Cryptic crossword No 3,423

Hi Sisyphus, it's an unusual week when I find your grid easier than Gennaro but i must have been on the right wavelength and I think also slightly more orthodox constructions this time. Lots of very nice clues with my favourites being: 1a, 16a, 19a, 2d & 9d. Cheers!

Thank you, lovely puzzle. Lots of cracking clues; particularly liked 1a, 20a, 18d and 25d. (At the risk of being hyper-fussy, should both 14a and 26a be s' rather than 's?)

I finished it Sisyphus! Well done both of us! I think Kempley is right, “slightly more orthodox”, although still no shortage of fun and imagination. Favourites: 6a 11a, 16a, 3d (NHO but kindly clued), 22d (obvs!) and 24d. A few spoilery quibblets …

Thanks for this Sisyphus: I see you have worked out how to get Coot to solve your puzzles 🤣. I didn't find this too tricky to solve - the grammar is reasonably straightforward. Still a bit of work to do on the surfaces but it is all going in the right direction. Faves for me 6a/11a, 20a, 3d, 9d and 25d. Thanks. PM

Thanks Sisyphus, that was very satisfying with my top picks being 1a, 20a, 28a, 18d, 22d (liked how you used Coot!), and 25d. I revealed the nho 9d and couldn't parse 13a as I don't know the singer. More in reply.

I got this one Sisyphus! Solved and parsed and had a great time doing so. Still has a lot of your punning style if a bit easier to parse for me. Many have shouted out clues already but I'm going to highlight 20a again for an excellent surface and 29a for the mythology theme and drawing a smile