MB brings copies of the latest cryptic crossword for anyone interested to Sunday coffee. Sunday coffee has been suspended due to an overwhelming exodus of islanders to the southern sun for winter. Coffee will resume soon, winter is over on d’island. Our normal routine is to take the cryptic to bed and while I drink my sleepy time tea, E tries to teach me how to do cryptics . (after reading this over,  I realize we don’t really sound very cool).

Understanding clues like…. March in front of messy heap on amplifier or Dorians shifting attacks is beyond me. E loves doing cryptics, especially the anagrams. I love hearing his explanation of what answer the clue is describing. ( megaphone, inroads ) I don’t think I will ever be able to do them alone. I just do not think “cryptically” The B’s returned first and sent over some of the cryptics we had missed.

I settled in to bed last night with my tea and cryptic and opened the window for my evening fresh air. No sooner had we settled in, when there was a sea-lion roar outside our window. He was unusually  loud and obviously excited.. If he had been jumping up and down and waving his arms to us I wouldn’t have been surprised.. this fellow had a story to tell and he was bellowing it..

I went out on to the perch in the dark, in my nightie to see what the fuss was about… The sea was flat calm there was no wind.. Though, once again, like last week the surface of the sea was alive with dancing herring. All around in front of us, you could hear them partying.. The first time we saw this was on March 18^th when they arrived just after dinner. We have been looking forward to seeing the wildlife arrive for the herring roe hatch..  The roe hasn’t hatched yet but this is the second time that we have seen a large presence of herring in front of the house… Now they need to get busy …..

Laying in bed all night we could hear the sea lions calling to each other.. they were  well fed and as happy as we were to see the herring!

When I used to work, I hated getting up in the mornings.. Now I can’t stay in bed. I can hardly wait for sunrise so I can get up to look out the window.. I don’t want to

main sights  (anagram)