MM Links Solutions December 2010 [Week 3]

[crofter]

King Ulysses II completed his third and final round in his usual generous fashion to bring 2010 to a premature close. With his chosen theme of “the Thyme of my Life”, he opted for the link words:

GANG Lion (Ouch!)
WING Nut
Grass WIDOW (Ouch again!)
TURN Turtle

I wasn’t too surprised by the medical term Ganglion as “a collection of nerve cells”, but I must confess that I had to look up Grass Widow as “a wife temporarily separated from or deserted by her husband” ~ so I wasn’t expecting a huge pick up here.

NOW READ ON

[crofter]

Among the regular early birds there was mixed success. Dinkypuzzled was Entrant #2 and the first to go with the devious TURN TURTLE for TWO POINTS. He was eventually followed in good time by centrino and lysander for the same Two Points.

More popular was the medical GANGLION, that went initially to Entrant #4, slaney, but also picked up by (an ex-champion) tearinghair, Christiana (the current leader) and (the wise old owl) Strix. Each qualified for TWO POINTS. With two links still to be found, the next dozen entries proved pointless. Then, in the early afternoon came Entrant #32 in the form of kettledrum, who successfully located both the remaining two links of WING NUT and GRASS WIDOW for a massive FOUR POINTS and produced the highlight of the Round ~ but had she done enough to displace Christiana? Records show (surprisingly) that these are the very first points scored by kettledrum this month!

There followed four entrants to score a single point (mainly for Turn Turtle) before the game cruised gently to a close. It was time to assess the performances over the “entire” month.

[crofter]

The League Table after this final week is:

TEN POINTS: Christiana
EIGHT POINTS: lysander
SIX POINTS: centrino & tearinghair
FIVE POINTS: Dinkypuzzled
FOUR POINTS: fordward, Grenmus, kettledrum, ladyalex, owllady, slaney & Strix
THREE POINTS: barb7771, evsajo, gen2 & wickedtongue
TWO POINTS: Aquagility, BigMac, boxtops, cliffyg, deecee131, grannydi, granpajohn, Handbaglady, middlestump, Mrs Ont-ice, rockfordill, teacher1 & x-ray

Bringing 2010 to an early close, I nominate CHRISTiana as the CHRISTmas super champion. How fitting!

You now have two weeks’ break to enjoy the festive season. Be ready to enjoy the next MM Links challenge on the weekend of 8th January 2011.

For the present, this is crofter signing off.

Until we meet up again: May I wish you A MERRY CHRISTMAS, A HAPPY NEW YEAR and as always HAPPY LINKING!

:o)

[ulysses100]

Well done everyone on their point scoring, and congratulations to Christiana for gaining the Christmas crown. Thank you to crofter again for your adept interpretation of the results. May I take this opportunity also of wishing everybody all of the best for the coming festive season and hope that 2011 will be a good year for all of us.

[evsajo]

Well done Christiana !!! No points for me this week but never mind. Just want to wish Crofter and Val a Happy Christmas and an even happierl New Year and the same to everyone who takes part in the MM links. love Kayxx

[Ont-ice]

Thank you Ulysses and Crofter for all your hard work.
May I echo you both in wishing all the MM linkers a Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy New Year.
'See' you next year.
The Ont-ices.

[Ont-ice]

Apologies Christiana. I meant to say Congratulations. Well done.

[jan1956]

well done Christiana
thanks Crofter
happy Christmas to you and val
till we link again
jan

[boxtops]

Thank you crofter - happy Christmas to you too - at least I retained my two points this week, even if I didn't add to them!

[Christiana]

A surprise Christmas present, how lovely. Thanks to Ulysses, and especially to Crofter, not just for this month but for faithfully guiding the setters through and scoring our efforts throughout 2010, not forgetting that stalward stand-in Gen2. I do wish everybody a wonderful Christmas. Here's to a great 2011 too

[paulineward]

Well done Christiana, as Crofter says...how fitting!

A very Merry Christmas to you all...and sincere thanks to Crofter and gen2 his second in command!

[gen2]

Thank you Crofter & Ulysses.

Congratulations Kettledrum, and Christiana.

I look forward to joining in battle after the New Year.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[tearinghair]

Thanks to King Ulysses for the December links, and to crofter for abacussing, particularly as it sounds as though you've had a difficult year. Well done to all points scorers, and again a very merry Christmas and Happy New year to everyone.
btw son and family won't get here tomorrow as planned (flight from San Francisco cancelled) but they have re-booked via Amsterdam for Wednesday so I have my fingers crossed.

[LaneyB]

Congratulations Christiana and thanks to Crofter and Gen not forgetting Ulysses. Haven't scored a point but who knows next year maybe!
Very Happy Christmas to you all.

[LaneyB]

Thanks for the update tearinghair, was wondering how things were for you, fingers crossed for you for Wednesday.

[JoolsTwo]

Well done Christiana I look forward to trying to predict your choosen links for January - I can't do any worse tha i have with King ulysses11. Thanks to crofter and ulysses100 for this month.

I wish you all a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS and All the best for 2011. See you all next year.

[kettledrum]

Wow!! I never - well hardly ever - get points, but to score 4 in one go is almost unbelievable. For those who don't know ..... I play my own version of this game, and only ever pick links that no-one else has previously chosen. I usually wait for an hour or 2 or more before making my selection from what's been left by the early birds, so the 2 I gathered up owe more to Ulysses's devious mind than my clairvoyance. But all the same I'm delighted . Many thanks Ulysses. And thank you to Crofter who must find me an awful nuisance, but cheerfully puts up with my little idiosyncrasies, and to Gen2 for keeping the show on the road when Crofter has more pressing things to do.

Happy Christmas to everyone, and I look forward to meeting again in 2011.

[grannydi]

Zilch for me again - not a good month for me.
many thanks to our setters this year and to crofter for all his hard work.
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and I hope the snow doesn't spoil the festivities
for you. I am keeping my fingers crossed that daughter and family will make it up the A1 from Oxon to Tyneside.
See you all in the new year and have a good one!!

[Aquagility]

Not much left unsaid, but well done to some, thanks to some more, and best wishes to you all.
Aq.

[seekeerz]

Woe is me, but congratulations to Christiana and also kettledrum [I'm familiar with the way kettledrum plays these games !!] amd as always, thanks to ulysses for an excellent game and to crofter manning the abacus.

Almost ready to slide into the oblivion of wrapping paper and brandy butter, so a Very Merry Christmas to all, I hope Santa brings you all the things you want most and the New Year goes swimmingly !!!

[Handbaglady]

Well done Christiana. I'm looking forward to you words at the start of 2011. Merry Christmas and a healthy happy and peaceful New Year to all MMer's. Enjoy hogmanay everyone.