Author: ulaca

It may be the Fourth of July, but I detected a distinctly Australian flavour to this puzzle, what with 13 down, 16 across and 28 across. Be all that as it may, I failed miserably … Read more “Times 26455 – Off with the hillbillies!”

A very pleasant start to the week, with nothing to scare the thoroughbreds but enough to keep the palfreys on their toes. Mine trotted home in 37 minutes. I particularly liked the muddled situation at … Read more “Times 26437 – Standing on this pleasant lea”

A puzzle worthy of the Spring Bank Holiday, with lots of nice stuff and enough trickery to keep me occupied for 51 minutes, which included a pit-stop which was only marginally longer than Daniel Ricciardo’s. … Read more “Times 26425 – What is all this juice and all this joy?”

What an enjoyable puzzle with which to start the working week! Not particularly difficult, but a satisfying challenge, in the main, with a pleasing mix of clue types and subject matter. It will be interesting … Read more “Times 26413 – A Nice Mosaic”

This will be as minimal as a Derek Jarman film, I’m afraid, as it’s Labour Day here and we are going out for yum cha. 43 minutes, good enough for last place on the leaderboard … Read more “TImes 26,401”

I made a bit of a meal of what was – to be fair – a meatier Monday offering than usual, with my less than stellar scientific knowledge holding me up on 3 across and … Read more “Times 26389 – Suffering from cramp?”

Some bridge, some baseball, some golf, but not a cricketing clue in sight. Thank the Lord for small mercies, then, after watching England just a Brathwaite away from Twenty20 glory. Sometimes I wonder why I … Read more “Times 26377 – Though I Dream in Vain”

Something of an international flavor to this one – a slightly tougher Monday than usual. Perhaps my prayers to the gods of London Bridge Street have more clout now that I am a centurion? But … Read more “Times 26365 – A whiff of garlic and the waft of Gitanes”

Today is my hundredth blog. To mark the occasion, I invited my fellow bloggers (including a couple of lapsed ones) to help write up the Across clues. I also approached one confrère specifically to see … Read more “Times 26353 – Ton Up”

An odd beast this one – loads of straightforward clues and one which defied all my best attempts to solve it, even though I’d sussed out the second bit. So, a victory to the setter, … Read more “Times 26341 – The Meaning of Death?”