In the era of Snapchat, Facebook messenger and assorted methods of instant communication, can I just take a moment to praise the good old-fashioned postal system?

Last Tuesday, I had an interview in Tankardstown House, near Slane in Co Meath. I usually keep a list of questions on my phone, so I had placed my battered mobile on the table for reference when required. I was in a bit of a rush to get back to the Farm Centre for a meeting, though, so after the interview concluded, I shoved my keys, recorder and other paraphernalia into my handbag and hit the road for Dublin.

Pulling into the car park at work over an hour later, I rooted in my bag to pull out my phone – and came out in a cold sweat. It was nowhere to be found and I quickly deduced that I must have left it behind me – something of a mini-crisis considering I’m usually surgically attached to it for everything from work calls, emails and checking directions when on the road to telling the time (I hardly ever wear a watch any more). Moreover, I was due to drive home to Kerry that evening and would not be back in Leinster until the following week, so nipping back up the road to collect it was out of the question.

Locating a landline, a quick call to a lovely girl called Holly on the hotel reception confirmed that I had indeed left my phone behind me. I asked if there was any chance it might be possible to post it. That was 2pm on the Tuesday. At 10am Wednesday morning my friendly postman rang my doorbell in Tralee, with my phone safely returned to me by registered post for the princely sum of just €6.75. Usain Bolt would hardly deliver it as quickly, so a big thank you to Holly and the good people at An Post for saving me from having to communicate via smoke signals and carrier pigeons for a week.

This week’s Irish Country Living is absolutely packed with great reading. Aisling Hussey chats to singer-songwriter Mundy on fame, fatherhood and minding your mental health on page 37, we have inspiring stories of rural entrepreneurship from ProU on page 4 and Bake It Easy on page 6, great recipes from Nessa Robins on page 10 and Neven Maguire on page 16, and given the week that is in it, an eight-page special supplement edited by Mary Phelan on getting ready to go to college.

Congratulations to everybody who received their Leaving Cert results this week. I really hope that the hard work paid off, but even if everything did not go exactly to plan, we are lucky to live in a country where we have so many different routes to pursue our passions – and a little detour can often pay off in the long run.

I wish each and every one of you all the best, wherever the road will take you.