It can probably be safely assumed that Boris Johnson has foisted the middle name Odysseus on his latest child because he identifies with classical Greece’s clever, wily hero (Report, 11 July). The Romans took a dimmer view: they saw Odysseus as a deceitful villain. And Dante put him in the Inferno for disregarding necessary bounds and dishonestly using his eloquence to persuade others to follow him to destruction.
Catherine McLoughlin
London
• Has anyone else thought that Boris Johnson naming his newborn son Frank is ridiculously ironic?
Robin Dransfield
Liskeard, Cornwall
• Regarding the use of tumble dryer lint as bird nesting material (Letters, 11 July), experts strongly discourage this, as it contains small particles that could affect the respiratory systems of birds, and is infused with harmful chemicals. I believe it can also hold on to moisture, causing the nest to stay wet after rain.
Justine Williams
Mannings Heath, West Sussex
• It’s not just birds who are making use of fluff for their nests. We found a vole snugly tucked up behind our washing machine, and he had used the fluff gathered on a small sweeping brush to build his pad.
Kevin Quinn
Musselburgh, East Lothian
• Stuart Jeffries writes that no song has ever been written in honour of Northampton (‘There’s a lot to complain about in Northampton’: the choir singing about their town’s failings, 10 July), but I must draw his attention to 60 Miles by Road and Rail, issued in 1980 by Northampton Development Corporation. A true synth pop ballad and a love letter to the city.
Paul Dunnery
Nottingham
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