Once upon a time I lived in London with my parents. My mother (and her father) were keen clever solvers of The Times and she taught me in the same way as you have done. I remember – “They are roofless in Castile” Answer “Incas” and the thrill of discovering that orchestra was an anagram of carthorse.
Then in 1958, aged 18, I broke my neck and was treated by Guttmann in Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Life changed and I qualified as a solicitor and worked in Winchester. Retired at 55 for health reasons. Now in a wheelchair and very immobile. Met a couple 5 years ago at the Anvil Concert hall in Basingstoke and discovered that they were regular and good solvers of the DT cryptic. Then discovered you who explained so many things e.g. why OR can means privates.
Now the crossword is the thrill of my housebound life. Always finish with 40 minutes average. I owe you so much. Thank you to you and yours.