My first blog and – as luck would have it — it’s the monkey-puzzle man himself. At first, I was regretting that third tequila last night but once the triple espresso kicked in, things started falling rapidly into place. Once you have the plays of George Bernard Shaw theme, the puzzle was fairly straightforward, though it included the usual Araucaria gems and literary references.

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I had been expecting a comparatively easy ride today; evidently we have a treat in store on Saturday. Although this took a long time, as Punk’s crosswords always do, it was very good: some excellent clues and no apparently weak ones. But I’m still bewildered by the 16 11 thing. OK it’s Scottish football teams, but how does “Scottish lienal” give that? Obviously some devilish cryptic idea that passed me by but which somebody will explain.

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