Greetings!
I was hoping to include a video of a short drive, but I can’t remember what I called it and I can’t find it, so I can’t.
Erm, well, might as well get on with the bits I can remember then.
Q: What word is missing from this intro?
On with the newsletter!
Terry
Crosswords
I’m not too bad at cryptic crosswords. Get a load of this, for example:
Recently I decided that Elaine and I needed a bit more of a challenge, so I bought The Cain’s Jawbone Book of Crosswords. I must have been insane. The book is a selection of the puzzles of a cruciverbalist who called himself Torquemada, who as you probably know was the first grand inquisitor of The Spanish Inquisition. Here’s a screenshot of part of one of the puzzles:
Miraculously, I started to complete one of the crosswords, and thought I’d have a quick peek at the solution to see if I was on the right lines, because there are no instructions for, for instance, “rev”. (I think it probably means enter the answer in reverse.) Unfortunately, that’s when I discovered that not only are the solutions in a random order, but the solution to the puzzle I was attempting isn’t even there as far as I can tell.
Talk about frustrating!
Leaves
A couple of delightful stories recently appeared by
, who writes flash fiction. I feel quite flattered because she used a couple of my photos as prompts:Nasrudin story
In a book called The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin, by Idries Shah, there is a story called The Burden of Guilt. Nasrudin and his wife come home to find their house has been burgled. His wife said to him, “You should have made sure the house was secure before we left”. Then his neighbbours chimed in:
You didn’t lock the windows.
The locks must have been faulty — you should have replaced them.
This carried on until Nasrudin said “Surely I’m not the only one to blame?”
“Who else?”
“How about the thieves?”, Nasrudin replied.
I was reminded of this by the spectacle of politicians and others constantly blaming person or people A for the actions of person or people B. The only person or people that nobody blames is the one who actually did it.
Victorian pic
This was taken in a Victorian themed village a few years ago.
My writes
Here’s what you may have missed recently:
In my Experiments in Style Extra post, for paid subscribers, I’ll be analysing this article with a focus on literary techniques. I’m aiming to publish that on Friday.
My epistolary partner in crime,
, has written two excellent posts recently. In her letter to me she channels her inner Austen. I hope to reply on Wednesday. Then in her last Saturday post she displayed her artistic as well as writing talents.If you don’t subscribe to her newsletter you really should.
That’s it for now. Please leave a comment or two.
But enough of this ______
Give us the answer! 😜
Oh man, that crossword. 😬
Love Nasrudin stories and their sometimes mind-bending practical wisdom. And what a lovely picture!