A sharp-eyed reader has spotted that John Crace, the Guardian's parliamentary sketch writer, has been weaving Bruce Springsteen references into his work. In a letter to the Guardian, Steve Townsley of Wick, Vale of Glamorgan, points out that Crace's sketch on Friday contained at least three Springsteen song titles: Glory Days, Reason to Believe, and The Promised Land. Townsley expresses his delight at the hidden references, saying, 'I think this is splendid.'
Bus Banter and a Classic Rejoinder
Jennifer Jeater of Hassocks, West Sussex, shares a nostalgic tale from 1950s Brighton. Her uncle, a bus conductor, was eating his lunch when a man in a bowler hat boarded and asked, 'Eaton Place, conductor?' Without missing a beat, her uncle replied, 'No mate, just cheese sandwiches.' This quip earned him an official reprimand and a wage reduction.
Tram Stop Humor from the 1920s
Kate Doubleday of Tickhill, Doncaster, recounts a story from her late mother. While traveling on a tram along London's Old Kent Road in the 1920s, the driver would announce the next stop as 'Rising Sun' and often add, 'and the falling daughter,' much to the amusement of passengers.
The Anticlockwise Nature of Runner Beans
Pat Stevenson of Holywell, Tyne and Wear, offers horticultural advice: runner beans in the northern hemisphere will only climb supports in an anticlockwise direction. Any attempt to force them the other way is doomed to fail.
Cryptic Crossword Controversy
Jerry Emery of Lewes, East Sussex, takes issue with the word 'Roflmao' appearing in the cryptic crossword on 19 June. He calls it a 'made-up word' and suggests that a trigger warning should be added for such entries.
