A Jigsaw So Good That It Soothes The Soul

Avocets by Mike & Gill Hayduk

As a rule most of us serious puzzlers tend to look askance at jigsaw puzzles. I have reviewed only a few of many years now but there are some that are definitely worth playing with either for the huge challenge or, as in this case, for the sheer beauty and soothing nature of the puzzle.

Big Steve collects pretty much everything under the sun and his wife must be even more angry than mine! Just over a week ago there was an auction in the Sheffield auction house and Steve saw something that he fancied adding to his collection. He duly asked whether I would mind collecting it rather than them posting it to him for an exorbitant price. I was only working a half day on Monday and had some time to head into town and pick up the result of his winning bid. I was rather surprised at the size and weight of it. I immediately saw why he wanted it.

We have the Avocets Jigsaw puzzle made by Mike and Gill Hayduk. Apparently this husband and wife team had been producing gorgeous wooden creations in the 1980s (their website no longer exists but was active up to at least 2021 according to the wayback machine). I guess they must have stopped producing these works of art relatively recently. This is a shame as, had I known about them, I might well have ordered something from them. Steve has been buying their puzzles for years having bought directly from them and more recently finding them in auctions. His collection is very extensive and I have spent quite a while drooling over the gorgeous wood. This particular puzzle is made with quite an assortment of woods: The Avocets from Sycamore, Walnut, Zebrano and Ebony. The background from two shades of Tulipwood and the bowl with stand from Iroko. It is truly gorgeous and rather frightening in its complexity.

Having picked it up I was encouraged to just invert the bowl to drop out the pieces and get playing. I was not sure that I could reassemble it if I did but having had so many of my own puzzles irrevocably scrambled by Steve and Rich at MPPs, I decided that if I gave it to him in pieces then I couldn't be held responsible. Here goes:

Oh boy! This might be impossible!

I set to work on it as and when I could find time and luckily I had taken a picture of the fully assembled version because there is no way that I would be able to do it without that as a hint. 

I began with the birds and true to form, a certain little demon was very interested in joining in and maybe even running off with some pieces of birdie.

I want that piece

Watching that the birds don't fly away

I worked on this gorgeous creation for a good few hours in total and have to admit that whilst I am not generally interested in jigsaws, I found this one very very soothing. It is beautifully made and very tactile. The pieces fit together like a dream.

I suspect I might be competing with Steve if any more come up for sale in the future.

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The Secret of Two Friends

I need to post an update from the last time I reviewed this wonderful little puzzle chest from Pelikan. When it was first sent out the lock and keys were too small and fragile but after both myself and Ivan had pointed it out, they corrected it and sent out new versions. I needed to spend more than a week working on it with the new lock and keys before I was finally able to solve it.

I found the first small part of the mechanism after a little exploration and got stuck there. I would like to say that it was the faulty lock and keys that were the reason but that would not be right. Even with the new version I struggled to find the next step. I shone a torch all over and could not see anywhere I could use the tools I had been given. The disguise of the next step is just superb! I tried using all the pieces I had in ever more creative ways but could not seem to unlock the chest. I had worked out how it should open but I kept missing the crucial step in the solution. After a weekend of failure, I forced myself to think© and tried something completely new. The Aha! moment is wonderful. Inside there is a whole lot of treasure – keep it away from any small children or pets or it’s going to be swallowed! This is definitely a lovely puzzle for anyone’s collection and as a rare Pelikan design it is well worth getting hold of.

This wonderful Pelikan design is still available to buy (the fancy version with sub fossil oak has sold out). It is very worthwhile getting hold of a copy. the mechanism is clever and very well disguised.