Your Letters
Blimey, the picture looks like a fluffy dressing-gown button beside a peapod.
Sarah, Basel, Switzerland
Surely 2012 (see Monday's letters) has more anniversaries than 2011 because it has more days as well?
Basil Long, Nottingham
Paper Monitor, I wasn't born alone. I distinctly remember my mother being there.
Jo, London, UK
Public service announcement. If you are close enough to a wild animal to take photos of it on your mobile phone, you are what wildlife experts call "too close". Getting too close to a wild animal makes it feel threatened, which can have one of two results: if the wild animal is smaller than you, it will probably run away; if the wild animal is three times your weight, it will expect you to do the running. For this reason, wildlife experts advise that you do not get too close to wild animals. Especially large ones.
David Richerby, Liverpool, UK
According to this article Whitney Houston conserved energy by singing "luv" instead of "love". Anyone care to explain?
Paul, Marlow, UK
She's back! Poor thing didn't get much of a break after the New Year.
Annabel, Windsor, UK
I don't dispute the truth of this story, but wouldn't it be pretty easy to make a giant match and put a normal-sized lizard on it? Easier than discovering a new species, anyway.
Edward Green, London, UK
Rahere, Smithfield (Monday's letters). Actually, no. In 2012, unlike non-leap years, there is an anniversary for things that happened on the 29th February, such as Hattie MacDaniel becoming the first African-American to win an Oscar (1940), The abdication of Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden (1720) or the coup d'etat that removed Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide (2004), and doubtless numerous engagements where the woman proposed to the man...
Ray, Turku, Finland
Monitor: Earlier, we publicised an appeal for British placenames that - with an exclamation mark added - sound like Sunday Sport headlines. Along the lines of Nun Eaten! A selection follows.
Turnham Green!
D Ben Draw, Oxford
All the places near me seem to be good placer names.
Hitchin - Hit Chin!
Royston - Roys Ton! (cricket century perhaps)
Letchworth - Letch-Worth! (or worth a Letch at least!)
Huntingdon - Hunting Don! (looking for somebody called Don, or maybe a University Lecturer!)
Ashley Brown, Ellington, Huntingdon, England
Battle!
Butter Wick!
Goring!
Great Dun Fell!
and my favourite and Bill Bryson's - Lickey End...
Andrew, Malvern, UK