Nervous about creating my first full #cryptic #crossword puzzle. Writing the clues is hard enough, but what about filling the damned grid in the first place? That seems super difficult. I suppose there are tools available to help, but I'm sure that "real" setters do it all manually.

Can any of my musical followers help out with a recommendation? I'm looking to buy a fully digital piano to replace our acoustic/hybrid. Budget around £5-8k. Requirements: - good quality weighted keyboard (88 keys) - integrated cabinet styling (not keyboard on legs) - excellent piano samples 1/2

I'm enjoying Cricket's puzzles immensely. Not sure how they rank in terms of difficulty, but I find them just about right for my level. #cryptic #crossword #wordpuzzle www.mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/3418

Barely fluent country leader, within reason, is one with many followers (10) #cryptic #crossword #crypticclue cryptick.wildvale.co.uk/clue.html#Qm...

Rub the wrong way in his pride (6) #cryptic #crypticclue cryptick.wildvale.co.uk/clue.html#Un...

Really enjoyable puzzle with a cute hidden theme. Took me a while, and I had to do one or two letter reveals to get unstuck. Some very fun clues here. www.mycrossword.co.uk/cryptic/3386

Loving the John Virgo tribute T-shirts in the crowd. #snooker

Righteous direction approved by Goldilocks (4, 5) #cryptic #crypticclue #crossword cryptick.wildvale.co.uk/clue.html#Um...

Hear me out: snooker commentators and horse racing commentators swap jobs for a bit.

I might be getting better at this, slowly. Figured out the first one (with help from thesaurus). Got a candidate answer for the second one, but not convinced by it. The surface on that second one, though! 🤣

An elderly man in our street passed away last night. Lovely guy. You never know when you're going to have your last conversation with someone.

Yes! Got all three of the sample clues. Absolutely *love* the middle one! 😂

I guess this choice of phrasing tells us everything we need to know about the bank holiday weekend. Never mind, it's good snooker-watching weather.

Sigh. More gatekeeping on replies. And people wonder why BlueSky gets a reputation as an echo chamber. You have interaction settings. Use them. Otherwise, be thankful for the engagement. I really loathe this “just read my posts and be quiet” attitude. This is supposed to be a community, right?

Trump: "Say, those are nice medals." Charles: "Thanks. And no, you can't."

Salad chopped and returned, unfortunately. (4) #crypticclue #cryptic #crossword cryptick.wildvale.co.uk/clue.html#U2...

So many great BBC Proms concerts are scheduled on dates that I can't make this year. Boo.

Ironically, most penguins don't know that today is World Penguin Day. They think it's just a regular Saturday. The reason, of course, is that they refused to adopt the new Gregorian calendar in 1582, and still adhere to the old Julian one, for tax purposes.

I had the full demon-on-the-chest sleep paralysis experience this morning. They've generally become more rare with age, but they never go away. I try to get used to them but they are just too damned terrifying. That'll teach me to try going back to sleep after a 5am wake-up.

I made a bucket list. It turns out I don't have very many buckets. #NationalBucketListDay

Put the cat back, then I turn very reserved. (8) #crypticclue #cryptic #crossword cryptick.wildvale.co.uk/clue.html#UH...

I feeleth in my fingers I feeleth in my toes

Kelham Island Museum boasts this hulking monster. This is a Bessemer Converter, one of the first apparatus that could manufacture steel in large quantities. Standing beneath it is an experience, I can tell you.

Congratulations once again to the young musicians of the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra. A triumphant performance at the cathedral tonight. You do yourselves and your fine city proud. #Sheffield #ClassicalMusic #YouthMusic #YouthOrchestra

My new hobby is trying to create #cryptic #crossword clues for arbitrary words that happen to be in my line of sight. Try this... Slide me a car wreck, sweetly burned (11) cryptick.wildvale.co.uk/clue.html#U2...

It’s World Homeopathy Awareness Week. The less aware of it you are, the more good it will do you.

Ok, now do the bass clef.

Currently staying in an apartment overlooking the River Don in Sheffield. This is the magnificent Cornish Place on Kelham Island, site of a former cutlery works, dating from early 1800’s.

👀 You may see the northern lights this evening and overnight due to a Coronal Mass Ejection Despite it's imminent arrival there's considerable uncertainty and it may only glance Earth. If it arrives, aurora could be spotted as far south as northern England if skies are clear.

If you’re still trying to decide on your plans for Easter weekend, ask yourself “What would Jesus do?” and definitely don’t do that.

Oh, ye, thou really hast me now Thou hast me so I can't sleep at night Thou really hast me Thou really hast me Thou really hast me

PARTICIPANTS (noun): Pants that like to join in.

Another one from yours truly. #cryptic #crossword Dreadful day came for institution of learning (7) cryptick.wildvale.co.uk/clue.html#RH...

Tried creating my first #cryptic #crossword clue with @wildvale.co.uk 's excellent online tool. Gas myself in front of ancient Scottish noble (7) cryptick.wildvale.co.uk/clue.html#R2...

In this scene, as Sherlock prepares to dive from the rooftop of St Bart's hospital in London, I now know that the building directly opposite him is the Premier Inn, London Farringdon. How do I know? Because I stayed there at the weekend. (PS - Sherlock doesn't die. We all know that now, right?)

"Beware the aisles of merch." - soothsayer accosting Caesar on his way into a Taylor Swift concert.

What ever happened to the Michelin Man? I hear he re-tyred. #LunchPun

Spreading some #JohnWilliams love on a dull Friday afternoon. There's so much to love about this piece: the escalating tension, the modulations, the magnificent minor-mode "Ark" motif, and the female chorus recalling great biblical epics. A superb cue. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgK0...

I've been doing a lot of cryptic crosswords recently. My brain now insists on trying to imagine clues for random words. I just came up with this one, which is also a rhyming couplet, so I'm quite chuffed with it: Fundamental force Puts it in a sauce (7) Any takers? #crossword #wordpuzzle

ER has popped up on Netflix, so I watched the pilot for probably the first time since its original broadcast and it's a goddamn masterpiece. This is a show that arrived fully-formed. I might get hooked all over again.

I had to book car parking at St Neots railway station the other day. Through the magic of third-party cookies, Facebook is now trying to tempt me with special offers for various other railway stations that I might want to park in, which strikes me as an oddly forlorn piece of targeted advertising.

As much as people complain about AI, you have to admit that the technology is astonishing. I would never have thought this possible...

Trumpington Road, Cambridge, has pot holes so deep that there might be balrogs living in them.

The prevalence of AI slop on social media makes me feel really sorry for those cats that can actually play the guitar.

How in the heck has it taken me this long to discover the #LeagueOfGentlemen anniversary specials?? They're almost a decade old. Have they really been on #iPlayer that whole time without my even knowing they existed? Anyway, they were a real good treat! Mmmm! #AllesKlar

I just overheard someone saying "Happy New Year" so I'm calling the police.

Today's ear worm has been the "Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra" from the soundtrack to #IndianaJones and the Last Crusade. #NowPlaying #FilmMusic #JohnWilliams www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IFm...

🎵 I said I'd make a nice dessert for you and bring a side dish, too and it was all Jell-o