Why is it so hard to find a calendar that starts the week on a Monday, not a Sunday? It can't just be my family who gets outraged by this.

Samantha Joly, London, UK

• It certainly seems like a minor thing to get "outraged" about. Your query does not state where you are writing from but most European calendars start the week on Monday while North American calenders on Sunday.

  David Null, Claremont, California, US

• Have you ever thought about making your own? I use a B6 loose-leaf diary in my bag and an A5 diary at home. Commercial inserts overpriced and poorly designed, so I make my own on my printer using Excel. The B6 takes just 13 sheets of A4 for the whole year, while the A5 takes 26 sheets. Many photo magazines give calendar elements away for free.

  VicTheBrit, Nara, Japan

• Search on the web for something like "calendar 2011". There are sites which let you make your own, including specifying country, first day of week and incorporating public holidays.

  Alan Worrow, London, UK

• GO BACK TO ELEMETARY SCHOOL, AND TAKE YOUR FAMILY WITH YOU!! SUNDAY IS THE FISRT DAY OF THE WEEK, AND SATURDAY IS THE LAST DAY!! DUH, EVEN MY 4 YEAR OLD NEPHEW COULD HAVE TOLD YOU THAT.

  Chris, Dallas, Texas USA

• Technically, Sunday is the first day of the week because it always has been. However, this is based on the concept that the seventh day is a day of rest and the original sabbath in the Judaeo Christian system was Saturday, ie. the end of the week. Indeed, the bible does say that Jesus rose on the first day of the week, which was Easter Sunday. Now, of course, the Sabbath for most of the western world has transferred to Sunday, so it follows that the week should now run from Monday to Sunday instead of Sunday to Saturday. Most people probably do now regard Monday to be the first day of the week, but tradition dictates that it should more correctly still be Sunday and diaries and calendars tend to reflect that.

  Brian Steele, Hove

• The real question here is: why (oh, why), when the Christian churches moved the Sabbath to Sunday so many centuries ago, do so many modern-day American (and some British) Christians still insist on putting Sunday as the first day of the week on their calendars? Even in 'old-world' Europe, Monday is the first day.

  James Lewis, LFPG, Wales