A few years ago, I got fed up trying to reprogramme my confusing boiler controls twice a year when the clocks change (What is the most efficient way to use central heating? Your energy questions answered, 26 October). So I reset the time on it by just half an hour. Now it comes on a bit late at the start of autumn, when it’s not that cold anyway, and a bit early in the depths of winter, when it’s really cold. Result.
Dr Nigel Mellor
Newcastle upon Tyne
If governments want to stop unorthodox immigration, they should get stuck into stopping the wars that force people to flee for their lives (Despair in Chad camps as violence and hunger in Sudan drive 25,000 across border in a week, 21 October).
Emma Tait
London
For someone born and brought up in Bradford, it is disheartening to learn that it has the worst transport connections of any major city in Britain (Editorial, 21 October). There is one easy solution: move the Treasury to Bradford.
John Dunn
Bologna, Italy
The government should do a self-assessment survey to see how many cabinet ministers consider themselves to be “working people” (‘Working people’ definition is work in progress for No 10, 25 October).
Mike Farwell
Hungerford, Berkshire
Saturday morning, I read about erotic frescoes discovered in Pompeii, and then an adjacent article about sexy clergy and “hot” rabbis. Saturday afternoon, lie down.
Toby Wood
Peterborough
Further to my previous letter (22 October), I’d like to make clear that I do not defend the use of graded exercise therapy or cognitive behavioural therapy for ME/CFS. Like others with ME/CFS, I have found that following a fixed regime for increasing activity can lead to flare-ups of symptoms. By contrast, I have learned to listen to my body to check if and when I can handle new activities. I believe that this gradually helps the nervous system to become less reactive. In scientific terms, we can gradually help the brain cultivate a greater sense of “allostatic self-efficacy”, or confidence in the body’s capacity to handle demands placed on it. Over time, this can enable us to slowly move back into the world again and reclaim our lives.
Dr Jake Hollis
Brighton, East Sussex
