Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27580
Hints and tips by archy and mehitabel
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment **
Hola from the Vega Baja and Oxford. The weather in Spain is still blistering hot (38C yesterday) but poor Oxford grey and drizzle with a bit of an Auntmnal feel this morning.
Yesterday it was scchua’s swansong and today it’s ours. The alleycat has decided that, as she’s really a reincarnation of the Great Queen Cleopatra, it is beneath her dignity to be seen consorting with a mere cockroach, even one with the soul of a free-verse poet. She’s now going off to search out a suitable aristocat and has graciously appointed Kath to pick up the pieces on a Thursday. For my part, I think I must have been watching too many old episodes of Star Trek as it’s inspired me to go on a search for a speech operated computer so I don’t have to keep bashing my head on the keyboard. In future you’ll just have to put up with pommers sharing the Thursday slot with Kath and Falcon. We’ve both enjoyed doing the blog together but now it’s time to move on, but . . . We’ll be back!
Anyway, on to the crossword. We both thought this was a tricky little rascal for us to finish on and with some rather dodgy definitions and wordplay so we’ve gone for **** difficulty and only ** enjoyment. It will be interesting to see your comments as when I say it’s hard everyone else usually says it’s easy-peasy and vice versa. Must be a wavelength thing.