I've been reading a fabulous collection
of poems about Uist written by Pauline
Prior Pitt.  Pauline is a poet and an
artist who's lived on the island for 20
years and she's very kindly agreed to
let me have a chat in her studio.
Pauline, you've lived here for 20 years now, what is it
that that drew you here and what is it
that inspires your art and your poetry
here on North Uist? Well drawing us here,
we came quite by accident. We came on
holiday for the first time ever for
three weeks and at the end of the second
week we began to look for a house and
the only one that there was really that
was any kind of fit for habitation was
the one way in here now, and it has the
most beautiful view. We didn't know that
we were coming to such a wonderful
community of people and we said that
we'd come for a five year adventure and
if we just wanted to go home
at the end of five years we would.But in
fact we didn't. We wanted to stay, so
we've been here for 20 years
um and I didn't think that I would
actually write about the landscape
because I'd always written poems about
women and their juggling lives -  but
gradually walking on the beaches I found
with which I always have my notebook
with me and I just found myself
scribbling little bits about the sea and
about the climate about how I was
feeling on that day this had a kind of
emotional response to just walking and
found myself writing about the area
about the people and gradually the "Storm
Biscuits" book
came into being which came as
quite a surprise. The art again was a
bit of an accident because when when I
was trying to write about the landscape
I realized that I could do with help with
the language you know this is the
language that that you need for it to
write about the landscape and also
perhaps to look at it in a different way
and more closely. For such a small
population there is a staggering amount
of creativity many musicians and artists,
why do you think such wild remote
islands inspire this creativity? I don't
know I think there's something that gets
to you about it and people ... I think
it's ... it's kind of relaxing in many ways
and perhaps that allows people for their
creativity to come forward. They're not
necessarily tied up with a with a rat
race although that's not totally true
because of course a lot of people are
working as well, and working very hard,
but I think there's a lot to inspire, and
also there's not a lot else to
do - you can't pop to John Lewis's or Marks and
Spencers so we make our own, you know, we
make our own entertainment.
...because a friend of mine's translated
this into Gaelic and and and another
person who is a very good gallic
speaker she said it's better in Gaelic
than it is in English... which is
interesting! Okay, I'll just start...
"Telephone Call" -
Of course there's running water yes
cold and hot - and electricity and heating -
not main drainage no but we've a septic
tank and to be frank we've had no
trouble - lonely? only if you want to be -
not far from the sea -
stunning - deserted beaches silver shell
sands,  turquoise indigo seas,  distant
purple headlands - oh very friendly, very
friendly indeed - there's a co-op nearby
you can get everything you need, well
fresh pasta, fajita, fruit, veg, live
yogurt, the usual supermarket food,
lorries arrive three times a week, the
quality of everything is very good - yes
it is quie,t so quiet I can hear the
beats of a seagulls wing  - no I can't
really say that I miss anything -
absolutely pitch black at night, the
stars are so bright - hmm yes sometimes in
the winter Northern Lights  -singletrack
with passing places, everyone waves no
one races, well that's not quite true
some people do - gales oh very strong, 
stronger than anything I've ever known
but I've grown used to them, don't like
to go on my own in case I get blown away -
it's never too hot but in July and
August brave swimmers swim a lot, I do on
sunny days when the tide comes in across
warm sand -
plenty of places, hills, moors, beaches for
walking and there's canoeing and fishing if
that's what you're wanting - Wellingtons,
walking boots, scarf, hat, waterproof gear
and shorts and bathing things -  in one day
we can have all the seasons of the year -
yes you must com,e
do come, I'm sure you'll love it here.
It's called "On Those Days" -  On those days
when we wake to the sun edging in - when
we wake to the silence of no wind -  when
we amble half moon beaches, apples in our
pockets -  when we sit small on headland
rocks watching the sea  - on those days if
this is all there...  it is enough.
 
 
