For the past six months, “things can only get better” had seemed a redundant hope. And then along comes a headline to disprove it (Elon Musk turns on Nigel Farage and calls for new leader of Reform, 5 January).Les BrightExeter
• My prediction for 2025 was that the narcissistic egos of Nigel Farage, Elon Musk and Donald Trump would inevitably lead to them turning on each other, leading to their collective self-destruction. I wish I’d placed a bet on it.Sarah JamesMonmouth
• Re Christine Evans’ account of operating in Africa while the nurse held a surgery textbook open for her (Letters, 3 January). My father had colon cancer in 1954 and his surgeon in Aberystwyth had never performed a colectomy and colostomy before. As Dad told it, the surgeon did the operation with his scalpel in one hand and a phone in the other as he received instructions from a colleague in Harley Street. The operation, incidentally, was successful.Barry HughesEdinburgh
• Regarding rewrites of classic novels (Editorial, 30 December), in the early 1970s, in the dawn of Tolkien mania, I enjoyed the classic novel rewrite Bored of the Rings, featuring such characters as Spam Gamgree and Legolam.Richard BarnardWivenhoe, Essex
• I went to my local multimillion-pound NHS healthy living centre to weigh myself, only to be told that there were no scales for public use and I should try the pharmacy.Ralph JonesRochester, Kent
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