MANY readers wonder why Partick Thistle manage to maintain a following ("Fans fear sale of Firhill and now want to run Thistle", Herald Sport, September 4). Apart from us all knowing each other, I can recall two anecdotes from 50-plus years ago.

First, going to renew my season ticket and being invited in for coffee and to meet the team.

Second: attending with a girlfriend nurse who had never been to a match, I pushed the boat out and bought two stand tickets. Returning from buying two coffees, I found my date deep in conversation with two worthies. Suddenly the teams started to run out and one worthy started desperately searching his pockets. My date asked what the problem was and was informed (a) he couldn’t find his heart pills that he always took when excited; and (b) the running onto the pitch was THE excitement of the afternoon.

Rev James Watson, Dunbar.

The problem of layabout wasps

AS we all know, at this time of year wasps can become a nuisance, especially if waving arms and shouting is employed as a deterrent, but they are not all wild hyper insects.

My seven-year-old granddaughter was recently stung by a very laid-back wasp whilst she was swinging from a playground bar at school; it was very painful and caused a lot of screaming.

However this was not a wasp zooming around with stinging intent. She said “it had been hanging about", which just shows that some younger-generation wasps are lazy layabouts who need a good kick up the backside and whose parents have neglected their education. Or was it just being very devious and getting ready for attack? You decide.

Malcolm Rankin, Seamill.