Cross Words

The Grauniad xword editor (whom god preserve and IMHO is a man of great humanity and self-deprecation) has alerted us to the retirement of Rufus. Good luck to him and a long happy time ahead. One of the few compilers I could countenance recently. The Editor mentions, in passing, the  Clerihew a subtle form of humour and in the right hands and with the right target a devastating weapon.
(Yes the Clerihew did much to bring down the Third Reich and the Berlin Wall... Ed!)

Somebody got out of the office party on the wrong side!

Our Editor believes he is quite arty
He disgraced himself at the office party
His nose for the drink
Has left it quite pink

Mr Wikipedia opines:-

Clerihew
A clerihew is a whimsical, four-line biographical poem invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley. The first line is the name of the poem's subject, usually a famous person put in an absurd light, or revealing something unknown or spurious about them. Bentley invented the clerihew in school and then popularized it in books.

and reports:-

In 1983, Games Magazine ran a contest titled "Do You Clerihew?" The winning entry was:

    Did Descartes
    Depart
    With the thought
    "Therefore I'm not"?

Seasonal Greetings to all our regular reader(s)

Hazie Daze

Fine day Monday at Lackford Lakes with the weather bright and crisp. All of which puts one in a reflective mood.

(It can only get worse...Ed!)
The old ticker gave a leap of joy as I recognised the flight form of one bird that I had never seen before, to my knowledge, in the feathers, as it were (take that as fast failing memory...Ed.) A kingfisher, which had been masquerading as a little brown job on a pole in the mid-distance, took off and flew across our line of sight. It banked and flashed its finery at us. A Mr Macfarlane had something to say about the weather too, and Halcyon Days, and kingfishers.

I'm so grateful for having RM's word of the day pointed out to me! Nice one B!

Xmas at # 10

Our contact in the far north, a pinko elf in Santa's Grotto, reported a whispered conversation between a tall woman in kitten heels, sitting on Santa's knee, and the big man himself!
She was heard pleading  for xmas to come early this year, the sooner the better!
This strange conversation was confirmed, in writing a few days later, when a letter from a certain address in Westminster to a Mr Claus was intercepted and steamed open. The contents, at least those not redacted, appeared to ask for the same pre-arrival of the festive season and additionally,  for some chocolate coated Castor Oil beans to be sent to a Ms Foster and other parties in the UK (NI branch). The letter was initialled TM (Susu). The Old Fella has replied suggesting that he will not be able to deliver early this year as it plays havoc with the livestock, Hanukkah, and office parties but perhaps in the spirit of cooperation and compromise he might suggest an extended transitional period! Also, do you think he was born yesterday with the chocolate whatsits. As he was one of the first people to get the Breaking Bad Bootlegged Box Set, which he thoroughly enjoyed, he would not be so DUPED. He would have the men in big boots and balaclavas running around the dispatch area at a critical period in the business cycle of the enterprise.
(Let's disregard most of the questions an editor, lawyer, trick-cycalist might have about this blog and your latest entry in particular, what in the name of all that is grub and holey is SUSU... Ed?)
According to some

Sisu is a grim, gritty, white-knuckle form of courage that is typically presented in situations where success is against the odds. It expresses itself in taking action against the odds and displaying courage and resoluteness in the face of adversity, in other words, deciding on a course of action and then sticking to that decision even despite repeated failures.

 A bit of a give away then, if you're Finnished!