Here we are at the end of a very pleasant spring weekend – as a result, we’ve spent most of today gardening, and we’re both shattered (but the new raised bed looks smashing – beans, peas, and aubergines all in array). Somewhere amidst it all I’ve found time to upload a BBC Music Magazine puzzle for you, and I’ve also completed a barred grid exploiting an idea I’ve had lying around for decades. The spark for finally turning it into a puzzle was contemplating another puzzle (with answers clued in alphabetical order) and wondering whether there was a way of attacking that particular approach differently. Which led to a ‘Well, couldn’t you do this?’ moment followed by a ‘Isn’t that the idea you’ve had lying around for decades?’ moment.
And it was, which was strangely satisfying, and a solid justification for never deleting anything from your ideas book!
Meanwhile, there’s a Pedro in The Times on 1 December (and another before the year’s end – stay tuned), and I wouldn’t be surprised if a Kcit Toughie emerged before the next update (I just haven’t been told the date yet). Next weekend will see the postal distribution of the 2015 APEX puzzle (email version out around 14/15 December) – it’s after the formal ‘last posting date’ here, but a couple of years ago, I sent things out after the equivalent date that year, and had the first postal return before Christmas, said return having been posted after the UK last posting date.
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