Tim Dowling (Notebook, 22 October) reminded me of a wonderful, now sadly deceased, housemaster at my boarding school in 1980, who I now realise took mischievous pleasure in telling his teenage, rather chilly, charges that he’d need to “bleed the radiator…” (pause for dramatic effect) “…from the nipple”. Badly stifled hilarity ensued. He also had an odd tic of saying everything to us twice, leading to a double portion of hilarity. Thirty-five years on, I think of him with great fondness every time I bleed a radiator.
Leonora Thomson
Kelvedon, Essex
• Excellent piece by Jay Rayner (Bin kids’ menus. Give them food instead, 23 October). We always took our kids to restaurants, expected them to behave themselves but always ensured they had things to do as well. We also always wondered why it was not possible to serve child-sized portions of the food, like we did at home. Can’t be that difficult, can it?
Nicola Moignard
Oakley, Buckinghamshire
• Do we really have to repeat ancient debates endlessly? Philip E Vernon in his Secondary School Selection (1957) pretty well had the last word on the grammar school debate, and John Yudkin in Pure, White and Deadly (1972) nailed sugar as the baddie. At 93, I can hardly bear to read the same old arguments trundled out again (Letters, 23 October; Why there’s such a fuss about sugar…, 24 October).
Marjorie Ainsworth
Manchester
• It is obvious that black-cab drivers appreciated the Chinese premier’s visit (Amid the pomp and the deals, where was dissent?, 24 October). Have you noticed, by way of thanks, they are all driving round with markings saying “Ta Xi”!
John Vaughan
Hellifield, North Yorkshire
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