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Good morning, Elle!
Fine day here, though I have not been out yet.
I knew "stot"!
I've had a quick look at the puzzle.
Seems tricky today!
So, I've put it away for now.
Got one or two things to do today.

Good morning, Rusty!
It's a nice day here, too!
Mildish.
Lassie is sitting on her eggs, alone in the nest....I haven't seen Laddie for a couple of days now?
It is unusual for you not to have been out yet for your paper?
I am just about to print out my own crosswords and have a quick look, before I do some jobs........
I hope the puzzle isn't going to be TOO hard!
If you are thinking it difficult , that doesn't hold out much hope for me!

Hello, Elle!
Laddie is often there.
He takes a turn incubating the eggs, too.
No paper today.
My oldest son was here doing a couple of jobs for me.
And I have some more for him for next week!
I thought the puzzle to be difficult, but my mind was not fully focused on it.
Give it a go and see how you get on?

Good afternoon, Rusty!
Yes, I gathered from the Blog that Laddie takes turns at "helping" with the eggs.
I just haven't been lucky enough to see him on those occasions.
It is good that your son can help you with some jobs.
I did my best with the 15 x 15 crossword early this morning.......
I liked some of the clues, especially 10a: adages: 15d: Siegfried; and 18a: scarlet- fever.
There are six, though, that I cannot do.......I have the crossing letters, but at present am completely stuck.
We are just about to go out for a short while....so I shall see if light dawns on my return!
Otherwise I may need to ask for help.......
Right, I shall go marshall the troops!

Good afternoon, Elle!
I am lucky that both my sons are skilled tradesmen.
So between them they can do most wee jobs for me (except electrical work).
I hope you manage your clues for I do not have a paper today.
Did the puzzle online.
So hope I can remember the answers/parsing!
Still a nice afternoon here!

Hi, Rusty!
We are having April showers!
It has been like this for most of the day......sunshining and raining!
We managed our second walk in between the showers.
A tad on the chilly side though.
I have struggled though most of the crossword......going back to it on and off.......
I cannot do 11d: Lazy hanger-on, the old sot, drunk after a couple (3 - 4,5)
?W?-T?E? / S?O?H
I will probably need you to explain it, too, please.
And I cannot parse 20d: Bird thrashing skyward ?(6)
I have LINNET, but cannot parse it?
Chilli con Carne for dinner.......

Hello, Elle
Fine evening here but a chill wind blowing!
11d, is a "two-toed sloth", anagram of "two"/number and "the old sot".
20d, Imagine Elle, if you were in a hockey match and your team were soundly thrashed 10 - 0, "ten nil", skyward means reversed in this instance, giving "linnet".
We used to call them "linties"!
I had a mackerel for my tea.
Was very nice!

Hi, Rusty!
Thank you for your help.
I would never have got either of those clues.
I have never heard of a "two-toed sloth"!
Nor of its being a "lazy hanger-on"!
I have just been watching a three part serial that I had recorded.
It is based on an Agatha Christie book called "Ordeal by Innocence".
I had thought that, in my youth, I had read all the Agatha Christie novels...but this one seems to have passed me by.
I am tempted to see if I can find it on Amazon.
The plot of the television series seemed so convoluted, I should be interested to read the book, and see if the story has been altered in any way.
You haven't read it by any chance?

Hello, Elle!
I think the sloths hang upside down from a tree branch.
I think they are very slow moving, rather than lazy!
I do not think I have read an Agatha Christie book, that I can remember.
I am sure there will be many copies on Amazon.
If the serial is only based on Agatha Christie's book there may well be differences.
I think that is fairly normal when books are being transformed into a film.
Hence "screenwriters".

Update, Rusty!
Whilst searching for the book, I came across an article describing how and where ( no why?) the miniseries differs from Agatha Christie's original story.
I am gobsmacked....why bother to alter something so very much?
Why not write a completely "fresh" theme, if the original plot is going to be so distorted?
Not even the "murderer" turned out to be the same person!!!
I think very probably from what I have just discovered, , that I did indeed read the original tale many years ago....I just did not recognise it from the TV adaptation!
This mutilation of a written story on conversion to a film is one of my pet hates!
Grrrh!