Dear Mary | 7 May 2011

Q. A friend of ours went with his nephew to a funeral. The nephew is an absolute maniac driver. They flew up to Scotland and all the way our friend was terrified because the nephew was renting a car at the airport and then proposed to drive 50 miles. What to do? Just as the nephew was paying for the car, our friend asked to be added as a driver because he was thinking of buying the same model and could think of no better time to do a test drive! Problem solved. —D.P., by email

A. Indeed. How considerate of you to share this solution with readers.

Q. Consanguinity obliges me to extend hospitality to a relative of my wife’s, and thus somewhat reluctantly I include him once a month on our dinner list. The man in question seems to have no understanding of dress codes and at the gong is as likely to present himself in a lounge suit as in a club blazer.