TRAVELLING south on the A9 we stopped in a lay-by to change drivers and have a soft drink. Across the carriageway was lay-by 33 for northbound traffic. Twice we saw cars pull in; doors flew open and all the males sprinted into the bushes. After they had reappeared all the females fled into the bushes. Nobody came back with wild flowers.

We are now looking like a third world country in places. Go to Forres and public toilets are open, go to Pitlochry – a tourist town if ever there was one – and all the toilets are closed. Does the Scottish Government expect us and our tourist friends all to wear incontinence pads? They say every cloud has a silver lining. Well, our wild flowers in certain areas sure are being well fertilised.

George Smith, Clydebank.

WENT TOO FAR?

CAN someone please tell me if Glasgow schools actually teach children to use the word “went” incorrectly?

On a regular basis I hear: “he has went to....” , “I have went to... “,”she has went to....”, when the word should be “gone”.

While I am at it, eleven is not “ilivin”, seven is not “sivin”, December is not “Dezember” etc, etc,etc. It is extremely annoying to hear Glasgow-based radio and television presenters misuse our language.

Douglas Cowe, Newmachar.

SOME BOOKS ARE A BIND

THE news that a survey has shown that more of us have opted to retreat into the pages of a good book ("Issue of the day: Celebrity book clubs on the up", The Herald, August 10 ), prompts me to wonder how many have started – and finished – Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, James Joyce’s Ulysses, and Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time?

I salute their indefatigability and erudition, but, rather sadly, include me out.

R Russell Smith, Kilbirnie.