Author: Mr. LJ

which, incidentally, I still don’t fully understand. 12 across is also obscure, but was at least guessable (I now get it!). It’s always a little peeving when there is one clue left, but I wouldn’t have got it without combing through the dictionary.

Completed whilst sitting on a beanbag in the cloakroom of our new house, awaiting the arrival of a flaky technician, who does not show up. So, it’s one more lunch at the Wykeham Arms for me, then, later, Evensong in the Cathedral, the greatest free show on Earth.

Completed this morning whilst listening to the sacred music of Arvo Pärt, the perfect refuge from the climate of political ugliness currently prevailing.

I solved everything but the two missing letters required to form “statice”, a genus of sea-lavender and a pretty “maritime plant”, so I wouldn’t have won this week, not that it ever seems possible!

This one took me rather more time than I can afford to waste, largely owing to the somewhat tedious sense of humour of its compiler, but also owing to a certain sluggishness on my part. I still nailed it, making the score two out of three from this book, which I intend to complete before the crack of doom.

A change from reading Der Zauberberg & Purgatorio in bizarre parallel. Down to the flatlands from two extraordinary mountains.

I’m still not sure how “peacekeeper” works, but it couldn’t be anything else. I was glad to complete this after failing on number one. LJ

13 Down took a while. I subsequently discovered that the definition “EVA” refers to “extra-vehicular activity” in the esoteric language of NASA.

15 Across eluded me, perhaps unsurprisingly.

I’d like to think I’m getting better at these, though this one was probably merely easier than usual.