Sideswipe: June 22: French have a bit of armless fun

This is from a series of Eurostar ads which are a cheeky "tribute" to British Olympians, says the French ad agency creators.

Adele coma girl back at school

Charlotte Neve, aged 7, from Lancashire in Britain, fell into a coma in April, after suffering a brain haemorrhage in her sleep. Her mother was told to prepare for the worst. But when her mother slipped into her daughter's hospital bed for one final cuddle, Adele's Rolling in the Deep came on the radio - a song they used to sing together. Ms Neve started singing it to her daughter - and Charlotte began to smile. Two months on, she has now gone back to school and dance classes.

Cross-cultural experience

"My daughter and her husband moved to Indonesia to work, and she texts me about things she sees that boggle her mind, like this: 'Sitting in the car at the servo and just watched a guy get 2.2 litres of fuel in a plastic shopping bag. He's now carrying it in one hand, riding his motorbike with the other'."

Keeping it in the family

Maria de Jong writes: "Visiting my brother's house, I noticed a hand-blown green vase on his mantelpiece My sister-in-law said she bought it in a second-hand shop at Mangawhai. I recognised it as the same vase I had given my mother about 30 years ago. My parents live in Mangawhai and donated a box of knick-knacks to a jumble sale."

Pretend you can cook

British restaurant Housebites not only delivers the food but the dishes as well. Cooked by a professional chef and delivered to your door, Housebites' main courses cost on average $20 and for an extra $10, customers can request the pans used to cook them for added authenticity. (Source: Oddity Central)