0:00:05 > 0:00:06Fair Isle,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Britain's most remote inhabited island.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14It's an extraordinary place to live.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18There are so many moments
0:00:18 > 0:00:21when you walk outside or even stand in the window
0:00:21 > 0:00:26on a stormy day and you just say, "Wow!
0:00:27 > 0:00:30But life here is not for everyone.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34You can be cut off for days at any time of the year.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37There is no power at night.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40And just one small shop.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Splendid. Cheers.
0:00:43 > 0:00:44See you. Bye.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Every able-bodied adult holds down several jobs
0:00:48 > 0:00:50just to keep the island going.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58But its population is at a critical point.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00If we lose two or three more families
0:01:00 > 0:01:02then the population crashes
0:01:02 > 0:01:07and that would be utter disaster for a remote place like this.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Once, almost 400 people lived here.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Now, there are 57.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Two of them, Sean and Rachel, moved here just five months ago.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Getting here cost them their life savings.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27It was a leap of faith.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30It was a massive leap of faith, I think, on both our parts.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34- Yeah.- To come here together, you know, with everything.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35Rachel.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39The island needs people like them to put down roots
0:01:39 > 0:01:41if it's going to survive.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Sometimes you'll be having a day
0:01:52 > 0:01:55where you think, what am I doing here?
0:01:56 > 0:02:01Usually, being isolated is a punishment for things.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06So sometimes I question that and then other times
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I kind of feel, God, aren't we lucky?
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I think you're aware, as well, that there's no half-measures here.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18If you decide to leave, you can't just come back.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20That would be your place gone.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Fair Isle is this very small island at the top of the United Kingdom.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33It is halfway between these two groups of islands
0:02:33 > 0:02:36called the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42It is three miles long and one-and-half miles across.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46And it is Britain's most remote inhabited island.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48And it's our home.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54The National Trust of Scotland bought Fair Isle in 1954.
0:02:55 > 0:02:5757 people live here,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01running 18 crofts and all the island's essential services.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04This is a working island.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06It's not a museum.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09It's a place where we live and if we want anything doing here,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11we have to do it for ourselves.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Sean and Rachel are both ex-military,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17and are well equipped to adapt to island life.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Rachel is a finisher for one of the island's knitters
0:03:20 > 0:03:24and Sean is a much needed crewmember on the island's ferry.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29- INTERVIEWER:- What did you work on in the military, vehicle-wise?
0:03:29 > 0:03:30- Tanks!- Tanks.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Tanks, yeah.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Go for that, Sean.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38You know, I've gone from dead-end job to dead-end job
0:03:38 > 0:03:40since, you know, the military and just
0:03:40 > 0:03:43not been able to find anything suitable.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48This is an absolute dream, you know, it is, really.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Sean and Rachel had been together three months
0:03:53 > 0:03:55when they applied to live here.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03Since we've been here, I think, you know, we've had our ups and downs,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07you know, we are still a very new relationship
0:04:07 > 0:04:11and we've only just been together a little over a year.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16You know, if a relationship wasn't working somewhere else
0:04:16 > 0:04:19you could just pack the car and go.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24Here, I guess, you have that added, you know, it's not that easy.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30And they're yet to face their first winter on Fair Isle.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Daylight in the winter can be as little as six hours.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42The weather can be pretty fearsome.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47I suppose on their first winter here they might actually feel
0:04:47 > 0:04:48a little bit claustrophobic.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Well, there's quite a few challenges
0:04:55 > 0:04:58of living somewhere as remote as here.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00- Getting off!- Travel is the big one.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Getting off and back on is probably the biggest one!
0:05:06 > 0:05:08- INTERVIEWER:- Do you like having sheep?- I do like it, yes.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Sometimes I don't like it.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13In the middle of winter and it's hideous and you've got to go out
0:05:13 > 0:05:15and feed them and roll bales of silage around,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17I don't like that, really,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19but lambing's lovely. Everybody loves lambing.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Hollie and Derek Shaw have lived here for 15 years,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26raising a family of four.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28OK, well, this is just a wall of...
0:05:28 > 0:05:31It's just a random wall of photos of the children, mainly.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33All four of them, since they were little.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42Like all parents on the Isle, Hollie and Derek have to face the fact
0:05:42 > 0:05:46that when children turn 11 or 12, they leave the island
0:05:46 > 0:05:49to board at secondary school on the Shetland mainland.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54Last month, it was time for their youngest, Ivan, to go.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- Do you feel like you're missing out? - Oh, no question about it.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- Oh, yeah.- Absolutely. Yeah, missing a lot, yeah,
0:06:01 > 0:06:02and that's very hard.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It's the major downside to living here.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07PHONE RINGS
0:06:09 > 0:06:12It's September, and Ivan has been away for almost three weeks.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- Hello.- But he's struggling with homesickness.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Hi, darling, are you all right?
0:06:17 > 0:06:19What are you up to?
0:06:19 > 0:06:23'It's whenever he's got nothing to do, it seems to be, you know,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25'there's no-one else around.'
0:06:25 > 0:06:26OK.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31He can't think what to do by himself, and then he just...
0:06:31 > 0:06:33That's when he phones home...
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and starts crying.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40It's a huge adjustment for Hollie and Derek, too.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46But, no, it's OK.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50We've got used to it quite quickly.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52I knew I would get used to it quickly,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54because I've been through it a few times, but...
0:06:54 > 0:06:58um... Very nice, lots of people on the island asking us how we are,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00making sure we're all right.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02I'm getting lots of hugs, which is really nice.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Life here is ruled by arrivals and departures.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Every spring and autumn, the migrating birds return.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27There has been a bird observatory on Fair Isle for over 60 years.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28It's almost an industry.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34As the migrant birds arrive, so, too, do the bird-watchers.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35Thank you very much.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38About 600 every year,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42paying hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds for the privilege.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46It's just one of those places that keeps drawing me back.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48It's just the air of expectation,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50you just don't know what's going to turn up here,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52and it's a beautiful place as well,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54you get a nice sunny day, the cliffs are just amazing.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56The scenery's just beyond
0:07:56 > 0:07:59anything I've really seen in the country, really.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09There've been occasions where we've had quite a few people gathered,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12you know, outside, but I don't think I've ever seen
0:08:12 > 0:08:14quite this many people, so it's quite exciting,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17even though I don't really know what the bird looks like
0:08:17 > 0:08:18that they're after.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21A lot of them just look like sparrows to me,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25but don't tell them I said that, they get very cross!
0:08:41 > 0:08:44The bird observatory, it, er...
0:08:45 > 0:08:48..it brings people in here, keeps the townsfolk going,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51keeps the level of connections that we have.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53We have a good level of service
0:08:53 > 0:08:56just because there's a lot of visitors coming here.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58It keeps the shop going.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02I doubt very much whether a shop would be viable here
0:09:02 > 0:09:07if it wasn't for having the bird observatory.
0:09:08 > 0:09:14So... They keep us viable and I suppose we keep them viable,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18so it's maybe the best of both worlds.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22This is one of the Fair Isle specials, you know.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26It's what all these people here have come to see, basically.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Lanceolated warbler, Pallas's grasshopper warbler.
0:09:29 > 0:09:30There you go, boys.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32That's what all the fuss is about.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33Cool!
0:09:36 > 0:09:38- It's not big.- No.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47The bird observatory has been collecting data for over 60 years.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50And because they have always used the same techniques,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53this information has become some of the most important
0:09:53 > 0:09:56migration and census data in Europe.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01HE MAKES BIRD CALLS
0:10:10 > 0:10:11I'll take the bird out of the box.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14OK, this is a willow warbler.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Fair Isle's pretty much one of the best places to see migration,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19not just in Britain but anywhere in the world,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22so I feel incredibly lucky and privileged to get to work here
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and be a part of it, really.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27As the only landmass for miles,
0:10:27 > 0:10:32migrating birds use Fair Isle as a pit stop day and night.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Put the song on, it's very loud.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38BIRDSONG RECORDING
0:10:39 > 0:10:41This is all ready for storm petrel trapping.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43It's quite exciting. It's good.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Coming through, coming through.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52Lots and lots here.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56So, what we're doing is fitting a tiny, very lightweight metal ring
0:10:56 > 0:10:59on to the bird's leg. That has a unique number on it
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and it means that if this bird is found elsewhere
0:11:02 > 0:11:04or trapped by anyone else,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07then we get the details of where our bird has gone
0:11:07 > 0:11:09and the people who catch it get the details
0:11:09 > 0:11:11of where their bird came from.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- Looking down, going down.- It's gone down. It's come up the side now.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- Right underneath us. - It's probably right beneath us.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Yeah, it's just out again.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26You can just about make it out, it's just almost beneath us.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Fair Isle, tick.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31It's one of the ones I always wanted to see was a blue tail on Fair Isle.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35And I couldn't have asked for a better place for it, either.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38That is a warbler, Steve, there on that fence.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- I think I might need to get closer. - We're going to have to go
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and have a look at that for a minute. What time is it?
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- It's getting close to one. - Getting close to lunch as well.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50- INTERVIEWER:- Could you live somewhere like this?
0:11:50 > 0:11:52- Pardon?- Could you live somewhere like this?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- Oh...- Would you live here?
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I would live here, yeah. I would live here, yeah, I would live here.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00My wife wouldn't live here. She'd hate it.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03If she can't go to John Lewis at weekend
0:12:03 > 0:12:06with her friend, then, you know...
0:12:06 > 0:12:11If I won the lottery and I won the big one, 75 million, I might build,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13come and build a John Lewis on here!
0:12:13 > 0:12:15- INTERVIEWER:- If you won the lottery, what would you do?
0:12:17 > 0:12:21That's... Do you know, that's a... It's a funny question.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Would you stay, would you go?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Oh, for goodness' sake, no, I will stay.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30I'm living already with people that wins the lottery once
0:12:30 > 0:12:32so I don't need to move!
0:12:32 > 0:12:34No, I wouldn't.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37- Bigger shed! - Bigger shed!
0:12:38 > 0:12:42I'm not...into that thing, no.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43I've got enough.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45If I win the lottery?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48It'd be a bloody miracle, I don't play the lottery!
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Oh, I'd probably have to go a few places,
0:12:51 > 0:12:52but I'd probably come back
0:12:52 > 0:12:55because that's the sort of place Fair Isle is,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58it does kind of have a little hold on you.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12Sean and Rachel only pay £500 a year in rent,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14but their incomes are low, too,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16and now they have to learn
0:13:16 > 0:13:20what everyone else on Fair Isle has had to before -
0:13:20 > 0:13:23how to make ends meet and how to croft.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28I do feel very much at home and this is what I should be doing, you know,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31possibly should have taken this up, not necessarily here,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34but maybe farming up, in the first place.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Two eggs,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40which is very exciting.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43- INTERVIEWER:- Are you still both glad you've come here, then?
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Yeah, massively. Well, I certainly am, you know,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50it is wonderful, but there are challenges as well.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54The past couple of months have been quite tight.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Things like the sheep feed, you know, I mean that's...
0:13:57 > 0:14:01We've had two sheep feed deliveries, that's been about £200...
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- Well, the third one...- ..each time. - Yeah, over 200 quid,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06250 or whatever it was, something like that maybe, give or take.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10- It's not bad.- Which doesn't sound a lot, but I mean, I, you know,
0:14:10 > 0:14:15if I earn, sort of over £100 in a month from the finishing,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18it's a good month, so when you look at it in those terms,
0:14:18 > 0:14:19it's, you know,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23it's quite a massive expenditure and we've had the expense of,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26the Land Rover's a bit broken, so...
0:14:26 > 0:14:30It's going to probably be maybe £1,000-odd at least,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33I don't know, but it's about 300-odd quid
0:14:33 > 0:14:35just to take it apart in labour.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Making Fair Isle sustainable is a priority
0:14:52 > 0:14:53for everyone who lives here.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Along with all his other jobs,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Ian is an elected member of the Community Association,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03established when the islanders realised
0:15:03 > 0:15:06they urgently needed to boost the population.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Whilst the National Trust for Scotland does all it can,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15it's the community that have put together a development plan,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19which Ian is about to launch in Lerwick on the Shetland mainland.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24The purpose of the plan is to sustain Fair Isle into...
0:15:24 > 0:15:28into the next decade and well on after that.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30So, to sum up the document,
0:15:30 > 0:15:35it's about us helping ourselves and helping others to help us.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Transport, there is movement ahead
0:15:39 > 0:15:41with the design budget for a new,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43improved ferry service.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47We need to improve the island power supply.
0:15:47 > 0:15:54- DIAL-UP CONNECTION SOUND - Broadband, fairly vital for the island to secure broadband.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58It opens up the possibilities of jobs and, you know,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00decreasing the isolation of Fair Isle, it's just huge.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04The population is too small and needs to grow.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06We need more people. We've adopted a target
0:16:06 > 0:16:10of attracting three families in the next three to five years.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14We have to increase the housing to grow the population
0:16:14 > 0:16:18and that kind of sounds very obvious, but, I mean,
0:16:18 > 0:16:23there's a huge amount of issues in Fair Isle with producing housing.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Fair Isle is divided up into 18 crofts
0:16:28 > 0:16:32and any building work is restricted by crofting legislation,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36which allows only one property per croft.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40There are three plots available for development...
0:16:41 > 0:16:45..but getting builders and building materials onto a remote island
0:16:45 > 0:16:48is expensive and always at the mercy of the weather.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Everything that happens on the island is ruled by the weather.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58I mean, the boat's unlikely to go tomorrow because of the weather.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04September brings gales,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06which will only get worse as the winter approaches.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11It's an evil day we've got.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15This is terrible, it must be 50 knots.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17It must be, yeah.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20There'll be no plane today.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24If it's a gale, well, you'll be indoors doing something.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27If it's...if it's nicer weather
0:17:27 > 0:17:30you'll maybe take the opportunity to get outside and do something,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32so you can see it both ways.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38It looks to be slightly darker over the hill and around.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40I think that we've got two layers of cloud.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43The lowest, oh...
0:17:43 > 0:17:44How much?
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Three oktas, I think of that.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Dave is a meteorologist.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56He's lived here for 44 years.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58His Fair Isle weather readings
0:17:58 > 0:18:01supply the shipping forecast all year round.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05No matter what improvements we get...
0:18:06 > 0:18:08..there will still be times
0:18:08 > 0:18:12when it's nigh-on impossible to go outside
0:18:12 > 0:18:15because you can't stand upright, you can't walk against the wind.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20- WEATHER FORECASTER:- Fair Isle, cyclonic gale, eight to storm ten
0:18:20 > 0:18:23becoming north, six to gale eight.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Good morning, porters, it's the Fair Isle nurse.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30I think there'll be no blood test coming out today, unfortunately.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35'Life is completely ruled by the weather,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38'and a lot of that is focused on transport issues because
0:18:38 > 0:18:42'we never know when the transport's going to arrive.'
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Hello, Dave, it's Elena.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47We're all standing here like spare parts at the airstrip.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Any advances on previous news?
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Oh, no. Oh, no!
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Oh, no, Dave!
0:18:58 > 0:19:01I think I get quite uptight about it at times,
0:19:01 > 0:19:06but I also get disproportionately happy, delirious sometimes,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08when things actually work out.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12It's a plane, it's definitely a plane!
0:19:14 > 0:19:17There's no job like this in the UK anywhere, I don't think.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19It's completely unique, you know,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22you're on a rock in the middle of nowhere,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25and I think if you're a control freak and you need to be able
0:19:25 > 0:19:28to know that you're going to do something when you want to do it,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31then it's just no good doing a job like this.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Very delighted to see you here. Thank you very much.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40- If you wouldn't mind taking this. - Absolutely.- Thank you very much.
0:19:42 > 0:19:43Bye!
0:19:55 > 0:19:58As the year wears on, the weather worsens.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Travel to and from the Isle grows more unreliable.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07The high school children who are on the Shetland mainland right now
0:20:07 > 0:20:08are meant to fly home today.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12But the plane has been cancelled
0:20:12 > 0:20:15because Fair Isle lies shrouded in mist,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18which leaves just one alternative.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26We're going to Grutness to get on the boat, so we can go home,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28because the plane's not going to fly.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33- I'm going to get so sick! - Which isn't great,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36because nobody wants to go on the boat because it's horrible.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37But, you know.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- It's home.- INTERVIEWER:- Is this your first weekend home then, Ivan?
0:20:42 > 0:20:45- Yeah.- Are you looking forward to it?
0:20:45 > 0:20:46Yeah.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51- Daddy!- Hiya!
0:20:53 > 0:20:54Hi, Dad.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58- Are you all right, darling? - Yeah.- Yeah.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04We gave them the option of what to do, you know,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06whether to try and wait for a plane,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08and if there wasn't a plane, come home next weekend.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11I think he's very keen to come home this weekend,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13so, I think he's missing home
0:21:13 > 0:21:17so he's willing to suffer the boat.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39- Hello!- Hey, Mum.- You all right, sweetheart?- Yeah.- And you, you OK?
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Are you OK, yeah? Yeah.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Just take your bags straight upstairs, and get your washing out
0:21:52 > 0:21:54because I'm going to have trouble getting it all dry.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Keep still because this is the bit, if I slip now, you're just bald, OK?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01He's been... He's been fairly homesick.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02I wasn't really surprised.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04We kind of expected it because of the way...
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Just because of the nature of him, as a person,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10we thought he probably would be quite homesick.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12OK. You're done.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Stand up, shake yourself off.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16- Yeah.- Taylor Swift.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Right. Go. Next.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28We just have to ride it out.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31And I think... Raven was much worse.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32She was much worse and homesick,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34much more homesick then he is.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I think, with him, it just feels worse for us because we haven't got
0:22:37 > 0:22:39another child to focus on back at home.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42So, when he phones and he's upset, that's all we've got left.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45We're left with that kind of just sad feeling
0:22:45 > 0:22:48when we got off the phone to him. But she was homesick for, well,
0:22:48 > 0:22:49a couple of terms, weren't you?
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Really quite badly.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55And she's come through it really well in the end.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I reckon girls get more homesick than guys
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- because guys can play on the computers and stuff.- Yeah.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03I don't like computers.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07Let's see. Don't walk through the hair! Let's see you.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09- That looks all right, doesn't it? - Mm-hmm.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14It's this side that's short.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26OVERLAPPING CONVERSATIONS
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- INTERVIEWER:- Why is it so busy this morning?
0:23:39 > 0:23:41It's busy because the boat went yesterday.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43So we've got all the supplies coming in on the boat yesterday.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46And, you know, there's fresh fruit and vegetables,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49folk's milk, fresh bread, all that sort of stuff. So, it's always...
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Everybody kind of get their supplies in for the week.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Because you've got to wait another week for the next boat.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57STRONG WIND BLOWS
0:24:03 > 0:24:06It's quite important to have a good supply in your freezer
0:24:06 > 0:24:09to keep you going through the winter.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11We've been freezing the milk,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14just so that we've always got, you know, milk.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19I can't open this very well.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Sean and Rachel are prepared for being cut off by winter weather.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31But the effects of the damp, maritime climate on their home
0:24:31 > 0:24:32are less easy to deal with.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36So, this is the really bad, mouldy room,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39which, you can see, it's delightful.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44It gets cleaned a lot and the mould just grows back and grows back.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47It's actually about ten times better than it was.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50You see that bit of really black, black mould?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52That's what all of this was like.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55We have mouldy bed slats.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Which is lovely.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00We could probably do with actually lifting that up so they can dry.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02But where do we put it, Sean?
0:25:02 > 0:25:04- There's nowhere... - No, lean it up against,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07at least there's air moving round it.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08I don't know.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11We're hoping that the trust can find the money
0:25:11 > 0:25:13to get the insulation and everything...
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- Sooner rather than later.- Yes.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Um, so, we're just haemorrhaging money
0:25:17 > 0:25:20on trying to keep this place warm,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22where we shouldn't be doing,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24you know.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26And it's depressing.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Everyone who comes to Fair Isle has to adapt.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01When Mati arrived from Venezuela,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04her training as an architect wasn't much in demand.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09So she took up the traditional Fair Isle craft of knitting instead.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Like some of the other island letters,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15she makes a living from what she produces by hand.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19But she has plans to expand.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23- INTERVIEWER:- What are you doing, Mati?
0:26:23 > 0:26:28I'm making a selection of the photographs for the new,
0:26:28 > 0:26:33um, online shop. It's going to be my own designs.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38They are not knitted here in Fair Isle, so it is a collaboration
0:26:38 > 0:26:41with the textile unit in Shetland College.
0:26:41 > 0:26:49The idea is to explore manufacturing with an industrial knitting machine
0:26:49 > 0:26:52in order to offer a high-quality garment,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55but a more affordable price.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59We've got all the stock ready, available now.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Labelled and washed and pressed.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04So, it's now just a matter of
0:27:04 > 0:27:07putting everything together and launch it.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10So, see what happens.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19The knitting tradition in Fair Isle can be traced back to the 1600s.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Originally made for barter to the passing ships,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26it has played an essential part in the island's economy for centuries.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31The Bruce Expedition of the Antarctic
0:27:31 > 0:27:33went with a lot of Fair Isle jumpers
0:27:33 > 0:27:37because James Coates from Paisley ordered
0:27:37 > 0:27:41100 jumpers and 100 hats and 100 pairs of mittens
0:27:41 > 0:27:43and 100 pairs of socks.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46So, it was one time in Fair Isle's history when having
0:27:46 > 0:27:49a house full of daughters must have been a huge asset!
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Mati's plans to produce her knitwear industrially
0:27:54 > 0:27:56goes against the grain.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Most Fair Isle knitters use these manual knitting machines
0:28:00 > 0:28:02and finish off by hand.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06They work from home and have no overheads.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09- INTERVIEWER:- Do you think there's room for
0:28:09 > 0:28:12expansion on Fair Isle in regards to the knitwear?
0:28:14 > 0:28:16I'm sure there is, actually.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20I wouldn't like to see it becoming cheap and...
0:28:23 > 0:28:26..produced...well, mass produced.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Because I think we are such a small community and, er,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33one of the things we've got going for us
0:28:33 > 0:28:35is the fact that we are unique.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37And I think that we should use that.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40It's very easy in a modern world
0:28:40 > 0:28:42where everything is now technological
0:28:42 > 0:28:47and I could design on a computer and then the machine would churn it out
0:28:47 > 0:28:50and then I would have a garment at the end of it,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53but I wouldn't have the same sense of, "That's part of me."
0:28:53 > 0:28:54It's hand crafted,
0:28:54 > 0:28:58and it's the hand-crafted element that makes it
0:28:58 > 0:29:00important and special
0:29:00 > 0:29:03and not something that might have been bought in Japan.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37At Christmas, family and friends return to Fair Isle.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Elena spends time with her granddaughter,
0:29:41 > 0:29:45and her husband, Yoan, who's come all the way from Romania.
0:29:46 > 0:29:47Fresh!
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Ooh!
0:29:51 > 0:29:52It is amazing.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55Yeah. Yoan fancies himself as a celebrity chef, you see.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57They use lots of salt, because this is Romania...
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Oh!
0:29:59 > 0:30:01- That's OK.- This is Romanian cookery,
0:30:01 > 0:30:05- so we use lots of salt. - Carry on.- Oh, dear.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07- Don't!- Hypertension, here we come.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11- INTERVIEWER:- What are you making, then?- Sarmale, it's called.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Sarmale, yes.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16It's what Romanians eat for high days and holy days.
0:30:16 > 0:30:21It's always... I breathe a sigh of relief when Yoan turns up
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- for Christmas.- Thank you.- Why's that?- Because I don't have to cook.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28There's always something bubbling on the stove,
0:30:28 > 0:30:29all the time when Yoan's here.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31He doesn't live here all the time
0:30:31 > 0:30:33because he's a gold miner by trade
0:30:33 > 0:30:36and there aren't too many gold mines in Fair Isle.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40He looks after our house in Romania
0:30:40 > 0:30:43He just comes and demolishes the kitchen here
0:30:43 > 0:30:45for Christmas and Easter time.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48And I go out there three times a year,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52and, er... But, you know, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Happy Christmas.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08There's a sort of bond between people here
0:31:08 > 0:31:11which is very difficult to describe.
0:31:13 > 0:31:21# Unto us a saviour is born this day. #
0:31:21 > 0:31:26It's one of the things that make me really dread leaving here, because of that bond.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28And again, I'm not quite sure exactly what it is.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32It's not that we all think that everybody is wonderful,
0:31:32 > 0:31:35doesn't mean to say that we get on with everybody.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38It can mean that we get on each other's nerves, frankly,
0:31:38 > 0:31:39from time to time.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44But there's a bond somewhere which naturally occurs
0:31:44 > 0:31:48among people on an island like this.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52# We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. #
0:32:03 > 0:32:04Oh, they're all home.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Lachlan, the eldest, and the three high school children
0:32:08 > 0:32:09and my mum and dad have come up as well.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13For two weeks. So, busy.
0:32:13 > 0:32:14Good fun.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18- INTERVIEWER:- How is Ivan getting on?
0:32:18 > 0:32:19He's settling in.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21It's getting easier.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23- He's not there yet. - Got more friends, though.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Yeah. He's had a couple of sleepovers with friends in Lerwick.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29It's still hard sometimes, but we get the worst of it.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31You know, when he rings home and he's upset,
0:32:31 > 0:32:33it's because he's bored and then he gets homesick.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35So we're trying to keep him busy.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39He's got a few things. He's started football and I think he might...
0:32:39 > 0:32:41He's thinking about starting athletics.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Skipper Neall's daughter, Eileen, has flown in from Edinburgh
0:32:50 > 0:32:53with the latest addition to the Thompson family.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56This is Luca.
0:32:56 > 0:32:57This is grandson Luca.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01It is Eileen's pretty boy.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04And he's, what, four? Three or four months. No?
0:33:04 > 0:33:07- Four months, yeah.- Yes. - Four months old. Four months old.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Four months old! Isn't that good fun?
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- INTERVIEWER:- Is this his first time to Fair Isle?
0:33:13 > 0:33:16This is his first time to Fair Isle, yeah, yeah.
0:33:26 > 0:33:27I always liked growing up here.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30I think it was the amount of freedom we had.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32When you see it compared to a city life
0:33:32 > 0:33:34where you have to watch your kids every second of every day.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36Whereas here I can hand the baby to anyone.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39You know, it's fine because they're all family or friends.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41But I miss the community.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43I really miss that.
0:33:44 > 0:33:45There we go!
0:33:51 > 0:33:54What have you got there, Neal? An airplane?
0:33:57 > 0:33:59It's a...
0:33:59 > 0:34:01- It is an airplane!- Airplane!
0:34:04 > 0:34:07- INTERVIEWER:- Have you ever considered coming back to live here?
0:34:07 > 0:34:09I think it's something we would think about.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Because we have a baby, I think
0:34:11 > 0:34:13our life has probably changed quite a lot.
0:34:13 > 0:34:14And priorities change.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16It's not an easy thing to do
0:34:16 > 0:34:18and I think it's not really an easy decision.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20We'd need to think really carefully about it,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23but I love being at home. My partner really loves it here, as well.
0:34:23 > 0:34:24He feels very comfortable being here.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26And certainly for the benefit of Luca
0:34:26 > 0:34:28to be here around his family and all the history
0:34:28 > 0:34:30that we have here on this island,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33it could be a really attractive idea.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35I like being home.
0:34:35 > 0:34:36Well, isn't that romantic, Dave?
0:34:39 > 0:34:41I can see that in your bathroom already.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44- Well done. - INTERVIEWER:- Where's Rachel tonight?
0:34:44 > 0:34:46She's not feeling very well at the moment.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48She's got a really sore throat at the minute, so...
0:34:48 > 0:34:50She's stolen the bottle of a child!
0:35:20 > 0:35:22- Bit more on the tray up there. - Good girl.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24- INTERVIEWER:- And how are you two getting on together then?
0:35:24 > 0:35:27So far this year, all of three days of it, it's been good.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31And I think it's, you know...
0:35:32 > 0:35:35It's difficult, because, you know,
0:35:35 > 0:35:38we have good days and we'll have bad days and, you know,
0:35:38 > 0:35:40there are times where, or there have been times,
0:35:40 > 0:35:44where I think if we weren't here on Fair Isle, it would have been...
0:35:44 > 0:35:47It's reached the stage where it would have been very easy for us...
0:35:47 > 0:35:50One of us, to have walked away from the situation...
0:35:52 > 0:35:55- I'll do it. - ..and say, "Right, that's it.
0:35:57 > 0:35:58"I've had enough. "I'm moving out."
0:35:58 > 0:36:02You know, you haven't got any escape here on the island.
0:36:02 > 0:36:03There's nowhere to go.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07Even if one of us wanted to leave, I don't have the money to leave.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11I can't afford to leave the island, to pay for a removals company,
0:36:11 > 0:36:12to find somewhere else to live.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16You know, so you kind of have to confront the issue.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Which in simplest terms is, "Do we want to be together?"
0:36:22 > 0:36:23Just hook that over.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28Just chuck it over for now. We'll get it on the way out.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30You know, Christmas itself wasn't brilliant.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32We didn't have a great day, Christmas Day, or...
0:36:32 > 0:36:34We didn't have a day, Christmas Day, did we?
0:36:34 > 0:36:36Well, obviously it was a Christmas Day.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Well, just another day.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40Well, yeah.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43You know, Christmas Day is what you make it,
0:36:43 > 0:36:46but it wasn't for us as a couple, it wasn't...
0:36:47 > 0:36:50..you know, a wholly successful day.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52There wasn't anything successful on that day.
0:36:52 > 0:36:53I had a nice day.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55Do you want to go in?
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Rachel. You can't stand here.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01I know, that's why I'm going.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05In spite of all the arguments
0:37:05 > 0:37:12and the differences between us and our opinions on things and all that,
0:37:12 > 0:37:14I think, you know, we do want to be together.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18And we'd like to try and make that work.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22And, you know, long term, whether it does or it doesn't, I've no idea,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25but I think we'd like to give it the best shot.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29- INTERVIEWER:- Would you like to make it work, Sean?- Yeah.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Oh, God.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Mum, why did you keep the door open yesterday?
0:37:56 > 0:37:57- Bye, love.- Bye.
0:37:57 > 0:37:58Have a good day.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Mati's website selling her machine-produced knitwear
0:38:05 > 0:38:08is doing brisk business. But the internet means
0:38:08 > 0:38:11she can keep an eye on what's happening elsewhere,
0:38:11 > 0:38:15and pictures of a recent Chanel launch have caught her attention.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20Yeah, that's my garment and this is a copy that Chanel did.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22It's pretty much the same.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24So, yeah.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28It was great because I thought, "Oh, God, it really looks good."
0:38:29 > 0:38:34But then it was like, "OK.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36"What do I do now?"
0:38:36 > 0:38:40That shouldn't really be there, because it's my design.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44I had a lot of people on social media were quite aggressive.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Which was not...
0:38:46 > 0:38:49- I mean... - INTERVIEWER:- Saying what?
0:38:49 > 0:38:53"You should sue them" and, "That's what they always do."
0:38:53 > 0:38:57And, you know, "Always big fashion houses taking advantage."
0:38:57 > 0:39:00And I thought, actually, I don't feel like that.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02I don't really care about the money.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05This is not about that. This is about awareness.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09This is about knowing, you know, that there is a heritage,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12a Scottish, very, very rich heritage.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17I have had people that have looked at my website and said,
0:39:17 > 0:39:19"Is that a place?"
0:39:19 > 0:39:22And I'm like, "Yes. Fair Isle is actually an island.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25"A very small one, but it is an island
0:39:25 > 0:39:29"and that's where those patterns and those garments originated."
0:39:46 > 0:39:48Two more, then.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52That fuel is all just for heating.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56Mostly for heating and generating the island's power scheme.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59But the windmill got zapped with lightning,
0:39:59 > 0:40:01so it's out of order at the moment,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04and the direct result of that is
0:40:04 > 0:40:07we have three times as many barrels coming.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11Which, you know, that much more fuel getting burned.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14It's not good for us and it's not good for the environment
0:40:14 > 0:40:16and the whole thing, you know.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Before the turbine was damaged by lightning,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31when the wind blew, the power was cheap.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36And when the wind stopped, the generators took over...
0:40:38 > 0:40:40..burning expensive diesel fuel
0:40:40 > 0:40:43to power and heat all the homes on the island.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48We restrict the use of diesel power
0:40:48 > 0:40:51from 7.30 in the morning to 11.30 at night.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55Unless we are on wind power, then it just...
0:40:55 > 0:40:58It'll stay on 24 hours a day if we are on wind generation.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03It's vital the islanders get this broken turbine repaired
0:41:03 > 0:41:06as soon as possible. But it's a tall order,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08requiring as many hands as can be mustered.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15- INTERVIEWER:- How long has it not been working?
0:41:15 > 0:41:17About four months. Four months, isn't it?
0:41:17 > 0:41:19Four months it's been out of commission, yeah.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21The trouble is, like, I mean, it's like this.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24You need the perfect day and you need the people to do it.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27So, you just have to wait for it all to come together at the right time.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33This is the way we've always done it, because you can't
0:41:33 > 0:41:35get cranes and stuff and all that on this island,
0:41:35 > 0:41:37so you have no choice but to do it this way.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15How much longer will it take?
0:42:15 > 0:42:17A couple of hours. What time is it now?
0:42:17 > 0:42:1925 to... Yeah, maybe an hour.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20Maybe. It depends.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Depends how fast I put them through their paces, eh?
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Come on, boys. Come on. Oh, God, Derek,
0:42:25 > 0:42:27you've got an hour to catch up!
0:42:29 > 0:42:33The community have big plans to upgrade their entire power system.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37They've secured £200,000 of funding,
0:42:37 > 0:42:41but the sustainable system they want could cost nearly three million.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45If it's completed, all of the island's
0:42:45 > 0:42:47essential services will benefit,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50and so will the Fair Islanders themselves.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54It's hard to do your knitting in the dark.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Chanel have been in touch with Mati
0:42:59 > 0:43:02to apologise for the mix-up in copying her design
0:43:02 > 0:43:05and have offered her an opportunity to work for them.
0:43:06 > 0:43:11When Chanel, er...
0:43:11 > 0:43:14accidentally copied the design,
0:43:14 > 0:43:19one of the things that was on offer was that if there was
0:43:19 > 0:43:24a demand for the garment, they could place an order with me.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29And I can't do it because I don't have the capabilities.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31For the last two years,
0:43:31 > 0:43:33Mati has been travelling back and forward
0:43:33 > 0:43:36to the textiles department at Shetland College,
0:43:36 > 0:43:38who are making knitwear for her website
0:43:38 > 0:43:41using an industrial knitting machine.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45She would like to see a similar machine at work on Fair Isle.
0:43:47 > 0:43:48But it wouldn't produce
0:43:48 > 0:43:51the pure, handcrafted knitwear the Isle is famous for.
0:43:52 > 0:43:58My idea is that that machine will supply retailers and online shops.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00- INTERVIEWER:- Will you still hand-knit?
0:44:00 > 0:44:03Definitely. I mean, the most important part
0:44:03 > 0:44:05of my business is my bespoke service.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09That's my aim, that one day we could have hand-knitting,
0:44:09 > 0:44:12handcrafted and the industrial one
0:44:12 > 0:44:16all working together to support the economy of the island.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20I would love to see you up and doing everything on the Fair Isle.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22Very quickly.
0:44:22 > 0:44:23Very quickly!
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Yeah. Well, you know, if you can
0:44:27 > 0:44:31employ three, four, five people,
0:44:31 > 0:44:35and those four, five people are earning a living.
0:44:35 > 0:44:36You know...
0:44:36 > 0:44:39Not just getting by, as you said, but earning a living.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43You know, then that's good. It's all been worthwhile.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00It's now April, so, we're well into...
0:45:00 > 0:45:02Well, getting into spring now,
0:45:02 > 0:45:06and we've actually started lambing now.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11This is the nitty-gritty of it and...
0:45:11 > 0:45:15Mm, mm-hm. It's quite nice. Everything in the year,
0:45:15 > 0:45:19this is sort of the culmination of it. Everything leads to lambing.
0:45:28 > 0:45:29Oh, well done.
0:45:33 > 0:45:34Nearly there.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Good girl. Good girl, Brenda.
0:45:40 > 0:45:41Good girl.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46Oh, Brenda, yay. Good girl.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48Look at that big, fat lamb.
0:45:48 > 0:45:49Look at it.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51Good girl.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54Good girl.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56Lambing is in full swing.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58But in Sean and Rachel's house,
0:45:58 > 0:46:02the list of small domestic disasters is getting longer.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05- INTERVIEWER:- OK. So, what's happened here then?
0:46:05 > 0:46:08Basically, as you can see,
0:46:08 > 0:46:11the entire wall units came crashing down.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13Just a little thing to put in a box of...
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Well, it's not a little thing.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18I think there's been several major things with the house
0:46:18 > 0:46:22and it's, you know, up to here with it, quite frankly.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25- It's not being on the island, it's not living on the island.- No.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27- We don't want to not be here. - We don't want to move off the island
0:46:27 > 0:46:31- or anything like that.- But do I want to continue living in this house?
0:46:31 > 0:46:33No. I hate this house, quite frankly.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36Do we want to keep putting our efforts into this place for...
0:46:38 > 0:46:41..even more belongings of ours to get broken now?
0:46:41 > 0:46:43You know, it's...
0:46:43 > 0:46:45- It's that fact, isn't it, now? - DISTANT BARKING
0:46:45 > 0:46:49Oh, what are those pissing dogs barking at? Sorry.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51BARKING
0:46:58 > 0:47:00- Morning.- Morning.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04Put all your stuff here, please.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09- INTERVIEWER:- What's Ivan like when he goes now?
0:47:09 > 0:47:11Just normal now when he goes. Just like the others.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Yeah, just like with the others now. Yeah. "Bye, Mum. Bye, Dad."
0:47:14 > 0:47:17- Sometimes he's a bit clingy the day before, actually, isn't he?- Yeah.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19- But not bad.- Just thinking about it.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26- How long's it been, then? Since he left?- August, September, November,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28- December, January, February... - Last August, yeah.
0:47:28 > 0:47:29March, April. Yeah, eight months.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34As much as it's very hard for us to have our children go away,
0:47:34 > 0:47:36I don't think many of us would think
0:47:36 > 0:47:39it would be beneficial to keep them here until they're 15.
0:47:39 > 0:47:40You know, they need to see a bigger...
0:47:40 > 0:47:42Well, it's important for them
0:47:42 > 0:47:45to get their social interaction, you know, in the wider world, you know.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50Coming somewhere like Tesco's really big,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53because we're not used it on Fair Isle.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55You hardly see three cars in the same place,
0:47:55 > 0:47:58but you come somewhere like this and there's traffic jams
0:47:58 > 0:47:59and traffic lights
0:47:59 > 0:48:04and shops are, like, much bigger and it's really busy.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06And it's weird, but you get more used to it.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09- Oh. They sell ketchup! - So many people.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13- INTERVIEWER:- Do you find it intimidating or anything?
0:48:13 > 0:48:15- That it's so busy.- No.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18I like seeing a lot of people.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22I like people.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24There's probably more people in the shop
0:48:24 > 0:48:25- than there is on Fair Isle.- Yeah.
0:48:27 > 0:48:28What is the population of Fair Isle?
0:48:28 > 0:48:31- It's about...- 57.- Do you know that?
0:48:31 > 0:48:34What can you see? How many people can you see right now?
0:48:34 > 0:48:36- Don't count.- Count. - OK, fine, count them.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40Is it easier for you guys now that it's easier for him?
0:48:40 > 0:48:41- Oh, yes.- If it's easier for him,
0:48:41 > 0:48:43- it's easier for us instantly. - Oh, yeah, fabulous.- Yeah.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48And even when it was bad, he still didn't want to change it.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50He still wanted...
0:48:50 > 0:48:53That was the situation and he wanted to still live here,
0:48:53 > 0:48:54so he could go to the hostel.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56- Yeah.- He was just learning to deal with it.
0:48:58 > 0:49:0048.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02Oh, no, hold on.
0:49:03 > 0:49:04- 57.- 57.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07That's the population of Fair Isle! Oh, my God.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25This is our new kitchen unit,
0:49:25 > 0:49:27since everything fell off the wall.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30So, at least it's handy.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33At least I can see stuff. What I've got.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Um, a bit bare now,
0:49:37 > 0:49:39on the wall.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44But, yeah, we have a toaster that works, at least.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48This is Sean's room, in here.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Very neat.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55And then this is my room.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01The door doesn't open properly because it's broken.
0:50:01 > 0:50:02So, erm...
0:50:04 > 0:50:08- INTERVIEWER:- How long have you been in separate rooms?- Oh, months.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11Months and months. Mainly because Sean insists on sleeping
0:50:11 > 0:50:15with the three dogs and as many cats as want to go in there.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20You know, there are times when both of us have said, you know,
0:50:20 > 0:50:22"We can't carry on living together."
0:50:22 > 0:50:25We're having a row and, you know, but...
0:50:25 > 0:50:28- People say things, don't they? - We both want to be here.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30- We both want to be on Fair Isle. - Yeah.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33Neither of us wants to give that up any time soon.
0:50:33 > 0:50:37But, what is the alternative?
0:50:37 > 0:50:40You know, if one of us moves out of here,
0:50:40 > 0:50:43there is nowhere for them to move on Fair Isle.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46There is no alternative accommodation.
0:50:46 > 0:50:52You know, it would mean one of us having to move somewhere else,
0:50:52 > 0:50:56off island, which isn't something either of us wants to do.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59You know, we both have our different jobs here on the island.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05You know, we're both part of the community.
0:51:05 > 0:51:06Um...
0:51:07 > 0:51:09It's not something...
0:51:10 > 0:51:11..you know, we do want to give up,
0:51:11 > 0:51:14whether that's individually or as a couple.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18Um, so, you know, to a certain extent,
0:51:18 > 0:51:21we're kind of, we're stuck with each other.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26- She says that... - Are still a couple?
0:51:26 > 0:51:28Or are you just housemates?
0:51:29 > 0:51:32I... I know...
0:51:32 > 0:51:34I think we're a couple. I know we're a couple.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47There are people who live here who no longer wish to live together.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53And there are people who don't live here, who really wish they could.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Houses on Fair Isle are in short supply.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03The National Trust for Scotland are still trying to find enough money
0:52:03 > 0:52:05to make homes for new families to move here.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11But an unexpected door has opened for Neal's daughter, Eileen.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15Some of her relatives have decided to leave,
0:52:15 > 0:52:19and they've signed their house and croft over to Eileen and her family.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25The affordability of living in a beautiful house there
0:52:25 > 0:52:27and having land around us,
0:52:27 > 0:52:30compared to managing in a two-bedroom flat in the city...
0:52:31 > 0:52:33..is going to be much easier.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35And we want more children and there's just no room here.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37So, hopefully, at the end of this year,
0:52:37 > 0:52:41we'll be leaving Edinburgh and starting a new life back up at home.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45And I just love where I come from. I miss it. I really miss the island,
0:52:45 > 0:52:46and Gishermo loves it, too.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03It's now a year and a half since
0:53:03 > 0:53:08Sean and Rachel moved into their croft house, and a lot has happened.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10The damp room has been fixed.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15There's no new kitchen cupboards yet and there is something else missing.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Sean and I are no longer together.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22Um, we split up quite a few months back.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26Um, so I've stayed here in the croft.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29Sean's moved out. He's still on the island.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32He has a house a little way down the island now.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35Um, so I'm just kind of here on my own
0:53:35 > 0:53:39and I'm running the croft and the sheep on my own, so...
0:53:39 > 0:53:41with help from my neighbours.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43Too much difference between us.
0:53:43 > 0:53:49We weren't actually, you know, on the same page with a lot of things.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53So...neither of us wanted to leave.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57You know, it was all looking as if I was going to have to leave.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00And then, just by...
0:54:01 > 0:54:05..a miracle, somewhere became available.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08There are two small council properties on Fair Isle
0:54:08 > 0:54:12and again, unexpectedly, one has become vacant.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14So, Sean has managed to stay on the Isle.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18- INTERVIEWER:- Why did you want to stay?
0:54:18 > 0:54:20Because this is the magic of this place.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24It is still the community, er, feel and...
0:54:26 > 0:54:30..that overwhelming feeling of, "I've found home."
0:54:33 > 0:54:36Sean and Rachel may not be a couple any more,
0:54:36 > 0:54:39but they have both become a big part of the community.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41Fair Isle coastguard Alpha.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43They each have several essential island jobs.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50And Rachel is continuing to run the croft on her own.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53You feel like you're part of something.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55You feel like you're making a difference
0:54:55 > 0:54:57and you belong to something.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01I'm so glad I'm here. You know,
0:55:01 > 0:55:05I can't actually imagine living anywhere else now.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09You know, I wake up every morning looking out on this view...
0:55:10 > 0:55:17..and knowing the people out there are always going to still help you,
0:55:17 > 0:55:18regardless of what happens.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20They're still going to be there for you
0:55:20 > 0:55:23and they're still going to care about you.
0:55:26 > 0:55:27And just the way of life here.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30It's just fantastic.
0:55:30 > 0:55:31It's a different world.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47- INTERVIEWER:- Can you remember a moment where you thought,
0:55:47 > 0:55:48"I love living here"?
0:55:49 > 0:55:52Where were you? What were you doing? Have you ever thought that?
0:55:52 > 0:55:55- Oh, I've thought that lots of times. - Yeah. A lot.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02The whole notion of thinking,
0:56:02 > 0:56:05"Wow, this is a lovely place to be"
0:56:05 > 0:56:08I think has just always been there.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19If I go for a walk on the cliffs, I can have...
0:56:21 > 0:56:23..you know, there's a hush, as it were.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25You don't have to think about anything.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27You don't have to, um...
0:56:28 > 0:56:31..you don't have to worry about anything.
0:56:37 > 0:56:42Hundreds of people have paths in this island,
0:56:42 > 0:56:45and the island continues to
0:56:45 > 0:56:49be that something and carry its own heritage.
0:56:50 > 0:56:55And as soon as you move to live here, you learn to do it.
0:57:03 > 0:57:08Whether it's the sheep, or the knitting, or lobster catching...
0:57:09 > 0:57:11..you just learn.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15So, it belongs to the island.
0:57:15 > 0:57:16A lot of things do.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25We come and we go and the things are still there.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30That's why every day there's something
0:57:30 > 0:57:33that makes me feel I love being here.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35Every day.