Regarding lapsang souchong (Adrian Chiles, 11 January), I still chuckle at the memory of when an elderly friend quickly rinsed a cup in the bowl of water used to wash up after the previous night’s supper of mackerel to give the visiting doctor a cup of tea. “Ah, the distinctive smoky aroma of lapsang souchong!” he said happily as he drank the builder’s tea she poured for him. He wasn’t contradicted.
Holly Anderson
Cambridge
• Re flowers that bloom entirely underground (Tree that lives underground among newly named plant species, 11 January), mention should be made of the ineffable Western Australian underground orchid (Rhizanthella gardneri). It lives underground in symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi.
Jane Gregory
Emsworth, Hampshire
• Ian Barrett asks why driverless trains have windscreen wipers (Letters, 12 January). The answer is that, if you look at the front, there is a panel that opens the controls of the train for when a driver is needed. It could also be to let passengers enjoy the scenery.
Alexander Wilcox (age 12)
New Mill, West Yorkshire
• Marina Hyde’s generous tribute to Alan Bates (13 January), along with almost all media coverage of his magnificent campaign, omits any mention of his wife’s heroic, implacable determination. This emerged so movingly from the ITV drama that it is as surprising as it is regrettable that she has not received her own tribute.
Ian Barge
Ludlow, Shropshire
• The best way of honouring Alan Bates is to put his head on a stamp.
Peter Ferguson
Inverness
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