It’s been a while!

The workload has gradually increased over the past year or so, and blog updates have become rarer as a result. The same applies to having new stuff to write about, so it’s been a case of waiting until there are a few subjects to cover.

A recent Sunday Times puzzle taught me that a piece of advice I’m always keen to give aspiring setters is less than reliable. The principle is straightforward. Once your clue set is complete, try to pick out the harder clues and see where their answers are in the grid. Combined with their cross-checking letters, they should give an indication of any areas of the grid that may be unnecessarily hard to crack. You can then ease up a little on one or two. Despite my feeling that the resulting puzzle was on the moderate side, most solvers found it incredibly difficult. I still think the advice is sound, but it just goes to show that you can never be absolutely sure you’ve got it right. The setter has the disadvantage of being too close to the puzzle, while the editor has the disadvantage of being a very experienced solver.

 

These days I very rarely use Facebook, preferring Twitter for its absence of click-bait posts. Because Twitter posts ping over to Facebook, I will check in for reply notifications, but that’s about it. I was rather disappointed to recently see that Timothy Parker had been removed from a crossword group. Those who keep an eye on events in the world of crosswords will know about what came to light last year, but it was dealt with and Mr Parker took some enforced time off.

We all make mistakes and, for me, Mr Parker’s sin was one of laziness more than anything else. It was careless and unprofessional… but nobody died. His punishment will be regarded by some as fitting, others as not enough, and others as too much. It doesn’t matter. It was a mistake and it is now history, and we can be pretty sure it won’t happen again. So why don’t we just leave it at that and move on?

Crosswording is a minority pursuit which, for many years, was regarded by outsiders as a bit odd. Thanks to solving blogs and regular gatherings, many have found us to be extremely welcoming. One of the best things is that solvers see and discuss those occasions when even the best setters and editors allow stupid mistakes to pass into publication unnoticed. Some get uppity, some laugh it off, but all get over it. So it should be with regard to Mr Parker. He did wrong and he will have learned his lesson. If he wishes to continue to have an active role in crosswords then he should be allowed to do so, and we should be a little more forgiving and welcoming.

Nobody died.

 

Later this year – actually coinciding with my birthday – my first ever crossword book will be published. In the great scheme of things it’s modest (a newspaper title, a non-cryptic collection), but it’s a biggie for me.

Some time in my mid-20s, my then girlfriend asked me what I saw myself doing professionally. At the time I was unemployed except for a regular slot on the Birmingham Post and whatever meagre revenue came from the band we were both in. When I told her I would be a full-time cryptic crossword setter her reply was “You’ll never do it”, and we split up not long after that.

Far from denting my ambition it made me more determined, but it has taken a long time. To finally see my name on something which is all my own work is an important milestone.

 

This past year has seen some personal changes. When I left the covers band about three years ago I felt I’d had enough of playing live and wanted to return to writing and recording, but that had previously been a cyclical thing; play live for a few years, write and record for a few years, and repeat. Except this time I had no intention of returning to live work. By chance, a few months ago, someone advertised a bass guitar position for a new project, very local to me, with a dozen or so suggested songs which were right up my alley. In fairness the rehearsal session was brilliant and I really enjoyed it, but when the guitarist contacted me to say the project wasn’t going any further (drummer and vocalist were unable to fully commit) I was relieved. I have to be honest with myself – I really don’t want to be in a band any more. Unfortunately there’s nothing on the writing horizon as yet, but it’s the only musical area I’m interested in now.

My Twitter followers doubtless get sick of me posting links to my gaming livestreams, but I do it to connect to gaming followers on Twitter and Facebook who aren’t necessarily subbed to my channel. And I make no apology for nearly all of my streams being of The Last Of Us, especially because it reflects the fact that I’m not a ‘proper’ gamer. TLOU ticked a shedload of boxes which other games don’t know exist, and in truth I don’t even think of it as a game. It’s a powerful, realistic, and intensely emotional story which just happens to have great gameplay bolted onto it. That said, I’m sort of burnt out now, so until Part 2 ships towards the end of this year I will be spending time on Burnout Paradise Remastered, because I love my driving games, especially the arcade type, and this was pretty much why I kept my PS3.

OK, that’s it for now.