Travel Tales and Cryptic Crosswords

Peter Waugh

Description

Enjoy a travel tale and a cryptic crossword on each of the 53 weekends possible in a year.
Unconventional, quirky and generally light-hearted, the tales range from circumnavigating the globe by cargo/passenger and migrant ships and driving an ageing car from Paris to Tehran over bad roads in winter and mostly at night, to hitchhiking in kilts around Europe. Selling patent medicine in rural Malaya in the early 1960s, surviving an earthquake and its aftermath in Tehran, and hearing of JFK''s assassination from a Chinese gangster in Kuala Lumpur all feature.
There are rants about unsatisfactory toilet blocks in caravan parks and travellers who cap one''s stories; raves about Star Bars and Star Stays; essays on Currywurst and the town of Condom; and there are more than 150 photos, a few poems and one recipe.
The cryptic crosswords are modelled on those in The Times, but perhaps slightly easier.

Sujets

• Travel writing

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
• Date de parution: 31 janvier 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528962643
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Travel Tales and Cryptic Crosswords
A Weekend Companion
Peter Waugh
Austin Macauley Publishers
2020-02-28
Travel Tales and Cryptic Crosswords About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgement Preface 1. Musical Memories – Should I Know You? Across Down 2. More Musical Memories – Lost and Found Across Down 3. Yet More Musical Memories – ‘O Sole Mio’ Across Down Across Down 5. Eating out in Chillagoe Across Down 6. Burying Father’s Ashes Across Down 7. Where Better Than the NYRC for a Beer? Across Down 8. Cultural Misunderstandings Across Down 9. Amusing Oneself in Tehran in 1962 Across Down 10. Coincidence Across Down 11. Condom Across Down 12. Currywurst Across Down 13. A Kindness in a Small Town in Germany Across Down Across Down 15. Efficiency Under Communism Across Down 16. The Cappers Across Down 17. Spooky Nights and Kooky Days Across Down 18. Journey Without (Useful) Maps Across Down 19. Strange Road Rules and Customs Across Down Across Down 21. Grandad with Big Eyes Across Down 22. Sign Language Across Down 23. Travels with a Bear Across Down 24. Expectations and Reality Across Down R.I.P. Across Down 26. The Benefits of Bureaucracy Across Down 27. Pre-Book or Free Range, Satnav or Maps Across Down 28. Iceland on My Mind Across Down Across Down 30. Sports Fans in Caravans Across Down 31. The Salesmen of Seremban Across Down 32. The Hitchhikers’ Guide to Hand Picked Drivers Across Down 33. Tremors and Trickery in Tehran Across Down 34. Bar Doors and Bananas Fried Across Down Marble Bar Mince Across Down 36. Snags in the Statelets of Europe Across Down 37. Travel’s Ups and Downs Across Down 38. Casual New Zealand Across Down Across Down 40. What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing on a Boat Like This? (2) Across Down 41. Efficiency Under Capitalism Across Down 42. Roman Remains in Australia Across Down 43. Star Bars Across Down 44. Administrative Matters Across Down 45. Motoring Around Europe in a Small Battered Car Across Down Across Down 47. Sub-Continental Sojourn in the Sixties Across Down 48. First Impressions Across Down 49. Star Stays Across Down 50. Ten Pound Poms Across Down 51. The All Year, All Weather Tourists Across Down 52. Bridges over Troubled and Calm Waters Across Down 53. And So – Does Travel Really Broaden the Mind? Across Down Answers to Crosswords #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #36 #37 #38 #39 #40 #41 #42 #43 #44 #45 #46 #47 #48 # 49 #50 #51 #52 #53
About the Author
Scottish-born Peter Waugh, armed with a degree in Maths and Physics, a rucksack and £100, set out with two companions to hitchhike around the world. Seven and a bit years later, he returned with a wife and baby son, having worked as a storekeeper in Tehran, a Maths teacher in Kuala Lumpur and a computer programmer in Canberra and Sydney. Since then, he has probably spent more time travelling than working.
He has been solving cryptic crosswords for 60 years. He enjoys playing the piano, cooking, reading, golf and swimming, has been married for 52 years and has 4 children and 11 grandchildren. He and his wife live on the Sunshine Coast in Australia.
Dedication
To my wife, Judy, who has been more enthusiastic about this book
than I have been.
Copyright Information ©
Peter Waugh (2020)
The right of Peter Waugh to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528919302 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528962643 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2020)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
I thank my wife for her encouragement and sharing her knowledge of books and publishing. She also took some of the photos.
I thank my friends who have allowed me to use their names and likenesses, in particular Irv whose photos of our hitchhiking trip are included in the book.
And I thank the countless people all over the world who have made travelling a joy for me over many years.
Preface
Ever since setting off to hitchhike round the world, I expected to write a book about the journey; however, there was never enough interest or excitement in what happened to fill a book that people would actually bother to read.
When I retired in 1997, I spent some time compiling cryptic crosswords that had an Australian flavour. My intention was to complete a hundred of them and try to find a publisher for a book. I got bored after fifty or so, and shelved the project.
Recently, I came up with the notion of combining the two projects into the present volume. Its subtitle is A Weekend Companion and it has 53 chapters, one for each weekend in the year. Yes, I know there are only 52 weeks in a year, but a leap year that begins on a Saturday has 53 full weekends in it. Each chapter consists of an illustrated travel vignette and a cryptic crossword. I use the word vignette here rather than tale because some of them are not tales at all: there are commentaries, suggestions, bêtes noires , series of photographs, some contain poems and there’s one recipe.
May they provide you with an hour’s entertainment each weekend.
Peregian Beach
July 2018
1. Musical Memories – Should I Know You?
How often memories are triggered by music, and how often music is the essence of a memory.
Wiesbaden 1960. Three backpackers, though that term was yet to be invented, had a night out. Dinner, washed down by sake, was in a Chinese restaurant. The jukebox played Edith Piaf’s ‘Milord’ over and over – we took turns to keep it playing – such a charming song and new to us. Later, outside a rather up-market theatre/restaurant, three shabby backpackers lit cigars. “They’ll think we’re rich eccentrics” – that was Irv the optimist, though he was right that time – they let us in, and we sat upstairs nursing beers. There was a jazz band on stage. An African-American serviceman in uniform moved from audience to the stage, and sang ‘Ol’ Man River’ so professionally, that the appreciative audience knew he must have been Someone ! We felt we ought to have known who !

Hotel L’Approdo – Rapallo
Rapallo May 2005 . Touring Europe in a hired Peugeot, I came to Rapallo by accident, and decided to stop at the first hotel on my side of the road – the traffic had been a bit Italian and unforgiving. The reception area had a bar, a very pretty receptionist and a piano, so I bought a beer, asked permission to use the piano and played my party piece – ‘Autumn Leaves’. As I finished with a huge glissando from top to bottom of the keyboard, I became aware of the receptionist leaning over her counter watching me. “Who are you?” she asked.
I relive that moment in times of pianistic doubt.

Cape Margherita – Rapallo

Across

1. Breakfast food is hot, Scot! (6)
4. The case of a sailor, dead around 4 (8)
10. It’s obvious, at least in motion (7)
11. As well managed as a failure can be (4,3)
12. Almost bitter, cross – moved about birth (10)
13. Against some giant invaders (4)
15. “Posterior has no alternative to wobbling,” says smarty-pants (7)
17. See! Six-footer is soft inside (7)
19. Changed letter from Athens, thanks to boy (7)
21. Mourned for first lady in city streets (7)
23. Bird dog – no hesitation! (4)
23. Respect for cash held for minor heir (5,5)
27. Bishop is without work but has ear of seller’s market (7)
28. Tiredness from single battledress? (7)
29. Elf-child, deserted by the Spanish, is becoming different (8)
30. Can he count to 20 right? (6)

Down
1. Short Magi interpreted diagram (9)
2. Mother’s boy gets a lot out of work (7)
3. Old players rest – sons tee off, slicing north (6,4)
5. Bring a new church in and cause schism? (9)
6. A direction to be quiet in east end of church (4)
7. “Not out” called umpire finally (Could be shot) (2,5)
8. The spell of naked French female – sounds like boredom (5)
9. Top movie actor originally sold televisions and radios (4)
14. Wine! Key to degree of involuntary movement, and with problem focusing (10)
16. Swimmer swaps sides after directions to get painkiller (9)
18. Under garment, carry cuddly toy (5,4)
20. Alteration of cat coat needs master touch (7)
22. Australian composer on upbeat music – leaves sour taste (7)
23. Young lion in charge of third degree (5)
25. Thus measure piano (4)
26. Slag Mount Crosby (4)
2. More Musical Memories – Lost and Found
Kuala Lumpur 1963/4. Three songs dominated the Malayan airwaves – or so it seemed – Acker Bilk’s ‘Stranger on the Shore’, a Malay song ‘O Singapura’, and the Chinese romantic ballad ‘Poo Liao Chin’. This last is the one that triggers the memories. Fellow teacher Miss Tan, she of the severe horn-rimmed spectacles and tight cheongsam, translated it for me thus –
I can’t forget, can’t forget your faults,
Can’t forget your goodness,
Can’t forget your walking in the rain with me, and
Can’t forget your embarrasses (sic ) on a windy night.
A lonely long alley,
In a bright moonlight night,
With the strong lashing wind
As if it is repeating your advice
To forget, to forget you.
It whispers my heartaches,
Softly and lightly,
Oh my heart, my heart, my aching heart.
For years I tried unsuccessfully to find a record of it. Then came the Internet, and after much struggle, there it was, heavily disguised. The change from the Wade-Giles and Hong Kong Post Office systems of representing C