Author: Sloop John Bee

24th January 2026 

The Blog will be celebrating its seventeenth birthday next January 28th 2026.

I have started the ball rolling with The Bridge House and reserved the bar area we have used in the past for Saturday the 24th January, from noon onwards.

I hope that those who came last year enjoyed it and it should be just as good again, however, I don’t think Mama Bee will be able to cope with a weekend in London again. I expect she will spend a weekend with my sister “babysitting”.

Last year, Smylers provided a quiz, Prolixic a couple of puzzles, Elgar a double toughie and Rahmat Ali contributed too. I am also hoping that as well as Bloggers and Setters, anyone who comments will feel as welcome as I did the first time I came. There is not a lot to do in the way of organising, but an assistant to welcome attendees/manage name tags and Teams links would be great – a volunteer is worth ten pressed men.

Big Dave was very keen on explaining crosswords, and “Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English” remains in our banner as his mission statement. Rookie Corner is one of the finest things he initiated, and it has introduced many people who have gone on to set puzzles for The Telegraph and other national newspapers. I invite anyone to consider setting a puzzle for the Birthday Bash, even if they are mainly completed on the train home. My fellow bloggers, and maybe Rossophile and Deansleigh (who cut their blogging teeth on the Telegraph Centenary puzzles), could help with an explanatory blog.

Continue reading “A date for your diary… Big Dave’s 17th Birthday Bash”