It is no surprise that fireworks raise the heart rate of geese by 96% (Report, 3 November). They also cause great distress to pets and many people, young and old, including me. In these days of never-ending austerity, why do we waste millions of pounds polluting the environment to celebrate a failure such as Guy Fawkes?
David Godfrey
Willingdon, East Sussex
• As I spent my childhood in the area highlighted, I thoroughly enjoyed your travel article (A canal walk to a great pub: the Aqueduct Inn, Llangollen, Wales, 28 October). However, its title was misleading, as the pub is in Froncysyllte, not Llangollen. A bit pedantic, I know, but little Welsh villages must grasp their moments of fame whenever they arise.
Lynwen Payne
Gwernaffield, Flintshire
• Mary Hutty suggests renaming PMQs “Prime Minister Doesn’t Answer the Questions” (Letters, 3 November). Jasper Fforde, in one of his Thursday Next novels, has politicians appearing on a TV show called Evade the Question Time. Is there a copy in the House of Commons library?
Peter Elliott
St Albans, Hertfordshire
• Does it matter whether Vermeer painted Girl with a Flute (Museums spar over authenticity of painting ahead of major Vermeer show, 1 November)? If it is a nice picture painted well, why does it matter if it is painted by someone not so well known? This does not detract from its quality or its appeal.
Keith Wightman
Barbon, Cumbria
• In another touching example of love through the post (Emma Beddington, 30 October; Letters, 31 October and 3 November), my grandfather, when fighting in the trenches in the first world war, received a box of fresh eggs from Mrs Pankhurst (my grandmother’s back garden hen).
Christine Secombe
London
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