Perhaps I’m expecting turkeys to vote for Christmas, but in your article (‘Be kind to yourself’: experts’ tips on coping with lockdown stress, 5 February) there is no mention of limiting one’s intake of the media. Since the start of the year, I have kept Monday to Friday free of Covid news. I catch up on the weekend and if something significant happens midweek, it always comes up in conversation. Not so much burying my head in the sand as lying on the beach.
Edward Bick
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
• Jim Grozier (Letters, 3 February) says that we shouldn’t refer to Covid mutations by names of countries. Perhaps we should adopt the weather forecasting practice of using given names as with storms or hurricanes such as Covid Algernon, Covid Beatrice, Covid Cedric….
Margaret Squires
St Andrews, Fife
• I live a couple of miles from John O’Dwyer (Letters, 7 February) and I can tell him that Tesco in Buckingham has aubergines in stock. For really good ones, he should go to the greengrocer in Pebble Lane in Aylesbury.
Peter Austin
Padbury, Buckinghamshire
• Timothy Garton Ash (In the war of fake news versus facts, here’s what the next battle should be, 8 February) praises the democracy of the citizens of ancient Athens who debated in public. Democracy? Women didn’t take part, and they kept slaves. Give me the UK today, even if we are slipping a bit.
Val Spouge
Braintree, Essex
• I hope you accede to Vanessa Redgrave’s request (‘How many husbands have I had? Not enough!’ Vanessa Redgrave meets Miriam Margolyes, 9 February) to stop calling actresses actors.
Ian Flintoff (actor)
Oxford
