I’ve spent this week listening to another batch of recordings from the reminiscence strand of the project, and working out how best they can be integrated into the education pack. Although this is a fascinating part of the education pack process, it is also incredibly demanding. I find that I listen to a recording an average of three times: I don’t want to miss anything, and I need to be sure that when I assign something to a particular element of the project, it’s the appropriate place for it. By the end of the day, my brain is swirling!

The age range of the participants I’ve listened to this week has spanned from early 20s to somewhere around 80, and this age range has shown me something very interesting. Many of the younger people have a yearning to return to the lives of their forefathers, to be able to move from place-to-place at will, to travel the country stopping wherever is convenient. Yet for the older generation, the existence of permanent sites, where there is hot and cold running water, proper baths, electricity, and security, is some form of bliss.

This disparity intrigues me. I wonder if, in fifty years, those who have returned to the travelling way of life will be once more content to pull up to a permanent site and establish a home there, or if the pull of the open road will continue to draw them.

I hope that you have sunshine wherever you are; I do. I’m going to make the most of it this weekend. Take care.

– Daniela