Author: Merlin

Much discussion over the last few months about whether the QCs are getting harder or not. I felt this one from Hurley was slightly on the harder side, but still very fair.

Hurley sets a good puzzle which kept me thinking and led to a Baroque time, 17:20. 

A well-balanced puzzle, with plenty to think about but nothing to complain about.

Some tough old parsings in here,  which were hidden by some very clever clueing. 

A fair outing from Orpheus, which I completed in good time without too much trouble.

Are are the QCs getting harder? This one was also outside my target time of 20:23, with 12a taking me over the top. Two NHOs for me today, one anatomical, one culinary.

This QC shouldn’t scare the horses, middle of the road time for me. Well- balanced with good surfaces.

My time, 14:31. Timeline: Execution of Joan of Arc, 1431. Bang on average for me these days.

Hardest QC I’ve ever seen. By miles.
Not sure what Orpheus is trying to do here. Some of the clues and vocabulary are Mephisto level.

A very clever new device made this an interesting puzzle. Even then I found it challenging in several places, and yet again, missed my target time on by Blogday.