FUK (Letters, 24 December) would have been the name of the sixth Shell oilfield in the North Sea had not a bright spark noticed that AUK (the name given to the first field) was also the name of a sea bird. Blushes all round were saved with Brent, Cormorant and Fulmar. I checked this story when I went to work for Shell in 1982 and was assured of its truth.
Philip Connolly
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
• My American friend's family specialise in embarrassing other family members when they meet them at airports (Many happy returns, Weekend, 24 December). My favourite was when one of the brothers was met by his family holding up a big sign reading "We loved you as Victoria – we'll love you as Victor".
Carole Gray
Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire
• It's spume, not foam (All roads lead to foam, 30 December): "And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying, / And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying." – John Masefield
Kelvin Appleton
Beverley, East Yorkshire
• There was a young man called Lear / Who penned limericks and quaffed lots of beer. / He sketched birds and chickens / And sometimes read Dickens / Who was born in the very same year (Comment, 28 December)!
Penny Brown
Lewes, East Sussex
• In Australia, my wife was offered a small coffee – cappuccino – or a big one – mugaccino (Letters, 24 December).
Charles Stirling
Sheffield
• And then of course there's Pray In Advance – PIA – Pakistan International Airlines (Letters, 27 December)
Neena Modi
London
• I notice that the islands have all but disappeared (Letters, 24 December). Global warming?
Steve Till
Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire
• Climbing roses furiously blooming on the fence, geraniums flowering away, and I've just killed a mosquito in the kitchen.
Katalin Bradford
Reading