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A Very Good morning to you, Rusty!
Raining here.....very steadfastly!
It looks like a suitable morning to do household jobs...and crossword puzzles! ...and leave the High Street shopping, and further walking, till later, in the hope that this afternoon is set fairer.
Foyers is near Loch Ness, isn't it?
Could you have had a sighting of the Loch Ness monster, do you think?

Hello, Elle!
Turned dull and drear here!
It does not say if today's is a champioship puzzle or not.
Maybe it is next Wednesday?
Yes, Foyers is on Loch Ness.
No, I am not claiming to have seen the beastie, at all.
Just something that we have no explanation for.
Looked like an enormous bin bag with no wake about 70 yards from shore.
It took me about 10 or 15 seconds to pull in to the side of the road to get a better look through a gap in the trees, and it had disappeared by then.
We simply do not know what we seen.
I do have an open mind about the beastie, though!

Good afternoon, Rusty!
It is pelting down with rain here!
We had decided to go to the hospital this afternoon for my husband to have his Xrays.
Got as far as the bus stop....nearly drowned by this time......but..... no bus turned up!
Decided eventually to give it up as a bad job and come home, and go another (drier?) day!
It seemed a safer option, as the Xray department closes at 4.30 pm, so would possibly not have made it in time.
What a nuisance!
I thought today's puzzle was perhaps too uncomplicated to be the Championship one?
I just have the one clue,19a, that I cannot parse,
I didn't know that "net" could also be spelt "nett"!
Although Chambers assures me that it can.

Good evening, Elle!
Rain here, too!
A pity about your bus not appearing.
The Times normally say when it is a championship puzzle, but they did not today, so....?
Ah 19a!
I got that instantly!
I have came across this before and got an answer in Bradford's!
I suspect it is a word in it you do not know?
Anyway! I have "Nantes", the French city as the answer.
Back of garde"n" is "n".
"n" is "housed" in "behind".
A word for "behind or bottom/bum" is "nates",
Giving "Nantes".
Check Bradford's under "bottom"?
Yes, I knew of the "net/nett".

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, the bus failure was very annoying.
We have no alternative but to go by public transport, as there are no parking facilities available at the hospital.
Thank you for parsing 19 across......"nates" is a new word for me!
Now how did you parse 23d?
The answer is "The Who" = band (def)
I thought that it was simply a play on words....that if the band were out of fashion, and someone referred to them..... you might say "The Who?" in a questioning tone.
But the following was quoted on another thread as a possible answer - I've copied and pasted it below.....
[credit to Paulmcl@the times
quote
""think THE WHO works by being HEW (fashion) in THO (still). With the last bit of the clue saying they go in the other way around from what the first part of the clue says.""]
A very clever interpretation?.......
But I was quite happy with my own more basic solution!
Can there be two ways of parsing this ....or am I way out?
What do you think?

Hello, Elle,
I do not drive to hospital, too.
Parking can be a bit of a scutter.
Now, I must confess I did not parse 22, once I realised that The Who fitted.
A quick look at Bradfords assured me that "hew" means "fashion" and that was that. With "still"/"tho(ugh)"
I do not know Paulmc@times?
I do see what you are at with your parse but I do not quite see it working, Elle.
You are not way out, but for me, not quite there.
But a good original effort, so well done!
Heavy rain here!

Hi, Rusty!
I do not know who "Paulmc@times" is either, Rusty!
His answer was just quoted on another thread.
I was perfectly happy with my own solution until I came across that!
Ah well!
I have been playing catch up and watching first "Eggheads... and then "Fifteen to One".
Now I am going to settle down with my book......and a coffee......
Our rain has finally stopped!



Hello, Pigale!
Are you about?
I am just wondering whether you have recovered from your exertions yesterday?
I hope your weather is better than ours?
We have had heavy rain for most of the day!

Hello, Elle!
I have just finished reading my paper!
I am all behind with watching television programmes about WW1.
They engross me.
I think, in a few days, there is one called "War Horses".
I think it is about the "walers".
The Australian horses who went to war with the Australian Light Horse.
I am looking forward to that.
Wonder if Sandy will be in it?
Miss La Bamba and me are scheduled for the Pine Cone on Friday, but we have wild weather forecast, so we shall wait and see how the day turns out!

Hello Elle and Rusty!

Yes, I am still around, until midnight when I take my last 'fix' before
bed!

I did sleep like a baby last night, and my back was all the better for
it this morning! I still hurt, but much less so long as I do very
little! No standing up for too long.
Still, a big improvement.

We had a dull day too, although no big rain, just drizzle I think -
It might have rained more seriously last night, but cats were not
very wet. Very mild for this time of the year though - like it is with
you I think - Sunshine promised for tomorrow, or so they say!

Sorry you missed your going to the hospital for your husband
because of bus not turning up! Does this happen often?
Things ain't not what they used to be!

Hope your wild weather on Friday is not too wild Rusty!

Hi, Rusty!
You are indeed late reading your paper!
We are like that, though, with the Sunday Times....the only paper that we buy.....it takes all the following week to read it!
I should be very interested to see the programme about the Australian war horses.
Am I likely to have access to it?
On what channel is it showing?
I still think the mounting of Sandy 's head on a wall was a bit "sick"!
I hope you and Miss L-B are able to go out on Friday, and bad weather does not prevent you .
Our local weather forecast says 'dull tomorrow but dry', with more rain on Friday!




Hello, Pigale!
I am glad that you are showing some improvement.
You have certainly had a raw deal!
The bus that we had planned to catch to the hospital does not run very frequently, so failure of one to turn up can be very frustrating!.
There are other buses further afield, but my husband did not want to walk too far at either end of the journey.
Apart from the inconvenience , it did not really matter, as the Xray department works on a walk-in basis - no appointments.