The first of two days working with schools in Monmouthshire. Today, at Cross Ash Primary School, Gwent (part of the Monmouthshire LEA)

Wow, what a lovely school, full of smiles and laughter, a real joyous place to be. Each class engaged remarkably maturely with the experiences Myst offers and the challenges they were given. I loved it when I commented on a child’s piece that described the “wind rushing through her hair like a tide ripping through seaweed” that she was showing off about HAVING hair. We then shared  the joke that I had taken hours doing my hair that morning but had forgotten to bring it with me! Oh how we all laughed, and well done to that young lass, for recovering and continuing in the reading of her excellent writing.

Well done to Isobelle Busby, headteacher, and her colleagues for a truly bubbly and enjoyable experience. I hope Isobelle can forgive me for the fact that she fell off the back of the rollercoaster ride. Ooops!

With all the travelling I am doing these days, I am reminded of some sage advice I was given when I first went to work in Africa. “Travel with cassettes.”

Bringing your own music, these days in an MP3 player or portable CD player, is a great way to block out the screeching noise of foreign cities, smooth the ride on trying bus or jeep journeys, or pass the time during long transit periods. On the other hand, there is nothing more isolating than a pair of headphones.

Instead, when abroad, try traveling with one or two classic cassette mix-tapes. When you tire of the cab’s selection of “the coolest American music,” or a jeep driver’s library of Mongolian throat singing tapes, offer the driver one of your own.

It may just be worthwhile digging out some of that old technology. You’re not the only one who may be interested in hearing something new.

How about mix the two ages of technology:a natty iPod case in the design of a cassette?!

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