A 51-YEAR partnership between Qantas and the Lennon family comes to a close tomorrow as Captain Chris Lennon of Forestville reaches 60 and retires. His father, Norman, a wartime bomber pilot awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, joined Qantas in 1956. In 1970 Captain Norm Lennon and Second Officer Chris Lennon were the first father and son to crew together on an international flight. Chris's sister, Marita, says her father was famous for his jokes and Chris was renowned for finding trips that coincided with Wallaby tours. Marita says: "Dad told me his best ever flight was on a 707, bringing the troops home from Vietnam and hearing the cheer as the aircraft touched down in Darwin."

John Scullion of Bundewallah saw "raison toast" written on the whiteboard menu of a South Nowra cafe. He asks: "Food for thought? Or the local equivalent of French toast?" A sign spotted by Gerald McCallum of Epping at the Macquarie Centre read: "Heavy ladies gold chain". He asks: "Was it discrimination against slimmer women?"

The father seen shouldering his son's school bag (Column 8, yesterday) was probably trying to avoid the more onerous burden of orthopedic expenses for his son down the track, says Aviva Lowy of Castlecrag. "Those bags are damn heavy. Note to schools: how about loose-leaf texts or chapter booklets, so kids aren't carrying a year's worth of work every day."

Yes, you must keep your feet on the ground while filling your car (Column 8, yesterday) say several respondents; otherwise static electricity can spark a fire. Ben Adamson of Unanderra pointed to one incident in America, caught on video, where a woman inserts the nozzle and locks it on, then gets back into the car to answer her phone. When she returns, he says: "The instant she touches the nozzle, the spark from the static charge she has picked up ignites the vapour around the nozzle. (No, the whole car does not explode in a fireball - this is real life, not Hollywood.)"

Still on fuel, Gary Lowe of Grenfell has been using his brain after watching the television advertisement with a little girl seated on a bicycle that her father is pedalling uphill. "She tells her dad that for every kilometre they ride the bike, he saves 75 cents in petrol. That would mean that their vehicle costs about $75 to travel 100 kilometres. That's the sort of fuel consumption you would expect to get from a World War II tank. No wonder he rides a bike."We have been warned. Sam Lander writes: "As one of many terrified and happy ex-students of classics familiar with Douglas Fergusson, I humbly suggest Granny accept his opinion about cataclysmos (Column 8, yesterday), offer thanks for his gentle correction, and retire gracefully. Encouraging further correspondence will only end in tears, as far as I recall."

Column8@smh.com.au (no attachments please). Phone 9282 2207 fax 9282 2772. (include name, suburb, daytime phone)