EV 878 Spot the Connection

[DocHH]

Hello EV N&Cing Wine Clubbers,
Sorry, this late but was pre-occupied yesterday, a Beer festival in the village! It would have helped if I had read the rubric properly, especially the bit about the alphabetical order of the answers to the thematic definitions. Plus, there are 2 options for the "plant disease"!

[dr b]

Hi Doc! EV 878 "Spot the Connection" or "Confuse the American with UKisms?" I felt a bit like you all might if you were given clues about "Plan B free agency" and the "junior senator from North Dakota."* Not helped by the fact that I was working it on a plane back from Boston. I had everything but the "7 other answers" but was hopelessly confused at that point. Hitting the reference books to look up a few things once I got home got me the rest of the way. "Free transfer" and "MP", indeed.

I was in Boston helping my daughter move back from NYC. Lots of stuff to fit into a very small dorm room. Doc you will be pleased to know I never accidentally drove into the airport. I can mostly navigate the city map-free, although I stick to my carefully memorized routes.

*A method by which NFL (American football) players can change teams, and Byron Dorgan, in case it ever comes up.

[DocHH]

Hello dr b,
Would have thought "Footpath" and the unclued entry that passes through the first letter of 16d would have been "right up your street"!
Glad you didn't make the same error as me in Boston. Am currently sitting on the patio enjoying a beer before starting to prepare dinner. I won't mention that the weather is nice and sunny, and apart from the breezes over the weekend that was lovely too. Seems that as soon as I mention the weather here it upsets some of our friends, who live in the frozen north!
Today has been a Holiday in the UK, Bank Holiday also known as a Lubbock (after the man who introduced them) Day,

[devadolly]

Hello both. Am finding 878 quite doable but irritating, possibly because haven't had too long on it, having invited friends round for Mah Jong on the spur of the moment have had to 'pull the finger out' and get a decent meal ready. Have raided freezer and we are having Tomato lamb steaks with Anya spuds, runner beans and tom/watercress/onion and sunflower seed salad followed by Vic plum and nectarine compote or redcurrant crumble - all home grown apart from the sunflower seeds and nectarines - definately like to know the provenance of my grub!
drb - I think you do amazingly well to do the EV at all with all the English isms there are in it - true genius!
DocHH, the reason some of us get a bit fed up by your constant gloating about the weather is worry. We have a number of colleagues who are worrying themselves into an early grave because they have not yet got enough winter feed for their livestock. Not only is the crop losing condition daily, but the land is needed for the stock rotation. I imagine Physicsgirl could tell you the same tale about all the grain that is being spoilt because nothing can be harvested whilst it is wet and when there are no two dry days together it is impossible. So, when there are are shortages of milling flour for your bread , and beef for the barbie as the fatstock for next year has had to be sold early because there is no feed, and you read about yet another farmer hanging himself in his barn, you will know why. There is nothing a farmer can do about the weather.

[ringer]

Hi All
Must admit I nearly gave up on Spot the Wotsit before I started, but a bit of patience and a lot of time this morning means that I have completed it (smug expression on my face). Felt that the "occurence" of proper names might have been hinted at. Did wonder - do the compilers read this N&Cing? If so, a big thank you for setting a challenging crossword and please don't take any criticism personally!
Whole family have worked outside for most of the day - but guess what - yes, it's raining again! Back to the chalk face tomorrow so consoled myself with a mellow Hardy's Shiraz to complement homemade lasagne with salad (leaves, cucumber , spring onions and tomatoes plus raspberries freshly picked from the garden today)

[DocHH]

Hello Devadolly,
Not gloating at all, just reporting it as it is! I fully understand the frustrations that farmers have with weather, I worked with spouses of farmers!
I had real problems solving the normal clues this week, but it is eminently doable!
Am now tendering Apologies for Absence for EV 879, will be at a Conference, the Talking Newspaper Federation Conference and AGM in Swindon. Might catch up with you all on the monday!
TTFN, just to add another UKism for "dr b"!
Your dinner sounds really good, I've just got Sunday left-over pork, with roast potatoes, sage and onion stuffing, parsnips, cauli, carrots and garden peas. Will wash it down with some Chilean Cab Sauv! Herself has hobbled back to the Metropolis, with the assistance of the train!

[Christiana]

Hello everybody Flew back to the Algarve yesterday (two planes from Isle of Man, so travelling most of day) and was too busy today collecting cat, unpacking and hacking down the jungle that had overgrown my (mercifully small) front garden. Half the plants were dead from the heat whilst the rest had gone berserk. Left behind all the wet and the wind, and found myself in temperatures of 32 degrees. I'm not gloating Devadolly. Too hot is just as destructive as too cold. And my body thermostat is totally confused.
Have been so busy I've not sampled the local wine since I arrived and the EV has only warranted a quick glance.This had the same effect on me as on Ringer, but have noted the general remarks and will peer at it, time permitting, tomorrow

[devadolly]

I didn't see you wave Christina! I imagine your farmers are having exatly the same sleepless nights as ours if for a different reason, wouldn't it be lovely is we could just swop 5 days once every 6 weeks during the summer.
We are lucky, we managed to pinch the last acres, it isn't very good quality and can only be used for the bullocks but I imagine a number of the bales will find their way to other farms come Jan. Himself is currently shifting some of the bales from the low areas of the field to the hill so that we can get the trailers off - God, what a year!
Have populated much of the grid but am having some concerns about the SW corner and am still not happy with the connection bit.
Glad to hear Herself is improving DocHH - don't let her do too much.

[copelander]

Hello all, Didn't have a chance to look @ EV until yesterday, as we had a large(ish) lunch party on Sunday,18 I think. Yesterday spent recovering and clearing up, but then really enjoyed the EV challenge. Sorry, Devadolly, I didn't find it at all irritating, and I agree with DocHh, there were enough Americanisms to make up for the local references. The weather here in N.I. has been awful,just awful, each day seems to be worse than the previous one, and any suntan I acquired in Italy gets washed or blown away!Devadolly, I was taught to play Maj Jong (?spelling) when I was about 7 by a lady who'd lived in the Far East for many years but I had forgotten all about it 'til your post. What a civilised game!, but I moved on to bridgeand that took over.