1.  A bit of companionship with fellow climbers and walkers is just the job at the end of a hard day.

2.  A colour will seem brighter on a smooth, hard surface and more muted and darker on a rough, softer surface.

3.  A cookie is simply a small data file on your hard drive.

4.  A dispatcher for a small fleet of trucks, he found it hard not to get rattled when the calls piled up.

5.  A flow of love and light and warmth seemed to move from his hard nearness into her own body.

6.  A group of students hard at work in a lecture theatre in the University Building.

7.  A hard act to swallow ... Dangerous Dan and his latest flame.

8.  A hard case calls for Decision.