My friends and I have heard and read a lot about the euro changeover. But there are so many other things that we would like to know.

I still have a cutting from The Sunday Times of Malta of April 16, 1972 (p. 15), reproducing a shoppers' table issued by the Decimal Currency Committee which gave the equivalent in decimal currency of all prices from 1/2 d to 20 s ($1). Why hasn't the National Euro Changeover Committee (NECC) issued anything of the sort, starting from 5 mils to Lm1? Incidentally, none of the conversion tables issued by the NECC, which we have found so far give the euro equivalent of 3c, 8c or 9c (let alone 5 mils).

Secondly, postage stamps and postal rates: the only information I could get from a long phone call to Maltapost, during which I was connected to at least three different people, was that a definitive set of stamps in euro cannot be issued before January 1. Quite logical, even though there are stamps on sale in both Maltese lira and euro denominations (an excellent idea).

Remembering the striking and useful stamps published in 1972, each showing one of the new decimal coins on a lovely postal coloured background, I wonder if we are going to have anything of the sort with the new euro coins.

A local letter under 50g needs an 8c stamp. One weighing between 50g and 100g needs 3c more in stamps, with every further 50g requiring another 4c, while an air mail letter to Europe under 20g requires a 16c stamp with another 13c for each additional 20g. What amount of postage will these letters need in euro? And will there be stamps of the exact values needed?

What about telephone calls? What will the 5c4 for local calls and 1c5 for 1021 overseas calls translate into?

We who live in residential homes for the elderly don't like hearing that flyers or whatever will be distributed to all households (most probably to be considered as junk mail and ignored by many, or delivered to empty premises) because we think that we will be forgotten. After all, a lot of us are still active and interested in all that is happening around us and want to be kept informed.

Lastly, what about the euro converter? We hope that everybody will be able to get one - and a starter kit - easily including us.