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—Name and address withheld
A. Your problem needs to be put in context. You are a high-profile political figure; the billionaire boy will be aware of this. Even if he has difficulty with the concept of a Gandhi/Mandela-type alphadom, he will still be able to respond to the personal safety advantages of the comparatively modest lifestyle you embrace. Your son could put it this way: ‘In our country we have to be terribly careful not to appear to be living it up, so you’ll be fine, security-wise, because Daddy keeps everything really low-key.’
Q. Last week’s query about the well-brought-up young man who HKLP (holds knife like pencil) was of interest to me. Last weekend I noticed my boyfriend, back after three months working in Hong Kong, was holding his knife in a peculiar way while feebly tackling his plate of roast lamb. I was baffled by this new habit and then I realised — it was HKLC (holds knife like chopsticks) and is a temporary (I hope) response to using chopsticks every day while working in the Far East.
—Name and address withheld
A. Thank you for supplying this supplementary evidence.
Q. I have given up pheasant shooting and was very willing to lend my twelve-bore to a friend who is a keen shot. He would also be doing me a favour by storing the gun in his government-approved gun cabinet. I handed the gun to him as a long-term loan and he had it registered and insured. He took it to a gunsmith who recommended it for occasional use: however, this friend is very impetuous and the result is that he has blown off two of his fingers. I felt dreadful but he insisted it was all his own fault. He informed me that the gun was at his local police station waiting for forensic examination and that he had not yet claimed on insurance. Two years on, I have not liked to chase him for the insurance money as I feel terrible about the accident. Now my mother is nagging me.
—Name and address withheld
A. You can clarify this grey area of ownership by announcing that you are writing a will. Your solicitor says you need to know whether the gun can be restored to a fit state to leave to someone; and whether an insurance payout is looming and, if so, for how much and when will you receive it? In this way you can pleasantly chase things along in a practical manner.
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