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Good morning, Elle!
Great day here with a good covering of frost!
My post box is just up the road a bit.
I "think" the collection is round about 9.00 a.m.
Miss O and me are meeting the folks from Norn Iron tomorrow.
I think they are still at Edinburgh.
(All quiet today, so far)
I was reading about Calvin (Silent Cal) Coolidge.
He was Vice-President to Warren Harding, and then President Harding died of a heart attack.
Coolidge was staying at his his parents home in Vermont at the time.
There was no telephone there, so a messenger was despatched with the news.
He arrived in the early hours of the morning and then Coolidge was sworn in and took oath of office, by his father who was a
Justice of the peace.
And what did the new President of the USA do next?
He went back to bed to finish his sleep.
Good old Cal!
I have finished the puzzle.
Not convinced I have the correct parse for 25a, and I took ages parsing 20a.
Good puzzle though!

Dorothy Parker, on hearing that Calvin Coolidge was dead, reportedly said "How could they tell?"

Yes, I read that, too, Chris!

Hi, Rusty!
Coolidge is said to be renowned for his quiet behaviour......
Going back to bed in the midst of a crisis sounds like good leadership?
"Let's not panic, guys.......let's just have a good night's sleep"!
("Keep calm and Carry on", as they say nowadays!)
Actually, I am constantly wondering at some of Bill's remarks....
I laugh, and then I check out the event to see how true it is......!
I have only just begun my puzzle (hoovering now done) but I have looked at 25a and 20d......
25a: Brava (apparently the female form of "bravo", so Goggle tells me) is the definition.
I think this is an "&lit"?
diva - female opera star
bra- support
with "bra" replacing "di"
I cannot see 20a as yet, I'm afraid.
I'll see how I go when I get to that left hand bottom corner......
Perhaps I will need a coffee?


I like the remark by Dorothy Parker about "Silent Cal" - I hadn't heard that!

bump

Hello, Elle!
Yes, you are right about Cal!
No flapdoodle with him!
I like Cal, up to now my favourite President was Lyndon Johnson, but I can see Silent Cal joining him!
I have learned a lot from Bill Bryson...and laughed a lot!
Yes, the parse for "brava" has just become clear, Elle!
Thank you for explanation!
Elle, in "crosswordpuzzleland", the "bottom left hand corner" is the South West corner!

Good afternoon, Rusty!
Well, I am certainly enjoying "Little Dribbling".
I think I prefer it to "Notes from a Small Island"?
I have definitely laughed out loud more!
Bill has a tendency to use one or two expressive words that I could do without....but I will admit that they do add to the hilarity of his descriptions!
Now, 20a....
I now have "doge" = Italian official (def), but cannot parse the remainder of it?
What am I not seeing here, please?
There are still two that I cannot do...but I shall meditate for a time....
Why can I not say "bottom left -hand corner"?
I am not going orienteering in Bill's woods!

Hello, Elle!
I think you have touched on the reason that I did not give Little Dribbling top marks.
As I recall there were unsavoury words in it which I can do without.
But, it is very funny!
I have "doge", too, Elle.
The parse (took me a while to get it!) is,
"for one" is "for example/say" "e.g."
"Binge with ill effects", for me is "o/d", overdose.
Reversed, gives "doge", the Italian lad.
Of course you can say "bottom left-hand corner"!
I was just adding to your puzzle knowledge!
Here's my favourite pic of Lyndon Johnson.
Singing a duet with Yuki!
http://ourpresidents.tumblr.com/post/10725872674/president-lyndon-b-johnson-sings-with-his-dog

I concur about "Little Dribbling", rusty. I found the bad language gratuitous and surprising - I don't remember him writing like that elsewhere, and I've read most (though not all) of his.

He was not so uncouth in his earlier books, Chris, that I can recall.
A pity, because he is a very humorous writer.