Evening Entertainment

Photo: September 6, 2016

Sometimes we pass the evening doing a crossword together. We each have strengths so our combined efforts help us get through it. I do admit, we sometimes resort to the internet to get us through a particularly difficult one. We mutter about bad clues and grin when we figure out the theme of the puzzle and solve the long entries. Once we have finished, we go on to solve some of the easier puzzles on the page. All this usually accompanied by a bit of our favourite chocolate!

Day 361: Relaxing

Day 361: Relaxing, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A favourite for an evening of relaxation is to do the crossword (NY Times Sunday crossword a week later in our newspaper). My spouse and I sit down, pencil sharpened. We zigzag around, finding the clues that we can easily solve and then go back to try and fill in the blank spots. I admit we resort to help at times. My laptop comes to the rescue as we check out a few answers (neither of us are up on popular culture, so help is sometimes essential). Years ago I used to haul out dictionaries, atlases, whatever I needed. Now the Internet makes life so much easier.

We solved this week's without too much intervention and solved some of the other puzzles on the page. Neither of us feels ready to tackle the cryptic crossword. Our minds just don't seem to work the way the puzzle writer's does.