Subtle Scent Of Donkey

The cats were hugely interested in why I smelled differently.  My rucksack and my boots and my trousers were all thoroughly investigated.  Rani decided to spend the day in my trousers.

When I woke up I realised that I had been doing actual physical work yesterday and various parts of me reported that "Ow - you're not fit".  I was already aware of that.

For those of you interested in such things, The Guardian prize crossword from yesterday is an absolute brute.  I'm grinding my way through it but I need regular breaks to unknot my brain.

I'll give you an example clue - 1 across is always a good place to start:
1 Finish one’s sentence and obey road sign (4,2,1,4,4)
The problem is there are only 8 squares on the grid to fill in.  The theme is that symbols have to be entered in the grid.

I worked out that the answer is "COME TO A FULL STOP" but remember your symbols and we get "COME TO A ." which fits in the grid.  

About half the grid is made up of such clues.

The "normal" cryptic clues are a blessed relief.