EV 862 Secret Tribute

[devadolly]

Good Afternoon all EV N & C'ers. Have only glanced at it but don't feel hopeful. Sez it all on my last post of last week's - special message for you Physicsgirl!

Regards

[ringer]

Mmmm - crumpets please.
Just got home from work and having seen today's posts am now happier with the overall solution. I wouldn't have got anywhere had it not been for the hints that have kindly been given.
Devadolly - 33d - try a king's name that has been rather popular over the ages. It will also go in front of our person's first name. 17d - think of a three letter word meaning drain (it's more commonly found as a five letter word). Now stick "a" with that word inside the city name to give an eight letter word.

[DocHH]

Please accept my humble apologies for absence, after monday afternoon's committee meeting, on tuesday morning I had a Recording to do for Talking Newspaper, then drove to Birmingham, overnight stay, with a relative, (yes, Devadolly like good Establishment Techie, I did spring for dinner), and traipsing around an Expo today, then a drive home. It amounts to nearly 8 hours driving for a less than 5 hours work! BUT it was unfortunately neccessary. So have been sans-Internet, like Novalis for a while.
I'd confirm the search should be North West corner, but I would think it would be more elegant if the 5 contiguous letters were each 1 square north of where you can currently find them. BUT there's no way I could have compiled this weeks or any EV offering.
BTW am out of circulation again tomorrow, the Blind Centre is having an Open Day and we, in the form of me, are opening the Recording Studio to visitors, and will be helping to show people round. I don't consider anything I do for The Talking Newspaper as work, just pleasure, and very rewarding when you get feed-back from the Listeners.
So Ciao for a while everyone, time for a snack then catch up on tuesday and wednesday Telegraph crosswords.
Apologies for prattling along.

[turnerjmw]

I've had fun with this, but my final problem is with the pair of unclued entries at 8ac and 34dn, and hence with the second half of the clue at 10dn. Can anyone possibly enlighten me? Is the pair connected with Maryland, and if so why? And how does the mining area in Cornwall fit in?

Any hints very gratefully accepted

[novalis]

Hi Turnerjmw!

7d and 8a go together as a pair as do 33d and 34d. The former two should lead you to the theme's surname which precedes the unclued entry in each case and the latter to his forename which follows the unclued entry in each case.
Re 10d -- The mining area in Cornwall is a general term, not a proper noun. Think of a five letter hyphenated word for argument and remove its last letter. Tucked away in the various definitions in Chambers for the word which is left you will find the reference to the mining area.

[turnerjmw]

Thanks, Novalis. I had just twigged the answer to 10d (there's a racehorse with that name) before you posted, so I realised I was on the wrong track with Maryland. That gave me 8ac, and I've just about satisfied myself that 34d could only be one thing. Very contemporary, given the theme.

Your help is very much appreciated!

[devadolly]

I'm going to bed, and I am staying there until Sunday. EV 862 now in the bin, I will quickly emerge tomorrow to gather the Speccie and then I am off to bed - with the covers over my head. I CAN'T DO IT and the hints are falling on deaf ears! And I have had my B12 so it must be senility.
Crumpets a new recipe, but not as good as Marguerite's I don't think - what say you DC afficianados?
Well done with the TB work Doc, a friend of ours is engaged in a similar open day at our local centre.

[DocHH]

Devadolly,
Cast off that duvet, grab ginger mog, stroke him and through the purrrrrrrrrrrrrs reconnect with EV! You really need to finish it before starting Speccie tomorrow! Because of Open Day, I'll be giving Speccie a miss tomorrow.

I'm also going to have to tender Apologies for Absence for a few days next week, tuesday and wednesday am in London for work, on a commuting basis. Then on thursday have to head to London in the afternoon, for an overnight stay, so can go to Stevenage for a funeral of an uncle on friday.
Hopefully will connect with you all on sunday and monday,
Ciao

[novalis]

Hi Devadolly!

Concur with Doc HH. There are enough hints in the previous posts on this thread to ( literally ) point you in the right direction. Just spring up and open the port wine and you'll hit on the person who is the theme of this particular EV.

Doc HH! My condolences on the death of your uncle.
Don't overdo things on Tuesday and Wednesday workwise.

[DocHH]

Thanks for the condolences Novalis, but he was at least approaching 91. He was devastated last year at losing his lady, a mere 64, to cancer and afterwards he effectively gave up.
Averaging the demise age of other family relatives, plus use of the aids I have seen today for sight and arthritic affected people, ignoring senior degeneration, I just hope this site is still going for at least aother 30 years!!
The Open Day went well, if a little quiet, but the feed-back from Listeners was great, given their disabilities and their determination to get on with their lives could have had me in tears at times, their praise was so heartbreaking as they spoke about their dependence on the TN, as a lifeline. No mention of retreating to a "DC".
Sorry, prattling again.
This has to be put in context with "Devadolly et al" retreating to DC, then languishing in the lap of luxury, despite a plethora of useful hints. The subsequent declaration of an extended "duvet-time" for a week, is nothing more than disturbing! How do we motivate the DC residents to completion of this week's EV?

[devadolly]

Sorry about your uncle Doc, 91 was great. My Ma-in-law is almost 92 and we can't get her to get out of bed, but she plods on with Altziemers(?can't spell it)
Sorry, but it is back to the duvet, I just cannot make the connections, I think I have the said lovey but cannot make head nor tail of the odd clues. I just can't be bothered to beat my head against a brick wall, it just isn't that important in the great scheme of things and as I do my xwords for enjoyment........................... so don't see why I shouldn't have a good craiq in DC instead!
PS Must get Speccie.

[novalis]

Hi Devadolly!

Have managed Speccie despite my being "green in judgment". By odd clues, do you mean the double clues or those giving an expression beginning "odd"?

[devadolly]

Novalis - ALL of them, double clues, clues to be shortened, 9 clues in the downs.....GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR am sick to death of them all and Ginger Mog is off colour so he is no help!

[novalis]

Hi Devadolly!

The double clues split between
Rome and Drag
old and pigeon
suburban and mining
right and good.

Think of a nine letter, three word expression beginning "odd" . That should help you find what to omit from the answers which need shortening.

If you have the theme look at a list of his "works". Of the three you need I've virtually given you one in the preceding paragraph; there's a hint in one of my previous posts about the one which is cryptically indicated in the grid ( "point you in the right direction" ) and others have indicated the very appropriate place to look.
The one which shows how the answers to the double clues are to be entered is based on a book by Jules Verne .... and it's not "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea".

[DocHH]

Good hints Novalis, and with the last paragraph of your last post you really get to the "heart" of it in respect of the double clues.
Devadolly, it must be really "strange" that Ginger Mog is off-purr!
Thanks also for your thoughts. Sorry to hear about your Ma-in-law, it's such a shame to see age-ing relatives reduced to such horrendous states, especially as you know they would not wish to be either seen or remembered in such a condition. Unfortunately it's the last vision of them that stays vivid for such a long time, before you can more on and realistically remember the good moments. See, us Establishment Techies can be sensitive as well as focussed!

[devadolly]

Lit the fire with it last night, along with last week's Speccie on which I had finished all the ordinary clues but couldn't work out the enigma there either! Feel a weight off my shoulders now. Sorry your heavy hints are now wasted novalis will try this week's Speccie but on reading the thematic bit of that one, think I am just going to throw that in the fire too. I am not to be hassled about being lazy or thick - I have got too many plates on sticks spinning fit to burst, so lay off!
Thank you for the thoughts Doc, still not convinced Herself didn't write the script..............said with a grin!
Ginger Mog seems more himself today even though somewhat hyper, possibly an over-indugence of ratting, over the past week he has brought 5 in to show us, but heaven's knows how many he has snacked on in the privacy of his own buildings and fields!!

[DocHH]

All my own words Devadolly, Herself lives and works in London during the week, and heads here at the weekends.

[novalis]

Hi Devadolly and DocHH!

Last May my last remaining auntie passed from being in pain to being at peace as I held her hand. It's her smile at the end that I shall always remember. She was 92 and all she wanted was to be with her husband.

Pity about the Ev Devadolly. If you do get the chance to look at this week's Speccie think of when a certain Egyptian queen claimed to be "green in judgment". ( At least according to Shakespeare. ) Hope Ginger Mog is soon 100%.

I've had a "nasty shock" to the system. Because of new online standardisation processes this year I'm expected to attend a meeting in Harrogate to review how it went. That's an extra day's work!!!

[Physicsgirl]

DocHH - my condolences on your loss, and I hope that today went as well as these things can.
Novalis - when in Harrogate, wave across the stray to St. Aidan's - that's where I work (although won't be back until July due to mini PG). Take some supplies home with you from Betty's - their fat rascals are really good!
I haven't given up with EV, just had a lot on today so no further progress. Will re-read all posts later this evening and hope to limp over the finish line eventually
Devadolly - I don't blame you for burning the dratted thing!!

[novalis]

Hi Physicsgirl!

Glad you are not giving up on this EV. There really are enough hints in the above posts tp get you there. The theme, a Yorkshireman born in Huddersfield, would have been 100 today were he still alive.

Thanks for that about Aunt Betty's.! If you fancy an early ( very early ) morning coffee on 10th June ( first day of senior examiners' meeting ) or 6th July ( review of online standardisation ) I'll see you at the Whistlestop Cafe by Harrogate station between 7:00 and 7:30. I always set off very early so I can have a second breakfast there.

[Physicsgirl]

Novalis - would like to join you for a coffee but 7-7.30 is too early for me to be in Harrogate owing to mini PG's breakfast time routine. It's a shame it couldn't be later in the day - I live some 30-35 mins away in Tadcaster and it would be lovely to put a face to a name!