Helen Wright

Quite chewy, but interesting and lively fill. One query; what on earth were you all using at 2D before 2025?? Our brand new Grandson arrived last night. Beyond excited to meet him today, our reign as Grandparents begins. Apparently you can hand them back when they start crying, unlike when you’ve birthed them yourself and are stuck with the little blighters.

Well, that was a delight. Clearly I’m on Mr Bodily’s wavelength because that filled in super quick for a Sunday. It was so much fun though that I’m not complaining. The theme revealed itself easily, though one of the last to fall was the first entry at 3D. Just not a phrase I’m familiar with. Not being a huge fan of Mr Elton I so wanted it to be the sublime Bowie. Star man, Life on Mars, Space Odyssey would all have fit the bill, but I can’t quibble with his choice, it was elegantly done. It was also surprisingly pleasant to see a handful of ‘feminine products’ make it into the grid and by a (I’m assuming) male constructor, that’s not just the ubiquitous BRA. I’ve spent my life demystifying the world of menstruation to my sons. I’ve had to talk my poor DH (5 brothers, no sisters) through every stage of mine and his daughter’s life cycles. I think the menopause may have finally finished him off. Apologies if that’s TMI for you. Bravo Mr Bodily.

Such fun. I knew 9d was bad moon, so NANA threw me for a while. The aha moment came with GNITCA. What the? Ooh, clever. I’ve mentioned in a reply to a post further down (which gently complained of the difficulty this theme causes for dyslexics), that in fact my son, who’s severally dyslexic, finds it easier to read backwards than forwards. So much so that, coupled with the first Pokémon craze when he was a kid, he found the Japanese language, reading right to left, plus the vertical picture language of Kanji, easier to read than English. He went from feeling a failure in our school system at the tender age of 9, to feeling like a superhero because he could read a language that was inaccessible to everyone else, including his teachers. That sorted his future career for him; a degree in Japanese, a few years in the country and now a specialist in independent travel to Japan. The human brain is a wonderful, magical organ.

Lovely crossword, clever theme. I’m sick to my stomach for your country. I just can’t understand why? Why? It’s 2016 and Brexit again. I can never forgive the lies that were told that people fell for. 8 years later you struggle to find anyone to admit they voted Leave. Its destroyed the UK. I fervently hope today’s choice won’t do the same to the USA.

Yes, yes, very clever. Well done. Can we go back to actual crosswords now please. I really dislike being snippy and am always, without exception in awe of the constructors skill. Here comes the BUT: when you need to work this hard at simply deciphering the instructions, let alone solving the actual puzzle, then you’ve left all enjoyment/fun/satisfaction behind. I’ve done something this morning that I have never done before; I clicked Check Puzzle. I reckon I got 2/3 of the way there before I gave up, but I’m so cross with this that I just don’t care. Kudos to all who completed and/or enjoyed this. Hopefully normal service resumes to tomorrow.

Wasn’t really in the mood for this one, found it a tad clunky. As always, in awe of a constructor’s talent, just not feeling it today. With what’s going on in Davos/the World I’m finding it harder and harder to keep searching for the light. I see no happy end, even once the villain is removed. Relationships in tatters take a long time to mend. Hopefully that’s obscure enough for an emu pass.

Found this a little hit and miss, but that’s because I’m not into puns rather than a fault in the puzzle. As always I’m amazed at the skills used in producing a crossword grid. Surprised at how many haven’t heard of ZHUZH UP. In the early 90’s we had a tv programme here featuring a young, gay Asian man by the name of Gok Wan. Fabulously camp and a genuine admirer of women, he would take a woman who had lost her way sartorially speaking and teach her how to ZHUZH herself up, starting with the right underwear and building up. It was must watch tv in our house. I believe the term comes from Polari; pre gay rights speak when it was illegal to love who you love. I found it bitter sweet to see both this and AZT in the same puzzle. Sad for the guys who had to live in the Dark Ages, happy that they are (mostly) in the past. Though certain former democratic governments are trying their best to reverse that.

Glad to see I’m in good company struggling with today’s offering. An excellent puzzle; crunchy, headache inducing but ultimately satisfying as the white space starts to fill in. It was looking bleak first pass; I had a few small fills like NAE and HALVA, but that was it til I hit the horned sheep. Being the next door county and having lived there for 2 years DORSET was a RARE gimme. A couple of long entries at 18 and 30d finally got the ball rolling, but it was still an (enjoyable) slog. Must we talk about BREXIT? It’s a great clue and perfectly good Xword fodder but oh, the distress it raises here is genuine. I immediately recall the sickening shock I felt on waking to the news that my country had shot itself in the foot. My kids and probably their kids will pay the price of the stupidity of some of their compatriots for years.

A good, tough Friday outing. Panicked a little as I had very little first pass, but working out that long Down after a few minutes was a huge help. The names were total unknowns as usual, but the crossings were kind. I impressed myself by knowing ILEX straight off. Heaven knows I’m no gardener (that’s the DM’s territory), so where I got that from I have no idea. I’m currently preparing for a huge party here next weekend to celebrate our 40th anniversary and was slightly anxious about breaking my streak (734 as of today) as we’ll have a houseful of guests over 3 or 4 days. The recent discussions here regarding streak v auto check has made me rethink my stance. Who am I doing this for? Does it actually matter? The answer of course is no it doesn’t. So, from now on I’m going to loosen up, do the crossword daily when I can and catch up when I can’t. And breathe. My inner perfectionist is screaming and rocking in a corner but I’m going to strive to ignore her.

Oh dear. I don’t like being a hater and I’m always in awe of others ability to construct amazing grids, but this one was just too gimmicky for me. A real slog with a ‘huh, ok’ at the end. I’m glad that plenty of you enjoyed it though. Onwards to Friday.

So, this weekend I’ve been in Liverpool to celebrate the wedding of my nephew ROSS to the love of his life RACHEL. I kid you not. Long story short; met at uni, separated, lived their lives 300 miles apart, she married and divorced. Met again 15 years later. Happy ever after. Wedding speeches naturally full of FRIENDS references, down to the tiny plastic lobsters on the table. Filling in today’s grid made me smile.

Oh dear. I make a point of not being a negative Nellie when it comes to crosswords, particularly in a (for me) foreign publication. I pays me money, I takes me choice. So, happy for all who enjoyed it, for all those who found it chewy but doable. Utterly impossible for none American me without Google and Wordplay, ergo not a great solve. Hey ho. Onwards and upwards.

It’s a good puzzle, maybe a tad crunchy for Tuesday but perhaps that’s just me. Hard to remember slang for US currency, I only know ABE from the Xword, unaware of FIN. Overall, while I definitely admire the constructors skill, it left me a little underwhelmed. Edit: it was only whilst writing my post that I realised why: the whole, two letter word response thing is how my SCREENAGE kids would speak. As a Boomer myself and a self confessed grammar pedant, it used to drive me insane. ‘FGS, Use words of more than one syllable when you speak to me’ was a common refrain in our household. I guess it’s a generation thing and I should consign myself to the scrap heap. There are times I find my dog’s non verbal head tilts more eloquent than what comes out of the mouths of today’s babes. I’m taking my grumpy, curmudgeonly self off for a dog walk. We may discuss Proust while we gaze at the orchards.

What does it say about me that my automatic response to flask was hip? Great puzzle; a chewy, Friday difficult offering from the wonderful Ms Iverson. I’m in the hubub of London visiting our daughter this weekend for some retail therapy, but snuck a quiet half hour for tea and crossword. Lovely.

OMG that was a slog and a half. Sports coaches? modes of transportation? that took some working out. Got a couple of the long spans, which helped, but there was an awful lot of alphabet guessing. I bumped into my neighbouring cattle farmer on my dog walk/break to cool my brain down and asked him if he had heard of COW TIPPING. He laughed and said it was impossible to tip a, and I quote, ‘ruddy gurt heifer if she didn’t want to be’. I could still hear him laughing two fields away.

Ok. I will plant my flag on the mEEP mEEP hill. ANTIFA. No, it’s not an organisation. It’s a right wing thought bubble. What is a TEA PITCHER? How does it differ from a teapot? Is it for cold drinks? Cold tea isn’t so much a thing here, unless the young ‘uns have picked up such a heathen concept. Good Sunday puzzle, chewy but fun. Love the art work, once I got the theme. Always loved ROAD RUNNER; the ACME instant tunnel cracked me up every time. Yep, still wheezing and coughing here. Am going to try for a GP appointment tomorrow. Wish me luck.

My goodness. I had no chance with this. Literally did not know a single answer. Then I discover the constructor is a mere babe in arms. I’m going to gather the tattered shreds of my dignity, blame it on my inflamed sinuses and rock bottom energy levels and congratulate Mr Bergstein on a stupendous debut. Off to lie down for a while now.

Oof, that was brutal for this none religious Brit. Couldn’t tell you what a Dreidel is, let alone what it’s made of or looks like. As for naming an airport near what I assume are motorways (freeways?). Tumbleweed. For that reason, today’s grid is one big TIL. Nothing wrong with that at all. Stretching the little grey cells is a good way to fall into the New Year. Happy New Year everyone. Hope the weather this fine Jan 1st is better where you are. Yet again we’re being battered by storm force winds and horizontal rain. I’ve dipped out of the traditional New Year’s Day walk, just not prepared to get soaked at best, flattened by falling trees at worst. Whatever happened to my temperate Isle?

That was a perfect Boxing Day puzzle; not too taxing, but full of interesting fill. Love the balance of TIGHTROPE WALKER crossing EGG AND SPOON RACE. Well done on your debut, you should be very proud. In the tradition of servants getting the day off on the 26th I refuse to cook on this day, having cooked up a storm to feed the 5000 leading up to Christmas. After mucking out the Alpacas I’ve had a lovely day lolling in front of the fire (it’s a bitter cold Easterly out there), stuffing my face with cold turkey and chocolate…occasionally in the same bite. The crossword done I’ll turn my attention to Wordle and the Bee, possibly with a nap in between. Heaven.

Aargh. That was so frustrating, but in a good way. It’s a good job I solve online, otherwise I would have erased the entire paper with my ‘it’s this, no it’s that, wait…oh, it really is this’ filling. I was sure of tsARISTS, til I wasn’t. Ditto THUDS, but no, it must be ‘something’ mark. Is WALLE double L or double E? I repeat, aargh. The London clue sent my brain into meltdown. I could not think of an insult that would fit. I was still stumped after completing HOSER, but the lightbulb finally came on reading the comments; oh, Canada 🤦‍♀️ All in all this was a fiendish puzzle from a master constructor. So much I didn’t know, a little that I did but was side swiped by the clever clueing. Dogged (as opposed to DOGIE) determination and a lot of guess work got me the gold star. So a classic Saturday puzzle. I’m surprised and a little sad at the amount of hostility expressed here today. I believe the filling of a crossword is an individual and personal occupation. One person’s walk in the park is another’s hellscape. But it’s just a game. As an international player, there is always so much US based clueing that I can only guess at, but for me that’s the joy. I learn something new every day. YMMV So I say, bravo Mr Walden. Keep challenging us.

NOPE.

You know when it’s just not your day? I’ve spent the last 4 hours stuck in road works on a shopping trip that should have taken a leisurely 2 max. I finally make it home and put my feet up to do the crossword. Naturally I find it fiendishly difficult because my brain has turned to mush. I congratulate myself on getting Ada Lovelace. It isn’t her. Half of the phrases I’ve never come across, so crawl through all the permutations at a snails pace, recreating this morning’s fiasco. The only gimme is the divine Miss EYRE. Yay, my BA Lit has its uses, even if it’s eternally the Brontë sisters. I move 300 miles away from the outskirts of their village and still they haunt me through the squares of the crossword. I then write my comment, which mysteriously deletes itself before I can submit. So this is attempt #2. I’m off to recoup my zen with the Alpacas. Toodles.

I see Ezersky’s name and my heart sinks. I battle through the jungle of impenetrable facts, sports and trivia. Finally I reach my destination of a complete grid. Then I go back and find all the errors I made until, at last, I get the gold star. Then I look back and realise it really wasn’t that bad, in fact it was downright entertaining. So then, as always, I mentally apologise to Sam, knowing full well that I will go through the same emotions the next time. Today’s grid experience. PEGG a very rare gimme along with AVGAS. DH is a pilot so I would never have lived down not getting that one. Favourite clues; 10D, 38D. Thank you Sam, once again you remind me not to freak out at a seemingly impossible grid. Won’t stop me repeating said freak out though.

Another toughish Monday, welcome back Mr Shortz. Like the dog theme; my Shiba doesn’t so much ARF as scream until your ears bleed at any and all perceived ‘attacks’ on property or person. A good guard dog who takes no prisoners. If you ever see a photo of them with that cute foxy face and permanent smile, don’t be fooled. They’re Cane Corsas in disguise. The unknown names caused a few sticky moments, but the crosses helped eventually. BRITICISM a new one in me. I was trying to cram the more familiar Britishism in. Given my mini rant re maths themes yesterday I was both surprised and pleased with myself to get FRACTALS without needing all the crosses. Look at me, learning numbers and stuff. Stick that in your pipe ye legion of hideous 1960’s maths teachers. Mind, I couldn’t have told you what a FRACTAL actually is, but still, progress.

Relieved to see I’m not the only one who needed Sam’s explanation of the theme, but appreciated the cleverness once it was pointed out. The doubled words clearly stood for something, but I would never have got there on my own. Genuinely shocked to read @Sotto Voce’s explanation of New Hampshire State law re 21A. Call me an old fuddy duddy, but I can’t understand why any sentient being would rather choose an esoteric idea of ‘freedom’ over simple safety. TBF this is a personal trigger for me. I lost my best friend when her Mum’s car was hit; with no seatbelts, both she and her sister, aged 12 and 14, were thrown out of the car. This was 1972. UK seatbelt law has been mandatory since the Eighties. Oof. My post has taken a dark turn. Still, a great debut. Well done.

Yes, it was very easy for Friday, but boy was it fun; a lovely array of long stacks that made me smile. Who doesn’t love having the divine Beyoncé as their ear worm of the day? It felt quite personal; I eat mainly 1A, avoiding 63A as much as possible, though I’m partial to a glass of 17A particularly when mixed with Edinburgh Ginger and Rhubarb gin. Delicious. After the great alpaca escape of Tuesday this was a lovely, relaxing end to the week. Thank you Malaika.

Seriously out of my league. Couldn’t get a toe hold anywhere, so threw the towel in. On the upside TIL that 16 Tons. A song I remember from the radio as a child, was about a COAL MINER. More importantly (for me), today I saw my nurse daughter spring into action when an elderly lady took an awful tumble into the road in front of us; assessed her injuries, immobilised her damaged limb, kept her calm when the initial shock wore off and was a general good egg until the ambulance arrived. Never been more proud.

An early start for me this morning. No issues with the grid, but, what do you mean ‘I made an error?’. 5 minutes later I spotted it. Would you believe I spelled TYRES the American way, despite it clearly pointing to the British spelling. My brain has been infiltrated by the US dictionary. Out, damn you.

Fun theme. I had a ridiculous amount of trouble with 10A; gala before ball before finally getting BASH. The crosses just would not parse for me. Didn’t help that I don’t know Vietnamese cuisine. I’m sure there are eateries in the bigger cities here, but not in my rural neck of the woods. Hand up also for not knowing the sea and trying out iota before atom before A TAD. Phew, lots of TIL this morning. A nice Tuesday workout before donning my rain gear to walk the dog. Yes, it’s raining here. Again. Our current weather patterns are even making headlines, along the lines of ‘where the heck is Summer?’ At least my water tanks are full and there’s minimal watering required in the veg plot. Silver linings and all that.

This was too clever for me, leaving enjoyment behind I’m afraid. Oh, I completed it and found some great clues, but the overall theme held no MAGNETISM for me. I’m always sad when I can’t gel with a constructor’s work. There’s so much effort put into producing a grid that I so want to ‘get’ it. The downside; so very many names and products unknown. On the upside; any mention of Mr Wilde or Pooh and I’m sold. I always wanted to be a GLAMAZON. I picture 1930’s beauties like Ginger Rogers; sleek, svelte and able to twirl in killer heels. Sadly, I’m 5’ 4’’ and can fall over in wellies. Ah me, I can but dream.

Wow. An incredibly intimidating looking grid that actually produced a fairly smooth fill. Very well done Ms Baik. Your comments were a real gut punch. I hope you feel you’ve done your friend proud. With subtle pointers at 17, 44 and 49A you give me hope for your country. Let the next generation take over.

Well that was fun. Thought you’d trip me up with numerals eh? I’m onto you, you sneaky thing. The Bruno Mars album was played on repeat when DD lived with us so that, along with the FAB 4 was a gimme once I realised rebus wouldn’t work. A few names and products I didn’t Know, but once I worKed out the inordinate number of Ks the unKnowns filled themselves in. TIL IDEM. I confidently entered ibid, then was totally confused when I couldn’t complete the grid. Needed Madam Google to teach me the difference. Huh. I managed to complete my degree without ever tripping over the term. 🤷‍♀️

Once I worked out what was going on with the pictures; they got me at HELLO, I was excited to work out the rest. What a lovely idea for a theme. Nothing too tricky here. Having LSAT as a gimme reminds me how much I’ve learned from doing the NYT Xword. I’ve picked up a smattering of Spanish, a handful of sports terms and names, even a few US centric companies and products. It all helps to keep the synapses firing. Long may it continue.

What a sweet, breezy puzzle for a Tuesday. Loved the theme, filled the grid as quickly as my stylus would let me. I always appreciate a tough puzzle, but sometimes it’s nice to give the brain a rest, especially when the theme is as delightful as this one. Huge fan of Mr Fry; not only an outstanding actor, but a highly intelligent and brave soul who spoke openly and compassionately about his mental health issues. As a side note; I’m almost certain the caption photo today would have come from Abbotsbury; the only (I believe) swannery in the UK. It’s about 15 miles from me in Dorset. A wonderful place to visit, on a lagoon nestled in the shelter of the Chesil shingle bar on the famous Jurassic coast. The sight of so many beautiful Mute swans is always breathtaking.

Love THROWING SHADE. A fun puzzle for Monday, straight forward but nice entries. I’m filling time today, waiting for the call from future son in law; he’s proposing to our daughter in the next hour, at which point we scoot over to their house with champagne and flowers. It’s been a military campaign keeping it secret the last 6 weeks 🤐 I’m beyond excited.

Not been around much this week, too many of my entirely innocent and purely crossword related posts have not appeared. I feel like I’m being shunned at a polite dinner party. Here goes: that was the hardest grid I’ve filled in a long time, sadly not in a ‘wow, that was tough but fabulous’ way. Far too many specific US references to make this even halfway possible. I completely accept that’s a perfectly reasonable theme for the NYT, being an American publication. But it stonewalled me. Well done Mr Schlossberg on an entertaining and unusual theme, I’m only sorry I wasn’t able to appreciate it. For those kind posters who’ve asked me about my Alpacas’s; I tried several times to respond (see my first paragraph). They’re beautiful and settling in nicely. Not too keen on the dogs so we’re keeping them well away, with one closely monitored visit a day over the fence so they can get used to each other. Fingers crossed this posts.

What a great debut. I loved it. Didn’t know all the names and of course the sporting term was behind me, but the crossings were kind. Chuckled at SMUT crossing NUDIE BAR. Fun fact. I tried to get into the cinema to see The Man Who Fell To Earth, as I was a huge Bowie fan, but was ejected despite a face full of make up and my most grown up outfit. I think I was 15 and the film was rated 18 here. Given that I looked younger than my age it was a fools errand. I had to carry ID with me well into my 20’s to be sure of getting served in a pub (legal age 18 UK).

Quick comment: it’s been the gin club annual charity festival today. I admit I’m ver ver drunk. I have no idea how I filled the grid, but I got the happy music. Lots of money raised for charity:Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Job done. Will work through the hangover tomorrow

Very good. Got it at MINE ALL MINE, had fun finding the rest. A nice chewy Thursday, not too difficult, but enough to make me think. Lovely. It’s inoculation and body check time for the Alpacas…who do NOT like being handled. Job done, but am now sporting a blooming bruise on a kicked shin and a very painful crush injury to one hand as it got trapped between an alpaca neck and the gate. Those necks are pure muscle. I love my life.

So. Much. Spanish. I’m trying to retain the Spanish I come across here, but that was overload for me. 5A and 14A were a mystery. I got BURP, aka a muslin here so, you know, found my level. My biggest success today was having DIAERESES as a gimme. I was born and raised a stone’s throw away from Haworth, the Brontës ancestral home and was force fed their novels all through my schooling, up to and including my BA degree. At university I was the go to reader for Wuthering Heights, as I could translate the broad Yorkshire utterings of Joseph for my Southern class mates. Amazing what recollections the NYT crossword can throw up.

That. Was. Brilliant. As always, I quake a little when I see Mr Chen’s name, assuming it’s going to be a beautiful beast. It was beautiful, but ever so slightly kinder. For which I’m grateful. Held up for just a moment changing Csar to CZAR, the crossing name not helping me. Clapping coconut shells together will never not be funny.

Finally, my brain was able to fumble its way around this grid for the first time in what feels like eons. What a beauty; it took me a little while for the theme to hit me. BUMPER CARS was my in and I was off. Beautiful construction, very clever theme/mini theme. I had to go back once I finished to admire the circled gems. 47D was a nit for me; the setting of The Office is Slough. Yes, yes, I know you are referring to the US version, but the original BBC series with the excruciating David Brent will always be forefront in my mind when that programme is mentioned. There is always an extra frisson of delicious cringe for us as my DH did in fact work in Slough for a period. Yes, Slough is every bit as horrible as portrayed, immortalised by Sir John Betjeman ‘Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough It isn’t fit for humans now’ And that was in the 30’s. There is a reason that Sasha Baron Cohen based his original character, Ali G, in Da Slough Massive. I have no reference for SCRANTON so can’t relate to it. Scrantonites, defend your city.

Oh dear. I don’t know what to say that won’t be negative and I so hate being negative. This one was just not for me. Way, way too gimmicky and too US centric. As always, of course the NYT is a US paper and perfectly entitled to be as US centric as it likes. It just added an extra layer of difficulty in an already v difficult grid for those of us over the pond. I’m always in awe of the constructor’s skill and remain so with this grid. It was just so far out of my wheelhouse I couldn’t even see the boat. Hey ho. Well done all of you who found it a blast. Onwards and upwards to Friday for me.

An excellent Saturday offering, what a great mix of the doable and the crunchy. Started well with a gimme 1A, 5D and 32A. Why I know that about the city I can’t say, but I do. ASAHI from my son’s time in Japan, it’s also a popular beer here now. It all fell apart once I reached the halfway point. I had to work for each letter, Argentinian performers not being in my wheelhouse, nor accounts lingo. Took me an embarrassingly long time to understand DANE or to remember Edward Said’s speciality; I’m a Shakespeare scholar with Honours in world religions. I studied Mr Said’s essays in depth for goodness sakes! I’m getting old. Talking of; my then 14 year old son had to call on a family friend who lived opposite his school one day when the school bus broke down, to call me for a lift. She pointed to the static phone and left him to get on with it. Some minutes later he had to ask her, rather red faced, how to use it. It was a retro rotary; he and his mate had spent the time tapping the numbers and wondering why nothing happened. He’s never been allowed to live it down. Off to feed the calves now. The sweetest Herefords I’ve ever seen.

I decided that I didn’t like this grid. How dare they put fol-de-rol graphics in on a Tuesday? What’s the world coming to? And other harrumphs. Then I filled the grid; a little challenging for Tuesday, read Wordplay. Went back and found the beach names, which I would not have got without help as I’m not familiar with any of them. Then took my Eeyore head off and QUOTH ‘Wow’. Hats off to you Mr Kalish, I’m a total convert. Drop before INCH, Pei (as in Shar) before PUG. Thoroughly enjoyable. Even made me forget my latest bruise as our heifer headbutted my leg. Again. She just will not wait for her pellets to hit the trough. I’m hitting the Carribean beaches on Saturday. I’m going to look bonny in a cossie with multi-coloured limbs.

Blimey. That was a workout and a half, in the best possible way. A proper Sunday poser. It took a little while to work out the rebus element; HAZ/MAT SU/IT was my eventual way in, though it took forever to get some of them; D/NOME, STAG/TE in particular, but what a thrill when I worked each one out (I really should get put more). Boston before IN A BAR made me chuckle. I also liked the mini car theme as well. An Xtype JAGUAR, as we call them here is my dream car. I got to drive one many years ago, lent by my boss to take my best friend to her wedding. Smooth as silk, gorgeous as an Arab stallion, the bonnet (hood) a mile long in front of me. I still have the photo of a 25 year old me, looking proud as punch behind the wheel. Yes, there were a couple of clunkers (DITCH for tunnel, TOAST twice) but forgivable as the overall theme and grid gave me so much pleasure.

Certainly a tad chewier than the average Monday but I loved this. I couldn’t imagine a puzzle that would contain a Dr Who reference alongside the immortal SEAMUS Heaney. Throw in LADY GAGA and ELLIE Goulding and we’ve got ourselves a party. TIL SMEW and the fact that UHURA ends with an A. I always assumed it was a U. Huh. I well remember our local TARDIS aka the police phone box. We kids would hang around waiting for it to make THAT sound and disappear. We were the bane of the local Bobby’s life. And now, in honour of my monthly gin club and one of my favourite Heaney poems, I give you, Sloe Gin. The clear weather of juniper darkened into winter. She fed gin to sloes and sealed the glass container. When I unscrewed it I smelled the disturbed tart stillness of a bush rising through a pantry. When I poured it it had a cutting edge and flamed like Betelgeuse. I drink to you in smoke-mirled, blue-black, polished sloes, bitter and dependable. Try saying ‘polished sloes’ aloud after 7 or 8 of them (aka a normal gin club evening). Thank you Ms Varol for a real Monday treat.