Wednesday, 6th December, 2023 – Visits to date: 225,870 from 190 Countries. 31st October saw Israel, Tel Aviv, lead for the month with 1,196 Visits. Earlier San Mateo, California answered my support for war veterans along with Lachlan Murdoch on the UK Times, on 340 visits. Today Germany lead.

Monday 4th December began our Christmas competition for Edmund Akenhead’s Classic East African Collection. Winners receive a life subscription with free updates to two early volumes in digital format of Edmund Akenhead’s unique work, grids included, for The Tanganyika Standard (later East African Standard) between 4th June 1960 and 9th June 1962, some 93 Saturday crosswords all told. Feel free to join in. Tell your friends!

Go to: https://www.facebook.com/david.akenhead 

Meanwhile feel free to browse my News article and the stand I have chosen to take in support of fellow disadvantaged authors and artists worldwide.

I have reopened my free samples in my Library on this website especially my Games! and some choice crosswords! Enjoy!

My regular News editorials elaborate what is fair play for me and the late Barbara Hall MBE’s estate, speaking reams of earlier happier days, as Peter Brookes does with his wonderful regular cartoons in The Times – DA

Putin tells sleeper spies to trigger chaos in Kyiv

My comment in UK Times – 27th November 2023

My comment and feedback in Saturday’s UK Times (amended) – 25th November 2023

Posted extract and comment in The Times of Tuesday, 21st November concerning Lachlan Murdoch’s recent meeting with his entourage from Fox and News expressing solidarity to President Zelensky and his respect for Ukraine and the freedom of the Free World. Well done, Lachlan Murdoch you are a credit to your father, as I try to be to mine – DA

“The Ukrainian president commended Hall for his “outstanding” bravery. It was the first time Hall had returned to Ukraine since he lost both his feet, a leg and an eye in an attack outside Kyiv last year. During the meeting Zelensky dismissed critics questioning the grinding pace of the counteroffensive “For some reason, people treat it like a movie and expect that there will be no long pauses in the events, that the picture before their eyes will always change, that there will be some surprises every day,” he said.

“But for us, for our warriors, this is not a movie. These are our lives. This is daily hard work. And it will not be over as quickly as we would like, but we have no right to give up and we will not.”

“While in Kyiv, Murdoch also met Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelensky’s office, and laid flowers at the Wall of Remembrance, a site commemorating Ukrainian soldiers who have lost their lives in the conflict.”

Posted comment in The Times of Saturday, 4th November

I continue to offer my readership and my digital products on my increasingly popular website to HarperCollins gratis with a direct link to their website via mine and indeed recommend subscribing to TOL themselves! – DA

Finally,  aside my token requests to restore my Jumbo royalties with whatever I am due, and my former title at The Times, I’d like to promote the Sun crossword titles again in digital format, as inventor of The Sun Computer Crosswords and long time Proofs Editor of their crossword books – DA

November

Browser	Country	City	Date		Platform		Referrer	Visits
		San Mateo, California	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	340
		Amsterdam, North Holland	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	327
		Ashburn, Virginia	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	binance.com	12
		USA	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	binance.com	12
		Dublin, Leinster	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	4
		Montreal, Quebec	November 27		Linux	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	4
		Germany	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	3
		Italy	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	3
		Russian Federation	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	simplesite.com	2
		Russian Federation	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Russian Federation	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Kolomna, Moscow Oblast	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		USA	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	simplesite.com	2
		Gansu, China	November 27		iOS	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		France	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Scottsdale, Arizona	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Zurich	November 27		Unknown	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Norway	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Jiangsu, China	November 27		iOS	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Houston, Texas	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	simplesite.com	2
		Oldenburg, Lower Saxony	November 27		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	1
		Montreal, Quebec	November 27		Android	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	1

October

Browser	Country	City	Date		Platform		Referrer	Visits
		Tel Aviv, Israel	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	1196
		Santa Clara, California	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	31
		USA	October 31		Android	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	28
		Austin, Texas	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	20
		Tempe, Arizona	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	5
		China	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	simplesite.com	4
		Dublin, Leinster	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	4
		India	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	4
		Portugal	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	4
		Canada	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	3
		Russian Federation	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	pornomamki.cc	3
		Denver, Colorado	October 31		Linux	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Los Angeles, California	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	simplesite.com	2
		Seattle, Washington	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	simplesite.com	2
		Omsk, Omskaya Oblast’	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		USA	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Sweden	October 31		OS X	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Russian Federation	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Istanbul, Istanbul	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Russian Federation	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Istanbul, Istanbul	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Istanbul, Istanbul	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Russian Federation	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Russian Federation	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Camberwell, Southwark	October 31		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2

September

Browser	Country	City	Date		Platform		Referrer	Visits
		Oroville, California	September 2		OS X	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	394
		London, England	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	40
		London, England	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	20
		Seattle, Washington	September 2		Unknown	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	12
		London, England	September 2		Android	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Dublin, Leinster	September 2		Android	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Scottsdale, Arizona	September 2		Unknown	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Germany	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		France	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Canada	September 2		Unknown	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		USA	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	simplesite.com	2
		Dublin, Leinster	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		France	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		Houston, Texas	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	simplesite.com	2
		China, Zhejiang	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	2
		USA	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	simplesite.com	2
		Tempe, Arizona	September 2		OS X	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	1
		Tempe, Arizona	September 2		OS X	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	1
		Canada	September 2		Unknown	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	1
		Provo, Utah	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	simplesite.com	1
		Russian Federation	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	1
		China, Zhejiang	September 2		OS X	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	1
		Canada	September 2		Windows	—Unknown	www.crosswordsakenhead.com	1

War has overnight become a luxury of the past and we need to think 21st century now. Only the combined brains of this world from every single nation can safeguard our increasingly fragile eco-structure. Our late Queen made a memorable start with her Commonwealth tree-planting initiative. In support of which, this too from the late great founder of our crossword, Adrian Bell:

The oldest profession? (9) GARDENING says it all really, that and celebrating our humanity through sport in all its noblest aspirations.

1 ac. In order of celebration, the ayes have it, it seems! (4,5,4,2) GOOD QUEEN BESS II

1 ac. Silvery-white Ode to Joy, 21st Century style! (8,7) PLATINUM JUBILEE

At the outbreak of World War 2, our beloved Queen Elizabeth was a 14 year old Princess along with her joie de vivre 11 year old sister, Princess Margaret,

both facing an uncertain life ahead but with a sense of duty and devotion to their country reflected in their father King George VI and their own broadcasts to the children in England separated from their families, rather similar to families in Ukraine today, conveying encouragement and hope; but young Elizabeth wanted to go further and by her 18th birthday had persuaded her father that she wished to join the ATS and do her bit for the war effort at their HQ in Aldershot near Windsor Castle.

So it was in autumn 1944 that she met my mother, Angela, and my godmother Stella Cody as she later became, who had both joined the service earlier, and who now acquainted Princess Elizabeth with the business of both driving and servicing Army ambulances, both already well aquainted with their nightly missions of tending in low visibility to the devastation, wounded and dying from London’s Blitz. Below pictures of my mother in 1940 as a young Corporal, after enlisting in the ATS on her 21st birthday, with a troupe of dedicated, selfless, quiet and truly heroic army girls and nurses, culminating in 1944 elevated to Captain, with Stella, by this time her staff sergeant i/c driving lessons, both charged with assisting the young princess in familiarising her and her vehicle with basic mechanics on the one hand, and manoeuvring it in blackout conditions, on the other, both of which she accomplished the following year with flying colours!

Also my father below, an RAF pilot and glider pilot in the newly formed AAC who she met in a pub in 1944 – promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, Edmund Akenhead TD by war end.

‘You can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine. There’s a little light in all of us by God’s design’ Marty Cooper and Donna Fargo USA

Restoration of my late father, Edmund Akenhead’s Arms, pursuant to Queen Victoria’s Amnesty to landed Scottish families post Culloden (ours a Sept of Gordon) and graciously granted to my father and his descendants in perpetuity by Queen Elizabeth the Second and the College of Arms on the 31st October 1989.

Witness below, a handful of clues including our treasured national institution (apart from the tea!), namely our beloved Times crossword, stemming from its inception some ninety-three years ago! Remainder can be found in my new AZ Sketches by DA (courtesy of Boz!).

Her attachment to Poe makes her also write verse (4) TESS

Saw one of the team off then? (5) TENON

There’s no limit to what a sick kangaroo will do (9) BOUNDLESS

Unsuitable entertainment for Father’s Day? (3,8) POP FESTIVAL

Conference material? Impressive! (5) SATIN

“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

Recent Musings!

Daily Visits to date over 1,000 (24 hours)

Tue 31st October      2023 1,504 – 1,196 from Israel

Tue 29th November 2022 1,481

Fri 21st April 2023              1,421

Tue 7th June 2022             1,282

Mon 17th April 2023          1,267

Sat 15th April   2023          1,265

Sun 16th April 2023           1,197

Fri 14th April   2023           1,156

Tue 18th April 2023           1,136

Sat 8th April     2023          1,125

Tue 28th  March 2023       1,087

Wed 29th March 2023       1,066

Fri 7th April     2023           1,024

Wed 12th April 2023          1,004

Top 102 Countries (Locations) for 2023

1 United States 5,063 

2

Russian Federation 863 

3 China 697 

Interesting article by my father for Times News, the House Journal of Times Newspapers, February 1976 Edition where he indulges his readers in the mathematical intricacies of a Mastermind competition in which he was an entrant – father was very much into code-breaking in his War years, and as usual, a master of understatement. As a quiet multi-lingual RAF rudimentary test fighter pilot earlier, he also later flew light aircraft low at night under radar behind enemy lines. I only gleaned this information at the very end of his life in a 5 hour game of chess (which he eventually won instinctively on close to empty!) on enquiring about his TD when he brushed off landing his glider and troop plus jeep 50 miles behind enemy lines prior to the Rhine crossings as nothing much really, and in any case something he had done before at night and in a much lighter aircraft, a Lysander, in more challenging circumstances!  The headline and the signature are adequate evidence of the veritas without any need for the interim RTP or QED!

– 

23rd out of an original field of 800 plus, wasn’t bad going!

Looking on the bright side (and not new), Pimm’s No. 1 time in order! (8) OPTIMISM

Visitors / Visits

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

David Akenhead, CEO Akenhead crosswords, 6th December, 2023

Hits: 38