Phi Crosswords

phionline.net.nz

  • About me
  • Types of cryptic crossword
    • Solving crosswords
    • Outlets
  • APEX Crosswords
  • My other puzzles
    • BBC Music Magazine crosswords
    • Beelzebub Crosswords
    • Church Times puzzles
    • Enigmatic Variations
    • The European crossword
    • Independent Inquisitor
    • Independent: newspaper
    • Jumbos
    • Magpie
    • Other puzzles
  • Setter’s blogs
  • Book Reviews
  • Cats

Update 27 December

December 26, 2014 By Phixwd Leave a Comment

The final post of the year.  As is usual around Christmas, I’m putting up a puzzle that hasn’t been much seen.  This year it’s a puzzle that never quite convinced editors but I remain rather attached to it.  The grid is intricate in itself (and I am very pleased with it), but it seems to be the even more intricate endgame that gets people.  It isn’t easy, but I’d be fascinated to know how people get on.

No more Phi puzzles this year, though one of the last of 2014 will get a setter’s blog on Monday evening.  However the lull is short-lived as 2015 sets off with a bit of a bang – five days, five puzzles, five pseudonyms: a Kcit Telegraph Toughie on New Year’s Day, an Independent daily on 2nd January (solvable as is, but which honours some fine comic wordplay – see if you can spot it), an anonymous Jumbo (you-know-where) on 3rd January, Beelzebub on 4th January, and a Pedro Times 2 Cryptic on 5th January.  And a nervous breakdown on 6th January when I realise they all have to be replaced in their various queues.

I said in a previous post I would put up a shot of the New Zealand ‘Christmas tree’, the pohutukawa, which starts revealing its red flowers from early in December.  The warm spring has led to a brilliant display this year – easily the best since we moved here.  This is a particularly good large example, snapped on Christmas Eve.

Pohu

 

And they make a good avenue too:

Pohualley

 

Happy New Year

Share
Tweet
Pin

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Phi RSS feed

  • RSS - Posts

About me

This is the website of Paul Henderson, who sets crosswords for The Independent (London) under the pseudonyms Phi, for the Daily Telegraph (London) under the pseudonym Kcit, and anonymously for The Times (London) amongst many other outlets. For a more detailed biography see the About Me page.

Blogroll

  • Alberich Crosswords
  • Alchemi's puzzles
  • Anax Crosswords
  • Azed slip
  • Big Dave's Crossword Blog
  • Boatman Cryptics
  • Crossword centenary
  • Crossword Centre
  • Crossword Club
  • Crossword Unclued
  • CrosswordMan: Crossword construction software
  • Crosswords by Hasslethymi
  • Fifteensquared
  • George vs The Listener crossword
  • Guardian Crosswords
  • Hoskins Crossword
  • Hubble Crosswords
  • idothei
  • Independent Crosswords
  • Listen with Others
  • Listener Crossword
  • Magpie Crossword Magazine
  • One Across
  • Peter's Cryptic Crossword Corner
  • Telegraph Crosswords
  • The Stickler Weekly
  • Times Crossword Club
  • Times for the Times
  • Undisclosed Enumerations
  • Unscramblerer

Comments

  • Tim Myall on Listener Awards weekend
  • KMB on An unexpected addition
  • Phixwd on Updating the blogroll
  • KMB on Updating the blogroll
  • Erin on On not mowing the lawn

Copyright © 2021 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in