Christine Lovatt's Desk

Welcome to Christine's Desk

Here you'll find a variety of puzzle themed items and pieces of information to hold your interest. Learn about some of the wonderful words and phrases in our everyday language, find out about the health benefits of crosswords and puzzles, be entertained by Christine's Hello column… and there's much more on offer. The latest submissions appear below. Thanks for dropping by and we hope you enjoy your visit.

Puzzle addict and dictionary collector

You have indicated that you enjoy getting feedback so here is some. People who buy your books probably do so for many different reasons. I began years ago with Colossus. I wasn’t particularly good at crosswords then but, my son and I would sit and struggle through some clues at the breakfast table before [more…]

All referenced up

Thank you for the prize of a Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary for MEGA 65 Stinker.

Along with a couple of earlier winnings from Lovatts competitions of a Collins English Dictionary,and a Collins English Dictionary and Thesaurus, hopefully I’ll be able to continue submitting successful entries.

Patrick Hooper

A Little Lovatts Ditty

I’m sat here with my Lovatts mug, crossword books and pen,
dictionaries, reference books, and my Oxford little gem,
white out, pencils, rubbers too, all to help my aim,
to finish both The Stinker and The Demon once again.

Love your crosswords.
Pauline Allen
Eaglescliffe.

Lovatts Mind Gym

I was delighted to receive a handy gadget prize in the BIG 209 competition and even more pleased to receive the accompanying letter with its encouragement to [more…]

Clever Acrostic Contributions

In our June BIG and Holiday Collection 73 we asked our puzzlers to write their own acrostic poem and send it in.  We have received many creative submissions. Here are some of them:

Gorgeous I’d call you
Wonderful one
Ever a memory
Naïve as the sun

Shy with affection
Cos youth is too lame
Always I’ll love you
None other can tame
Ere [more…]

Lovatts supports the Alzheimer’s Australia ‘Mind your Mind’ campaign

It is a sad reality that nearly all of us know a person living with dementia and have witnessed the effects this has not only on them, but on their carers, family and friends.

This disease can happen to anybody. Though it is more common after the age of 65, people in their 40s, 50s [more…]

Spooks or Angels?

I have been meaning to get in touch for some years about the frequency a word comes up on TV and it happens to be either the clue or something similar as to what I am about to fill in on a particular crossword, so answering your request. My record with one particular crossword [more…]

Crosswords the best medicine

Many thanks for the crossword magazines which I received together with the erasable pen. My crosswords are my medicine. Here’s an acronym for you. Lots Of Very Attractive Tantalizing Teasing Stinkers
Bob Clarke

Tips for left-handers

I love your puzzle books from cover to cover. The only bit I skim over is the endless tripe about left handers. You molly-dookers (I’d never heard that one before) must be used to living in a right-handed world by now. If you haven’t solved the problem yet, here are three [more…]