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Hello, Elle!
Yes, I deduced "nor" from North, but nowhere I looked could I find "joiner".
I have no idea what a conjunction is, but if you think it OK, that'll do for me!
I am not good at "hints".
But, at 17a, do what I did and consult Anne B's "plants".
"Draws" often take place at social occasions, in which you buy a ticket to paricipate.
11, the first word is a part of your anatomy, the setter is using "gas" to indicate it. Gas, as in talking.
22, is very simple.
An old fashioned word for "see/look", then an unusual word for "cracks", giving the answer which is "happenings" that took place in the Sixties, mainly in Californian hippiedom!
See how you go with them!

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, I think my parsing for 26d is fine.....
A conjunction is a word used to join sentences or clauses....such as "and , but, if...." (and in the case of 26d "nor")
Now.....
I have managed 17a: rafflesia = plant (def)
where "raffles" is "draws"
11d: jaw-dropping = awesome (def)
jaw - gas (as in natter)
dropping - manure
But I still cannot see 22a?
I've got "lo" for "look"......
Sorry for being so dim!
I think you are just going to have to tell me the answer outright!
And maybe explain it to me?
New words for me were "ivied", "crabeater", and of course "rafflesia".

Hello, Elle!
Well done on getting most of them.
"Lo" is correct. Now you need a word for vessels that carries blood in the human body.
That will give you the answer to "displays of mutual affection"!
I have never came across any myself, mind you!

Good afternoon, Rusty!
Ah.....
I never thought of "cracks", as meaning "veins"......
Of course!
"Love -ins".......
No, I never came across any, either!
Do you think we have been deprived?
You say these happened in the 1960s?
I was just discovering the Beatles at that time!

Hello, Elle !
A vein can be a "fissure", Chambers reckons, so I suppose that is OK.
I think the hippies had their love-ins in and around Haight Ashbury, San Francisco.
Fairly sure it was the Sixties.
No we missed nothing, I don't think.
My spell checker came on, out of the blue, earlier.
I have found it and switched it off.
No idea why it came on.

Hi, Rusty!
I don't know anything about spell-checkers?
I obviously mustn't have one switched on......
Do they spell "American - wise" though?
Or can one set it to "British" English?
I am just off out (but briefly) with the dog.... a shame to waste all this sunshine!

Hello, Elle!
I found the settings for the spell-checker under "Language and input".
Yes, you can choose which English in my Chromebook, anyway.
There are other settings too, to do with "input".
Fairly straightforward, though.
My Chromebook did an update yestreen, so that may have had something to do with the spell-checker being on.
Plenty sunshine here, too!

Hi, Rusty!
I did not know how to find spell checker.....
But I shall not be tempted to investigate the Settings on my computer, lest I mess up the present arrangement!
My daughter organised everything for me......I had better not intervene!
(She won't be happy, if she has to come and bail me out!)
Now, Athletics!
I have been browsing my new TV guide.....
And there are the last two Diamond League events being shown on BBC1 tomorrow, at 1.15pm
I shall look forward to that!
I must plan my day to accommodate it, or, rather, them!!
Are you going to watch?

Hello, Elle!
Best leave well alone, if your computer is working away fine.
I was reading that Dina Asher-Smith ran a superb last leg in the relay.
It was on EuroSport last night.
I am not sure of tomorrow or Sunday.
Our Food and Flower Festival is on this weekend.
And I may be asked to go, or more likely, do a bit of taxiing!
Miss La Bamba and Mum have baked a cake for the competition.
I got an email from Emma at the loch telling me that Laddie was last seen on the 26th, so he is off on his migration.
She said, too, there have been quite a few ospreys sighted above the loch coming from the North and flying South on their migration
So we appear to have an increasing population of ospreys here.

Hi, Rusty!
Your Food and Flower Festival sounds really great.......
I am sure you will all enjoy going to that!
Didn't Miss L-B and your daughter-in -law win the cake competition last year?
I certainly remember them entering the event!
Fingers crossed that they do well this time around, too!
Where is the Show held?
Maybe you could record the Diamond Leagues if you are going to be out?
Yes, Dina Asher- Smith is brilliant!
I've just checked in my "Junk Box"...yes, I have an email from Emma, too!
Let us hope that Lassie, Laddie and the two chicks make it safely to Africa!
We'll hope to see Lassie and Laddie back here again next year!
We had food from the chippy tonight!
Very nice , too!