Bedtime story

STILL the great weather continues, with folk leaving their windows open. Says a Maryhill reader: "My neighbour yelled so loud at her kids at the weekend that even I went inside and made my bed and I’m 35."

And reader Russell Duncan says: "Talk of heatwaves reminds me of my days at The Evening Citizen in the late Sixties. The gravelly voiced newspaper vendor, whose stand was outside the Albion Street building, was well known for his one liners. During one very hot spell his call was, ‘Heatwave in Govan, dozens dead!’"

Letter of the law

RETIRED lawyer and now busy public speaker Len Murray was bemoaning on social media that he now feels a bit of a dinosaur and that folk would now be saying: "Len who?" It was read by former STV presenter Dermott McQuarrie, now living in Florida, who sent a letter to Len which was simply addressed to "Len Murray, Lawyer, Scotland." A few weeks later it popped through the letterbox at Len's home in Milngavie. In it was Dermott's card with the message "Hope this reaches you." Says a delighted Len: "I find it remarkable that the Royal Mail went to all that trouble to find me. Sometimes they get a bad press but that was outstanding."

So maybe not a dinosaur just yet.

Beelin'

THE good weather has also seen folk besieging garden centres. One reader tells us: "No matter how hard I try looking after plants, feeding them, watering them, I can hardly get anything to grow. Yet a couple of old potatoes discarded in a corner of a garage have bloomed."

It's official

OUR story about selling macaroon bars at football games reminds Ronnie McLean: "Vendors at Hampden also offered 'Ofeeshul' programmes. Never saw an unofficial one."

Punch drunk

AN excitable news report in The Herald claimed that families travelling to the beach at Troon were "terrorised by hundreds of drunken youths." A Glasgow reader tells us: "Many years ago I witnessed absolutely disgusting behaviour on Troon beach. I saw a man and woman having an almighty argument in front of loads of kids. Suddenly the woman smacked the chap on the head and it all kicked off. There was a massive brawl and someone called the police. This poor officer turned up on his own and took out his baton to the man. Then the chap snatched the baton and hit the police officer.

"Then, out of nowhere, a crocodile crept up and stole all the sausages."

Lost in translation

OUR story about films being dubbed, reminds Barrie Crawford: "You may not know it, but the Famous Five are very popular in Germany and the Germans have made some films based on the Enid Blyton characters. On holiday there a few years ago I bought a DVD (German dialogue with English subtitles) to show to my German classes. One character said to Dick, 'Hau ab, Dick!' which basically means 'Get lost!' I laughed at the English subtitles. 'Bugger off, Dick!' I’m sure Enid Blyton would be spinning in her grave."

Pack it in

PLENTY of sons and daughters arriving home at the end of the university year just now. As a south-side mother tells us: “So, how come their possessions, which could fit inside a student room no bigger than a cupboard, when unpacked, fill every room in the house? How is that even possible?”