Your Letters: December 13

Thinking back to my childhood and Christmas in my Grandmother's thatched cottage. We made paper chains from packets of strips which had to be made into links. Grandmother's Christmas cake and pudding were made and a wish had to be made while stirring the mixture. Alcohol was fed into small holes made with knitting needles each week into the bottom of the cake and pudding until Christmas.

The tree wasn't brought indoors and decorated until Christmas Eve, decorations were put up by my grandmother after we children had gone to bed, so getting up on Christmas Day was magical seeing the transformation.

Each year the farm next door raised turkeys to sell. My grandmother was recruited to pluck and prepare the turkeys for Christmas. Her payment was that she was allowed to choose a free turkey for our Christmas lunch. Runner beans from the garden in the summer were salted in Kilner jars, and washed off for lunch – a treat, no frozen veg in those days.

After tea, my grandmother would bring out 'indoor fireworks’ – small displays of coloured smoke and sparkling lights.

Memories are still vivid at this time of the year, a happy time.

Valerie Amos, Muxton

DON'T BE SCARED OF RUSSIA WAR

Matt Gillies is worried about war with Russia – breaking news is that the West has always been in a state of war with Russia, because Russia causes problems for the West with arming 'proxy' forces all over the world. I lived through 'cold war' and never once worried about a nuclear attack. Why are people now so scared? Until Russia decides to stop attacking its neighbours in a jingoistic attempt to 'rebuild Russia' the west should continue to oppose their imperialistic goals.

Putin wants Ukraine not because of the NATO support 'threatening Russian borders' but because Ukraine is packed full of oil, gas and rare metals and minerals, that are far closer to warm water ports in Black Sea. He also knows that Russia is losing population and wants the Ukrainian people (who are Cossacks and Tartars – not Russian). Kiev was there before Moscow existed so following the thoughts of Putin it seems that Russian capital should be Kiev.

Ukraine was always the mains weapon producer in the USSR, with the brains and the work ethic - now look at Russian capability without Ukraine.

Chris Smith, Horsehay

THANK-YOU FOR RETURN OF CARD

May I please express my thanks to the person who went out of their way to hand in my credit card to the customer service desk at the Asda store in Shrewsbury on December 4 after I left it in the machine. 

I believe I had left it in the machine at the Asda petrol station and I was very relieved to get it back just before Christmas.

David Christian, Craven Arms

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