MM Links Solutions June [Week 3]

[crofter]

This third week of the reign of Rob Roy was marked by him adopting a beautifully crafted heraldic theme. I can now reveal the chosen Link Words of gen2 were:

Tree SURGEON
YELLOW Bird
Fish MONGER
HARE Bell

Quite an open-ended game with many alternatives to choose from ~ leading to not many high scores.

[crofter]

Not for the first time it was the first Entrant Alibobs (a very nice person and great judge of character!) who made the first hit and a double hit to boot. She picked up on a couple of big hints from gen2 for SURGEON and YELLOW! In her �two-minute wake� behind SURGEON came three others to claim bonus points and they were Pebbles (at last), Dinkypuzzled & patchett!

Not far behind came the sharp-eyed FoxLee to pick up THREE Points for FISH MONGER and a slightly late TREE SURGEON! She was Entrant #16 and was timed at 09.06! We had to wait until 09.18, when Jules001 picked off the last link of HARE BELL and the scoring frenzy was all but over.

Who stands out in a difficult week? It must be the irrepressible Alibobs who is declared �Hot Shot of the Round�. ***CHEERS ALL ROUND !***

How is the month shaping up? Well, no-one is able to link two good weeks together and only JMR27 has scored on all three rounds. As a result the fiekf is bunched with everything to play for in the last two weeks!

League Table (after three weeks of five)

FOUR POINTS: Alibobs, bangor 7 JMR27
THREE POINTS: Dinkypuzzled, FoxLee, Jules001, kettledrum & lysander
No fewer than eleven others have a total of two points and are well placed to strike next week

However, next week will be the penultimate week of the reign of gen2, so there�s everything to play for! What he will come up with next week is anybody�s guess. I know it will be topical and well researched ~ full of cryptic clues and red herrings! Surely, the winner for June must make his/her move soon?

Until then, this is crofter signing off for another week.

[crofter]

Another good week for Rob Roy MacGregor, aka gen2, who chose the words ~ and brilliant choices at that!!

LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF THE MM LINKERS!!

:o)

[gen2]

You know something? I think that the dawn chorus were really onto something this week? As they sat in the bushes waiting from 8:45 to 9am, some of them actually read my introduction and picked up on my vibes. Alibobs convinced herself I was thinking of a canary and then tried yellow bird as an inspired guess; and to pick up on the tree surgeon as well, "Wow!". Can she do it again next week? or more to the point, can YOU do it next week?

Congratulations Alibobs Star for (at least) a week - let's hope your psychic power is not all burnt out.

I must admit to being somewhat amazed by two suggestions of 'bellwether' as a link for bell. Is this suddenly becoming an 'in term'? I can only recall meeting this term twice before - once as an answer in 'The Rainbow Quiz" a year or two ago, and later in a GK crossword (DT?). This Saturday the Daily Telegraph had a headline in the middle of page 31 declaring "Demise of Britain's 'bellwether' ". Could this be the inspiration? But no, seekeerz is in Oz so how she came up with that suggestion remains open to speculation.

Maybe there were too many options for the links this week but I tried to guide you in the right direction with my thoughts. You are all too stuck in those concrete jungles you surround yourselves with. There wasn't a fish ladder or a fish farm to be seen anywhere in your choices and were most of you unaware that the harebell/hairbell is also known as the Scottish Bluebell? (only 2 hares and 3 blues suggested)

[gen2]

Many thanks to those of you who offered best wishes to my wife who is recovering rapidly and very well from her gallbladder operation. I hope the same can be said for Devadiva's husband.


Now to sing us out this week we have Harry Belafonte
(circa 1956)

Yellow bird
Up high in banana tree
Yellow bird
You sit all alone like me

Did your lady friend
Leave the nest again
That is very sad
Make me feel so bad

You can fly away
In the sky away
You more lucky than me

I also have a pretty girl
She not with me today
They all the same
The pretty girls
Make them the nest
Then they fly away

Yellow bird
Up high in banana tree
Yellow bird
You sit all alone like me

Better fly away
In the sky away
Picker coming soon
Pick from night to noon
Black and yellow you
Like banana too
They might pick you someday

Wish that I was a yellow bird
I'd fly away with you
But I am not a yellow bird
So here I sit, nothing else to do

Yellow bird
Yellow bird
Yellow bird
Yellow bird

[Pebbles]

Hurrahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh points at last. I am on a roll here !!!!!

[evsajo]

OH DEAR, no points this week. I really thought I was on to a winner with Rowan tree !!!! Never mind next week I will really concentrate on the 8.45-9am message. Thanks gen2 for good link words and as ever thank you crofter for scoring and all the other things you do.
best wishes Kay

[patchett]

Goodness me Bonus points!! I can hardly believe it.Bet thats the first and last.We'll wait and see.Thanks gen2 and crofter.

[paulineward]

Well done Alibobs!

[slaney]

Well done Alibobs!
Thanks gen2 ... for the hints ..even though they passed me by ! Thanks to crofter for the scoring.
Now .. this freefall club - how do I join??

[bridgenut]

Well done all those who scored this week , alas it was another zero for me . Wooden spoon coming up ? Think so .
Regards

[Alibobs]

I see I'm back in favour Crofter!!!

Wow, Hot Shot of the round, I shall enjoy this moment of glory as it's never happened before and is unlikely to this side of Christmas


Alibobs (aka Mystic Meg)

PS. I ought to thank my husband as well - we were supposed to be at the supermarket by 8.30 yesterday as we had a bit of a do last night. He wasn't ready until about 8.55 at which time I said I may as well wait and do my link words!

[Alibobs]

Hubby has just reminded me I spent the whole of yesterday singing "Yellow Bird". Bet you're all at it now!!

[jan1956]

Well a complete zero again, well done alibobs nice to see an answerbacker getting it right.
I will be late with my answers next week as at work early so will be able to study th eform and do much better (I Hope!)
thanks Gen2 and crofter until next week then
jan

[Aquagility]

Thanks crofter, and thanks also (for nothing!) gen2. And my best wishes for a quick recovery for Mrs gen2 - not forgetting (of course) the cat.

[gen2]

Actually the cat belongs to a neighbour and they were away in France last week so we were looking after it. Back to normal now with Bertie only visiting now and again.

[kettledrum]

Thanks Gen2.....I just knew that harebell was right, and it won't have escaped Crofter's eagle-eyes, and no doubt yours as well, that I abandoned the habits of an MM lifetime and deliberately went with a link that had already been spoken for - even when there were masses of viable original choices left.
Interesting to me - if not to anyone else - one of my other (very few) successes was with BELL. That time it was Tinkerbell - not really a Gen2 word!
Thanks Crofter for keeping the score and seeing fair play.

[Christiana]

Well done alibobs. Must admit to being too quick off the mark and not studying the message. Surely I must be a candidate for the freefall club after three 'pointless' weeks. Never mind next week I shall sweep in and surprise you all.

[LaneyB]

I'll join you Christiana, three weeks with nothing, not a thing. Thanks Gen and Crofter, see you next week.

[Ont-ice]

For those wishing to join the Freefall Club, please make yourselves known to Sarumite who is the Secretary/Treasurer. He will collect all joining fees.
The Ont-ices are, as usual, still holding on to their positions of President and VP of said club.
Can't make a break into the MM Club at all.
Gen2 told me to use my brains - I thought I had until I reread his opening message and the light went on.
Ah ! Well! It wouldn't be the first time I steered without a rudder.
Thanks for the entertainment Gen2. Thanks again to Crofter. (I'll buy you a new abacus for your birthday).
Thanks also to all who joined in and made it so much fun.
Enjoy the upcoming week.