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Hello, Elle!
Hope your family are on the mend, but you are correct in prioritising your husband's health.
Hopefully they will arrive bugless!
Yes, great news about Nicola, and well deserved.
She puts in many hours encouraging the young ones, and has to fit it all in with her concert programme.
I saw her being interviewed the other day and she was telling about her Stradivarius violin.
She does not own it, but some kind person loans it to her.
Finished my puzzle.
9a is new to me, and 13a and 21a, and 12d.
And I do not see the parse at 23a, but I'll come back to it!

Hi, Rusty!
The Midlanders are hoping to arrive tomorrow (Sunday).
But if "push comes to shove"...they could still come on Monday!
Just so long as they hopefully make it (bugless!) for the birthday itself, on New Year's Day!
Oh dear..."the best laid plans of mice and men....".....eh?
I, too have finished the crossword ..and cannot parse "tautological" in 23a ?
I wondered about a homophone......but couldn't see how that would work?
("taut sounds like "taught"?)
The definition is "repetitive", isn't it, as "tautology" is saying the same thing twice, using different words.
I have "taramasalata" = "fishy one" (cod roe) for 12 d and cannot parse the rest of that, either?

Hello, Elle,
Hopefully the bugs will go before they leave.
I can not parse "tautological", too.
Ford make a car named "Ka", that may be the "cal" bit?
But, I will go back to it after the football finishes.
The other one is "tara"( I'm leaving), with "masala"(some kind of Indian food, I think?) and "ta"(I'm grateful).
A good puzzle, today!

Hi, Rusty!
Ah, the Indian one had me foxed!
I did not think of "I'm leaving" as meaning "Tara", but rather I was looking for an Indian recipe from which I could remove the letters "IM".
I was completely on the wrong track!
What football match are you watching?
Well, now that I do not have to wait in for my family to arrive today......I shall away to the shops to get some food with which to feed the masses.....
I hope the supermarket will not be too busy!

Hello, Elle!
I think there is a "masala" to do with Indian food, is there?
I thought it was a good clue.
I watched the racing instead of football.
I think the supermarket should be busy!

Hello, Elle!
Success!
I have finally worked out "tautological"!
"Sound" is "logical".
Ford Motors had the famous Model "T",
"Car" in US is an "auto".
"T"+ "auto"+ "logical".
Meaning "repetitive".
That took me ages to get there!

Good evening, Rusty!
Whew! You were right about the supermarket being busy!
I am never going shopping again!!!
(Just remind me of that, should I be so foolish as to suggest it .....)
Mission more-or-less accomplished, though......so a trip not in vain.
Very well done on parsing "tautological".
I think that is very clever of you!
It is an excellent clue!
Yes, Masala is an Indian dish.
I have had beef masala - very tasty!
Speaking of food....I wonder what we might have for dinner....
Have you had yours?

Hello, Elle!
I would not dream of going to a supermarket on a Saturday afternoon!
"Tautological" was a good clue, but I was getting nowhere with it, and abandoned my initial thought, that "sound" was "taut".
And back to square one!
Once I had "logical" for "sound", within a minute or two, the rest followed.
I have heard of "tikka masala" but have no idea what is it!
I had porridge and a pear for my tea.

Hi, Rusty!
No, I do so agree.....shopping at a weekend is not normally on my agenda, either.
But we have limited fridge and freezer room......and a large number of people for whom to cater on Tuesday......
So I did the best I could!
Finding appropriate storage space is not easy.
I just hope folk will like the food provided and enjoy themselves.
I am going for "easy" options!
The main object being to spend time with family and friends.... and not be stuck in the kitchen!

Hello, Elle!
Ah, you are one up on me!
I have no freezer!
Have in plenty fruit and cereals etc so you have little or no cooking.
That would be my plan.
I see there is a new show on BBC next Saturday.
"The Greatest Dancer".
Alesha Dixon and Jordan Banjo (Ashley's brother) are in it, but so is Cheryl Cole.
I'll try it anyway, cause I like Alesha and Jordan.
Any more news on the bugs?