The Retirement Thread

[ColinJ]

finished the cryptic crossword in the Indy so nipped out to get the Observer

I am not yet able to do hard cryptic crosswords, but have got to the stage where I can usually complete the one in the Metro in odd moments of an evening.

I took a quick look at a Guardian cryptic crossword a couple of weeks ago but only solved 5 or 6 clues. I could probably manage a few more if I stuck at it. I'm learning the tricks.

What I want is a source of good tricky cryptic crosswords whose answers do not rely on knowledge of obscure information such as the name of the brother-in-law of some Roman general, the address of the cottage at the foot of xyz mountain in a country that I've never even heard of, that kind of thing!

I have looked up the answers to some puzzles and I still can't work out where they come from...

Sneaky - good, tricky - good, clever - good, puns - good, homonyms and homophones - good... Stuff that only experts in viral infections in small Australian spiders would know - BAD!

Any suggestions?

 

[PaulSB]

A wander round to get the paper ( finished the cryptic crossword in the Indy so nipped out to get the Observer)

noticed the snowdrops are out

View attachment 564251

Is this allowed in Tier 3??

 

[PaulSB]

I am not yet able to do hard cryptic crosswords, but have got to the stage where I can usually complete the one in the Metro in odd moments of an evening.

I took a quick look at a Guardian cryptic crossword a couple of weeks ago but only solved 5 or 6 clues. I could probably manage a few more if I stuck at it. I'm learning the tricks.

What I want is a source of good tricky cryptic crosswords whose answers do not rely on knowledge of obscure information such as the name of the brother-in-law of some Roman general, the address of the cottage at the foot of xyz mountain in a country that I've never even heard of, that kind of thing!

I have looked up the answers to some puzzles and I still can't work out where they come from...

Sneaky - good, tricky - good, clever - good, puns - good, homonyms - good... Stuff that only experts in viral infections in small Australian spiders would know - BAD!

Any suggestions?

I learned to do cryptic crosswords with my Mum. She read The Telegraph. I've no idea what it's like these days. I used to enjoy The Observer. You'll find The Guardian one online if you want plenty of practice without the cost of a paper.

I'm a Guardian Supporter - it's a voluntary subscription because the paper doesn't believe in paywall journalism - so feel happy to grab a crossword whenever I want.

 

[ColinJ]

I learned to do cryptic crosswords with my Mum. She read The Telegraph. I've no idea what it's like these days. I used to enjoy The Observer. You'll find The Guardian one online if you want plenty of practice without the cost of a paper.

I'm a Guardian Supporter - it's a voluntary subscription because the paper doesn't believe in paywall journalism - so feel happy to grab a crossword whenever I want.

I am a bit skint so I haven't gone for a full subscription, but I do donate £2 a month to The Guardian to support them.

I'll take another look at the crossword that I started. I think that I kept a link to it... Actually, I hadn't - my link was to one of a series of articles explaining how to tackle cryptics. I managed to find the puzzle in my history list though and now DO have a bookmark to it - cryptic crossword no. 28,296. I've done 6/30 of it. I'll give it another go this evening and see if I can make more progress.

 

[Mo1959]

Enjoyed Countryfile. Most of it was from around here.

 

[oldwheels]

Considering that farmers are getting practically nothing for wool, it amazes me as to how it can be so expensive to buy.

It can indeed be very expensive depending on what you want. There is a considerable amount of work involved and many of the wool spinners have gone out of business.
I dealt with a wide variety of spinners for knitting yarn which of course has a different twist to weaving yarn. Some of the spinners were very out of date and probably could not afford to upgrade and their methods were very primitive. There is also length of staple to consider and that has a bearing on price.
Machine knitting yarn has to be oiled unlike hand knitting which does not.
I dealt a lot with a surplus yarn merchant as once a factory has finished a run of garments the surplus yarn is sold off as they require continuity of shades and small amounts were no use to them.
We could use different shades easily as it was often of no importance but we had to have 2/10s thickness which most factories used. Hand knitting is mostly 2/8s ie double knitting.
Once cheap garments came in from China the production in this country became uneconomic and most factories have now closed down.
One well known chain of shops sent a couple of containers of yarn a month to Karachi where the garments were produced and returned here to be labelled Made in Scotland. The wool was certainly produced here and perhaps the labels.
Once I start on something I find it hard to stop obviously. Sorry for the essay.

 

[oldwheels]

Enjoyed Countryfile. Most of it was from around here.

Missed it but I hardly look at telly nowadays so never check the programmes.

 

[numbnuts]

I ain't got a telly .........

 

[welsh dragon]

Countryfile was good.

 

[Mo1959]

Missed it but I hardly look at telly nowadays so never check the programmes.

Auchlynne Estate which is near Killin and Cultybraggan Camp at Comrie.

 

[oldwheels]

Auchlynne Estate which is near Killin and Cultybraggan Camp at Comrie.

I think that is a repeat as I have seen that or something very like it before.

 

[Mo1959]

I think that is a repeat as I have seen that or something very like it before.

They have both been on before but it was a catch up on how things were going.
His Dark Materials now.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Is this allowed in Tier 3??

I should have explained better. It was Mrs Tenkay and I who wandered up to the shops via a circuitous route. As I'm "immune compromised" I hang about outside while Mrs Tenkay risks life and limb in the shops. We're Tier Two but I'm still sensible and try to stay out of harms way.
Cryptic Crosswords, my mum taught me how to do them, a couple of my brothers also used to enjoy them. When we'd left home we used to meet up in a Pub on Sunday lunchtime, whoever had solved the most clues in the Sunday Times didn't have to buy a round all lunchtime. ( This was back in the days of it being a newspaper with strong ethics, and some excellent investigative journalism )
I'd but the newspaper on my way to the bus stop and work on it on the half hour journey to the pub. I was chatting to my eldest brothers wife on one occasion and she mentioned that he had taken to nipping out late on Saturday evening, it turned out he was heading up to New Street Station to get the earliest paper as it came off the train

There's a cryptic crossword themed book that I read many years ago called " Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8)"* It is written by a South African chap who came to England, his English girlfriend was a keen cryptic crossword solver and explained to him some of the nuances. He was really taken with this and decided to dig a little deeper, he contacted and interviewed many of the compilers, including the legendary Auricaria. It's a lovely fascinating story, and a love story to boot.

* The cryptic crossword fans have probably already solved the word play in the book title

 

[classic33]

I am not yet able to do hard cryptic crosswords, but have got to the stage where I can usually complete the one in the Metro in odd moments of an evening.

I took a quick look at a Guardian cryptic crossword a couple of weeks ago but only solved 5 or 6 clues. I could probably manage a few more if I stuck at it. I'm learning the tricks.

What I want is a source of good tricky cryptic crosswords whose answers do not rely on knowledge of obscure information such as the name of the brother-in-law of some Roman general, the address of the cottage at the foot of xyz mountain in a country that I've never even heard of, that kind of thing!

I have looked up the answers to some puzzles and I still can't work out where they come from...

Sneaky - good, tricky - good, clever - good, puns - good, homonyms - good... Stuff that only experts in viral infections in small Australian spiders would know - BAD!

Any suggestions?

Australian Spider Crossword

 

[Juan Kog]

So these must be the Bubbles that Boris keeps talking about. .
This is my clean bike 6 miles into today’s ride it did not look like that after another 47 miles..