EV 872 Spinneroosms by Salamanca

[DocHH]

Hello EV N&Cing Wine Clubbers,
A little late than normal, the site has been rather slow, I did try posting earlier. I spent a while getting my "red hound" the Enigma, but the normal clues were straightforward. Have had a single malt, and now washing a sandwich down with my normal Tempranillo!

[gen2]

Hi DocHH.
I found this just a little trickier than last week, taking three and a half hours in all completing it at 2pm. Either I have suddenly got a lot more competent with these puzzles or they have had three easy ones out of the last five.

I liked this week's theme - not too demanding but kept me amused. My only doubt was over 24d where the wordplay suggested it had to end in E but my older version of Chambers (1998) didn't support the overall definition.

Let's hope Devadolly grasps the idea a little faster than last week. or is she going to need a cart stick?

[gen2]

Of course, I couldn't fail to get 36a

[DocHH]

Hello Cryptic 26ac,
Completing EV in three and a half hours is far from shabby! Did it result in a late lunch? You certainly do need a different mind-set for these barred off Crosswords. Do you do the Speccie that Greyfox posts here on thursday in the morning? Or perhaps that might be a distraction too far!
Hope Mrs Penguin is recovering well from her operation, and that you will be a regular N&Cer on the EV thread.

[gen2]

Late lunch? not really, just a late snack. I started off the day with a late breakfast at 9am. Main meal on a Sunday is the evening.

As for other specialist crosswords, no, I don't usually have time to devote to them, which is why, if I am not well into the EV after 4 hours, I abandon it.
However, I was emailed a scan of the Inquisitor crossword last week but abandoned it when I had only done 10 clues in just over two hours. I think I'll stick with the EV for now - at least while I am still healthy and can get out and about.

Finally, Mrs g2 has been feeling a little better the last couple of days - let's hope it continues.

[Christiana]

Glad to hear Mrs. Gen2 is a little better. Delighted to find that despite lack of books (on holiday), I rushed through this one very quickly. Am still checking last letter of 40a, which is tricky without my trusty Chambers, but otherwise finished. They've definitely been easier lately, Gen2.

[devadolly]

Well Gen2 (and all you other chaps)! When I can take three and a half to four hours out of a day to spend on a Xword, you may cast as many aspersions and fling any number of bricks at me as you wish if I haven't completed it. 45 mins is the most I can pinch and that is only before breakfast on a Sunday. Just for information, the normal clues must be very simple as it took a very short time to complete them, however, the abnormal clues with the exception of 26a & 42 a have not sprung to mind and the next perusal will be about 4pm this after when himself is at a meeting so there will be no-one in for tea.
As to 36a I should think so! Hope Mrs Gen2 ois being pampered.
I think the EV have changed, don't ask me how, but the fact that I managed to do a record no of Mr O's clues on his last offering definately supports that theory.

[Christiana]

Hi Devadolly, You tell 'em what for! The only reason I whizzed through it, apart from it being easier this week, was because I am on holiday and able to 'think' undisturbed. I still haven't got last letter of 40a though - what sort of 'birdie' is it - golf or tweet, tweet? Won't be back on line now for some time as only have limited internet access where I'm staying. Off to the Isle of Man tomorrow, after which things will improve.

[devadolly]

Christina - Don't forget to wave on the way past! Boat from Liverpool you sail past, from Heysham you see our cows on the road to the harbour and flying from most places you fly over us!!

[Christiana]

Devadolly, Flying tomorrow from Manchester at 10.40, so will wave vigorously and look out for cows on the road!

[devadolly]

Whoops! Should be cows from......................................

[copelander]

Hi all,Sorry, this is the 1st post in 2 weeks. Just back from London yesterday after a lovely weekend there, and managed to get this EV sorted on the Stanstead Express. Christiana, it's a tweet-tweet bird, not the more topical golfing sort.I see "they've" dropped the solving strats.....maybe they were inundated with correct solutions!

[DocHH]

Hello Devadolly, Christiana and Copelander, pleased to see you all N&Cing again. Copelander, now you are a regular in the Metropolis, where did you eat? Maggie Jones perchance!?!
Christiana, I had a colleague who escaped to IOM for tax purposes, but came back as he missed family, plus the weather was better in the South of England.
Devadolly, what can I say, I was merely trying to offer Gen2 encouragement.

[gen2]

Devadolly, I sympathise with your 45 minute timeframe. Before I retired, I was the same and did no more than occasionally dabble in EV. Now I have the luxury of being able to spend more time on leisure and look forward to the day when I can complete one in that space of time. I am worried though, that if I ever get that good at them, I may no longer consider them a challenge.

At the moment, crosswords take third place after photography and painting, but they are good for putting me to sleep at night..

[Christiana]

Thanks Copelander. Dr. H. H. I went to the Isle of Man to take up a teaching post and stayed 14 years, but found many of my colleagues returned to the U.K. Two years in was the danger time. Living on a such a small Island can seem pretty claustrophobic and getting off the Island is very expensive. It's costing more to go to the Isle of Man from Manchester, than it cost to go from Faro to Manchester. So visiting family can be quite difficult.
I have two sons and two granddaughters living there, so we now almost have a Manx family branch, though to the locals we still count as 'comeovers',

[copelander]

Thanks for the welcome back,DocHH,no still didn't manage Maggie Jones, had a wonderful Chinese meal in Hakkanan on Fri night and an open air theatre "The Importance of being Ernest" in Regents Park on Sat. night .....quite spectacular! Back to work today, and the dreaded swine flu is starting to impact on normal work ( which, of course, goes on). I think I'll look forward to a glass of Chablis tomorrow night.

[DocHH]

Christiana, enjoy your stay on Manxland and spoil your grandchildren, most grandparents I know wish they had had grandchildren before having children!!!!!!!!! Did you see Devadolly's cows as you flew over, did you see her wave back?

Copelander, your workload will be much relieved now that Andy Burnham has announced the launch of the new telephone and internet based swine flu diagnosis system! I can just imagine, Telephone system, Press 1, and cough, press 2, enter temperature, press 3 if you have been in contact with someone who has been in swine flu area, resulting diagnosis in all instances, "you do not have swine flu, do not call your GP, do not pass go, do not collect your Tamiflu from the Pharmacy!" Will the web-based system require a web-cam, "please show us your tongue", enter temperature, etc! Resulting diagnosis as per Telephone system! While I understand that GPs really should not be inundated with un-necessary calls and visits, the vulnerable need to see a friendly face rather than an unknown voice or internet contact! Could this be extended for all ailments, perhaps even home X-ray systems for fractures! On-line home surgery guides! The possibilities are manifold!

[ringer]

HI all
Gosh, we are getting topical. I trust no one in N&C has gone down with the dreaded illness. Phoned to make an appointment at the doctor's today and was given the third degree before being allowed into the surgery. Our local chemist has a sign requesting customers to not lean on the counter as it is regularly cleaned with bleach!!
Back to EV and success very quickly this week. Feel almost cheated out of a battle, especially as I now have time to spend on it - did anyone else notice the number of mistakes in the entry lengths?

[Rollo]

DocHH, thank you for a post that made me smile.

Burnham has so many good ideas, or are they his spin doctors' ideas?

[devadolly]

Do I detect a touch of cynicism there DocHH? I do hope so! Does a spin doctor have to be a medically qualified person or have they worked hard enough (in one field) to get themselves a Phd.......................or.............are they just frauds? I wonder?

I did wave to Christina at about 10.55 this am but as it was raining heavily I don't imagine she would have seen through the cloudbase.
Himself and I are off to London in early August, for the 250th anniversary Handel Prom concert. We are staying in Bloomsburyand meeting friends on the first night at an Indian restaurant they frequent, lunch the next day will be at the RA but that night we are meeting friends from work in Harley Street - does anyone know of suitable emporia in that area, we have been asked to pick!
After the Prom it is a quick dash back to the Union (HUGE selection of wines by the glass and great food) to meet No 1 niece and Intended for a late supper. Next day, back to the grindstone!