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I’m sure it will give you no joy whatsoever to know that I am finding this fascinating. I will reveal all after the submission deadline; I am amazed at the effort you are all putting in.

I spent the first two weeks of the month way above the Arctic Circle, but the temperatures there were certainly warmer than this crossword. Hence I am running late. But I have now finished all but one clue, that is, 9A. I know about EDL, but could anyone please give me some (fairly detailed!) help here please? Then I can start unpacking. Thanks. Rob

were you looking for the window into another world, pendragon? Or are you not a P Pullman fan? 9a - def is first 2 words and ignore the capital G. Then elaborate wordplay - one letter from dd, 3 from extreme, the EDL you have, initials of ntrntnl and next word. What the last two words mean is a mystery to me - tho an earlier post implies it's not Scots ... but you should be there by now!

I think the surface justifies the capitals, because the Gs and the Ss wear uniforms - and the observer is attracted by one lot rather than the other (slightly risque, but a good surface... I think).

Thanks, Prospero. My wife and I enjoy aurora-hunting (and were very lucky again this year). I'm sure it will take me a while to analyse your comments. But maybe I should adopt a Shakespearean noms-de-guerre. Caliban perhaps. Thanks, Rob

...and I think the last two words give the last two of four initial letters required by the wordplay.

At least you won't mind our very cold weather so much, pendragon.

Thanks alps, drxx. Nah, it's lovely and warm here in Wales. Rob

drxx is quite right with that explanation. The initial letters of the final four words of the clue make up the last four letters of the answer. 'yng' is possibly not what it might seem at first glance.

Coming v. late to this, down to last three now, grateful for help with14a,: is it boats or beats?
16d:I have just a D as last letter but not convinced and 19a.: I have T?C?? Presume 'Go' is 'try'? And def. is outrage? Thanks.

14 is beats. 16 last letter is g, def is last four words. 19 go and outrage are right.