I AM sure there are many readers like me who rely on The Herald to help us struggle through these dreich summer days.

Thankfully my day is often rescued and brightened by three much-anticipated quality areas of the paper – Steven Camley’s topical cartoon, the Picture of the Day and, last but not least, R Russell Smith’s letters. They convey so much, inform and entertain in a small area of newsprint – thank you.

I wish I had the talent and humour to respond so quickly to the world around us. We need contributors who can help us see the world around us and respond with humour and understanding.

I wonder if the skill of writing a good precis still required? I certainly need the practice. As the French would say about me, “Je n’ai pas l’habitude.”

(Mrs) Helen H Blackburn,

105 Lomond Crescent, Beith.