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Good morning friends. Hope none of you suffered from the recent winds. Lovely blue sky here but considerably colder. Hope you enjoy today's offering. Have fun! J

I set clues just for pleasure. I wonder if some of you excellent regulars would like to try a few? Since they're new, no letters!

Please withhold solutions till 5 pm (GMT) to allow others to have a go.

1. Brace a slightly inferior fiddle (7)

2. College heads in Japan eat sushi using soupspoons (5)

3. Be quick to link beauty with informal cosmetic! (4,6)

4. Try to find workers, reportedly cutting lines (7)

5. Decapitated Eastern aristocracy? (8)

Good morning jolan,
It's good you missed the worst of the storm, Glasgow just saw rain, lots of, but we weren't expecting to be affected.
I see 1 & 2 and will give the others some thought later on.
Cheers

Hi, Jolan! Got 1, 2 & 4; have an idea for 5 but can't really belueve it; still pondering 3 !

Hi Ginge. Good to hear the weather did not affect you.

This is not crossword related.
I spent the last good while trying to find the cost (or nil cost) of 0300 numbers in the UK I'm with BT ANYTIME with "free" 0870 and 0845 numbers included. I note many firms (including HMRC have changed to an 0300 number (for our convenience?). I telephoned BT (India!) and asked for the if 0300 numbers are chargeable (and if so, are they included in ANYTIME). After being read several stock answers, none of which answered my query, she investigated further, eventually telling me the 0300 numbers were "premium rate numbers" and are not included in my ANYTIME plan.

I did not quite believe this, so I contacted a live-chat BT helpline and "spoke" to Vijay Kumar (in India too ?)
Vijay investigated and informed me that 0300 numbers are FREE. I asked her to check in light of what I had been told earlier. Here is a paste of my closing chat. I've cut and pasted the chat into Word.

John : Thank you Vijay. Many UK companies are going from 0870/0845 (free on my plan) to 0300 which I think are not.

Vijay Kumar: I have checked and all 0300 number are free

John : Vijay. That's strange. I telephoned a BT helpline earlier and was told 0300 is a premium rate number. I found this hard to believe and decided to email for help. Are you sure?

Vijay Kumar: Yes I have checked and its free

end of chat.

I cannot seem to find a UK telephone number to speak to someone in the UK. I'm still unsure about those perky 0300 numbers. The posters here are FAR more than crossword experts. I wonder if anyone has any definite information on the 0300 topic.

Hi GK. Great stuff! I was wondering whether or not to include #5, But, from past experience, the solvers here haven't considered my questions slightly unfair. Hope this is true of #5.

Just grabbing a rare moment of access to the site to say hello. I see the first three so far. So you guys got the hurricane this time!

Hi Ari. Yes! Thanks for sending it across the pond :).
Are you still having problems logging on? I wonder why?

Hi Jolan - Take a look at this link to Ofcom which explains the use of 0300 numbers.
http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/2009/09/what-are-03-numbers/

Hi Jolan
I can confirm that 0300 numbers are free on the BT unlimited anytime plan. However you must hang up before the 59th minute and redial if you are talking longer than the permitted hour. I had this confirmed in writing by Jagdish Basavaraju at BT
I may not have time to try your clues before 5pm as there is clearing up to be done in the garden after the storm but will give it my best shot x

may not

This is the first time I've been able to get on since my last post. I've tried various browsers, and when I can't get on not one of them works. This is the only site I have a problem with.

I love 5; I'd been barking up the wrong tree (you devil). Still have to think about 4 while driving around on errands, otherwise all set. Hope to be back (and able to get on) at closing time.

Tried to post this half an hour ago and the site went off again! Another try...