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Hello all - regular reader (really love this forum) but rare poster, prompted to today as I fill the actual paper in and this week in the supplement there was a feature of crossword accessories which tickled me…. Not only was the Everyman filled in, in PEN (who does that?!) but the pen was an £895 Montblanc fountain pen, also in the pic was a rolex watch for £8k, I shall think of you all in a new light now with fancy pens and watches! 😉😆….. anyway, back to the clues - feeling sillily stuck on 7d and 24 and 26a despite having all crossers. Would love a nudge in the right direction! Lucy

Finished, had the wrong word in 21d!

Listeners of the Archers will know that the subjects of 7d are quite topical at the moment.

7D - Think of industrious (non-human) dam builders.
24 The first word is a means of extracting oil (or water). The second is what a wage is. (Not a great clue.)
26 First part is an exclamation, as in Goodness... You'll be able to fill in the remaining blank once you've got that.

Thank you, lovely people - all sorted.

Jono @25
I'm sure I read last week (possibly in the Guardian or Private Eye) that the Observer will soon be behind a paywall

Hi Lucy, you have had some help with the other two, for 26 think of a rather old fashioned and polite expression of surprise, followed by "exhausted" lady. I thought this was a great crossword - I use pencil on paper too!