Dear Mary…
Q. My husband has developed an annoying habit of beginning to unzip himself as he approaches our downstairs gents. He also delays the buttoning-up process until long after he has vacated the facility. I am afraid that I find this obscene. How can I put a stop to this habit?
Name withheld, Binham, Norfolk
A. You are not the only reader to have written in to complain about this problem, but a solution is readily to hand. One out of every three dogs is of the crutch-sniffing variety, however charming the animal may be in other respects. Discreetly ask around, without revealing the purpose, and see if you could borrow such a dog for a couple of weeks. You will soon see an end to the nuisance.
Q. I find it most difficult to obtain loden clothes in England. All that can be found readily are the ‘Douglas Hurd’-style loden overcoats, as sported by members of the ‘DL, JP’ class, usually flung in the back of a Subaru estate car.
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