Hi, Rusty!
That is good that all went well with your MOT!
(You must have been doing some of the things, then, that the nurse had told you to do!)
Did you get chance to watch any of the Opening Ceremony of the Games?
I missed all of it, but hope to catch the highlights later.
I should like to see Eilidh carrying the flag.
You mentioned 12d...I couldn't do that one?
I have A?E?P?G?T?S
but no ideas.......?
I liked 1a: bumblebee; 6d: agitato and 17d: Riviera
New words for me were "marquessate" and "anchoret"
Seemingly "anchoret" is another version of "anchorite" though...and I have heard of that.
I cannot parse 21a...."one over the eight"?
So what sort of soup are you making?