What does “bad weather” mean, exactly?
A German friend once told me: “There is no such thing as ‘bad weather’ – you are simply wearing the wrong clothes.”
Helen Esmond, Sydney, Australia
• There can be no exact definition – what is good for the holidaymaker may be bad for the fruit grower.
Philip Stigger, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
• When it stops you doing what you want.
Edward Black, Church Point, NSW, Australia
• To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, there is only one thing worse than bad weather, and that is no weather at all. Celebrate being alive!
David Needham, Sutton, NSW, Australia
• As a runner I’ve not a clue. All weather is wonderful, and I’ve loved running whether it’s wet or dry, and in temperatures from around 40C to –20C.
Nicholas Houghton, Folkestone, UK
• Bad weather means fine weather for ducks.
David Tucker, Halle, Germany
• Your hair will look awful.
Pat Phillips, Adelaide, South Australia
• It means that the weather is very naughty when it fails to diligently abide by the official forecast.
George Gatenby, Adelaide, South Australia
• Foul faces on the metro.
Richard Orlando, Westmount, Quebec, Canada
• Snuggling up in bed with a Russian novel.
Peter Stone, Sydney, Australia
‘You dirty squirrel’ lacks bite
Why are rats hideous, but squirrels oh-so-cute?
The squirrel-loving media has for centuries misinformed us bigly about rats. For example, with fake news stories like “The Black Death”. Bad!
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia
• It depends where you live. In our neighbourhood, red squirrels find their way into attics and do a great deal of damage, including chewing on electrical wires. They are regarded as pests and are certainly not cute rodents.
Avril Taylor, Dundas, Ontario, Canada
• I blame James Cagney and those old US gangster movies. Calling your enemy “You dirty squirrel” lacks the venom of “You dirty rat”.
David Isaacs, Sydney, Australia
• The squirrels that chow down on seedlings in my garden every spring are not oh-so-cute: they are rats with bushy tails.
Donna Samoyloff, Toronto, Canada
• As a smart-arse 13-year-old I smuggled my pet rat into school; it remained comfortable and discreet tucked down my trousers. Try doing that with a squirrel.
Rhys Winterburn, Perth, Western Australia
• Squirrels play in parks and greet visitors, rats not so much.
Richard Orlando, Westmount, Quebec, Canada
• The grey ones are total pests. They try to steal the bird’s food, and eat my fruit and plant bulbs.
Martin Bryan, Churchdown, UK
Hard to tell when you get old
At what point does something real become imagined?
Mathematics.
Jeff Daniels, Nicasio, California, US
• You may need to revise perception due to new data.
Tom Short, San Rafael, California, US
• Quantum theory – or is it the reverse?
Joe Harvey, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• When you are in your 80s, anything and everything goes.
Philip Stigger, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Any answers?
What are eyebrows for?
Denis Edleston, Mosman, NSW, Australia
Why do so many men and boys wear their hats indoors these days?
Joan Dawson, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Send answers and more questions to weekly.nandq@theguardian.com
