OUR story about Americans reminds Kate Woods: "I was on the ferry from Gourock to Dunoon on a pouring wet winter's night when the American submarine base at the Holy Loch was still operating.

As we lined up on deck in the lashing sleet to get off the boat a wee wummin slipped beside a very tall American wearing a huge Stetson and said, 'D'you mind if I stand under your hat son?'"

THE death of writer and actor Colin Welland, who won an Oscar for penning Chariots of Fire, reminds us of his vivid description of Edinburgh during the Festival when he compared the city to "a stiff old maid in a massive stone skirt, in the folds of which her population live out their obedient, toe-the-line-lives." Goodness, he really wanted to curry favour with Glaswegians didn't he?

However reader John Henderson recalls: "I had to drive Colin Welland home to London after he spoke at a Labour Party rally - he was lifelong Labour - and he invited me in for a cup of tea before I made the drive back. After brewing up the tea and opening the Jaffa Cakes, he showed me his Oscar. It had pride of place in his study as a paperweight!"

THE Herald story that seven out of ten Scottish nurses are too heavy has given many people food for thought. As Ukip Argyle and Bute candidate Caroline Santos argued: "Our NHS is in crisis because of the SNP Government's poor running - not because of fat nurses not running!"

AUDIENCE questions continued. Says the Rev Eric Hudson in Westerton: "Each year when I was Minister of Westerton Parish Church we used to welcome the local Primary Six children over to the church for them to learn more about Church, my job, and of course the church furnishings. One year when I was answering the children's questions, one boy asked, 'What is that gold thing over there?' Not aware, as a good Presbyterian minister, of any religious icons in our kirk, I looked over, and was able to answer, 'That's a light switch'."

OUR contact in Motherwell phones to tell us: "Did you see the news that new Motherwell manager Matt McGhee is flying out to Barbados to discuss future strategy with club owner Les Hutchison who lives there.

"Can't help thinking that if Les lived up in Bellshill, Mark wouldn't be rushing as quickly to see him."

A SOUTH Side reader getting the bus into Glasgow yesterday heard a young person tell her pal: "I could be locked in a room with no tv, phone, or internet access and I'd probably still not do my homework."

DAVID Chadwick in Carluke muses: “Just heard on Radio Scotland that Chris Packham, TV Wildlife presenter, met his great hero, Peter Scott, the ornithologist, ‘when he was still alive’.”

IMPORTANT debate in the Scottish Parliament yesterday on the future of Trident. Or was it? As Tory MSP Murdo Fraser remarked: "Just left totally pointless Trident debate at Holyrood. Now time to do something useful to help my constituents." Ouch.

DAFT musing from a reader who tells us: "A 'Get Well Soon!' card is a nice way to add undue pressure to a work colleague's recovery from illness."