Wisps of comfort

Sir, John Kirkaldy (letter, Sept 5) may be pleased to know that, despite being just 23, I’m a regular pipe smoker. The smoking ban, which exiles smokers into the dust, fumes and noise of the street, renders the half an hour or more it takes to properly enjoy a full bowl of tobacco a miserable experience, thus reducing pipe smoking to a strictly domestic activity. The usual workplace smoke break of just ten minutes completely rules out firing up the briar while at work. This may go some way to explaining the lesser spotted pipe smoker. That, and the sniggers I seem to elicit from passers-by.

Christopher Woodhouse

Belfast

Sir, John Kirkaldy may be pleased to know that in the prime minister special stamp set, to be issued by Royal Mail on October 14, Harold Wilson is depicted with his pipe.