Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

PS, Elle!
The crow is doing a bit of exploring in the nest now.
I think he will be looking for food morsels.

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, I see the crow......he does seem to be pecking something........he must be eating?
Ah, I was going to ask you whether your son was coming today....it is good that he is, and that you will see him later.
Does the fishing only happen on a Thursday?
Or can he do that an alternative day?

Hello, Elle,
He normally fishes on Saturdays, but has been invited the last two Thursdays to fish a beat on the South Esk, by someone he knows.
It is usually the Tay he fishes.

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, I knew that he had been invited by a friend to fish the South Esk.
I had just wondered - as he usually comes to see you on that day - whether that was limited to a Thursday.
I remember your saying that salmon fishing went better under duller weather conditions.
Don't forget that Laura Muir is competing in the 5000m heats tonight at 6.30pm, together with Eilish McColgan and Steph Twell!
And of course there is the Men's 200m Final with the (now well heard of ) Isaac Makwala, and Van Niekerk competing, plus our own Nethaneel Mitchell- Blake.
This is at 9.50 pm
Worth a watch!

Hello, Elle,
And the US PGA is on BBC Red Button!

Hi, Rusty!
I might just give that a miss, Rusty! even though my Red Button is now working fine!
I can see though that...for you..... golf might just hold priority over the athletics!
But I thought you might want to watch Laura?
Now the crossword......there are three I cannot do?
11a; 21d; and 26a.
I am completely stuck!
I couldn' t parse 10a
I have "sudoku" = "puzzle" but cannot see why?
And how can "ness" mean "girl" in 14a?
Daughter has just been on the phone - she is on her way home from work.
Your son will be arriving soon!

Hello, Elle!
I must see Laura!
11, 7A is J(ill), remove bad/ill.
According to is "as per".
21, Plump can mean opt? (m)ic(e), skinned.
26, Office can be station, with a y(ear), roughly can be "c" for circa.
Giving "staycation". Or y for year and "ca" for circa.
Seems to work both ways?
10, the special relationship is between the US and the UK,
the dangerous amount is "OD", for overdose.
I take your point regarding Ness being a girl.
I have came across Nessies before and there is Nessie at Loch Ness.
That seems a bit weak though.
Maybe we are adrift on that one?

Elle,
I am wondering if Ness is a diminutive of Agnes, though Chambers does not have it in the "names" section at the back of the Dictionary.

Ness is a Scottish forename (both female and male)
Also Ness is nickname for Vanessa

Ah, thank you, Cerasus!