I’ve had a rough week this week but mustered the courage to attempt Wednesday’s crossword with my morning coffee. There were some wonderful clues but I didn’t get round to writing about them on the day. To jump right in… Spooner’s contemptible chef collected records (8) For those new to the Times Cryptic, “Spooner’s” is a dead giveaway that the answer is a Spoonerism. Given that “Spooner’s” is the first word, it’s likely that we’re looking for a word for “records” or “collected records”, with “contemptible chef” being the cryptic.…

I’m a big fan of cryptic crosswords. I’ve never been able to crack a Times cryptic until relatively recently. (I’ve managed the Quick Cryptic only available on weekdays for a few years.) I confess, I’m not quite at the level where I can do the weekend ones unaided, I use the “check answer” tool available during the week to help me learn whether I’m on the right track or not.…

Spare time. I’ve worked in tech since I graduated in 2013 and yet only now am I writing a blog. It’s one of those things that I always said I would get round to in my spare time. Of course, sometimes you don’t realise that your time is spare in the moment. Something makes me embarrassed to admit that. In any case, I’ve just departed from a company I’ve been working on for the last 2ish years and I have some time on my hands.…