In one of his Inspector Morse novels, Colin Dexter wrote that a man is getting old when a) nostalgia takes over from hope, b) it is too late to fall in love again, and c) he has to sit on the bed to put his trousers on (Letters, 11 July). I think I tick all the boxes.
Bryan Crook (85)
Wakefield
• Yet again on Monday, there was no one aged 77 in your birthdays list in the print edition . Is it just my perception, or was there a low birthrate in 1945? Or were fewer noteworthy or talented people born that year?
Joanna Rimmer (77 next week)
Lambley, Northumberland
• I have found that the hangover effects of moderate alcohol consumption can be markedly reduced, or even eliminated, by taking two 500mg paracetamol tablets before going to bed (Can taking a pill really stop you getting a hangover? There’s one way to find out…, 13 July) .
Eliot Wright
Topsham, Devon
• News that Keith Flett had been seriously unwell (Letters, 18 July) was far more concerning than the Tory party’s shenanigans. Keith’s wellbeing is a greater source of solace and sanity than any of the pretenders to power. Here’s to his continuing good health.
Prof Simon Gibbs
Newcastle University
• Clue: “All earth’s inhabitants”. Solution: “Humanity” (Quick crossword, 20 July). If our fellow creatures did crosswords, they’d wonder what planet they lived on.
Ariel Wagner
Beidweiler, Luxembourg
• £1.1m for four wild bison to roam in Kentish woodland (Report, 18 July)? That’s some buffalo bill.
Fr Alec Mitchell
Holyhead, Anglesey
