Joanna muses on her love of puzzles, even though she’s not that good at them…
My regular puzzles
I have a routine on Sundays. I read the Sunday papers, over coffee and croissants. When I’ve finished reading, I do — correction: I TRY to do — 3 puzzles in the Observer: the Killer Sudoku, the classic Sudoku, and the prize crossword.
And I do them in that order which is a bit daft since the Killer is the one I find most difficult of the three.
The Sunday before last, I managed to finish the two Sudoku puzzles, but I could not finish the crossword. Clue 1 across defeated me. Even though it was only 4 letters and I had 2 of them from the down answers. I had R, Blank, M, Blank.
Unfortunately the clue led me to the answer MEME. But I was sure that I had the correct answer to clue 1 down, beginning with R. I knew it couldn’t be MEME in any case, because that was the answer to a different clue, later on. Tearing my hair out, I even googled the clue and the internet told me that the answer was definitely MEME.
What did I do?
I gave up. Wouldn’t you?
And lo!
In last Sunday’s paper there was an apology.
The printed version of the crossword had contained The Wrong Clue. The correct clue had been in the online version. And it was a simple clue, not very cryptic, that led to the answer ROME.
Gee, thanks for the apology, guys. Good job I wasn’t planning to enter for the prize that Sunday, eh?
I buy the printed paper and I do the puzzles there. TBH it never occurred to me to look at the online version.
A lesson learned. Mistakes happen even in crossword puzzles in famous organs.
What other puzzles do I do? Countdown, for one…
On weekdays, I often watch Countdown on Channel 4. I’m not a passive viewer. I try, very hard, to get good long words from the 9 letters that the contestants choose. Also, I try to solve the numbers challenge. I will admit that I’m quite a lot better at the number puzzles than at the letters, though I’m improving there, with more practice.
Not all that much improvement, though. The number of times that I’m able to solve the 9-letter Countdown Conundrum (anagram) at the end of the programme is vanishingly small.
… and Wordle
I do Wordle, too. Not every day, but on days when I remember. This was my result today.
Wordle 1,775 4/6
⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
🟨⬜⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Most times, I get the answer, though it can take me all 6 attempts to get there. That happens more often than I like to admit. But then, some Wordles are fiendish. Like the one where you get Blank, Blank, A ,Blank, E. The answer could be CHASE or GRAPE or FLAME or loads of other words. Including some that are very obscure.
Or, occasionally, words that use US spelling. One I remember, with gnashing teeth, was VIGOR. No, New York Times, that is not an acceptable spelling on this side of the pond. And the reason I failed to get it was that I believed the NYT assurances that it wouldn’t use American spellings over here.
Ha! That’ll teach me 😉
So Wordle makes mistakes as well as my august Sunday newspaper.
I should have learned by now, shouldn’t I?
BTW, I just tried searching the Pixabay archive for images of Wordle. There aren’t any. Strange, given how popular it is. I tried several times. Every time, Pixabay decided I’d mistyped and I really meant “Worlde” ie “World”.
No, Pixabay, much as I love your wonderful range of royalty-free images, that isn’t how you spell World.
Not in this century, at any rate.
But then, all systems have quirks.
One I’ve just discovered is that, if you type LEARNED (I was looking for images for Lessons Learned) into Pixabay, the images include lots featuring green asparagus growing in the fields. “Learned Asparagus” as a metadata phrase?
No, me neither. But here’s one of Pixabay’s “learned asparagus” images.
Me, I eat it. Right now, we’re regularly enjoying English asparagus as a delicious treat in the short season.
I don’t think I learn from it, though.
Anyone know what I’m missing here?
What is the point of puzzles? Aren’t they a waste of time?
Wasting time when I could (and should?) be writing blogs? Or books, maybe?
You can sign up for my monthly newsletter and find out how I’m doing on that front, if you like. I’m writing another novella about my droolworthy vampire hero, Theo, since you ask. Set in 1784.
Why that precise year? Ah, you’ll have to read the finished novella to find out. Watch this space for more info. Or read my newsletter 😉
Brain training became a “thing” about 10 years ago. Companies were pushing exercises that were said to improve memory, help stave off dementia, improve children’s learning and so on. There didn’t seem to be much evidence about how well the commercial programmes worked, but apparently there is evidence that some approaches do help.
For example, social interaction stimulates the brain. When we think about it, it seems obvious. We humans have evolved to be highly social animals.
In-person social interaction is a very active business. Our brains have to be thinking, assessing, considering reactions (our own and our interlocutors’) all the time. Think about one of those gunslinger confrontations we used to see in films. One wrong move or word, and you could be dead.
So active brainwork is vital. It’s not at all a passive activity like, say, watching TV.
We do our social interaction without conscious effort, mostly, but the brain has to work hard. And it seems to be really good for us.
It’s one reason why there can be a problem for older people if they live alone and/or don’t socialise much. Unlike the older ladies shown here. They do look as if they’re enjoying life, don’t they? (No doubt the books help. Books are always good. And yes, of course I’m biased.)
Some puzzles are more stimulating that we might think
Another stimulating activity — and this one surprised me until I thought more about it — is doing jigsaw puzzles. It’s not something I do often, though hive member Liz Fielding is a great fan.
But jigsaws challenge more than one aspect of our brains. We have to assess the pieces and visualise where and whether they will fit, both for shape and for colour patterns. Anyone who’s done a 1000-piece jigsaw will admit that it can be very difficult indeed. A regular brain workout?
Just look at all those pale grey pieces in the background of that jigsaw’s flower image.
Brain challenge? You bet.
I think maybe I should get myself some jigsaw puzzles.
What about you? Do you have favourite puzzles? Are there some I’ve omitted from this blog that you really enjoy? We’d love to hear about them.
PS Years ago, I included a word game and some sudoku puzzles in a blog. They’re still available here if you want to have a go. And the links to the solutions are there too if you get stuck.
Thoroughly enjoyed today’s blog, Joanna. I don’t take a newspaper these days so have stopped doing crosswords. I do have a Sudoku app on my phone which flitters away the time nicely and I have a go at some of the NY Times puzzles every morning including Wordle. And yes, those A/E words are fiendish. But jigsaws are very much my thing. I have a lovely new one featuring a row of beach huts.
Perhaps, once you’ve finished your beach hut jigsaw, you can use it to advertise our wonderful anthology Beach Hut Surprise?
Cryptic crosswords and online scrabble are my favourites in the evening (I don’t have a TV). Who will I sue if I still end up with dementia?
Good thought, Marilyn. And no, I haven’t a clue. Anyway, if you end up with dementia, you may not be able to think about anything as serious as suing???
Being the bad person I am, let me introduce you to Bardle (Wordle, but only words used in Shakespeare’s plays – including names and locations – plus dramatic terms), Quordle (solve four wordles simultaneously – that’s fun) and the Guardian’s ‘word wheel’ (on their puzzles app) 😉
Oh dear, Kate. You really are determined to ensure I get no work done. Sigh. TBH I do sometimes do the Guardian’s word wheel, but not regularly. Bardle sounds great fun. Thanks for the introduction. I think.
What an interesting post, Joanna! Online, I often do Wordle and Wordiply. In print I like crosswords but can rarely complete them without a sneak peak at the answers! As for jig-saws, I can’t resist trying to add a piece if there is one in progress and I am passing, but I rarely have the patience to sit there for long!
Can’t remember the last time I did a jigsaw, or even a piece of one. But I think maybe I should follow Liz’s example.
The Listener crossword in Saturday’s Times. A real challenge, and I feel so smug if I’ve done it. Only trouble is, if I can’t do it, I decide my brain must be packing up and I’m succumbing to Old Age.
I think most cryptic crosswords are a real challenge, Jane. I don’t do them every day but I try to do the Everyman in the Observer. Some I complete but it often hangs around for several days while I root around in my brain to find the way into the clue.