Ev Sunday Telegraph Enigmatic Variations 1079 July 14Th 2013

[Twit-Who]

Great puzzle even if I did rather muddle through it to start with. Not a fan of long preambles as I invariably fail to understand it all until later but definitely worth the effort today.

Many thanks to Samphiry and for the info on the subject.

[dr b]

Perhaps the most thematically packed crossword ever? Getting the theme early on helped quite a bit. All in all a really good puzzle.

A few photos from my trek which kept me from the EV for the past two weeks:

http://2013pcthikebb.shutterfly.com/pictures/8

These are from the Goat Rocks Wilderness area of Washington state; do not click if other people's vacation pictures bore you!

[Twit-Who]

Wow! Stunning photos and I guess you must be very fit to trek on that terrain. I'm sure you had a memorable trip.

[novalis]

Great photographs Dr. B. Many thanks for sharing them with us.
Today's E.V. was very enjoyable and a fitting epitaph and tribute. Most enjoyable.

[devadolly]

God, you are all so damned clever.
I'm swimming in mud here! Have done about half the clues (which when one has the answer seem revoltingly easy, but insurmountable when one hasn't). I haven't a clue about the roles and am just really "straining the Brain" here.
Great pics drb, totally in awe, well out of my comfort zone!
Regards

[Cloverjo]

I agree with you about the clues, devadolly. Easy when you know them, but tough until then. I have the bottom half of grid, two of the roles, a guess at the other two, the person's name and the amendment, but horribly stuck now.

[novalis]

Hi Devadolly!

1 across put me on the right trail immediately. Think of an EV from April which marked a sad event. I hope to be seeing more than one of 6 across on 7 down next week when I head to glorious Devon.

[slaney]

Thanks for the photos dr b - makes me feel cooler just looking at them.

What an excellent crossword, enough to keep interest right to the very end, so thanks to Samphiry from me too

[devadolly]

Am currently in the same position as you were Cloverjo. Have the answer to 16d, which I would assume is the pseudonym but the top half is still proving very elusive. I am very frustrated by the fact that they all seem so obvious when solved and yet so unsolvable! I feel like a terrier trying to get down a slightly too small rat-hole!

[Christiana]

Hi dd et al. Have been very busy this week - the raspberries and blackcurrants have ripened in over whelming numbers, plus going on holiday to Cornwall on the 24th - and found this one, as others have said, frustratingly obvious, but only once you got the answers. I've now staggered to an almost completed grid. Have jumped through all the hurdles in three quarters of it, but really struggled with the bottom right grid, and even with most of the answers in that section now in place, haven't identified all the extra letters. All that remains is 27d plus identifying those elusive letters and consequently that particular role.