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Ah well, it is done now!
I did mine on line, with a five year old photo!
Took just over a week to arrive,

I am so relieved to read your posts and discover that even jazzgirl and chrise are having such difficulty. That makes me feel much better. For the radio presenter I put Anna Foster which I now read is wrong. I have never actually heard of either of these girls but found Anna`s name in RT. Also the red ace is unknown to me Thanks for the answer for the Girl Esther clue. For the first one across I have no letters so far!!! Back home to try again.

Hello again folks.
Knowing something about golf and railways made 8ac easy for me, but some of the other clues really got up my nose!
Please can someone explain to me, in simple terms how you get from “red ace” to “oenologist”. Post no 3 by Malone says that it is wine expert; but how do you get to that from the clue? Red wine? Why not white or rose wine? Red can point in so many directions. Why specifically wine? Does the “ace” mean “expert”? An –ologist is not necessarily an expert it can just be a student.
Is the idea here that you find all the clues across which intersect and then fit in the only word that will fit down and then find the connection?
Please, if I have not got the idea right, will somebody explain.
If this is the standard of clues we can expect in the future I shall not waste my time doing this crossword any more.

Hi wally
I agree both generally, and specifically about oenologist - however I will say in the clue's defence that the ? often implies "definition by example", hence a "red ace" is one possible oenologist.

Re forms. I applied for a Blue Badge. They ask for `yes` or `no` to questions which cannot logically be answered that way. The worst form I`ve ever had to fill in. May vary according to Council I believe. Mags.

Help please with 6ac. I have a colour, which is the only word that fits. It has an obscure reference to “cool” in the middle. But can anyone explain to me the “Inn” connection?

It`s from Auberge - a French inn. Can`t see `cool` yet!
mags.

cool = in = trendy
real cool ;)

I also found it hard this week - must be my age (75).
Still got 2 left: 17d (?R?I???) and 24a (???E?S?A?).
There was a reference to help about Girl Esther, but somehow I could not see it in the posts.

17 b r oiler

24 petersham (kind of tape)
anagram . Pam and Esther