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andyp it is. The penultimate sentence of the preamble read literally helped me....

I hope I'm not giving too much away. Carrying out the instruction from the Across clues leads me to what seems to be a significant place. The logic of the puzzle would indicate that a two-letter entry should be made in that (vacant) cell. However I can find no meaning in the second pair of words from the Down clues (always assuming that the pesky Canadian is correct. I have a female.

sounds like you have the right canadian artist cockie. The last two words do make sense, but there are lots more natural ways to say the same thing.

Assuming that i have done it, its a pretty uninspiring end to a good puzzle overall (notwithstanding the canadian artist which was beyond obscure). I also am not keen on the fact that the application of last word of the Across letters doesnt seem consistent (the final application is "sharper") - however no-one else has mentioned this so perhaps i am missing something.

After doing the "i" and returning to this, I can only assume I put a letter count of 20 in the cell @ the end of the Ac clue "entry"? If so, the preamble seems to be in the same level of obscurity as that of the (female) artist! I still believe that the recent honeycomb puzzle in the independent takes some beating.

Isn't the letter count of what goes in the important place 19, gitto? I saw it as the entity which starts the game at c1.

Cockie, Yes, but I count count!

Everything but the "phrase's initials" sorted... more staring awaiting PDM!!!

Oh... I think I have it!

I suspect that there will be few complaints about this Listener being too easy… Still two to do (21 and 23) before head scratching over the somewhat obscure messages that are emerging. A good workout so far,Rebel - for which, thanks. But apropos the Canadian artist, I have say that you are “a very naughty boy”. (Monty Python tm.)

I was fairly happy with the endgame until I came here and saw reference to a "letter count" (of 19 or 20) - I can't work out what posters mean by that; it doesn't seem to relate to anything that I've entered!

The across message seemed fairly straightforward, apart from an unexpected aspect of the fifth which nevertheless has to be done to get a sensible instruction. The final two words from down clues also seem self-explanatory (it's just all written weirdly).

But the first two words are giving me pause, because the work I have to do to get from them to the thematic phrase seems a bit half-arsed (if you see what I mean). My thematic phrase is two words, and one required no imagination, and that's making me wonder if I should be thinking of something cleverer!

(The puzzle has been a lot of fun though! Symmetry very helpful, as were coloured pencils.)