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Hi Elle,

Glad you found the link - yes, it is from the Telegraph.
The other one about ' 14 Tour de France rules you probably did not
know before', I think that is the title, is from Cycling weekly and
looks quite interesting too, although I only had a quick browse,
Some intriguing facts there I thought, but I need to read it more
thoroughly.

They are threatening us with thunderstorms for this afternoon
till 8pm or so, but with sunshine as well, and so far nothing has
happened. I am not keen on thunderstorms as you know, but we
too desperately need some rain.
It should be cooler for a couple of days (relatively!) until it goes back to 30 plus by Monday.
At least, tonight should be more comfortable - like you, I had the
fan on in the bedroom all night!

BTW, it is probably much easier for me to group the three
appointments I had yesterday because I live in a fairly small market
village, and the three professionals are within 100 metres of each
other, with the pharmacist in between!
In fact, Dentist and GP occupy the ground floor of the same
building and there is only a corridor between them!
The walk down in blazing sunshine was the worst really.

Hi, Rusty!
You are lucky that you can walk to the hospital if necessary.....
Our nearest hospital is walkable at a pinch......but patients are more commonly referred to a hospital eight miles away!
We park then in the nearby Sainsburys car park!
Today's 15 x 15 seems very easy?
I especially liked 16d: countdown; 24a: mare; and 26a: cardreader
Sumac was a new tree for me...but I knew Camus, so got it from that.
Re 19d: I have now learned what "making a hum" means!
Just one I cannot do, if you can help with that?
13d: Stripper bringing wrong tone into a country house (5,6)
A?E?T / ?R?N?E
I am lost here?
BTW, how did you make out with 7d?
Did you know Kew?



Hello, Pigale!
I forgot to say that yes, I also found the other reference!
Dull here now ...very oppressive.....
Please may it rain!

Hello, Elle!
I am surprised you did not get, "Agent Orange"?
What was 7d (I have no paper!)
I knew "sumac".
I have it in my head that is poisonous? Or the foliage stings?
Could well be wrong, mind!
I knew of "Kew", but can not remember the clue?

Sorry, Elle!
"A country house" is "a grange" with anagram of "tone".
Agent Orange defoliates.

Hi, Rusty!
My mind was on nubile young women divesting themselves of their clothing............or possibly even The Chippendales!
I did not think of "stripper" as being a herbicide defoliant used in the Vietnam War!
I was way off beam there!
"Sumac" seems to be a spice used in cooking?
7d: Not straight like part of SW London
Answer: Askew.
A nice neat clue, I think.
How are the golf and cycling going?

Hello, Elle!
Is sumac a spice?
I did not know that.
I remember 7d, now.
Now, is Kew an actual place, or is it only the name of the gardens?
I knew it was somewhere in London but not the SW.
I was wondering if "SW" was superfluous in the clue?
Golf is going fine.
Rain has stopped and wind is coming from the South.
Cut projected at +2 and better.
I only saw the last few minutes of Le Tour (no crashes!)
But it was a bunch finish and Peter Sagan won.
So, I think we can safely say he is going to Paris in green, unless he crashes out, but hopefully not!

Sumac isthe shrub that has large fat candlelike things on the branches beginning about now, and wonderful autumn leaf colour. It is the devil to get rid of if it has been in your garden for a while as it suckers. It is used as a spice but in the 19th century large quantities were imported for dyeing and as a tanning agent.
The ship's captain I wrote about went to South Amerca in the 1870s, returning with several kinds of plants in quantity including sumac.

Hi, Rusty!
Kew is a district in the Borough of Richmond.
Now Richmond used to be in Surrey, but I think is now considered to be a part of Greater London.
That would fit with the clue?
Croydon , near to us and where my son lives, also used to be in Surrey, but is now in Greater London.
It does get very confusing!
I do not know why it is necessary to alter borders!
I think local inhabitants tend to become somewhat annoyed!
That is good to hear about Pete Sagan - I hope he hangs on to the green jersey and does not crash out.
Our supposed rain is being pushed back....not happening now till 10 o'clock.....
I think it is just a myth!


Thank you, Ros, for the additional info about sumac!

Raining in Oxford, elle!

Hello, Elle!
Ah, Kew is a district!
I did not know that.
And is Kew/Richmond in SW London, so?
The "SW" bit of the clue was superfluous for me, as I had no idea in which part of London, Kew was.
I hope Peto Sagan takes the jersey to Paris, too!
I think he will, but you never know what may happen.
Remember last year he got disqualified for supposedly causing Cav to crash.
Here he is in action!
"Peter Sagan v Grandmother Joan" https://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/07/16/cyclist-peter-sagan-races-grandmother-specialized-electric-bike-ad