The Severn Bridge (Local politicians row over renaming of Severn Bridge, 22 December) replaced the Aust Ferry in 1966. As Bob Dylan was one of the last people to make the crossing – the No Direction Home album cover shows him standing near the ticket office – why not rename the bridge after Dylan?
John Kirkwood
Sheffield
• It’s been a spectacular year for holly berries round these parts, but where are all the redwings? It’s usually a race to cut a couple of twigs for Christmas before they fly in en masse to strip the branches bare. But the trees are still laden. Is this countrywide? Should we be worried?
Judith Kent
Barnet, London
• Of the long list of foods that may soon be scarce because of hold-ups in cross-Channel freight (UK supermarkets predict shortage of lettuce, broccoli and citrus fruit, 21 December), only citrus fruits were available at this time of year when I was growing up in the 1940s and 50s; broccoli hadn’t even been invented in Yorkshire. I wonder how we survived?
Tony Cleaver
Earswick, North Yorkshire
• Your long read about Julia Donaldson (Journal, 17 December) filled me with admiration for her, not just for her talent, her success and her wealth, but most of all the use to which she has put some of that wealth – buying her local post office to save it from closure. Other wealthy celebrities in small communities, please take note.
Les Masters (Retired subpostmaster)
Bleadon, Somerset
• I was completely aligned with Prof John Zarnecki’s plea for rationality (Astrology is definitely not written in the stars, Letters, 24 December) until he said “… then God help us!”
Helen Datson
Spelsbury, Oxfordshire
• This year has just got even worse. No more brilliant writing on cricket from Vic Marks (Sport, 23 December).
Julian Page
Newton Poppleford, Devon
