SURELY Bryan Marlowe (June 6) must, with Jean's permission, be winding up readers with those comments about her birthday? If not, he does a disservice to both men and women by discouraging gallantry.

Come on, Bryan, dig out that romantic hat, pull up your seductive socks and let's have less of the Old Dutch and walking stick remarks. Otherwise, next June, instead of an innocuous card from Tom Champagne, you could be looking at a glossy one from a warm climate telling you that a sultry Tom Conti look-alike finds your wife utterly fascinating.

Margaret Lawson,

Aldborough House,

The Groves, York.