Hi, and welcome back to phonics with Teacher Alyse!
Today, we’re going long a vowels. Are you ready? Listen carefully, repeat after me, and then try reading them on your own.

rain, tail, wait, nail

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Phonics Long Vowels and Consonant Blends

rain, tail, wait, nail

Neil McTaggart makes his first journey into town after settling in Canada.
The air is clean, the world quieter than the mills of Kilbirnie he left behind. In a warm little café, he meets Mrs Brant, a woman with her hair pinned up and a strong puritan look that reminds him of his grandmother. Through her quiet kindness, Neil begins to sense what belonging might feel like in this new land.

This gentle, reflective story captures the rhythm of early immigrant life in rural Canada — the small kindnesses, the silence, and the slow building of community far from home.

🎧 Part of the “Neil McTaggart” storytelling series — following a young Scottish man’s journey of migration, memory, and identity in 1920s Canada.

Teacher Joseph's Podcast

Neil McTaggart's Crossing (9): A Story of 1920s Scottish Emigration to Canada 

In this podcast I examine a recent BBC article titled “What is the plan for digital IDs and will they be mandatory?”.  I  look at what “digital ID” means in a UK context, what the government is planning, whether it will be mandatory (and if so when), and what the implications are for privacy, personal freedom and everyday life.

Digital IDs in the UK – Will They Be Mandatory?

Join me for a quiet walk to Peel Tower in Lochwinnoch, a mysterious ruin overlooking Castle Semple Loch in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

In this short clip, I share the legend of the Warlock of Peel Tower — a tale passed down through local folklore — and explore how this lonely tower connects myth, landscape, and history.

🏰 Location: Peel Tower, Lochwinnoch, Scotland
🌿 Themes: Scottish folklore, Renfrewshire legends, medieval ruins
🎙️ Story: The Warlock of the Semples



Peel Tower,  Lochwinnoch, Scotland (transcript is available))

English learners: The Government will introduce ID cards, but Guernsey says it hasn't made a decion to accept them. . This  story explains more. 

1118 Guernsey says no decision yet on ID Cards

Neil has a shared experience with his cousins. 