Other initiatives include Water.org courtesy of Gary White and Matt Damon, all about empowering the individual to make the choices over our most precious commodity, water, for our future and our children’s future. And then there is Elon Musk whose mission is to be a force for good in our strife-torn world. As a fellow Aspergeree who was brought up like me amid a judgmental world in Africa – South in his case, and East in mine – made us both determined that our children would not have to face what we both went through. We would see to our best ability, that they would enjoy a higher plane of existence than was our lot, and though I am getting on a bit, being just one month younger than Donald Trump, that remains my goal too, where war as we know it must become a thing of the past, and the new fledgling science of genomics, will ensure that illness and vaccines in particular will be rendered obsolete.
I believe dreams can come true, if we all support the trail-blazers and genuine good people still around. Congratulations, to Elon, and Gary and Matt for their endeavours, and doubtless many many more too.
Witness below, therefore, my new clues including our treasured national institution (apart from the tea!), namely our beloved Times crossword, stemming from its inception some ninety-two years ago!
Sent! After Easter, consumed! (10) PASSIONATE
Apocalypse Now put in context? (5) PUTIN
What Peter Brookes renders to The Times in pictures, we cryptic wallahs attempt in words!
“Madam, I’m Adam” — the world’s first? (10) PALINDROME fits as does (4-2-4) CHAT-UP-LINE.
Inevitable response to that, of course is:
Madam? EVE! (mad am!!) (5,8) CHAIN REACTION (complete with cryptic overtone!) (3,10) HER PALINDROME
Akenhead crosswords are under new management and being transformed, exclusively in Newfoundland, Canada.
- 9th April 1922 saw with the renewal of my contract with The Times, and the re-emergence of my late father’s Times and East African crossword publications in digital format in my weekly crossword challenges courtesy of Facebook and Linked-in as well as a recommendation to my subscriptions from retiring TOL Puzzles Editor, David Parfitt, and finally a concerted ongoing challenge linking 1930, the birth of the Times crossword to the full extent of the existing Times Archive which presently stretches to December 1985 (including the crossword), with appropriate samples and links from each year.
- On 4th May 2022 I decided to axe all subscriptions except the basic annual subscription of US $10. It is acknowledged that many cannot afford our premium so we have reduced it to US$2 with a recommendation that it remains at US$10 for those who can.
The Times Crossword No. 3,518
This crossword appeared in The Times on Wednesday 4th June, 1941 – Uncovered another highly suspect crossword, unrecognisable grid, and the final down clue is Aphra, and we all recognise her as Aphra Behn, alluring undercover agent for Charles II in Antwerp! It all kicked off in 1941, it seems on both sides! This Archive is beginning to prove priceless, especially in Crete and the North Atlantic convoys to Arkhangelsk, – Bismarck, HMS Royal Sovereign and Stirling Castle (troopship) all in the same Times crossword I found with its clandestine message to German High Command to sink the Royal Sovereign in port rather than open Convoy where her new defences courtesy of USA and Rosyth shipyard made her invincible to U-boat packs, and when the crossword was submitted, Stirling Castle was by contrast a sitting duck for the Luftwaffe in Heraklaeon harbour, Crete with a huge vulnerable contingent of British and Commonwealth troops aboard when the RN, to avoid further loss, announced evacuation to Alexandria, fortunately, however, although the crossword was submitted the previous week just after Bismarck was sunk/scuttled, in good British tradition the crossword had to await its turn for publication, by which time the bird was safely in the Egyptian nest! Crete, a story where scant interest was paid to the Geneva convention by both sides! talk about matches devoid of referees! But that’s war for you! It was also, arguably the critical point where the balance began to swing in the Allies’ favour! Both ships survived the war with outstanding service rendered because our intelligence was a tiny fraction better than Germany’s! This crossword can be found on both my Home Page and on my Preview App for the War Years – a unique discovery in my book, and the crossword is masterful too and cleverly deceptive! Churchill did not care much for cryptic crosswords either! Another plus for the opposition! Yet, Hitler helped us too of course, mindful of the Baltic convoy approaching Archangelsk headed by The Royal Sovereign and already regarding Crete as his reverse Arnhem! a costly paradrop too far in his eyes bringing a certain amount of disunity to the boots on the ground and what was remaining in the air! and nothing was to delay or inhibit Barbarossa and the invasion of Russia!
David Akenhead, former Crossword Consultant to The Times operating under licence from Times Newspapers (UK) Limited and as CEO Akenhead crosswords
My services and skills as Proofs editor on the crossword books for Times Books and HarperCollins over many years were subsequent to proud service (1970-72) putting the Sydney Morning Herald to bed every day, with 5 other pairs, 12 of us in all, as final revisers in the employ of John Fairfax. They called us the late, late show! – a memorable badge! – DA

Thank you all – Keep on truckin’!
Looking on the bright side (and not new), Pimm’s No. 1 time in order! (8) OPTIMISM
Wise words from a beacon of light in a troubled world:
“Come in I’ll give ya shelter, shelter from the storm” Bob Dylan, 17th September 1974
A few of my own efforts within the crossword spectrum:
With it, junior flying officer latching on to neutron star lost direction (7) POPULAR
Card-player’s choice, perhaps? (5) IDEAL
Whose lost pocket then? (7) LOCKETS
Learnt in game (Scrabble), substituting a ‘C’ for an ‘E’ giving PROJECTOR (5,7) MAGIC LANTERN
Invest in E-commerce ‒ very concentrated! (9) INTENSIVE
Curiously pre-dated déjà vu, all said and done (8) DEPARTED
Our Town’s man caught by being at a loss (11) BEWILDERING
Mayday! Mayday! Heavens above! (6,6) SKYLAB MONDAY
Puts up with objective dependent on zero American involvement? Remarkable! (10) STUPENDOUS
French shepherd’s last to witness rumen distortion by one of the flock in the process (11) NUREMBERGER
Toast drunk to Christopher Sly, the old weasel! (5) STOAT
To be, or not to be? As the saying goes! (7) PROVERB
Seesaw? Witness split lesson (7) PROVERB
Elementary, my dear Watson! (11) MATHEMATICS
Mark of approval for quiet when alien is instructed to return (5) QUITE
Verity hurt, in retrospect, about Trump’s lead (5) TRUTH
Trump perhaps misdirected earnest with hesitation (9) EASTERNER
Encountered a Ford compadre hands-on type (10) METACARPAL
Ruffled thin B quest E-game (3,6,6) THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT
Dead ringer for the Old Man of the River at Yuletide (5,8) SAINT NICHOLAS
All French dream with spilt ink – Klasse! (9) REVERENCE
Melodious goings-on, so diverse! (4-4) SING-SONG
Hanging, for example (6) ENDING
Bit like the Ogre grinding the Old Lady to make his bread, to coin the phrase! (7) BITCOIN
Girl set on screwing the books (8) MISSPENT
Carnivorous variant (11) CORONAVIRUS
Retreat more suited to Bonaparte than Ophelia (9) MONASTERY
Oysterman’s bats sanctuary (9) MONASTERY
Story name possibly to rival “The Monk’s Tale” (9) MONASTERY
Hold your horses! debit curtailed? Awkward (4) BIDE
Antipodean fliers? Disastrous! I saw coarse failures ultimately (11) CASSOWARIES
Rook moves capturing a horse, one that jumps in more ways than one! (8) KANGAROO
Lofty pull! Flying grouse hit! (9) RIGHTEOUS
Wildly I simulate, consumed to the core, vibes! (7) STIMULI
A question asked by Akash Shrivastava in the Cryptic Crossword Society and my obvious answer!
How should a beginner approach solving the cryptic crossword? (7,7,3,12) SWEDISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
This also appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald (a journal where I was once Reader), on Monday 28th December (love it!)
Going off course in tossing the caber, ran through the crowd (8) ABERRANT
Oppressive money-grabbing as a wrong’un found among mad oxen (9) EXTORTION
May describe a way to avoid friction between father and the editor? (5) PAVED
It is a calm reorganisation in action, or perhaps reaction (15) ACCLIMATISATION
Learned man breaks forges with superiors (6,9) REGIUS PROFESSOR
I’ll be hanged! (5) SWING
Tea for Two? (3,5,9) THE TIMES CROSSWORD
Two for Tea, we hear, and a guardian angel? (6-3) NINETY-TWO
Fair dos! (3) FUN
A Southwestern State (2) FA (Southwestern College, Florida)
Thaleischweiler-Fröschen (15-8) and Bergruine-Steinenschloss (9-14)
David Akenhead, CEO Akenhead crosswords, 28th May, 2022
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