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Hi, Rusty!
We had a great time with the family!
We all met up at the Toby Carvery for lunch!
A delicious meal and very good value for money.
Then everyone came back here.
They have just left in time for BB to have his swimming lesson.
Are you having a good day?
Fell dreich here!

Hello, Elle!
Yes, a fine day here, but there have been showers, too.
Well done on the family lunch!
My day has been fine.
I decided to find out a bit about the Seabrook brothers.
A terrible tragedy.
In the course of my digging I discovered at least three families in Britain who each lost five sons in WW1.
Queen Mary apparently thanked one of the mothers for her great sacrifice.
The broken hearted woman replied, "It was no sacrifice, Ma'am".
"I did not give them willingly."
I think that may have been Mrs Amy Beechey.
Just awful what happened!

Hi, Rusty!
I have been having great trouble with my computer this afternoon...it keeps shutting down.
My husband has very kindly just got it going again...but I am not sure for how long?
We cannot discover why this is happening......
A little notice keeps popping up on screen informing me it necessary to close the system...no reason given............
Just poof......and it's gone!
Again!
Yes, I cannot imagine being in the position of so cruelly having one son taken from me, let alone five.......
Poor woman!
I haven't yet looked at the crossword?
Still wet here!

Hello, Elle!
Rain here, too.
From what I have read, the parents were absolutely distraught with what happened.
Mrs Beechey's husband died in 1912 and she was bringing up her family alone.
Elle, what I would do is Google "computer keeps shutting down", or "computer closing the system".
That may throw up something to help?
Can you run Norton or whatever protects your computer, in case it is a bug?
Have you tried switching it off at the wall plug for a couple of minutes?

Hi, Rusty!
It is typical that this problem arose after my daughter had gone home!
We have a "home -grown" computer expert on the premises for several hours......and the problem arises after she leaves!
Yes, I did unplug it at the wall - that is always my first reaction to any problem!
Our anti virus protection automatically does regular scans, so I doubt there is a bug.
YB does tend to go around switching on/off everything in sight!
Despite his being steered away many times!
Maybe he touched something he shouldn't?
(He switched off the TV socket.... no one noticed ...and "Eggheads" didn't record!)
Anyway, fortunately the computer seems to be fine again now!
So fingers crossed it stays that way!
I shall now take a (very) belated look at the crossword!

Hello, Elle!
Hopefully your computer is OK now.
The puzzle was a good one today.
Though I was baffled for a while before I twigged I had 1 across spelled wrongly.
And there is a word in it with a meaning I did not know.
Good luck!

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, today's puzzle wasn't too difficult - more like a Saturday one, for me!
There were two words of which I didn't know the alternative meanings and had to check in Chambers.......
8d: sledge.....and 12a: bulldog
And 4d: "Statement genuine about City dumping yen (7)
gave me problems because I wanted to put "EC1" for "city" and it was a much simple answer than that!
"real" around "cit (y)"
I couldn't parse 21a....."maestro" = virtuoso (def)?
Please can you explain?

Hello, Elle!
I knew "sledge", it is used in cricket, but not "bulldog".
Virtuoso is maestro.
"left" is "port" in nautical terminology.
Without "p" for " piano", is "ort"
"Band" can be "seam" (bit weak).
"Backing" is "reversing"
ort + seam = Maestro.
I thought it quite a good puzzle!

Hi, Rusty!
Thank you!
I would never have got that .....even if I had continued to "worry" at it.
I am reading yet another of Arthur Hailey's books - this time "Hotel".
I shall be glad when my newly ordered books arrive.
I have received emails this evening to say that they have been dispatched ...no problem with email delivery this time.
I recorded a programme about Usain Bolt the other day....I haven't had chance to watch it yet.
Did you see it?

Hello, Elle!
I have started reading "Fire on the Mountain".
Apparently fourteen "hotshots" and "smoke jumpers" were killed in it, including four young women.
No, I have not seen Usain Bolt's programme.
I have episodes of Jeremy Paxman's WW1 documentaries to watch.
And the British Open Golf for Women starts tomorrow on SkySports so I shall watch that, too.
I have a small interest in Lexi, Lydia Ko, and Brooke Henderson, but am very wary of the South Koreans!
I hope it does not clash too much with the Athletics at the weekend!