THE takeover of John Menzies ("John Menzies accepts £571m takeover bid by Kuwaiti suitor", The Herald, March 31) illustrates the idiosyncratic link between spelling and pronunciation in Scotland.

This is confirmed in the following limerick:

"A lively young damsel named Menzies

Inquired: "Do you know what this thenzies?"

Her aunt, with a gasp,

Replied:"It's a wasp,

And you're holding the end where the stenzies."
David Miller, Milngavie.

POWERFUL PARENTING
I’M sure some of us will have voiced varied formative experiences which “made me who I am today”, as instanced by Mark Smith ("Violence on telly made me who I am today", The Herald, March 31).
In my own case I like to claim that it was pure thoughts and good deeds; which brings to mind a Father’s Day card I received from one of my progeny some years ago which read “You made me the person I am today. How the hell can you sleep at night?”.
I guess I must have done something right.
R Russell Smith, Largs.

THE TRAGIC ROUNDABOUT
I SEE that work on the Haudagain roundabout has been put on haud again ("Road work is delayed by months", The Herald, March 31).
Alastair Clark, Stranraer.