EV 876 What you've got to do

[devadolly]

I know I am early and I haven't had a look at it yet (have yesterday's to do first as was out judging until mid pm) but am answering DocHH from last week!
Doc, didn't go to Kensington so could hardly go to Maggy thingy could we? Weds night after sublime concert, out of door 6 turn right and along to the Polish club on Exhibition Rd, excellent fish. Will try MT when next in Kensington but not your recommendation of kidneys. I don't eat meat (don't like it) and Himself won't eat offal unless 1. He knows the doner beast personally, 2. He knows where it has pastured and 3. I have cooked it! Did add another excellent eatery to the increasingly long list - the Malabar Junction on Gt Russell St, just try the Cashew nut starter as a nibble whilst debating the rest of the courses.
Welcome back Physicsgirl, sorry you are so frazzled hot towels in DC! I'm sure I will be in there before long!

[DocHH]

Hello Devadolly,
Pleased to hear the few days in London were enjoyable. I'll add the Polish Club and Malabar as good places to eat when I'm in town.
Don't think you'll end up in DC this week, a straightforward offering from Syd Lexis. Too early for hints yet.

[dr b]

Hi folks,

Back from my wanderings. We hiked 67 miles in 7 days, plus a total of 2.3 miles vertical gained & lost. Haven't felt like much but eating & sleeping since getting back; fortunately those are two of my best things.

This week's EV was straightforward enough, although I still need to go back & figure out what the words revealed by the extra letters have to do with the grid. Maybe I will do that, or just go have a sandwich.

[DocHH]

Hello dr b,
Your holiday sounds a little too strenuous for my liking, no wonder you have a healthy appetite! Have you found the single square clash? Which way do you cut your sandwiches, "corner to corner" or horizontal and vertical. I think ending up with 4 triangles is quite pleasing aesthetically

[devadolly]

Drb - are you mad? Welcome home anyway, I would suggest sitting down with a sandwich, am in same position as you, well almost as some of the answers have been arrived at by grasping straws out of the air and therefore have not got all the letters yet.
Quite right DocHH not too strenuous - how is Herself's peg leg?

[DocHH]

Thanks for asking Devadolly, she is doing OK. Still hobbling but it's the pulled tendon rather than the broken 5th metatarsus that's causing the most problems.

I found that I only needed about 2/3rds of the superfluous letters to make sense of "What you've got to do". The singular of 19d is one of our friends!

[s436]

I'm just wondering if I've got this one nailed. Found the clash, and I can sort of see how the superfluous letters resolve it, but is it as simple as that? Is the final step just a case of choosing which of the two letters to write in, or am I missing something? One could almost infer from the first word formed by the extra letters that there's highlighting to be done...

[DocHH]

Hello s436,
I think you will need to as both the first and fourth words instruct! Why else would the rubric tell you to use a pencil?

[Christiana]

Hi, just signing in. Had accidentally logged out first thing yesterday, so like many others couldn�t sign back in, but all�s fixed today. Have made a start and so far all seems well.
Dr. B. I wish I liked walking better. I�ve been trying to do some the last few days to improve my health and stamina. I like it well enough on the flat but can�t say I enjoy hills, though I am forcing myself to tackle some.

[dr b]

Having finally gotten back to the grid, the resolution to the clashing letters fairly jumped off the page; however, I like my clashing letters and decided to leave them alone with their clashiness. I'm just a rebel that way, I guess. Is it lunchtime yet?

[DocHH]

Hello dr b,
There is always a "greater than zero" chance, (plus or minus the uncertainty of measurement) of it being lunchtime somewhere! Here, it is preprandial drink time!

Not much N&Cing this week! Even Devadolly has only appeared once since starting this thread! She is probably trying to catch up with the work-load that accumulated during the pleasure days she spent in the Metropolis last week! Thank goodness for semi-retirement!

[devadolly]

Hello all, still here, but was my birthday yesterday and I refused to switch on either computer or do any cooking! So went out for both lunch (excellent pub with its own brewery producing 4 different ales and specialising in locally produced food) and dinner (newly refurbed once almost derelict art deco hotel which has had some teething problems but not with their chef - fantastic food). Did accomplish a few tasks in town before lunch but am now playing catch-up!

Regards to all

[DocHH]

Belated Happy Birthday Devadolly.

[Christiana]

Yes, belated birthday wishes, Devadolly. I barely glanced at EV yesterday. Only a quick look this morning, but productive in that I suddenly realised "what you�ve got to do". Haven�t quite finished but nearly there.
Weather on the Isle of Man today is blustery, but the earlier rain has now stopped, so may venture out presently.

[devadolly]

Thank you both for your good wishes - I think you have just sent the rain over here, it began about 2pm causing great anguish to Himself as he carted some of the last 488 bales past the fields still waiting to be cut.
I thought EV a bit odd this week, don't know why!

[DocHH]

Devadolly, don't blame me for your bad weather, it has been glorious here for quite a few days. The Airshow over the weekend was a real success. The Red Arrows were here for each of the 4 days, spectacular, as was the Euro-fighter, (Typhoon) and the F16, Guinot Wing Walkers and all the other displays. The beach was packed! Today has probably been the warmest, about 30�C. My lawns have hardly grown for the past 3 weeks due to lack of rain! I have to say, I'm not complainiing about that though!
Hello Christiana, once you have seen the "what you have to do" it is so glaringly obvious you kick yourself. I have taken to always looking to cut my sandwiches from corner to corner before vertically and horizontally!
Herself was discharged from the Hospital today, but told it would be another 2 to 3 weeks before the tendon and broken bone were healed, I suspect she will be hobbling for longer than that though!
So Devadolly, it's been back to the old routine today after the delights of yesterday! Time to retire!?!

[devadolly]

I am retired!

[DocHH]

Devadolly, Sorry, but from your previous posts it didn't sound as if you were retired, all those "editor driven deadlines", plus claims of not having time to spend on our beloved EV etc. lead me to believe that you were still working! I suppose that while Himself is still farming, it's almost impossible for you to put your feet up, and wear fluffy pink slippers! Herself has another 5 years to go before receiving State Pension, same for me. I've just been lucky in other ways!

[Christiana]

Me, too, Devadolly and like you that seems more of a theory than a fact most of the time.
Have now completed EV, though struggled with working out why 10d is what it is - succeeded in the end but nearly missed the very final step, which someone else had to point out to me.

[devadolly]

Well, just to clear a few things up, retired from my 'real' job (care of the fine training from the Establishment) when I married Himself in the far distant past. Then did many years of consultancy work which I have been trying to get rid of but still rears its head periodically. Being a farmer's wife (especially to a politically motivated interferrer) throws up more tasks than one can easily juggle! Added to that, falling into a second and even third career without trying and it being possible to accomplish without leaving the kitchen, means little possibility of real 'sitting around spending hours at a time on joyful experiences such as crosswords' a complete pipe-dream! Darling Alistair has been throwing what seems like (to a constantly strapped ex-dairy farmer) huge sums of money at me every week for some time now ! Great init? All in all, until; the joy of prepping lunch, I clatter away on computers and after the mid-day repast have more or fewer souls seeking solace. By 6pm get out the G & T preferrably Hendricks but more ofen Smart price!! Oh, I forgot - there is the administrative running of the farm, the Home Grown retail selling and generally kicking them into order! I need a holiday and I do not want to hear a single word about your good weather DocHH!!!!

Ta Ta All

[DocHH]

Hello everyone,
Just had a phone call from a cousin, he is bringing his family (wife plus 2 children, girl of 13 and boy of 12, the 2 children have previously told me I am cool and also wicked and this year when they came at Easter, SAFE!) down for the weekend. Arriving friday, leaving sunday or perhaps even monday, so apologies for absence for sunday, I'll search for you when I can!
Hopefully the weather will stay good enough for a B-B-Q!