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Hello again, Elle!
Problem!
I do not have "bridal train" in my Chambers or Bradford's.
Is there actually such a phrase, or am I getting more dottled?

Good afternoon, Rusty!
I am glad that you had a good time, meeting up with your friends!
So are they off home today then?
I hope the crossing won't be rough........
Now.......you have lost me completely!
A "he -bride" - what (or who) is that ?
I have never heard of the term?
"Bridal train" - are we talking of the long piece of material flowing out from behind a bride's wedding dress?
I am thoroughly confused!
I cannot find either "he-bride" or "bridal -train" in Chambers?
I especially liked 21a; 25a and 19d!
I got 12d because I knew the word....I cannot parse it?
And I'm assuming from the crossers that 17d is "anagram"?
But I cannot understand the clue?
I see we got "Sinatra" too, for good measure!
(As to "dottle"......another Scots word for my little black book?)

Hello, Elle!
Do you not use "dottled"?
A fine word!
He-bride.
Nowadays, there are same sex weddings.
Now if it was two men, one would be a groom and one would be the bride, surely?
A he-bride who could well have a retinue or "train" behind him.
This is my stab at it anyway!
I must confess I have never been to a same sex wedding.
Hippo campus could be a place where wallowers study?
A bit iffy, that!
17D is fairly simple.
"This paper's theme" is an "ANAGRAM" of "The Times, perhaps"
Excellent clue I think?

Hi, Rusty!
Oh dear!
Well, I don't know about "he-brides"...and trains....it's a weird clue to me.......
And I think I'll just stick with knowing that the hippocampus is in the brain and there are two of them!
(Two hippocampi, that is, not brains)
I'm mad about not seeing that anagram though!
Stupid of me!
Yes, a very good clue!
No, the only "dottle " of which I have heard is a plug of tobacco!
Raining here!

Hello, Elle!
My evening paper carries a plea tonight.
It is looking for a friendly home for two very young mice.
Sisters, called Chloe and Richenda.
I hope they are successful.
They look very cute!

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, I too hope that Chloe and Richenda soon find a good home!
I have my hands full with the newly resurrected/ cloned Mr. Jingles!
He is not the least cowed by his recent "death"!
I do not (as yet!) know very much about mice.......although for many years we kept gerbils.
Now I like gerbils.......at one stage, we had thirteen all at the same time.
This was before I learned to tell the gender.......the pet shop assistant supposedly sold us two males.........
He was in error!
It was fun watching the babies grow........and learn to fend for themselves!
After that, we always bred and reared our own gerbils.
We had guinea pigs, too, a hamster, and rabbits!
All this alongside a dog, and several cats.......oh, and of course the goldfish!
Did you go through all this when the boys were growing up?

Hello, Elle!
No, we had no pets like that, but both my sons have dogs now.
I am away out for a wee walk.
I have a letter to post and will take the scenic route.

Hey, Rusty!
How was your evening stroll?
It is getting dark here surprisingly early tonight.......I wonder if we are in for a storm.
I have no quiz programmes - "Eggheads" and "15 to 1" - to watch today.
All the schedules are altered, presumably because of the May Day holiday.
In times gone by there was Maypole dancing and the crowning of a May Queen in many localities.
I wonder when - and why - this custom died out?

Hello, Elle!
Yes, my stroll was fine.
My friends have sailed.
They will be in Belfast soon.
I do not think we have May Queens or Maypoles up here.
Just finished "The Hills"
Miss Peckwitt was at a wedding and they have no confetti like she is used to.
But old Murdoch has been saving up his eggshells for weeks and they scrunch them up and that is the confetti!

Hi, Rusty!
I have been reading all about May Day, and the Maypole, in my Brewers.
There is too much to type it all out here, but it is very interesting.......
Have a look?
One little nugget I unearthed is that May Day was also formerly the day of the London Chimney - Sweeps Festival!
I didn't even know they had one!
You have finished reading "The Hills is Lonely" very quickly.
I am envisaging a bride ....with the inevitable confetti in her hair......crushed eggshells somehow doesn't produce the right romantic image.......?
My books have been dispatched.......they will arrive on May 9th...
I cannot wait to begin reading them.....!
Will your friends text you when they are home safely?