Well, this was definitely the proverbial game of two halves.
There are the usual mix of anagrams, hiddens and initial letters, but there are also some devious charade type clues that really take a bit of working out.
The rhyming pair are also missing making the long central down that bit harder.
FOI was 8a followed by some of the obvious anagrams but it was a while before I got anything else.
If you do get stuck there's a long anagram and an initial letters in the acrosses and a long anagram and hidden in the downs.
COD - has to be 22d for the wonderful misdirection - No matter how many times I see that South American, I always fall for it!
There are still a couple I haven't fully parsed, namely 23a and 11a but the answers are clear so I'll soldier on - trooper that I am 😃
It's been great to see so many new solvers joining our friendly Everyman thread in recent weeks. Remember, if you get stuck you only have to post your query on here - we have Forum members in many different time zones so there are always people around to help.
Happy Valentines Day to everyone ❤ (Hmm, that should be red🤔)
Stay safe:-)