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Update, Elle and Kenyatta,
This link gives details of the Scottish schools holidays.
Says, too, Easter Monday is not a bank holiday up here.

https://www.scottscastles.com/blog/scotland-school-holidays-2019/

Hi, Rusty!
It is glorious here!
I am sitting out in the garden, in the lovely sunshine, reading........
I'm just popping indoors occasionally to check for messages.
I do agree those are difficult questions to answer, Rusty!
And probably the answers vary from area to area....
Near us, the shops are open today.......the buses and other forms of transport are as normal, but the banks and GP surgeries are closed ,as are the libraries.
On Easter Sunday though, the large supermarkets round us, such as Tesco and Sainsburys are always closed all day.
Easter Monday can vary.......most shops will be open, but other services closed.
Yes, it was good puzzle on the whole for me... I got stuck, though, in the top right-hand corner..... two crossing clues.....
11a: Swapping hands, put down part of spur (5)
R?W??
8d: Periodic losses suffered by skilled young swimmers (4)
S???
I have no ideas here?



Thanks for info, Ros....
I've never come across such a service.

Hi elle
ROWEL - the spiky part of a riding spur. LOWER with L and R swapped
SILD - alternate letters of SkIlLeD - young herring(? - I'll have to look that up!)

Yes, herring. John West sell them in cans!

Hello, Elle!
It is a beautiful afternoon here, too!
There are folk sitting out in the sun.
I think maybe, in years gone by, that the schools took holidays here to tie in with when the children may have been needed to work on the farms.
Certainly, when I was at the school, we called the Autumn holidays the "tattie holidays", because we all came off school and went picking tatties for two weeks, and in Summer it was "berry picking" holidays, but other than that, I have no idea why the holidays are all over the place up here.
The money the kids earned was very welcome to their families.
All our shops open on Easter Sunday, and B&Q will do a roaring trade.
11a, Elle, is what 21a may have worn! "Rowel". Take the word "lower" and swop "l" and "r". It is a circular jaggedy bit of a spur.
8d, is the alternate letters in "skilled", giving "sild", which I think is a name for herrings.
Quite a good mix in the puzzle today, I thought, long may it go on!

In England, the one day when the great god Supermarket may not be worshipped is Easter Sunday. Not at all.

Hi, Rusty!
It has been great sitting out in the garden........just a pleasant temperature.
I do not like the heat!
Yes, that makes good sense about the potato and berry picking holidays .......and making money to help out family expenses.
That could well account for the varying term dates in different localities.
Thank you for helping me with the crossword.
I did not know either of those words, so would never have worked that out for myself.
Nor had I heard of "bowdlerise" in 10a.
My favourite clues were 14d: afterwards; 26a: Eliot ; and 27d: balladeer
How about you?
Do you have a "favourite"?



Hello, Chris!
Thank you for the explanations.
Both "rowel" and "sild" are new words for me!
Did you see my earlier message, sent mid morning?

I missed that, elle. I'm shocked that you aren't actually called elle! Elle Woods is one of my favourite film heroines (Legally Blonde).

Good evening, Elle!
I am not fond of heat, too.
The "berry picking" money often went to pay for those who needed school uniforms, which were fairly expensive.
Now, I had seen "bowdlerise" but I did not know its meaning.
It sent me to Collins to find what did it mean!
I had 2d wrong for a while. I had "retry" instead of "reply"!
I liked 12a, "trysted" and 23a "airflow".
I have "zeta" for 25d, but I was not certain if "insurgent" could mean upwards to reverse "ate"?
Other than that I am fairly content about the outcome.

Good evening, Rusty!
My goodness, yes, I remember school uniforms being very expensive......
I wonder how my parents managed to pay for mine ..... there was only one "outfitter" and so the prices were exorbitant, as there was no competition.
We were luckier with our own girls, in that the school had a second -hand uniform sale!
Very well patronised by everyone!
"Insurgent" means "rising in revolt" so as the clue is a "down" one, I think that fits well?



Chris, I have seen "Legally Blonde" .......Reece Witherspoon as "Elle"......