http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk Crossword homage and help with solving Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:23:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Facebook's a handy little site - I know it has its detractors. My crossword collaborator (everyone must have one!) has been on holiday for the last few weeks, but she texted me to discuss this Saturday's fine Araucaria crossword. Texting proved a touch laborious, so we switched to Facebook chat! ... http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk/?p=30 Araucaria's at it again - some lovely clues to enhance Saturday morning. I give you: St Peter, etymologically, to scrub the deck (9). I love it when it takes me more than a day to solve a clue - and that was worthwhile. It does make me wonder - am ... http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk/?p=29 I felt like I had stepped back in time, to the days of crosswords in The Times with obscure literary connotations. Yes, the 'royal four' in Pasquale's Prize Crossword was truly flummoxing! After getting the fairly obvious clue One of 4 offering protection - shield - I thought we were ... http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk/?p=28 I am intrigued by the Kindle, I must admit. What a marvellous way to read books! Though I don't think you can write / solve crossw0rds on them, I'm afraid. But my latest payment for writing some clues destined for the Antipodes is going to get spent on a Kindle. ... http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk/?p=27 I recently went to a wedding at the Albion Hotel in Brighton that my brother and friends at i-Clic photography were photographing. Having seen the finished photos I am extremely impressed with the quality of some of their work, and they asked me to write about it on my blog. I ... http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk/?p=26 ... and despite my lack of respect for the Telegraph crossword this clue has been brought to my attention (thank you, Trevor!): See odd perennials sprouting (5,3,5). At first glance it looks like an anagram, but how could 'see' be 5,3,5? I am used to 'see' indicating 'lo' and anything ... http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk/?p=25 It can sometimes take a while, but we've finally finished Araucaria's latest - and there were some damned classy clues in this weekend's! Favourites were Student groups seize firm amid loud applause - they're up to the neck in revolution (11) , though I would say it was (4-7). There were ... http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk/?p=24 Hey, it's a Bank Holiday here in the UK, which means only one thing - yes, a supercharged cryptic crossword from master-setter Araucaria from the Guardian. So there goes the weekend! http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk/?p=23 Aha! I am changing ... and so far I've gone all green. There is more to come, but these things take time.I've been doing a lot of solving, and a lot of setting. Including individually-themed crosswords, which are intriguing.As they say, watch this space - for more examples of 'how ... http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk/?p=22 We're having great weather in the UK just now - no idea how long it'll last. A lot of people are heading to the beach, and what better place to get down to a challenging cryptic crossword than by the sea! I've been inside writing about systems for improving your memory, ... http://www.juliadunlop.co.uk/?p=18