There are many reasons it's hard to choose a selection of Araucaria clues, but among them is not sadness. The chutzpah in those puzzles which John Graham set between the diagnosis of his cancer and his death yesterday seems to me an invitation to respond with gentle playfulness.
As always in crosswording, the problem is what to leave out. And as always, the fun starts with structure.
22d Preserving jelly so pretty? (5)
14d/24d Consequence of gripe led into Nye's basis for the welfare state (9,4)
29ac Film lover's FT version of the 2s 10 (9)
24ac A lesser figure in Jude the Obscure have you read this somewhere before? (4,2)
12ac Hair swept back? Mr Rusbridger must be in love (9)
21ac Squashed? Accommodation urgently needed with an easy lot of pieces (4,2,1,7)
13ac Rise and fall in subsidy (8)
19d It isn't so funny to be given the elbow (7)
6d Funny thing afoot shy vernal youths go contemplating girls: Thus (in catalectic trochees) poem by 19 unfurls (2,3,6,1,5,4,5,7,5,2,8,2,4)
9ac/7d Dickensian whisky makes Christmas music (6,5)
12ac Prevent passing of legislation to reduce police numbers? (4,3,4)
1d Crave drug from receiver of kicks? (4,5)
8d Traditional feast of Wagner's work gets us up into its sequel (9,6)
23ac Bike burnt by Eliot makes line for the Irish (6)
Correcting sets in the North? O don't! I can't bear it (11)
7ac For first option there's no end keep going! (5,2)
11ac Lady's man? (5)
24ac Embarrassed Spooner broke fast and went fast (3-5)
16ac People like Lolita it's a difficult thing to do (3,7)
Devoted to health, no? Word is, antiphlogistine will be needed (3,4,2,4,2,5,4,4,10)
14d Not red and not quite blue bone in antelope's back (10)
1ac I turn green in front of 25's work (7)
O hark the herald angels sing the Boy's descent which lifted up the world? (5,9,7,5,6,2,5,3,6,2,3,6)
X Return from fraud, an axed scheme for site of dome (6)
Y Farmers' circle in Middle Eastern country (6)
Z Figure God not quite good parent? (6)
