When my father died in 1982, I retrieved the cash box (green, metal, with a lock) on a string, hooked to the back of a cupboard. In it were cigar tins labelled Insurance, Holiday and Electric, with a sum of money in each (Cash makes surprise comeback amid 4.6% annual rise in ATM withdrawals, 7 January).
Mike Morris
London
• Besides being the basis of many languages, a knowledge of Latin, plus ancient Greek (Letters, 8 January), is at the root of solving Guardian crosswords – just look at the aliases of past and present setters: Araucaria, Arachne, Audreus and Auster – and that’s just those beginning with an A.
Tom Stubbs
Surbiton, London
• Sally Smith’s mother missed a trick with her pink rabbit birthday treat made out of strawberry jelly with evaporated milk (Letters, 7 January). My witty mam did the chopped-jelly grass like hers, but would sprinkle currant “droppings” at its backside.
Julia Phillips
Combe Down, Somerset
• Rafael Behr, in his excellent piece (Opinion, 8 January), says that the Tory party must find a serious leader. Why must they? I am rather enjoying the seemingly endless conveyor belt of chancers and buffoons that have been in charge.
Rod Price
Mollington, Oxfordshire
• Re factchecking being ditched by Facebook (Report, 7 January): Comment is free … but facts scare them (with apologies to CP Scott).
Austen Lynch
Garstang, Lancashire
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