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Hi, Rusty!
Did you have a good walk?
I am on my last book of Miss P's in the Second Omnibus, so may well be tempted to see if I can order more!
I wonder if we have been mistakenly maligning her.......maybe she is nicer than we thought, if those children liked her?
It does actually say at the front of the books that "the characters in this book are not intended to be those of any living persons".
(It doesn't say that they don't take after dead ones, though!)
I have done the 15 x15!
Now, I thought today's puzzle was reasonable?
Just two I couldn't do..... 9a and 6d........and irritatingly they crossed each other, so I do not have many letters.
My favourites are 20a and 18d.
(15a put me in mind of Miss P and her labours!)
Have you done your puzzle now?

Hello, Elle!
I thought it a tough crossword today.
I have just completed it.
I may have got on better if I knew how to spell "abattoir"!
I misspelled it!
You have done well in finishing it, Elle.
Miss P offended her neighbours at Elgol.
If her works are all fiction she should come out and say so, instead of "semi-autobiographical".
Her neighbours did not think they were fiction.
This front of the book statement about the characters not being of real people is to keep her out of court in case she was sued, I think.
These folk befriended her and were maligned by her in her books.
She offended them and I see no apology.
Two faced describes it, the way I see it.
I do not think I would be giving her the time of day either.
But....she writes very good tales!

Elle, I forgot to mention.
I am fairly sure I saw three chicks earlier today!

Good afternoon, Rusty!
It is difficult, though, sometimes, to dissociate the writer from the stories themselves if you do not like him or her.
Look how I felt affected by my growing dislike of James Michener, having read his autobiography.
I cannot at present bring myself to read "Alaska".
(Yet, despite Jeffrey Archer's being imprisoned, I have read every one of his books, plus his prison diaries!
He writes such a good tale, I cannot resist reading his books.
Uhm!)
I have managed to do 6d, "vaguer".
And this gives me another letter for 9a, but the answer to this must be "abattoir," as you have mentioned it and I don't have it elsewhere amongst my answers.
But I don't understand the clue?
Unless it's meaning that an animal comes in alive only to be killed (taken out?)
If this is what it means, then I think it's a horrible clue!
And if not this...then what does it mean?
I have looked in on Lassie but can only see her; she must be sitting upon all else in the nest!

Hello, Elle!
Sorry for "abattoir."
I thought you had finished the puzzle.
Yes, it is a so-so clue.
Your interpretation of the clue is the same as mine.
I agree about Michener.
Not a nice person.
i will read him no more.
Miss Peckwitt has not done anything remotely approaching his misdemeanour.
She appears to have had a son, too, who wrote children's books about the Isle of Man.

Still just two chicks, but lovely pictures of Lassie (I think) feeding them at the moment.

Hi, Rusty!
No apologies needed for "abattoir" - I had said, anyway, that I couldn't do that clue!
And now, knowing the answer, I think the clue is in rather bad taste.
I didn't know that Miss P had a son as well as an illicit husband!
I shall look on Amazon and see what else of hers I can find to read!
Otherwise, I may suffer from withdrawal symptoms!
Right, I am going out for a walk - the rain has ceased for now.......the dog is poised for action!

Hello, Elle!
My postman has just delivered "A Rope in Case", "Beautiful Just", and "Bruach Blend", all by Miss Peckwitt!
She has written novels, too.
She has her own page on Amazon so you should find something there.
We could do with a couple of days of your rain!
Very dry weather here!

Hi, Rusty!
We are just back from the park, having narrowly avoided the rain.
It is now raining fairly heavily, yet sunshining at the same time!
April showers in May?
I have "A Rope - In case" and "Beautiful Just!" in my Second Omnibus.
Did you look to see if the books are illustrated - and if so, by whom?
I really like my sketchy drawings!
I am now going to do a search on Amazon for more of "Becky's" books!

Hello, Elle!
Just had my stewed steak dinner and it was fine!
My books are "decorated" by Douglas Allan, too.
The are very good decorations, I think!
Still dry here.
My son says we need a "freshet" in the rivers to bring the salmon in from sea.
A couple of days of rain would be welcome.
I see you have tennis every day next week on EuroSport.
The qualifiers for the French Championships.
Hope you find some more of Miss Peckwitt's books!