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Hi, Rusty!
I am coming round to your way of thinking that this is an awful clue in the Sunday Times!
One of the reasons that I like the Everyman crossword so much is that the parsing always fits exactly with every bit of the clue (providing of course that one has answered correctly!)
We have just come home........having taken advantage of the wonderful sunshine and gone out for a walk.
We went through the woods - a quieter - and not TOO muddy - venture.
I do not have a copy of the ST puzzle as yet... I came in with the dog...and my husband has gone to Sainsburys to see if he can get a paper ( we have left it a bit late today!)
I doubt I shall make much progress with the puzzle, if you found it odd.......

Update, Rusty!
Well.....after a fashion, I have finished the ST cryptic puzzle........in that I have filled in the grid!
There are a few that I haven't been able to parse fully...but after my epic disaster with an "aha moment", I shall not bother to struggle further!
I saw the puzzle as a challenge.......but I did not enjoy it!

Hello, Elle!
I did not enjoy ST cryptic either.
It was not terribly hard, maybe just the setter's style?
But, there was something a bit awkward about it, I felt.
David McLean was the setter.
He sets for the Independent, too.
Anyway, there will be a better puzzle tomorrow!

Hi, Rusty!
I have been browsing Amazon to find a child's dictionary.
BB is an excellent reader for his age , and also loves writing stories.
He does really well at this!
But there are certain words that he cannot yet spell.
He will be 6 at the end of January.
To his credit, if he cannot spell a word , he writes it phonetically.
But I thought he might enjoy having an easy-to-use dictionary.
I think that it might be best to go to a bookshop - say, Waterstones? - and take a look at the children's reference books "in the flesh"......
I could then order from Amazon once I knew what I wanted?
It is not easy to decide just browsing online.......
Time now to phone my cousin......

Hello, Elle!
A good plan going to Waterstones, I'd say.
And you want your gift to be just "right".
So best leave Amazon and go to a good bookshop like Waterstones.
Amazon is fine for us older ones getting second hand books, but not for a gift for your grandson.
Hope your cousin is fine!

Good morning, Rusty!
A very dark, dull morning here......although, so far, not raining.
Very cold.
However, my friend in Calgary tells me that the temperature there is minus 30C, so I don't think I should complain!
I hope this morning finds you feeling somewhat better?
I have just printed out the crosswords.
Let us hope that we find today's puzzle more to our taste..........

Hello, Elle!
Another fine morning here, but very cold.
Was minus 4C when I was out.
A bit to go to match Calgary!
I have finished the puzzle.
I have not heard of 20a, or it's author.
Some tricky clues!

Hi, Rusty!
Goodness, minus 4 is very cold!
I should stay indoors if I were you, until it warms up a bit!
Our sky is a funny colour.......almost as though it will snow......altho' this is not forecast.
I'm finding this crossword puzzle very hard?
Much harder than the ST yesterday, in fact, although I did not like that one.
Re 20a: I knew of the composer, Ravel, of course, but not the result of the anagram......Lavengro.......nor of the author, whom I have discovered to be George Borrow.
I doubt I shall manage to finish this puzzle.......it is much too hard for me.
I have come back to it now and again, but am not making much progress!
Disappointing after yesterdays' debacle!
I must ring my daughter...I have discovered she phoned whilst I was out!

Hello, Elle!
Yes, very cold here.
I went for a walk, though, a brisk one!
It is not an easy puzzle today, no.
Couple of hints.
1a, is a Shakespearean character.
5a, A very unusual girl's name forms part of the clue, around "mo" for second.
I have only known of one woman who had this name.
Miss Scott, who read the news and did current affairs programs years ago.
Not keen on the definition for 11a.
Can this word mean "direct"?
25A, Nothing to do with football!
Hope they prove to be a help!

Hi, Rusty!
Well done on your stoicism in going for a walk in such a temperature!
We stayed indoors this afternoon, and kept warm!
I had already been out for nearly two hours with the dog, early this morning.
Yes, I knew "Portia", and had done that one.
Selina Scott was a help........and I got "squally" then with the "s".....
I had been searching everywhere for some reference to equate "robust" with "direct" for 11across? It isn't a synonym I would have come up with?
"Weaponry" for 25a.
I have done about three-quarters of the crossword.....and am going to rest on my laurels!
Enough is enough!