THERE is a chill in the wind, the dew lies on the grass in the mornings so it must be the season for public sniffing, again. What is the etiquette for sniffing in closed public spaces? Meaningful looks are ignored and offers of paper tissues refused.

The man this morning had it down to a fine art – a flurry of light and then medium sniffs and then at regular intervals a massive snort – almost musical. Another man, recently – yes, it’s an overwhelmingly guy thing – sniffed from Stonehaven to Leuchars without pause. We have banned smoking and indiscriminate alcohol use so is it time to ban sniffing in public places? Could I perhaps interest a political party in making it part of their mental health legislation agenda?

Yvonne Dalziel,

Daisy Cottage, 16a Main Street, Ormiston, East Lothian.