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Hello, Elle!
You will be glad to be home!
How is your toe?
The Times puzzle is not too bad.
No harder than usual.
Put it down for a while, then come back to it.
Often helps!

Hi, Rusty!
Ah, my toe!
Well, I'll admit it got worse before it got better......however, the pain in the toe is now definitely lessening, although the foot is still swollen!
But I am sure I shall be all right (or near enough) by tomorrow!
Thank you for asking.
I am definitely not on the same wavelength as the setter of this crossword!
No, I shall give up, as I am not enjoying it.
I have all the time in the world this afternoon.......but no tennis or athletics to watch.
It's Sod's Law - last week, when there was tennis every day, I had little time to watch it!
I'm halfway through my Jeffrey Archer book.

Hello, Elle!
There is tennis on Eurosport now, from Stuttgart.
EuroSport is awash this week with tennis and athletics.
Think tomorrow is the Paavo Nurmi Games from Turku, Finland.
Good news about your toe.

Hi, Rusty!
Thank you.
I hadn't realised..... usually EuroSport send me alerts when there is tennis and athletics on Eurosport Player.
I have been relaxing on the sofa with my foot elevated - as advised.
I don't know if it really achieves anything?
I shall definitely check about the athletics tomorrow - I should like to watch that.
It looks like rain here now.

Hello, Elle!
Strange advice to hang your foot in the air?
Who advised that?
Laura Robson is out in the first round again.
Yes, I shall watch the Games too.
The javelin is very popular in Finland.
The report on British Cycling is getting announced on Wednesday.
Hope it is not a watered down version.
I do not know if Team Sky/Jiffy Bag are involved or not.
It is a fine evening here.

Hi, Rusty!
I must confess to having looked up "gout" (with regard to my big toe!) on Google!
I am naturally wary of what I read online, but choose to peruse the NHS site, as I thought this would be reliable.
It advised "resting and raising" the limb!
I am by no means certain that gout is what is wrong with my toe, but decided it couldn't do any harm to follow the advice!
So I have been reading my book with my right leg stretched out along the sofa!
It gives a whole new meaning to a "lady of leisure".
This British Cycling report has been a long time in the making, hasn't it?
I wonder what the findings will be?
Do you think justice will win out?
A lovely evening here, to, but a bit cold.

Hello, Elle!
I think it eminently sensible of you to peruse the NHS site.
Go with their advice.
It could well not be gout, but the description sounded like it.
Maybe an infection, or something.
I think up here we can phone up our NHS and they tell you on the phone what they think and give you advice.
I think the British Cycling report will be watered down so they do not look so bad.
They could lose millions of their funding, so I do not think we will get the unVarnished truth.
Did you get that? Unvarnished- Jess Varnish?
Same with "Jiffy Bag-Team Sky" inquiry.

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, I "got" the reference to the jiffy bag aka the mysterious package that was delivered!
I might have missed the "Varnish" reference though, as I had forgotten Jess' surname!
Very good!
I have belatedly just watched "15 to 1", and realised, as the result of a question on there, that I had never fully known the fairy-tale of "Rapunzel"!
I knew that she was locked in a tower, and let down her very long hair to let the prince climb up it to rescue her (or something like that?)
But I didn't know that she was called "Rapunzel", after the salad leaf so named that her mother craved to eat when pregnant!
How fascinating....did you know that?

Hello, Elle!
No, Rapunzel is new to me.
I know the names of the "Little Women" though.
I have not seen 15-1.
The "Varnish" came out of the blue, must have been in the back of my mind somewhere.
I follow Jess on Twitter.
She is a very nice girl.

A Very good morning to you, Rusty!
It is a lovely day here - and warm already.
Beautiful in the park.
The goslings are getting very big!
I am surprised that you do not know of Rapunzel? - it is a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
Although having said that I, of course, turned out to know only half the tale!
I have bought a paper today....John is away (again!)
Still, I can then read about Theresa May's exploits when I have done the crosswords!