Holy water

SIR – I wonder if any clerical readers can tell me whether the “Prayer for Rain” in the Book of Common Prayer is currently being offered.

As a boy, reading the Prayer Book to while away tedious sermons, I was amused by the enjoinder to “Send us such moderate rain and showers, that we may receive the fruits of the earth” – and its contrast with the “Prayer for Fair Weather” immediately after: “Although we for our iniquities have worthily deserved a plague of rain and water … send us such weather that we may receive the fruits of the earth in due season.” Peter Shaw

London SW15

SIR – One benefit of the heatwave is the lack of grass – meaning that Sundays are peaceful and quiet due to the absence of lawnmowers. Brian Chase

Solihull