Hi, I am a keen crossword fan, particularly the cryptic variety. I like that every letter of the alphabet gets used in a crossword.
I didn't know that every letter gets used in a crossword! That's cool. How often do you do crossword puzzles?
I try and do at least one a week. The cryptic crosswords have each clue as a word puzzle in and of itself so it can take a while to solve them.
I bet once a week keeps your mind sharp. Do you use any assistance when completing a crossword or do you try to do them by yourself?
If I am doing the New York Times puzzles, the hardest is on a Saturday and I will use a thesaurus to help me out in that case. 
I wonder why the NY Times puzzles are hardest on Saturdays
The New York Times crossword puzzle
"The New York Times" crossword puzzle is a daily puzzle published in "The New York Times", online at the newspaper's website, syndicated to more than 300 other newspapers and journals,
and available as mobile apps.
The puzzle is created by various freelance constructors and has been edited by Will Shortz since 1993. The puzzle becomes increasingly difficult throughout the week, with the easiest puzzle on Monday and the most difficult puzzle on Saturday. The larger Sunday crossword, which
that for cryptic crosswords to be readily solvable, no fewer than half the letters for every word should be checked by another word for a standard cryptic crossword, while nearly every letter should be checked for a variety cryptic crossword. In most UK "advanced cryptics" ('variety cryptic'), at least three-quarters of the letters in each word are checked.
Regional variation.
Regional variation British and North American differences.
There are notable differences between British and North American (including Canadian) cryptics. American