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Good morning, Rusty!
It is a glorious day here, too, but a tad chilly ---only 10C.
Great walking weather, though.
No such luck with the TW workforce.......the next step will be a phone call from them, scheduling a date for them to come and finish the work.
( Rome wasn't built in a day!)
You were asking about the Imperial War Museum.
There are three branches in London.
The main IWM - which has free admission - is in Elephant and Castle.
You would like that, as there are Galleries about the First World War.
Then there are the Churchill War Rooms, I think near Westminster; and also the HMS Belfast, moored on the river, near Tower Hill.
There is quite an expensive entry fee for both these though.
The Science Museum is more easily accessible in South Kensington.
Right...time for a coffee......

Hi, Rusty!
I am not sure if you will be about....your son may be visiting you?
I have had an - unexpectedly sudden - lovely day out!
We decided on the spur of the moment to "just go"!
The cool morning warmed up into the most glorious day......and we thought we had had enough of "trials and tribulations ", so.......off we went!
Back home again now........but the 'mini break' of a day's outing did us good!
I have struggled with today's puzzle......there are quite a few I couldn't solve...
I think I preferred yesterday's "throwback" to the 1990s!
Did you do yours?




Hello, Pigale!
How are you doing?
Have you looked in on the barn owls?
I found both parents in the nesting box...but couldn't see "junior"?
Is he/ she okay?

Good evening, Elle!
Lovely evening here!
Your little jaunt away would do you both good!
My son has just gone home to pack.
Holiday tomorrow.
I thought the puzzle was a good one today.
Not sure if you would know 12a though?
The leg strap? Think of trained hawks.

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, it was a therapeutic (although very short) break!
Of course, your son is heading for Florida tomorrow.
What time is their flight?
I hope they have a good time!
How did you guess that 12a was one of the clues that I couldn't do?!
I still can't? What leg strap?
There are too many unsolved clues today to ask you for help.....I think I just need to accept that today's crossword is beyond my capabilities!
Sometimes, I think I am making progress...and then I think it's one step forward and two (maybe more) steps back!

Hello, Elle!
The flight is at 11.00.
I had a hunch you would not know 12.
"jes(t)s" are jokes.
A "jess" is a leather strap on a trained hawk's leg.
Slightly specialised knowledge needed, I think.
No, you are making fine progress.
We all have days (well I do!) when no light shines on the puzzle.
Usually all that's needed is a break and when you return answers leap out at you!

Hi, Rusty!
Ah, thank you!
Yes, I see now........
I did not know the word "jess".
Is a hawk the same as a kestrel?
I am not very knowledgeable about birds.
Apart from the clues I couldn't even do, there was one where the use of a word struck me as odd?
8d: Doctor percussing a lot who will get you looking better (7)
"Percussing " means a doctor "tapping" a patient to establish a diagnosis.
However this gets to be "plastic surgeon" is beyond me?

Hello, Elle!
I suppose hawks and kestrels are similar birds of prey.
"Percussing a lot" is an anagram of "plastic surgeon".
"Doctor" is the anagram indicator.
It is a good clue, I think?

Srictly speaking elle, a kestrel is not a hawk at all but a falcon.
Falcons are smaller, catch their prey with their beaks which have a notch. Hawks use their feet to catch and kill and their beaks are curved. Falcons tend to have thinner, curved wing and hawks wider and more rounded wings. They also tend to have different habitats.
Eagles are, of course, generally larger than both.

I remembered jesses from "Kes", which I thought a marvellous book and film.

Hi, Rusty!
What an idiot I am!
I had "plastic surgeon" from the crossers...I didn't realise it was an anagram !
I was just trying to reconcile tapping patients, with practising plastic surgery on them
Oh dear!
And then not to know the difference between kestrels, hawks, falcons.....what have you....
Definitely not one of my better days!
Now........ I shall be out all day tomorrow from very early morning........
We are driving over to Staines to have lunch with our friends...... and I think their younger son, also.
Apparently we are all to go out to a restaurant - what a treat!
We'll be leaving here about 9 am....and won't be home again until early evening.
I'll hopefully catch up with you then?



Hello, Ros!
Thank you for putting me right there!
I am not having a very good day!

Hello, Elle!
I would not know the difference between various birds, too.
I hope you enjoy your day out.
I have an aeroplane to track on FlightAware!
And one or two other things to do.
Just having a canny evening now.
Listening to Manuel and the Music of the Mountains!
Very relaxing!