Sunday 28 November 2010

Good things and new blogs

Well, it seems as if the worst is now over for Sheffield Wednesday.  I would have to agree with the comment on my previous post that the whole situation has been a little like an episode of the Addams Family.  Never mind, a takeover now seems probable, the club is safe and have just got through to the third round of the FA Cup with a sixth win in a row.

The Ashes started this week, not that I've been able to listen to too much of it, and they didn't start well with the skipper getting a third ball duck and Siddle getting a hat-trick.  Then a record stand between Haddin and Hussey really put England on the ropes looking down the wrong end of a 220 run deficit.  But last night Strauss, Cook and Trott pulled England to a good chance of a draw.  Much relief I have to say. My girlfriend does seem to enjoy listening to it a little but still has to ask me whether something good or bad has happened.  She still needs some training I think.

The puzzle blog will begin on December 1st, but it can be found at Spare Time Puzzles.  I have also been busy creating in Excel and five advent calendars can be found at Spare Time Fun.  Do check them out and enjoy!

Saturday 20 November 2010

Wednesday Woes

It seems that I should write something contraversial more often...I received more comments on my last post than I have on any previous other post!  I did reconsider reading that book, however my girlfriend had already taken it back to the library and come across the first of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, 'The girl with the Dragon Tattoo'.  I've read it now and its brilliant (obviously - it wouldn't have been so popular otherwise).  I'm now on the second book but not yet seen the third in the library.  I might have to get lucky.

This week Sheffield Wednesday almost went into administration, and to be perfectly honest I don't think the extra month they have will make any difference.  If somebody truly wanted to invest then they would have done it by now.  What worries me even more is the interview given by the Chief Exec. outside the court.  It was described as passionate, but to me it just looked desperate.  The worst thing is that we are playing the best football than we have done in many years and look like we might have a chance of promotion back to the Championship after just one season.  But a ten point penalty will scupper that.  Our best chance seems to be to win as many games as possible over the next month and hopefully we'll be outside of the relegation zone after the deduction.  Then, we rebuild from scratch.

On a more positive note my girlfriend signed with a teaching agency this week and with some luck will start getting some offers of work.  I myself start as a permanent employee on Monday.

Thursday 11 November 2010

Cryptic Answers and a rant

Well the answers to last week's cryptic crossword are added as a comment on the previous post (ie the one with the crossword on it)...hope you enjoyed it.  No more puzzles for a little bit but I am planning on making a blog solely for regular puzzles and will give more information shortly.  The year by the way was 1955.

I just started reading a book my girlfriend had picked up from the library (I had finished reading all my books), called The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland.  His books are supposed to be well known, but I've not heard of him before.  I should mention that I am no longer reading the book.  After just 5 pages the main character states his youthful dream of writing a novel with an odd name, the words vaguely inspired by (and I quote) "the title of a novel or movie from England - like Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas".
I was shocked.  How wrong could a person get?  For a start Dylan Thomas wrote a play called Under Milk Wood, not a novel, and the film was released several years after he died, so he didn't write that either (technically).  He is also from Wales.  Not England.  Thusly, I could read the book no longer.
It may sound like a petty reason but I knew I could not enjoy it from that moment in from looking for mistakes in the text.  You may have guessed by now that the author is American.  But shocks me most is not that this line was written, but more that it was left in.  Was there no editing procedure?
Needless to say I will attempt to read no more of his books.  That's all...

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Answers, Strikes and a new Cryptic Puzzle

Firstly, here are the answers to the straight crossword I posted a few days ago:

Across: 5. Total; 6. Leaf; 7. Idol; 8. Realm; 11. Daubs; 13. Rote; 15. Star; 16. Stink
Down: 1. Rood; 2. Bails; 3. Glue; 4. Cable; 9. Dante; 10. Crate; 12. Byre; 14. Tiny

Hope you enjoyed that one.  Once more there have been tube strikes in London but I am actually now of the opinion that they should be held more often.  For a start fewer people use the tube in the belief that it will not run a decent service, or that the stations they need are closed, which makes life cramped on an underground train a little more bearable.  But secondly by missing out stations it makes the trip a lot quicker.  Going to work today and coming back I had the quickest trips yet since I started working in Canary Wharf...just thought I'd share that with you!

So now another cryptic crossword and once more all the answers have a year in common...some more tenuous than others...Good luck!

Across
1. West Midlands town tilts cold fondue - strangely (6,9)
5. Northern queen follows charge for actor (7)
7. For each reversed rejection, a dictator (5)
9. Get disease from one in mint (5)
11. Reptilian entrepeneur? (4)
12. Faculty head opposes audible noise (4)
13. Turn right and stop driver (5)
16. Sheikh merceneries hold Cambodian (5)
18. Shortened version superb for designer (7)
19. Film faces the past (4,2,3,6)

Down
1. Exchanges unusual wasps (5)
2. Geneticist in mufti joke (4)
3. Switzerland and Sweden hold a hunt (5)
4. Angler catches digital snack (10)
6. Wealthy, advanced research department is dickie (7)
8. Art of levitating transport (10)
9. Is likely naval intelligence mixed coloured paste (5)
10. Writer rearranges book van (7)
14. Kruger's first in Indian emigration (5)
15. Class assessment (5)
17. Deer centre? (4)