Sir, – Is there anything to be said for bringing back the scythe?
People used to manage entire fields with little else, surely they can manage lawns. They might seem primitive but perhaps a bit of PR could help.
After all scythes are totally silent, emissions-free solutions with only recyclable and biodegradable components, and, contrary to popular depiction, make for terribly impractical weapons!
– Yours, etc,
AARON CASSIDY,
Chapelizod,
Dublin 20.
Sir, – Peter Kenny (Letters, July 20th) believes that "for most of us, the garden is a nuisance that has to be kept in order".
Perhaps the solution is to put aside our obsession with controlling every inch of our gardens and welcome a bit of disorder for a change.
As for “elderly folk who are no longer able to enjoy gardening and are forced to surrender this ...to the attentions of outsiders”? When I am old, I intend to sit back and relax among the dandelions and buttercups and enjoy the company of all the birds, spiders, insects and other creatures who are welcome in the little patch of planet Earth I rather presumptuously call “my” garden.
– Yours, etc,
KATHERINE QUIRKE,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.