Letters, emails, comments
The extract from Emma Brockes's book about her quest to discover her mother's past was a remarkable piece of writing: insightful, sensitive and moving.
*Name and address supplied*
Ian McShane is a class act, and in spite of the excesses during his long career, he comes over as a well-balanced, unstarry and thoroughly likable bloke . I can't believe he's 70, though. Bloody good genes.
*Keith Hall*
Helsinki, Finland (via guardian.co.uk)
Frieke Janssens says she "didn't set out to get a particular reaction, good or bad" to her pictures of children smoking. So why did she do it? A self-indulgent desire to get attention at any price? The claim that Janssens was conducting an "exploration" is rubbish: these children have been exploited for effect.
*Ferial Etherington*
Flookburgh, Cumbria
Sali Hughes is out of date when she says Avon does not test on animals. Like other companies wishing to trade in China, it quietly abandoned those policies and was last year forced to withdraw all claims about being cruelty-free. If there is no bunny logo on a product, it is likely to have been tested on animals. The only way to end this practice is to stop buying from companies that test products on animals in other countries now that the ban on testing within the EU has come into effect.
*Julia Bliss*
Cirencester
Tracksuits, trainers, most sweatshirts: just no. Wear them in the gym, on the track or behind your locked door. If you go out in public, please put on actual clothes.
*Name and address supplied*
Mary Beard does not have to bring "a live Latin speaker" back to life. There are plenty of Latin speakers around, and she would be welcome at one of the dozen or so annual Latin speaking weeks and other events in Europe and the US.
*Brian Bishop*
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Why no picture of Charley the cat in the 16 March Experience? Surely he's the hero?
*Julia Harris*
Hastings
Anyone who has ever owned a cat will have raised an eyebrow at last week's Experience. There are two explanations for her pet's seemingly heroic behaviour. One: this most spoiled cat, on finding its "favourite" unresponsive on the bathroom floor and incapable of showering it with the devotion it had grown used to, instantly abandoned her to her fate and went off in search of attention elsewhere. Or two: it is a magic cat. Forgive me for my scepticism, but I'm leaning towards option one.
*Alastair Bowden*
Edinburgh
Blimey, a successful blind date and not a flight to LA in sight. Without jinxing the whole thing, may I be the first to congratulate the future Mr and Mrs Gingell?
*Jess White*
Broadwindsor, Dorset
I normally enjoy Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's column, but his 16 March article on foraging suggests we should hunt down wild garlic in woods and dig up the bulbs where it grows in abundance. In Britain, it's illegal to dig up any wild plant without the landowner's permission.
*Anne-Marie Gregory*
Grantham, Lincolnshire
I found the 16 March Quiz a bit scary. The answer to one of the questions was "Fictional vampires". And there was me thinking all vampires were fictional. Can you ask Hugh if he's got any spare garlic?
*Ian Dowding*
Herstmonceux, East Sussex
• Got something to say about an article you've read in Guardian Weekend? Email weekend@guardian.co.uk, or or comment at guardian.co.uk. To be considered for publication on Saturday, emails should include a full postal address (not for publication), must reach us by midday on the preceding Tuesday and may be edited. Follow Weekend on Twitter.
Guardian readers
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.
The extract from Emma Brockes's book about her quest to discover her mother's past was a remarkable piece of writing: insightful, sensitive and moving.
*Name and address supplied*
Ian McShane is a class act, and in spite of the excesses during his long career, he comes over as a well-balanced, unstarry and thoroughly likable bloke . I can't believe he's 70, though. Bloody good genes.
*Keith Hall*
Helsinki, Finland (via guardian.co.uk)
Frieke Janssens says she "didn't set out to get a particular reaction, good or bad" to her pictures of children smoking. So why did she do it? A self-indulgent desire to get attention at any price? The claim that Janssens was conducting an "exploration" is rubbish: these children have been exploited for effect.
*Ferial Etherington*
Flookburgh, Cumbria
Sali Hughes is out of date when she says Avon does not test on animals. Like other companies wishing to trade in China, it quietly abandoned those policies and was last year forced to withdraw all claims about being cruelty-free. If there is no bunny logo on a product, it is likely to have been tested on animals. The only way to end this practice is to stop buying from companies that test products on animals in other countries now that the ban on testing within the EU has come into effect.
*Julia Bliss*
Cirencester
Tracksuits, trainers, most sweatshirts: just no. Wear them in the gym, on the track or behind your locked door. If you go out in public, please put on actual clothes.
*Name and address supplied*
Mary Beard does not have to bring "a live Latin speaker" back to life. There are plenty of Latin speakers around, and she would be welcome at one of the dozen or so annual Latin speaking weeks and other events in Europe and the US.
*Brian Bishop*
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Why no picture of Charley the cat in the 16 March Experience? Surely he's the hero?
*Julia Harris*
Hastings
Anyone who has ever owned a cat will have raised an eyebrow at last week's Experience. There are two explanations for her pet's seemingly heroic behaviour. One: this most spoiled cat, on finding its "favourite" unresponsive on the bathroom floor and incapable of showering it with the devotion it had grown used to, instantly abandoned her to her fate and went off in search of attention elsewhere. Or two: it is a magic cat. Forgive me for my scepticism, but I'm leaning towards option one.
*Alastair Bowden*
Edinburgh
Blimey, a successful blind date and not a flight to LA in sight. Without jinxing the whole thing, may I be the first to congratulate the future Mr and Mrs Gingell?
*Jess White*
Broadwindsor, Dorset
I normally enjoy Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's column, but his 16 March article on foraging suggests we should hunt down wild garlic in woods and dig up the bulbs where it grows in abundance. In Britain, it's illegal to dig up any wild plant without the landowner's permission.
*Anne-Marie Gregory*
Grantham, Lincolnshire
I found the 16 March Quiz a bit scary. The answer to one of the questions was "Fictional vampires". And there was me thinking all vampires were fictional. Can you ask Hugh if he's got any spare garlic?
*Ian Dowding*
Herstmonceux, East Sussex
• Got something to say about an article you've read in Guardian Weekend? Email weekend@guardian.co.uk, or or comment at guardian.co.uk. To be considered for publication on Saturday, emails should include a full postal address (not for publication), must reach us by midday on the preceding Tuesday and may be edited. Follow Weekend on Twitter.
Guardian readers
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.