I was surprised that Lauren Elkin’s article (Reclaim the streets, Review, 30 July) about women walking and exploring city streets did not mention Rebecca Solnit. The article also prompted a memory of Michael Dibdin’s novel Vendetta, set in Italy, in which he wrote: “The men, old and young, massed in groups, using the public spaces as an extension of their living rooms, but the women Zen saw were always alone and on the move. They had right of passage only, and scurried along as though liable to be challenged at any moment, clutching their wicker shopping baskets like official permits.”
Janet Ruane
Leamington Spa
• Peter Bradshaw (A play of two halves, G2, 28 July) missed one of the major benefits of livestreaming of arts performances in cinemas for those of us not living in London. We can watch high-quality theatre, opera and concerts without the added costs of travelling to London.
Simon Dunning
Duddon, Cheshire
• For me the main advantage of livestreaming is that for £20 or so we can get a prime seat for a livestreamed performance of opera, say, at the Met or Covent Garden which would cost at least £180. Plus a tour and interviews backstage. Some cinemas even provide wine in the interval.
Julia Medcalf
Reigate, Surrey
• I am delighted that Carey Davis enjoyed swimming in the Wharfe on one of Yorkshire’s few hot summer days (Country Diary, 1 August). However, it is extremely unlikely to have been (the increasingly rare in these parts) yellow wagtails flitting above but rather grey wagtails, which confusingly are also yellow.
Chris Gill
Shipley, West Yorkshire
• Donald Trump has many powers, not least the ability to change the meaning of words. Apparently “sacrifice” is now to be defined as “work[ing] very very hard … creat[ing] thousands … of jobs … hav[ing] tremendous success” (Fury as Trump insults Muslim soldier’s family, 1 August).
Ellie Weld
Twickenham
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