Saturday 4th July 2026¶
Set up a basic myst site hosted on Read the Docs
Had scrambled eggs on two pieces of toast for late lunch
Went to Coles supermarkets highlights were buying 4 liters of Dare No Added Sugar Double Espresso Iced Coffee
Wore my black Dr. Martens Jadon Boots
Monday June 15th, 2026¶
Opened a Marvel Avengers Powers Unite Pencils Pack of 8 pencils with Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, and Black Panther. Each pencil has an eraser at the end and is unsharpened.
Thursday May 7th, 2026¶
From The Big Issue magazine edition 739 on the 20th June 2025 in
The RegularssectionStreetsheet, “MBK” describes his favorite series of books as the Riftwar Cycle. I read about 10 of these fantastic books when I was young and can appreciate “MBK” and his love of Raymond E Feist. The Riftwar Cycle is a sprawling epic fantasy series created by American author Raymond E. Feist. Spanning 30 books written over three decades (1982–2013), it is one of the most influential “high fantasy” sagas in modern literature. At its core, the series follows the history of the world of Midkemia and the various “Rifts” (magical portals) that connect it to other worlds, leading to planet-scale wars, demonic invasions, and cosmic shifts.The Mirror Quick Crossword #1: 150 Fast And Furious Puzzles is a bounty of classic puzzles which was published in 2022. I found this puzzle book was definitely quick and enjoyed solving more clues faster than usual. The first ever crossword that I solved fully with all the answers was from this book. The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper.
Wednesday May 6th, 2026¶
Tonight I am unboxing and the first new item I have opened is a pink Faber-Castell “Sleeve Doppelspitzer”. The Faber-Castell Sleeve Doppelspitzer is an ergonomic, award-winning (ISPA Award 2007) double pencil sharpener with an integrated waste container, designed to sharpen both standard and jumbo graphite or colored pencils (up to 11mm diameter). Faber-Castell AG is a German privately held multinational manufacturer of pens, pencils, other office supplies (e.g., staplers, slide rules, erasers, rulers) and art supplies, as well as high-end writing instruments and luxury leather goods. Founded in 1761 Faber-Castell produces quality products.
The Times Quick Cryptic Crossword Book 1 features 80 world-famous crossword puzzles that were originally published in 2014 the year the series first started. From this books one page introduction by Richard Rogan I originally learned about the “NINA” or hidden theme that a puzzle setter will sometimes include. An example puzzle with a quick five page guide on how to solve it follows the introduction. A small book with just 192 pages good to carry around in my bag. The Times is a newspaper that started in 1785, a quality publication and I also like their chess books.
I’m a fan of Jeffrey Archers books and recently I read Twelve Red Herrings for the second time after about 20 years. Twelve Red Herrings is a 1994 collection of twelve suspenseful short stories. The book is famous for its twist endings, where Archer challenges readers to identify a “red herring”—a misleading clue or diversion—hidden within each narrative. Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English novelist and former politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Louth (Lincolnshire) from 1969 to 1974, but did not seek re-election after almost going bankrupt. Archer revived his fortunes as a novelist. His novel Kane and Abel (1979) remains one of the best-selling books in the world, with an estimated 34 million copies sold worldwide. Overall his books have sold more than 320 million copies worldwide.
March 22nd, 2026¶
Recently bought two new books: The Sun Two-Speed Crossword Collection #12 and Daily Mail The Big Book of Cryptic Crosswords Volume 8. Both crossword books are fantastic and I really like the Two-Speed style with both cryptic and quick clues for each puzzle. The Sun is a British tabloid newspaper, published by the News Group Newspapers division of News UK, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Lachlan Murdoch’s News Corp. The Daily Mail, often known simply as the Mail, is a British daily middle-market tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London.
Feb 20th, 2026¶
Just enjoyed reading the section on chess from Around the World in 80 Games: A mathematician unlocks the secrets of the greatest games. Author and mathematican Marcus du Sautoy gave an interesting account of the history of chess and its origins over 8.5 pages with a mathematical perspective.
Recommenced working on Mindful Mixed Puzzles: Over 600 puzzles. This fantastic ring bound book has 8 types of puzzles and so far I have only worked on two types of puzzles: the Word Square and the Word Chain.
Found a small
Simply Word Fill-InsPuzzler brand magazine issue number 87 with 100 puzzles from 2024 which cost $6.95 AUD. Whilst I did enjoy completing two fill-ins, I found it was really easy to complete them since the answers were given and you just had to fill-in the grid. I definitely prefer a much harder challenge.Opened a Spider-Man brand LEGO minifigure which cost $5 AUD from Coles Supermarket. There are 12 to collect and each minifigure comes in a blind pick small cardboard box. This one was the
Spider-Byteminifigure the last packet on the shelf.
2026¶
Currently working on some of the puzzles from the magazine “Christine’s Big Crossword” Issue 392. This magazine has 28+ giant puzzles and cost $9.50 AUD.
Lovatts Crosswords and Puzzlesis a family run business that sells a number of different puzzle magazinesI am up to puzzle 16 from The Times Chess Winning Moves: 540 Chess Puzzles from Tournament Play. Really enjoyed the first 15 puzzles and the commentary from author Byron Jacobs. Published in 2025 most puzzles are from modern games with the first intro puzzle being a Magnus Carslen victory. The Times is a British daily national newspaper based in London.
I have read 50 pages of the famous book Minute Cryptic a bestseller that teaches you how to solve cryptic crossword clues. Check out the Minute Cryptic YouTube Channel
Currently reading Checkmate! The Wonderful World of Chess by author John Foley up to page 42. A glossy colorful and easy to read 112 page book aimed at beginners and children full of illustrations.
I’m happy with the QX Chess small magnetic foldable chess board that I am now using on my work desk. No. QX2677 with black and white pieces and black and gray colored squares originally bought for $10 AUD