56 Comments
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Audhdpainter's avatar

I love the idea of cryptic crosswords, I can see how they work once given an answer but my brain will not agree to solve them 😂

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I agree.

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Terry Freedman's avatar

See my answer to Audhdpainter

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

I know exactly what you mean - I'm much better at working backwards - y'know, identifying WHY the answer is the answer. Of course, to do that, I need to know the answer..... which is where I so often get stuck! 🙄🤣

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Terry Freedman's avatar

I have to do that sometimes too. But that's how we learn: deconstruction, innit

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Audhdpainter's avatar

Very true!

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Terry Freedman's avatar

😃

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Terry Freedman's avatar

You have to keep trying, and one day the penny will drop (hopefully!)

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Oh, Terry. Life is difficult enough already. My little grey cells are worn to a frazzle. I'll stick with Wordle. I solved it in two tries twice this week. Accidentally, no doubt.

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Terry Freedman's avatar

I'm sure it is NOT an accident! I used to be really good at Wordle, but now if I haven't solved it by the third row I lose patience. It's all about strategy, innit

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I think it is all about the luck of the first word.

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Terry Freedman's avatar

True enough!

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

I agree!

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Oooooh, two tries - that's awesome! I can't wait for the day when my always-start-word actually ends up AS the Wordle - although I can't ever imagine it happening! 🤣

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Just what IS your always-start-word? I'll see if it changes my luck... Mine is often "stare" or "raise".

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

AROSE - because it has three vowels and two common consonants.

If that draws a blank, then BUILT - the other two vowels, plus two common consonants and a slight-outsider.

Have often wondered whether to try ARISE instead of AROSE. On the day I do, though, guess what the actual Wordle would be.......?! 🤣

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Probably BLIMP… sigh. It is sheer luck on the first word, then skill is needed.

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Audhdpainter's avatar

Yes that has been my theory but I think I'll have to do a lot of them to actually get the hang of them!!

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Julie B. Hughes's avatar

Thank you for the great read and laugh, Rebecca! :) Oh the photos are lovely and looks like you had a wonderful, refreshing holiday.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Thanks, Julie! It was the BEST time! 😁

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Julie B. Hughes's avatar

I’m so happy to hear! :)

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I can manage the hardest of crosswords from the NY Times, no problem, but the types of puzzles you and Terry toss back and forth are just mind boggling to me. Your answers always make perfect sense, but how you arrive at them eludes me. However, that bowl of stew is right up my alley.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Gosh, I’d imagined that the NYT ones would be similar - I must have a look! The three NYT puzzles I try to do daily are the Mini crossword, Wordle and Connections - and am very often stumped by US culture! Some of the answers relate to sports across the pond, or names of candy, or TV channel name acronyms… all of which I have no hope of identifying! 🤣

The stew was yummy! 😋

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Gimme a good ole British cryptic any day!

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Terry Freedman's avatar

THe Last time I looked at an NYT crossword it was all about US culture and also looking for synonyms. Well, I'm not American, and I thiink synonyms areb harder to solve, because you either know it or you don't: ain't no way of problem-solving it.

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Beth T (BethOfAus)'s avatar

So glad you had such a wonderful break. And so many steps for someone who has had so little energy. How were you when you got back home? Hopefully you’re on the mend anyway. Hugs from afar. (Another freezing morning over here.)

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Gosh, I keep forgetting that you’re in the depths of winter now over there, Beth! We’re in a heatwave here right now - our first of 2025. I’m bracing myself…. the day isn’t yet at its hottest, so it’s still just about bearable.

I was so thrilled with my steps on holiday - I think the difference was that I was entirely alone and entirely responsible for myself, so (shhhhhh!) I’ll admit to pushing myself! Also, in such a beautiful city there were plenty of places to stop and look at things, rest and reset…. and eat cake. I really enjoyed exploring not only the place, but what I could DO, and I was both surprised and delighted!

Although to my frustration it did all hit me a couple of days later, but I absolutely don’t regret it!

Hugs to you, Beth! ☺️

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Beth T (BethOfAus)'s avatar

I'm so glad. Listening to the body is the only way to get through this. Sending heaps of good, healing vibes.

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Terry Freedman's avatar

It is unfair that some people are allowed to eat cake. Every time I just LOOK at a cake I put on 5 pounds. Please stop mentioning cake all the time.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Apologies! 🥓

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Terry Freedman's avatar

She is doing very well, isn't she Beth? I put it down to sea air and having a good laugh.

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Where in Australia are you, Beth? It always looks so beautiful on TV. I have a cousin in Melbourne, but never been there myself.

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Beth T (BethOfAus)'s avatar

I’m near the capital, Canberra, in the country. Icy cold lately. Proper winter. Minus 7s and 8s at night. Just getting a spot of much-needed drizzle today. Keeps the daytime temperature low of course after -4 last night before the cloud came across. So I’ll send you cool vibes and you can send some warmth my way.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Brrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!! 🥶

Our heatwave lasted until Sunday night, but since then it's cooled down considerably (well, it's still shirt-wearing weather, but long sleeves today, not short ones). x

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Mary B's avatar

You and Terry are by far the best puzzle solvers in the business, professionally and otherwise. I'm lost at the first letter of the first word of any and all of your puzzles to each other! Hooray that you and your Jim had a wonderful holiday and that you DIDN'T get lost! RH! That's huge! And, as always, I'm with you on the tools designed for the right-handed folks; the right-handed fork, however, was a new one to me. Had I been presented with one along side my cake, I may have used a spoon in protest. NOTE: Using a spoon for cake is a Chicago thing, that I noticed when I went to college. The only kids who used spoons for cake were from Chicago. Loved the photos, the beach especially, looks so peaceful, and the Chamberlain sign and your take on it were so funny! 😂

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Cake SPOONS - now, that’s a much better idea - and a good excuse to slather cream on the cake, too! 😉 At least spoons are ambidextrous.

D’you know, since I started writing letters to Terry - and indeed receiving them - I’ve been concentrating much harder on crosswords! I still find them a real challenge, and it’s my greatest wish to one day FINISH a cryptic one! I usually manage the whole of a general knowledge crossword, or a concise one, but the cryptic ones are another beast altogether! 🤣

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Mary B's avatar

🤣

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Terry Freedman's avatar

So, you usually manage to complete the general knowledge one? You mean the prize version? Do you cheat? (I've met your sort before). If not, I would take my hat off to you if I wore a hat. I have sometimes completed the cryptic: very satisfying it is too.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

*coughs*

I sometimes, erm, look things up.... but in order to build my general knowledge, not to pretend that I *can* complete a crossword in its entirety every single time.

There. I'm so sorry that I'd misled you with an outrageous claim. 🫤

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Typical. You can't trust anyone these days.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

It's true. Yup.

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Terry Freedman's avatar

😂

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Terry Freedman's avatar

I wouldn't say we're the best, but thanks anyway!

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Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Ooh, such a fun fact about the original author of What a Difference a Day Makes! Thanks for going down that little trail. I hope your holiday was restorative. Did you *make* the delicious-looking stew in the camper van? What did you all say to the sea to make it retreat like that? Was someone mean to it? And that burst of energy you found? Gadzooks! I hope you were able to function the next day.

Rebecca, I'd have been making comment about that Chamberlain sign, too. Why even bother labeling it if you can't come up with anything more conclusive than that? Tack up your own next time you're there: "It's highly possible Rebecca Holden laughed when she read the above sign"

In your next life, you should start a line of everyday products for left-handed people.

Wrapping up now in hopes you'll not notice that I skipped the puzzle section entirely. 😅

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

The stew is homemade, but no, I didn’t make it on board the van. Life’s too short and the van’s too small - although I could, at a push, I suppose. Instead, I like to batch cook van provisions at home and freeze them in small containers. When I pop them out of the containers and into poly bags I can fit several days’ worth of food for two into the tiny freezer compartment in the van’s fridge.

I was surprised that the sea was so far away! We did walk down to it, but the tide was much higher at that point, so it wasn’t as far out then as it is in the picture.

That very energetic day gave me such a boost - unfortunately I did get paid back for it disproportionately two days later, and for many days after that. I was still very, very glad for getting out there, though!

Re the puzzles: you are excused! 🤣

Thank you so much for reading, Elizabeth! So glad to have you here! x

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Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

🧑🏻‍🍳 🌊 😕 🩷 🧠

Emoji-forward responses to each of your points here. :)

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Terry Freedman's avatar

LOL. Very efficient, Elizabeth

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Sharon Hudson's avatar

Word games! Yes!! However, I must admit, I only got a little inkling of Terry’s hints. But I think I could catch on, with practice…how fun, Rebecca! Also, Kudos for the map reading. I am directionally challenged, sad to say. 🙃

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

ALL the best people are directionally challenged, Sharon! 🤣

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Sharon Hudson's avatar

😂

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Practice makes purrfect, Sharon.

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Sharon Hudson's avatar

😹

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Terry Freedman's avatar

OMG! I had forgotten that you're left-handed. That explains so much. I've been corresponding with a witch. If only I'd known.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

🤣

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Terry Freedman's avatar

😂

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Well done on Wot a difference a day makes. And all that info too. My favourite Dinah Washington song was Mad About The Boy.

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