Re-invented by the Victorians, under the name of Boadicea, Boudicca was presented as an idol of nationalism, of British warrior tradition and, somewhat incongruently, as a figurehead of imperialism, even though this was the thing she had fought against.

In the summer of 1973, I made a pilgrimage to the Jerusalem home of the great Israeli poet, Yehuda Amichai. Later that same year Cecil Helman. It is possible that Amichai liked neither of us and decided we deserved one another, though we preferred to think the opposite. Either way, he gave Cecil my telephone number, thereby creating a constant friendship that was broken only by Cecil's death at the age of 65.

A former tax inspector was sentenced yesterday to six years in prison for a string of bomb hoaxes against Britain's biggest supermarket chain.

Q. Large, outdoor-loving family of very limited means, seeks fun holidays and short breaks with lots of space and like-minded company. Can you suggest a solution, other than to dream on? We have thought of youth hostels. Can these be suitable for young children or are they still the reserve of spotty teenagers and backpackers who would not welcome tots in their domain?

Sir: Oh dear. It seems The Independent's writers have had a nitro-keg beer too many. In an article highlighting the "decline" of cask-conditioned beers, Kathy Marks states that real ale sales are falling and that the image associated with Camra is of bearded, wooly-jumpered, overweight men ("Britain's little breweries die out as young drinkers spurn their real ale", 5 June).

The pantomime season is here to reduce grown-ups to jeering buffoons. Today and next Friday, Eyelights will list details of the pantomimes opening across the country. First up the greasy pole is Jack and the Beanstalk, to sow the moral seeds of warning against greed at Haddo House Hall, Aberdeen (01224 641122), King's Theatre, Edinburgh (0131 220 4349), City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds (0113 243 0808), Plowright Theatre, Scunthorpe (01724 840833) and Princess Theatre, Torquay (01803 290 290).

ISIS GCSE results, 1995

FRAN ABRAMS