Author: kororareka

Solving Time: 26 minutes Another sigh of relief as I find I’m dealt a straightforward one, with most of the time spent thinking “How does that work, then?”. The answer was invariably with some ingenuity. … Read more “Times 24521 – Cholesterol reduced? Yes and No.”

Solving Time: 32 minutes With a run of bad solving experiences last week, I was quite pleased to draw this relatively gentle one from the hat. The two straightforward long anagrams were particularly welcome. I … Read more “Times 24509 – Peas and Corn”

It’s the double act again, as our star has been locked out of her dressing room, from the inside. What is going on in there? Mctext says: Pretty straightforward puzzle which I did in 12 … Read more “Times 24489 – All present and correct”

Solving time: 65 minutes A day of wine and roses, well plants, but you get the idea. Some easy and familiar gets, tempered by some not so. I eventually got stuck for a good 20 … Read more “Times 24485 – A feverish few minutes”

To the great disappointment of you all, who were expecting a witty and cultivated blog from Sabine, you have me instead, or rather mctext and I, who have cobbled something together. Sabine was last seen … Read more “Times 24477 – We’re not who we pretend to be”

Solving time: Let’s not go there For about fifteen minutes I thought I was going to do a Personal Best until I arrived on the banks of the Tyne and my mind became a complete … Read more “Times 24473 – Athlete’s foot in mouth”

Solving time: 45 minutes with one remaining blank I’m on the minutes this morning, so you’ll have to excuse the perfunctory comments. I fell at the last hurdle; that being 11ac. All I could think … Read more “Times 24461 – Not one for the οἱ πολλοί”

Solving time: 90 minutes give or take I foolishly volunteered to swap with Peter so that Monday’s anniversary blog would be worthy of worldwide gaze and now I find I must pay the price. I … Read more “Times 24451 – A Musical Mulligatawny”

Solving time: 30mins This was mostly a doddle (for which I am extremely grateful), done whilst watching tennis and cricket on TV, eating breakfast and discussing the weather (43 Celsius yesterday and similar forecast today. … Read more “Times 24437 – And so to bed”

Solving time: 75mins Mushy brain syndrome persists in Australia, in my mind and in those of its cricketers (what was Ricky thinking?). At almost every step of the solving process I thought I’d never get … Read more “Times 24425 – Virgin territory, STDs and fat owls…”