“THE Donald” is a handful of years older than me, we come from different backgrounds but we are similar in some ways. We both have a Presbyterian background but he is also an orange man where I am not, to be fair to him this may only be the dyed in the bathroom variety rather than dyed in the wool.

We both have the propensity to talk rubbish, as my last sentence amply confirms, but I have a wife, family and friends who will happily tell me I’m a bam and question whether I’m sliding doon the brae of early dementia. Poor Donald, however, obviously doesn’t appear to have to have a similar support system and it would be awful if he were to develop periods of lucidity and awareness and realises just what he has been saying ("Still time for you to do the right thing, Mr President", The Herald, April 16).

David J Crawford, Glasgow G12.

The greatest mutiny

DONALD Trump is quoted as saying that Mutiny on the Bounty is one of his all- time favourite movies ("Issue of the Day", The Herald, April 16) and the article suggested he sees himself as a ship's captain faced by a revolt by his crew. I assume he means not the 1962 remake with Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard, but the classic version starring Charles Laughton as Captain Bligh, Clark Gable as Christian, and Franchot Tone as a midshipman. It won the award as best film at the 1935 Oscars and remains one of the movies it is recommended you see before you pass on.

Christopher Reekie, Edinburgh.

Dropping a hint

REGARDING the recent correspondence on sheep droppings (Letters, April 13 & 15): my late father-in-law was a keen gardener, particularly proud of his giant leeks which took pride of place in his large vegetable plot. He always kept a metal bucket behind his garden shed which contained a dark mysterious liquid. This smelly liquid he referred to as "Adill".

His habit for years after he retired was to go out into fields where there had been sheep grazing and lift up the droppings with his shovel and carry them back in a pail to the garden. He then added them to his Adill mixture.

Born in the countryside near Kirkcudbright in 1890, he was well acquainted with working alongside nature. I looked up "Adill" recently in my Scots dictionary and the word means "a foul putrid liquid especially from dung".

Amy Kinnaird, Ochiltree.

It’s a dog’s life

I AM delighted to read that Thelma Edwards regards Hamish as a suitable canine name (Letters, April 16). The thought of Hamish humming is indeed inappropriate. Our cocker spaniel Hamish has a friend of the same breed currently in lockdown near Oban. Friend Hector has certainly been humming of late, having decided that bringing home a dead seagull, and on another occasion a dead rabbit, would please his mistress.

David Miller, Milngavie.

THELMA Edwards refers to "Hamish" as a suitable name for a dog.

I am reminded that I was once waiting at a luggage carousel in an American airport when a woman came round with a sniffer dog. Another passenger remarked on how pretty the dog was and asked its name. The official replied that its name was "Hugh". My immediate thought was that this did not seem a very suitable name for a dog. However, on later reflection, I realised that had it been in Scotland rather than the United States it would have been entirely appropriate.

"Shug the Dug" has a certain ring to it.

Jim Sheehan, Bridge of Allan.