CROSSWORDS – Can you …
I read a blog post recently by Cassi of Troy (The Real Problem with Time). Excellent, and it stirred a few memories.
I love a good crossword. Not one of those that is so easy my pet cat could do it in 5 minutes; and neither should it be one of those ultra-cryptic secret agent type of crosswords either.
Somewhere in the middle of the brain stretching spectrum. One to keep putting down and picking up on one of my frequent coffee breaks.
I avoid “cheating” as long as possible. With mobile phones it is so easy to punch the clue into Google and have the answer in 0.0156 seconds. Towards evening, though, I need to use a search engine, I cannot get any further without e-help. To me it’s not cheating after 6pm, that is now learning time.
Which reminds of a funny story, and if you know me, then you know that I have devilish sense of humour …
So, there I am, sat at the doctor’s surgery waiting for yellow fever jabs, and dengue jabs and malaria and goodness knows what else before I go back to Africa. I can speak and read a little French, so I bought a copy of Le Monde, a French national newspaper.
Sat waiting next to me was a very haughty gentleman, obviously well to do with his gold rings, gold watch, his three-piece suit and pristine white shirt with a bow tie. He made a great fuss about opening his Times newspaper at the crossword pages accompanied by “I should have time to complete the Times crossword before I see the doctor” – it’s a notoriously hard crossword, by the way. He read each clue out loud and then the answer before writing the answer with great drama and flourish – so that everyone knew that he was doing the Times crossword.
Mischievous me, I opened the French newspaper to the French crossword. And with equal flourish began to complete it.. “Let me see” … “One down, hmmm. Oh yes” and I wrote a load of drivel into the crossword squares. “Okay, 3 down, oh I know” and another collection of random letters.
Mr Bow-tie couldn’t see what I was writing, but he was well annoyed that little me in jeans and t-shirt was completing a French crossword quicker than he could do the Times crossword.
“Of well, that’s that done” I said. If only he knew that it was filled with a collection of totally random rubbish.
Which led me to trying to find books of French crosswords, it had fired my interest. Alas, there were none to be found. In one shop I was told, “you must be joking, the only way you’ll get one will be to write your own crossword book” So I did.
French Crossword puzzles was born 18 months later – English clues with French answers. I self-published them, selling just short of 500 copies, I even sold some in France. I was asked to make volume number two, but work pressure and marriage collapse conspired to stop me. Still, it was fun making them and I did actually learn a lot.
So the message I was trying to get across, some 500 words ago, was …
Always make the time to read, just for the sake of reading, and read each word. If a word is new to you, look it up on Google, especially expressions. I have learnt the proper meaning of so many new phrases by searching on-line for these sayings that I have read.
And I also wonder how other WA members approach reading and learning. There must be lots of different styles out there. If you don’t read already, perhaps there is still time to add it to your 2024 New Year resolutions list.
Never leave home without a good book.
And remember … a puzzle a day keeps dementia away.
Au revoir, mes amis
Bux
Recent Comments
81
Good morning Bux,
What a great story. Well done for having some fun, Bux!
That's great that you were able to publish a book on the subject, Bux! I'm sure it left a very satisfying feeling.
When I'm working my offline business, I'm continually educating myself with YouTube training videos and Wealthy Affiliate videos, although I can't see the screen! I also purchase audiobooks, which is a really great resource. I enjoy reading, and I have loads of books, so much so that I purchase on Kindle now, as my bookshelves are full. I also like the idea of being able to read a book anywhere.
Have a great Sunday.
Roy
Thank you Roy.
I have a somewhat different sense of humor, and I don't like haughty people that look down on others, Put the two together and ....
Yes, a book is always close at hand. Don't leave home without one (or a Kindle)
Sunday morning spent at the hospital (again) sorting my face wound out. Back again on Tuesday.
Enjoy your Sunday
Bux
It's always a pleasure, Bux!
I know where you're coming from, Bux; there is no need to look down on people; we are all created differently and individuals! Humour is great, especially when people are trying to be unreasonably clever or haughty!
It's always good to educate ourselves and spend time wisely.
I hope you are making progress with your wounds, let's hope you get back to normal quickly.
Have a fantastic week.
Roy
Thanks Roy.
I need words of encouragement at the moment. Things not too good with the wounds. But we will prevail. Just taking more coffee breaks than usual.
Otherwise, all good. It won't be long before my spirits are back up and all this is forgotten about. Damned big scar though.
Have a super week my friend.
Bux
Good morning Dave,
I'm sorry that the wounds are taking longer than expected to heal. The good news is that scarring does fade over time, I guess it's early days yet.
Keep doing what you can, Bux, it's good to keep your mind occupied and on good things! I do hope that things quickly get back to normal.
All the best.
Roy
Thank you Roy. Hospital visits on alternate days, going to be while. They are thinking it was cancerous, so best cut out.
How's the week progressing for you.
Bux
It's a pleasure, Bux! I hope these hospital visits finish quicker than you expect, as I'm sure it's quite time-consuming. On the other hand, I'm sure they are trying to help the healing process.
My week is going okay. Thank you, Bux. It's a quieter time of year for me, which I quite enjoy as it enables me to spend more time on the online business. My off-line business will start picking up from now, it just kind of ticks over in the winter.
I have a small radio remote-tracked machine that grinds out tree stumps. So with all the wet weather and Christmas etc, people don't think about that type of job as much. It works quite well alongside working online, but long-term, I want to work online full-time.
This would also be useful as my wife comes from Greece and we would like to spend more time there.
Have a great day and take care.
Roy
I hope it all works out for you Roy. I've not been to Greece, but some friends have and they adore the place, the history, the culture, the food, everything.
Keep that dream burning.
Bux
Thank you, Bux, I appreciate that!
Greece is definitely worth a visit, Bux. I talked to quite a few people about Greece, and I have never heard anything negative about it from the point of view of people visiting. It really has great food and lots of things going for it as you rightly mention.
It's good to have dreams.
Have a great day.
Roy
I think you ought to, Bux, it's good to get some sun!
This is a picture from summer 2022 in Greece; we have spent many evenings sitting outside watching the sun go down; it's amazing!
All the best.
Roy
That is magical Roy. I've saved that photo, it brings about some really nice emotions - like wanting to be there.
Thanks
Bux
Well done, Bux! We do have some amazing places where we can go on the planet! Something that I really enjoy about Greece is that you can sit and walk outside really comfortably in the summer months. Here in the UK, we don't have that many evenings when it's warm enough to sit outside.
Have a great weekend.
Roy
Very true Roy, I'm not sure exactly where you are in Essex, but I'm in Wells, Somerset and I guess we are on about the same latitude.
Yes, a nice sunny summer day begins to cool down soon after 8pm.
In Suevres, the Loire valley, we would often be sat outside friends houses until 11pm, midnight and beyond, still in T shirts and shorts and still very comfortable. Some great memories from the village, and Adriers was even warmer, but we got a lot of thundery weather there.
Which airport do you use from your gaff. I'm guessing Luton is close.
Bux
Good morning Bux,
We live in the nice part of Essex, Bux; we are near the Essex/Suffolk border, where there are some beautiful villages. The village is called Great Bardfield, we are at least four or five generations here!
I have been to Wells; I have some friends who live in a village called Dundry, which is near Bristol. It actually looks down on Bristol. They took me there to have a look around, it was quite a few years ago. You live in a very nice part of the world, Bux.
Sometimes, in this part of the world, we can have a lovely warm day, and then all of a sudden, in the early evening, it gets quite cool. Everyone is wearing shorts and trying to make out that it is pleasant, but the truth of the matter is that it's not!
The Loire Valley sounds nice, Bux, it's wonderful to have those warm summer evenings. I have some friends who live in the UK, but they have a place 60 miles south of Bordeaux; in fact, their newly married daughter is living there at the moment. It's a nice country.
We go from Stansted airport, Bux, which is only 30 minutes away or less. We are fortunate as where my wife's house is, which is outside Thessaloniki but not far from the airport. It makes it fairly easy to get there. There's lots of sea all around, which is great!
A very happy Sunday to you.
Roy
I'd forgotten about Stanstead Roy. Yes, makes sense.
If your friends house is 60 miles south of Bordeaux then it is getting close to Spain and the weather will be fantastic.
Some friends bought a chateau near Pissotte, where the roof had burnt down, A knock down price and Mark is a builder. His wife is French and I think they had some generous help from mum-in-law in buying it. There are photos on t'internet, Chateau du Poiron. They are refurbing it little by little as the money comes in.
Are you off to Greece this year, do you stop with family or choose different locations.
Enjoy Sunday my friend.
Bux
Good morning, Bux,
Yes, we are fortunate to have Stansted fairly near, but not too near!
You're right, Bux, they are not too far from Spain. It's interesting as the weather is generally much better than here in the UK, but I have noticed that the temperatures jump around all over the place, a bit like the UK! Maybe one day, it will be 20° C then the next day it will be 35° C. Whereas in Greece, they have a good idea what the temperatures will be for the time of year.
That sounds like your friend has a good project going! It's really handy when you can carry out jobs like that yourself and save a lot of money.
My wife is in Greece at the moment; she went a week ago. I may go and join her for a few days in February, although I am not sure yet. We generally go to stay at her house, but then for a summer holiday, we will go somewhere different in mainland Greece. Believe it or not, I have never been to any of the Greek islands, but it's something I would like to do.
Have a great Monday.
Roy
A visit to the islands is a must, they look magical.
Enjoy the new week, Roy. There is lots to do. Book that ticket to Greece and join your wife. I’ll hold the fort here.
Bux
I hear you, Bux! Apparently, Crete is supposed to be quite something!
Thank you, Bux!
Tickets are actually cheap to Thessaloniki at this time of year, which is good. When Covid was on, I actually paid £9.99 for a ticket and I didn't need any paid luggage. The next time I booked a ticket, the price had skyrocketed to £13.99!!😃 Unbelievable really!
Enjoy your day.
Roy
WHAT !!!!! A 50% increase. The devils.
A friend of mine, pre-covid, planned his holidays by Wednesday's Sun newspaper. They ran special discount offers every week. Tony and two mates had the rule that the cheapest air fare advertised in the paper is where they go on holiday. It doesn't matter where, it doesn't matter what the hotels cost, the only rule was - the cheapest flight. They had loads of 99p flights and some really good holidays. Last time I know of, he had visited nearly a hundred countries this way.
What a way to see the world, what a fun idea.
Exactly, Bux!!
That's amazing, Bux! Good for your friend, Tony, that's what makes people so interesting, Bux! What a fantastic and simple idea to do! Sometimes I think we overcomplicate life and make it difficult. The great thing is if you go to somewhere like Greece in the summer, you don't need much stuff!
100 countries is a lot, that's really quite an achievement! I wonder if Tony is still doing it.
Have a fantastic Tuesday.
Roy
He stopped during Covid, and he was ill for a while. I'm glad you asked because I haven't seen any posts on Facebook about him restarting. I will ask for my own curiosity. We could always tell at work when he was planning a holiday break. It was the only time he bought a newspaper.
I would love a nice warm holiday right now.
Bux
I hope Tony is okay, Bux. It's amazing how many things Covid stopped and put people out of their routine. It amazes me how such a simple idea can turn into a lot of fun and joy!
It won't be long, Bux, before places start to warm up. I have been to Greece in April before and sat on the patio enjoying the sun. Although last year, the spring weather in Greece was the worst and coldest I had ever seen. Hopefully, that's a one-off!
A very happy Wednesday to you.
Roy
And to you Roy. Keep that momentum going in the right direction.
Funny how the temperatures can change like that. I’ve been in France in February working on a mill and sweating buckets. I did up the old school in June the same year with a Peter Storm wooly over the top, really cold.
Tara a bit.
Bux
I will try, Bux!
It is indeed, I would expect the temperatures to be more stable there, but it doesn't seem like it! So I do understand where you're coming from.
Have a fantastic day,
Roy
So far so good. Coffee and pasties in the Abbey Park. Catching a few early rays of sunshine. Very nice.
Bux
I'm pleased to hear that, Bux, that sounds quite good! A bit of sun makes such a difference, even in wintertime.
I hope that your wounds are healing up well, Bux.
Have a great Friday.
Roy
Slowly healing Roy. Had it all re-stitched on Tuesday, it had come open. Sore but not painful, with occasional stabbing sensation. Its a big wound so a long job. Looks like I’ve been in a fencing duel at dawn. I could be a Mills and Boon hero, ha ha.
Chin up, face the action.
Enjoy the weekend, hopefully a little more sunshine for us.
Bux
I'm glad to hear that you are healing, Bux! I guess that being on your face it's a fairly delicate area. You could do without the fencing action!!
Thank you, Bux. It's good to see the days getting longer!
Have a great Saturday.
Roy
I spoke too soon Roy. Some of the stitches tore off. I felt them go, like being stabbed. So Friday was another day at the hospital. So now I'm being super careful.
Maybe they could do some of this cryogenic stuff and wake me up in a couple of months.
Enjoy the weekend Roy. England v Italy Ruby this afternoon. I must remember not to get excited and rip the wound open again. I know I'm English but I always support Italy.
Ciao for now.
Bux
Now that's not good, Bux, please take care! It's not much fun spending time in hospitals or being in pain.
I know where you're coming from, Bux, let's hope these wounds heal up quickly!
I didn't see the game, Bux, but I believe England scraped through! It's interesting that you support Italy, I guess there is a reason for that!
Have a great Sunday and take care.
Roy
Glad to hear about another who values reading. I consume books, often several a week. I love to read while I'm eating. Probably a bad habit, but there's no one here but me and I have no one to talk to.
Great that you created the French crossword puzzles...I am impressed. That must have been a fun project...and I love your story about the rather arrogant guy doing the NY Times puzzle. He deserved your put-down.
I can’t help myself sometimes Fran. How to win friends and influence people. Yes, at least one book a week for me, and like you, only me to worry about.
Take care my friend.
Bux
Our lives revolve around stories Dave.
I ask students wanting to learn English, to write a short story about something they know in their own language, we will translate it and once understood they have the start of a conversation.
Forget the grammar, know the alphabet, pronunciation, and stories.
The grammar can be perfected later.
Good to see you on the outside of a doctors surgery.
Michael.
Thanks Michael. Glad you appreciated the little tale.
In and out of the doctor's for a couple of weeks yet. The wound is still bleeding, but these things are sent to try us. I'll get over it.
Enjoy the weekend.
Bux
Thanks Myra. I find them addictive, if I can find the right balance of difficulty.
Hope you are keeping well.
Bux
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Loved this article, Bux. In my conmmunity theatre activities, I was once in a play called "2 Across". It was set in a railway carriage, with two people doing the NY Times Crossword and their interactions throughout the journey. It was a lot of fun. I don't do too many crosswords, but I do play online scrabble against the computer! Cheers, Jenni.
Sounds like my sort of play. I hope you enjoyed taking part. And I love trains too.
Scrabble is a good game, but I always get accused of cheating. I call it inventive.
Thanks for the response and enjoy the coming work week.
Bux