Martyn Yeomans writes: "Can I get in before the inevitable gush of media items welcoming the start of Spring 'today' and point out that the real start of Spring is not until September 22, an event governed by the immutable laws of planetary motion. Spring and Autumn start on the equinoxes, not - as some would have it - on the first day of the quarter months."
"What exactly is a 'granny-aged shopper'?" asks Ross Duncan, of Potts Point. "A person can be a grandparent at virtually any adult age. There's apparently a Romanian who became a grandmother at 23; a Nigerian at 17. 'Granny-aged' then doesn't seem a particularly helpful description and, well, may be just a little 'grand-ageist'?" Similarly. "I know someone who became a granny at 37," says Jean Stiller, of Bowral.
"Anything else?" (C8) doesn't much rile me but "Are you right?" tends to, if I've walked in as a sole customer clearly wanting to buy something. My response sometimes is, "No, but I will be when you serve me", or to say, "Who of us can ever, truly, say they are right?" It's wise then to add a smile and add, "Just joking". In one of his travel books, humorist Bill Bryson says never, ever be smart-alecky to staff in cafes, fast-food places, etc, especially if they'll be preparing your food out of sight." From Bill Jennings, of Runaway Bay in Queensland.
" 'Anythink else?' " seems to be more common these days. I always feel I should say 'Yes, could you please replace the k with a g?', but I'm very polite, so I never say anythink other than 'Nothink else, thanks'," says Steve Cornelius, of Brookvale.
If ever there's a competition for the most suspicion-inducing online message by a commercial organisation, I nominate Westpac for its mobile application weepily telling me today: "We've had a problem signing you in," writes Adrian Connelly, of Springwood. "It felt like I was being prepared for the dreadful news that someone had just run over the dog."
From Paul Duncan, of Leura. "Recently, while reading a vintage car magazine, I noticed an ad for a 1948 Lincoln convertible that claimed to have amongst it's many refinements and extras, a 'foot controlled radio'. With car sound systems being so complex and difficult to use these days, perhaps it is time to reintroduce this great lost technology?"
Twitter: @Column8SMH