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Good afternoon, Elle!
No, I have not looked at the puzzle yet!
I shall add my tuppence worth later, if that be fine?
My broadband/wifi is a bit reluctant this past few days and I have been on to BT to see if they can encourage a better performance from it.
They told me to poke a pin in the hub to do a reset!
So, running later than normal today.
Not opened my paper yet!
Glad Centennial helped you.
By the time you have read Alaska and Tales of the South Pacific etc, there won't be much you don't know!
Not many have an opinion on the Pribilofs, you know!
Anyway, good luck with the baby sitting!

Hello, Elle!
I think Mr Rogan has employed a setter from planet Zog today!
He is very singular, shall we say!
"Diddums" is a word?
"Gruntled"? I have only seen "disgruntled" before, but Anne Bradford has it, so....
18a "Clowder", nope, new word to me.
26d, Gloriana means Elisabeth the 1st. New to me, again.
20, "Indeed canning goes wrong for spray"(7)
Nosegay. Anag of "goes" inside "nay". Does "nay" mean "indeed"?
Not to me.
21, Never a homonym!
Now, 1a, the parse is, does/deer, mark/sign, designer. OK?
24, This is this Cockney slang, Elle.
A "syrup" is a "wig", from "syrup of figs", though figs and wig do not rhyme, surely? Answer is "s wig". Bottom of glass is "s".
Your friends who eat off "plights" may be able to explain it better?
18, i told you would become an expert on Herefords!
it was a good challenge today, as it should be, though I would quibble one or two words with the man from planet Zog!

Hi rusty

"Diddums" in certainly a word. "Aw diddums" was frequently used in our family to rebuke someone being childish.

Clowder is a word used for some fells near us - I don't know what your definition was.

Britten wrote an opera about Elizabeth I entitled "Gloriana". However her contemporary madrigalists produced a book they called "The triumphs of Oriana". Not sure about the connection!

Hello, Chris,
The "clowder" clue.
18a, "Wine knocked over by a hundred despicable cats, all together"(7)
And you have a cat, too!

Two, in fact, and they often pile up!

I believe the Royal barge is called Gloriana.

Here's a fell. I don't know what it might have to do with cats!

btw The vicarage at Arncliffe (just up the valley) was where Charles Kingsley is reputed to have written "The Water Babies".

Forgot to add the link!

http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=30062

Possibly wildcats there at one time?
Or feral ones?

Hi, Rusty!
We are back home now.
The babysitting went well.
Both the boys were very well- behaved and Baby settled nicely, despite never having been left without his mum or dad before!
He eventually fell asleep on my knee!
The Parents' Evening went well - the teacher was very pleased with BB and said that he was a delight to teach!
As a reward for his progress, he now gets to bring TWO reading books home!
Yes, I had to look up "gruntled " in Chambers!
I knew a "clowder of cats" - but did you know that an alternative grouping is a "glaring of cats"?
How about that one?!
Thank you for the parsing of the ones that I was unable to work out!
"Designer" really had me beat!
And I didn't know that "syrup of figs" meant wig - or wigs???
Your explanations saved my sanity!!!
I have seen the Royal barge "Gloriana" - it (should that be 'she'?) is moored in the marina at St Katherine's Docks ( near the Tower of London).