Edward Trunk

We have a problem with our neighbours' music system. It isn't that the music is loud, but it's thumpy-thump disco music and it never stops all day and it's gettting inside our heads. We have spoken to them and they promise to do something about it, but next day it's as bad as ever. Anyone know the rules on when you can play music? Or refer me to them?

He was conscripted in the Wehrmacht as a private soldier and he deserted.

It's the referee who makes the decisions, not the players. Thierry Henry admitted he handballed against Ireland, but the referee decided otherwise.

Fish will eat mosquito larvae, but you can't chuck anti-algae chemicals in if there's fish. I nailed small tacks into a bamboo pole, then every day I twirl it in the water for a few minutes, and all the algae twists round it. I waive copyright on this handy little invention.

Talking of missing persons, what has happened to Dick Smith? Dick, if you are out there, make yourself known.

Touché.

I think pachpapa meant "ceteris paribus", not "mutantis mutandis." Q.E.D.

If you look at your water bill you may find there are separate charges for water supply and "assaissonment" - treating sewage. The assumption is that any water you draw from your tap will pass into the sewers and need to be treated. So it makes sense to use your well water as far as possible for all non-personal needs.

During Mrs Thatcher's premiership she visited Oman, whose government was at that time accepting tenders for a very large civil engineering contract. She lobbied strongly for one particular company -Cementation - (she has admitted this) - a company which was employing her son Mark as a "consultant", although her son's talents in civil engineering had been up to that point unsuspected. Cementation were awarded the contract, and Mark Thatcher received a commission running into millions. Before her visit to Oman her son was a third-rate rally driver; afterwards he was a millionaire.

It was a choice by default, surely. If people can stand against you in an election but choose not to do so, it must be assumed that they approve your candidature. Qui tacet consentire - silence is consent.

The word "elect", Thibault, means "to choose". " Brown was chosen by his party as leader; there was no voting (if that's what you mean) because there were no other candidates. Had his election been contested, there would have been a much-needed debate about the values and purposes of the Labour Party, which I assume will take place now.

No, supposed. No-one - Cameron or Brown - has yet demonstrated that they can command the confidence of the House of Commons. Until someone can, then the sitting tenant does just that - sits.

The function of an opposition, Swissie, is to scrutinise the policies and actions of the government and to hold it to account for those actions. The Conservatives voted for the Iraq war and were in favour of even less regulation of the financial sector. What frustrates me about our MPs is not their petty expenses fiddling - I would buy them hob-nobs and duck-houses out of my own money if they would do what they were elected to do - use their intelligence and judgement in an independent-minded way in the best interests of their constituents. Some hope.

Around here pupils have just returned after their Easter break. They now have a 4-day week, so no school Wednesday. There are umpteen holidays coming up in May - Mayday, VE Day, Ascension etc - then at the end of June they are off until September. And let's not get onto strikes -by both students and teachers. Is it any wonder that your cashier had problems?

I have a friend who maintains that holidays are a time when you pay a lot of money to be less comfortable than you would be in your own home. I used to think he was an old cynic...

So. You're in with them too?

I believe the cloud of killer dust to be the work of godless Communists directed from Mos-cow and abetted by fellow-travellers, Freemasons, and the Pope, who has joined in this unholy alliance to distract the world from his own problems. I also point the finger at Tesco's and Sainsburys, who will profit fron the hike in food prices. Where is James Bond when you need him? Does anyone remember "Cloud Nine From Outer Space"? Don't say you weren't warned.

There was a programme on telly last night featuring a family who had to live a 1970s lifestyle. No microwaves, no mobile phones, no Ipods, no satellite TV...the horror of it all. I survived the 70s, but I am wondering now how I managed...

If you're talking about CA, they did this to us. There is a maximum you're allowed to have in a chequing account, and anything over this they will transfer to a savings account. It's probably in their small print somewhere, which is why you weren't told.

I have a feeling this topic has been raised before, so apologies. Can you negotiate estate agents down on their outrageous fees? Has anyone tried it successfully?

Dog is barking up the wrong tree. The caterpillars do not "fall in a lump to the ground"; they crawl down the trunk when the temperature is right, and tunnel into the ground to pupate. Here in Herault they have been down for about 3 weeks. There are easy ways to catch them - putting glue-bands around the tree is a good one - but the problem is that the nest which remains is full of their broken-off spines and other stuff (the technical name is "frass") and, as Virginia C has discovered, this floats down and continues to irritate for months afterwards. The only real solution, I'm afraid, is to have the tree taken down. You need an arboriste/ grimpeur/elageur. Even if you managed to get rid of the nests and all the caterpillars, the parent moths can fly up to several kilometres in search of pines to lay their eggs, so your trees would still be vulnerable for the following year. We had this problem, and in the end we moved house. It was that bad.

A report in today's "Guardian" says that the North Koreans have shot their finance minister for completely screwing up their country's economy. If only...

Sorry, hadn't realised. Mea culpa!

Hi, Only just read your posting so sorry for delay in answering. You might try the Hotel Grimaldi which is central, stylish and you can see it on the website. It makes a very good base from which to explore beautiful Nice. Bonnes vacances!

I have recently had shingles of the head. It started a month ago, and while I am over the worst I am still getting pain around the eye and my eye is very light-sensitive. The whole thing is driving me mad. Research on Google tells me this is "post-herpetic pain" and adds, rather Eeyorishly, that it can go on for years. Before I top myself, are there/have there been any other sufferers out there? Can I expect the pain to stop soon?