I was disappointed to see an article on the “mystical arts” in the Guardian (‘I’m getting clarity, a time that will feel lighter’: psychics share their 2021 predictions, 26 December). “March feels like a turning point, a light at the end of the tunnel. Confidences will grow” is one example of the “foresight” of the contributors. This was especially disappointing, given the year we have all just experienced, when scientific knowledge and its application to our lives was really appreciated. What next? Anti-vaccination and conspiracy theories? Horoscopes?
Dr Teresa Jennings
Tuddenham, Suffolk
• I’m very impressed by Prof John Zarnecki’s swift, venomous rebuttal of astrology (Letters, 23 December). Odds-on he’s a Scorpio.
Dr John Truscott
Nancegollan, Cornwall
• Zoe Williams is right on the money (Hancock’s Half Hour reminds us what once united Britain: laughing at each other, Journal, 26 December). Fred’s Pie Stall is one of the best Hancocks – a comedic gem shot through with social observation that still resonates. It also provides a snatch of the lovely Neapolitan song Oilì, Oilà – sung not, alas, by the splendidly named Elvis Dalrymple but by the peerless Roberto Murolo. Anyone in need of a cheerful few minutes at the end of a dreary year could do worse than seek and play the full version.
Mike Terry
Ettington, Warwickshire
• Are sprouts the last seasonal vegetable? All other vegetables are now available fresh all year round thanks to hi-tech storage and air freight from south of the equator. I believe asparagus was the most recent to go over to this all-year availability. Why are there no sprout farms in Chile or South Africa?
Brian Hodkinson
Limerick, Ireland
• I’d support John Kirkwood’s suggestion to name the Severn Bridge after Dylan (Letters, 25 December). However, to keep everyone happy, how about making it the Bob Dylan Thomas Bridge?
Anne Cowper
Bishopston, Swansea
