27'Even though my costume had bigger ears than everybody else's,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29'I couldn't hear them.'
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Och, it doesn't look too bad, Katie Morag.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40Everyone else looked like a seal and I looked like a collie dog.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42You must remember how busy your mum is.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45What with you and Liam, and the new baby now.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Right. Stand there and let me see you.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Oh, that's a seal if ever I saw one.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56All my other friends said they heard the seals singing.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Oh, did they now?
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And I closed my eyes tight but I still couldn't hear a thing.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Well, of course you couldn't.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07If you want to hear the song of Struay,
0:04:07 > 0:04:12that is, if you REALLY want to hear it, you have to take your time.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16- And be very patient. - But they heard it.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Well, sometimes people think they hear things
0:04:20 > 0:04:21that aren't really there.
0:04:21 > 0:04:27But the more we listen, the better chance we have of REALLY hearing.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42'The next day I tried very hard to hear the seals singing.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44'I listened and I listened.'
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Please sing for me!
0:04:48 > 0:04:51'And I really took my time.'
0:04:54 > 0:04:56PLEASE SING!
0:04:56 > 0:04:59'I was the most patient-est person in all of Struay.'
0:04:59 > 0:05:02NOW SING!
0:05:04 > 0:05:08'But I still couldn't hear the seals singing.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19'I don't know if I've mentioned it before,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23'but from time to time I get some really fabbydoo ideas.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28'And right then, I had one of the fabbydoo-est ones ever.'
0:05:28 > 0:05:33- What are you doing? - Writing a letter.- Oh! Who to?
0:05:33 > 0:05:35The seals.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Of course.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38What does it say?
0:05:39 > 0:05:44"Dear seals. I'm Katie Morag. I would very much like to hear you sing."
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Oh! Well, it's straight to the point, that's for sure.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50I thought I told you to be patient.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52I was! I waited all day.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58- Well, you'll be needing an envelope. - So I will!
0:05:58 > 0:06:00- Oh, it won't work.- Why not?
0:06:00 > 0:06:04It'll get all wet and they won't be able to read who it's for.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Ah, that's true.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Ah! I've got an even better idea.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18'Sing...for...me.'
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Not giving up already, are you?
0:06:29 > 0:06:34- The seals have read it. I wrote it so big.- Aye, big right enough.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39There's probably astronauts singing for you up in space right now.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Well, why can't the seals sing for me down here?
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Right, let's have a think.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- You wrote...?- 'Sing...
0:06:51 > 0:06:55'for...me.'
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Ah. There's a magic word missing.
0:06:58 > 0:06:59What magic word?
0:06:59 > 0:07:04The magic word that helps when you ask somebody to do something.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08'Grannie Island was right. How could I forget the magic word?'
0:07:10 > 0:07:14'Sing...for...me...PLEASE!'
0:07:15 > 0:07:18'I'd written the seals the biggest message ever,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21'and I'd even used the magic word.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24'And they still wouldn't sing for me.'
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Well, well, Neilly Beag!
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Now, who's going to help us
0:07:33 > 0:07:35gather all that rubbish from the beach today?
0:07:35 > 0:07:40It's full of litter and... You look all fed up.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44I've been trying to hear the seals singing the song of Struay
0:07:44 > 0:07:45but I can't hear a thing.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50Oh, it takes a lot of patience to hear the seals singing.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- We talked about that, didn't we, Katie Morag?- I HAVE been patient!
0:07:54 > 0:07:58I've done all I can. I even wrote an ginormous note in the sand.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00And what did your note say?
0:08:00 > 0:08:04"Please sing for me."
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Ah! I see what the problem is.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12You see, the Struay seals prefer to read Gaelic.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14They do?
0:08:15 > 0:08:17'Neilly Beag speaks two languages.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22'Gaelic is the one that everyone spoke in Struay years ago.'
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And then a gap, and then E at the end there.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33And now, just a wee full stop there at the end.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39"Seinnibh dhomh mas e ur toil e."
0:08:39 > 0:08:43"Seinnibh dhomh mas e ur toil e."
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Good.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Do you think it'll work?
0:08:49 > 0:08:52We'll just have to wait and see.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'Oh, I forgot about the tide coming in.'
0:08:56 > 0:08:58They'll never read it now!
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Och, they'll have read it already, Katie Morag.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08So, I thought, "I just need two minutes to myself.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11"Two minutes, that's all I'm asking for!"
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Peter said I should come down here.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16- Of course. - I haven't stopped all day.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Between serving customers, sorting the mail, doing paperwork,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22changing nappies, keeping an eye on Liam.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25You just sip your tea now and relax.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27- It's three full-time jobs!- Isobel!
0:09:27 > 0:09:31- I haven't even thought what we're going to have for dinner.- Izzy!
0:09:31 > 0:09:35You haven't called me that in a while.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38You arrived here like a gale force wind, do you know that?
0:09:38 > 0:09:44- Did I?- Mm-hm. You've drunk your tea at 100mph.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48And you're blethering on without even stopping for breath.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Come on.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01Now, I want you to close your eyes and listen.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Do as your mother says.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12What am I listening for?
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Peace.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16And quiet.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Can you hear it?
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Absolute peace.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28- And qu... - ISOBEL SNORES LOUDLY
0:10:38 > 0:10:42- Hear anything?- No.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Me neither.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06Sorry. I must have fallen asleep.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Well, you obviously needed it.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15- Another job well done(!) - Now, look here.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20You're a good person, an excellent postmistress
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and a wonderful mother who loves her children dearly.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27Is it really that important if making a seal costume
0:11:27 > 0:11:29isn't one of your many talents?
0:11:29 > 0:11:35Look, we all need help sometimes. But you have to ask.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38And when you do, I'll be here.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Thanks, Mum.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Right. Come on, let's see if the seals have sung yet.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51No woman is an island. Not even Grannie Island.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Och, well. Time to be getting back, I think.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07It's a shame about the seals, eh? Maybe next time, Katie Morag.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10I can hear something! SOFT FOLK MUSIC
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- Where?- Is that the seals?
0:12:13 > 0:12:19No, that's not the seals. That's a fiddle.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22And seals don't play the fiddle.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Well, not that well, anyway! But I know someone who does.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Grannie Island!
0:12:43 > 0:12:49- Well, there's no fooling you, Neilly Beag.- What were you doing, Grannie?
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Well, I had a wee feeling.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Maybe the seals were tired of entertaining us.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Maybe it was time we entertained them,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01with our very own song of Struay.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- That was a good idea. - Oh, well, I'm glad you approve.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08'We stayed on the beach for a little while,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12'listening to stories by the lovely fire.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18'Course, it would have been nice if the seals HAD decided to sing.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22'But you can't always get everything you want.'
0:13:24 > 0:13:26SEALS SING
0:13:29 > 0:13:33'But then, that night, just before I went to bed,
0:13:33 > 0:13:35'I heard the strangest noise.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39'I'd never heard it before, but I knew right away it was the seals.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42'They were singing the song of Struay for us.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45'It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49'And best of all, I knew that Grannie Island was hearing it too.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52'All the way across the bay.'