Mention of the national anthem being played at cinemas (Letters, 31 August) put me in mind of an ex-serviceman who worked at the Regent cinema in Crosby, Liverpool. At the end of the Saturday morning ABC Minors session, there would be a mad rush for the exit as soon as the lights came on, and he would stand between us and the door demanding that we show some respect: “I fought in the war for the likes of you lot.” We, of course, had all seen A Hard Day’s Night and shouted Ringo’s retort: “I bet you’re sorry you won!”
John Hodgkinson
Brighton-le-Sands, Merseyside
• I was so busy contemplating a possible application for a scholarship at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg to explore “active inactivity” (Editorial, 1 September) that I did not have the energy to play exercise bingo, go on a hiking date or go whitewater rafting (One, two, free! 25 brilliant ways to escape 2020’s groundhog days, 2 September).
Sally Bunce
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
• The idea of not working all the time (Letters, 1 September) is not new. I recall reading Bertrand Russell’s 1932 essay In Praise of Idleness when I was a student, and enthusiastically acting on his ideas.
Malcolm Pim
Aylsham, Norfolk
• Why are we importing Dutch poo to spread on our fields (Nearly 30,000 tonnes of sewage sludge containing human waste to enter UK, 2 September)? What is wrong with good English poo?
Sally Tomlinson
Oxford
• When Margaret Thatcher said “U-turn if you want to”, I think Boris misunderstood (Boris Johnson tries to calm Tory mutiny with vow to keep taxes low, 2 September).
Patrick Baker
Gloucester
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