First one for a while…
Another pleasant puzzle
Very satisfying
Completed in fading light in St. Martin
Solved in flight
on the aeroplane between Southampton and La Rochelle.
Pleasing…
Home and hosed
Very pleasing
Very pleasing, since I haven’t had time to do the crossword for a while. Left overnight, things came so much more easily in the morning.
A manageable puzzle
No problem, though the “ides” were slow in coming!
A wobbly performance, slow on 19 across, for no reason
First puzzle for a while
I haven’t had time for the Times Crossword recently. This is my first attempt since the move. I’m glad it was an unproblematic experience. LJ
Everything but 13 across, “toroidal”,…
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.
Maxwell…
A pleasant, albeit relatively straightforward puzzle
In Winchester
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.
A satisfying puzzle, requiring patience before the eventual breakthrough, whereafter things went smoothly.
A satisfying puzzle
Completed this morning whilst listening to the sacred music of Arvo Pärt, the perfect refuge from the climate of political ugliness currently prevailing.
I got there in the end, after some frustration
Statice
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!
Hmm…
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.
I’ve a whole book of these…
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
Cracked it! Very satisfying!
13 Down took a while. I subsequently discovered that the definition “EVA” refers to “extra-vehicular activity” in the esoteric language of NASA.
“Articling”
15 Across eluded me, perhaps unsurprisingly.
Very quick…
I’d like to think I’m getting better at these, though this one was probably merely easier than usual.
A fairly gentle one…
“Flex” took a while at the end…
Everything but “shyer”, though quite why that eluded me is anyone’s guess…
Winepress took a while…
Quite swift, despite a headache…
Hooray!
I was experiencing some difficulty, then “twerp” led me to “Amenhotep”, whereafter things went smoothly. Patience is crucial. LJ
A surprisingly swift one
“Hansom” took longer than it should have done!
5 Across is a poor clue
Rather too easy to be satisfying, I’d say.
Relatively straightforward
Cracked it!

Tout est bien qui finit bien
A pleasant challenge

A new term for me, to “strap-hang”…
Tomcats
“Tomcats” took a while at the end, but it was worth the effort on the whole.
A pleasant puzzle
“Vicuña” and “tanka” took a while at the end…

Cachalot
“One spouting about companion frequently”: now that I know what a cachalot is, the clue makes sense, but I was ignorant of this term for a sperm whale. Learning all the time…
