As 2023 is drawing to a close, please take a moment to remember those friends we’ve lost during the year. Please join me in raising a glass to the following:
Otherwise, as far as the site is concerned it had its ups and downs. I was touched by the number of messages I received while the site was unavailable for about ten days:
Also, in July, an individual blogger reached the amazing milestone of 1,000 blogs:
A milestone for Fifteensquared – 1000th individual blog
There were two S&B events this year – Nottingham in June and York in October. York had the added attraction of some bloke celebrating his 60th birthday.
We were contacted early in the year by a BBC reporter who wanted to write a piece on the social aspect of what is largely seen as very much an individual task. The reporter was in attendance in Nottingham but sadly nothing seems to have come to fruition.
A big THANK YOU to all bloggers and let us not forget that it’s all done voluntarily.
Thanks also to those that take the time to comment and for, largely, keeping the discussions friendly and non-controversial.
So, now it’s on to 2024 and let’s hope it’s a good one without any tears.
Let’s hope
Io Saturnalia! My glass of hot chocolate is raised to all 225ers. Cheers!
A minute’s silence for those we have lost.
(ONE MINUTE LATER)
As regards the BBC reporter’s interest in the social aspect, I sometimes think I get more enjoyment out of reading, and occasionally contributing to, fifteensquared than actually doing the crosswords. Anyone else have this feeling?
I’ll drink to those fine sentiments.
And yes, it’s often an added bonus reading comments here.
Merry Christmas to one and all.
Merry Christmas and thanks to everyone, settee, bloggers and fellow solvers who enhance my crossword experience so much.??
Totally echo Karen’s comment and the preceding comments.
Thanks for everything Ken, what a great resource you overlook.
Best to all,
Skinny
I only comment when I feel I have something to add to what’s already been said, so not that often, but I come here almost every day and get great help with my parsing / solving and great enjoyment from reading comments. So thanks to everyone involved.
Merry Christmas to all. I did e-mail the reporter (Liam, I think?) a couple of months ago but got an auto-response saying that he no longer worked for the BBC, which would probably explain why nothing came of it.
Eccles @9, there’s obvious clue potential in getting a return mail from someone called Liam …
Thank you to Ken for continuing Geoff’s work so admirably. Merry Christmas all, and here’s to peace and health in 2024.
Thank you Ken for this opportunity to raise a glass to our esteemed crypto cruciverbal community, both in memoriam and in the present. And thank you for the work you do in keeping us all connected.
Twnbarlwm@10 LOL.
“They said there’d be snow at Christmas, They said there’d be peace on earth”.
The first looks unlikely, in my neck of the woods at least, and we can but hope for the second.
Thanks to all who contribute here, and to the setters who get my grey cells working every day.
Merry Christmas everyone!
I used to do the Times cryptic and then look up their blog. On the rare occasion I finished in under an hour, there would always be some whose time was under 10 minutes, and Tony Sever was the quickest. I thought wow this bloke is frighteningly bright! So, to him and to the others who have passed on, vale!
Allow me to echo Sourdough@8 – I comment infrequently, but regularly look the site up on completion (or failure) to get help with parsing, seek support for my arbitrary like/dislike of a particular clue, and most commonly to find out what thematic elements went entirely over my head.
Thank you everyone who makes this place what it is, bloggers and commenters all. And farewell to some outstanding setters, sadly taken from us this year. There’s a peculiar sense of loss from the death of someone who brought you joy despite never meeting. I hope to do my best in future to express my appreciation and admiration while they’re still with us.
Thank you for everything Ken. Agreed. And let’s try to keep passing on the torch in tribute to those good people. I echo the last sentences in Bodger @14’s post.
Beautifully said, Bodger@14. Fondest thoughts of those we have lost. I have appreciated reading all these posts and would like to add my gratitude to Ken and to all setters, bloggers and contributors. It is a privilege to be part of this online community. Best wishes to all for the festive/holiday season.
Thank you Father KenMac and all the elves that help you, giving us Christmas gifts the whole year round. I hope it is a labour of love and not too much of a chore, you bring a lot of joy to a lot of people.
Wishing everyone a joyful Winter ( or summer ) Solstice Festival.
Well said Ken. Good to see you and many others at York! Merry Christmas to all and a Happy, Healthy and prosoperous New Year.
Thank you and Happy Saturnalia to all who manage and contribute to this delightful blog; it certainly adds to the fun of cryptocruciverbalism; thank you particularly to the folks who gave me a very warm welcome when I plucked up the courage to drop in to the Nottingham gathering in June.
Sourdough @8 and Bodger@14 pretty much said everything for me. Thank you to all who contribute by whatever means to make Fifteensquared so enjoyable. I shall raise a glass of Ledaig to all later, sláinte!
Thank you, Ken, for reminding us of those greats we have lost this year and special thanks and congratulations on successfully taking over from Geoff.
Season’s greetings to all who contribute to, or even just lurk at fifteen squared.
Thanks for keeping the site going, Ken.
Best for Christmas and New Year.
I think I’ll take being described as one of Father Ken-mas’ elves (Roz at #17)!
(Especially if the alternative is KenMac as Snow White, and the rest of us singing ‘Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to blog we go…’, which probably makes me Grumpy or Dopey…)
Condiments of the season to all, in whichever flavour you choose, and I will raise a glass tonight to those dearly departed…
Happy Christmas and New Year!
This site has been simply superb. Thank you Ken & those who help you keep this site running in such an efficient and effective manner. Thanks to all the bloggers for their extraordinary service. Thanks fellow solvers/commenters for adding value to the site with your contributions.
I often use this site as an exemplar of the best of what the internet can do. A small group of enthusiasts bringing together people from across the world to share their hobby/passion in an almost entirely friendly conversation. So an enormous thank you to Ken and the incredibly talented bloggers and seasons greetings to fellow participants wherever you are.
Thanks Ken for all you do to keep this site going.
Best wishes for 2024 to everyone — setters, bloggers and commenters.
Just want to add my thanks to everyone who keeps this site going.
I don’t comment very often these days, as I rarely start the puzzle before evening, and it’s all been said and done …. But I do very often look in to check a parsing or a definition.
One thing absolutely amazes me. It is not unheard of for the blogger to require help with a parsing (which is understandable) but I have never ever come across a case where the blogger has simply not known the answer to a clue. To my mind, this is little short of a miracle.
Thank you to all of you.
Happy New Year, blwyddyn newydd dda and Hyvää uutta vuotta.
Wishing a very happy holiday season to all setters, bloggers, fellow solvers (especially for the Guardian crosswords), and the fifteensquared admins!
Thanks to all the bloggers, but especially Eileen who took the trouble to send me an email after one of my early queries during lockdown when I was getting started on cryptic crosswords. And to everyone who comments, often learnedly, to help others along or simply to entertain. HAPPY SOLVING IN 2024!
Life just wouldn’t be the same without this site..
Cheers, slainte, santé, kippis… to all
Thanks Kenmac and crew for keeping the torch aloft, sad to learn of the death this year of those listed above (and maybe there are more) whom I never met but gave so much time and effort so that we can enjoy this wonderful pastime.
As I missed the chance on its actual blog, am I allowed here to congratulate STAMP/Postmark on his first “pro” publication which I enjoyed greatly albeit belatedly? I see that there has been a “penny red”, and I hope more to come. Maybe there are some other 2023 debutants here unknown to me, and this year some new setters already, which should bode well for the future. Happy New Year everyone.