![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTYraTNDCgNMw8fYVRK0mafjpimPBUwRtlqIRq9dPM09BUILKouXBdcQaTo14XliS7qX9qs9AL8FZqFr14N92dJcdtgOdLKmUfLR8hMJNYxC9Id8gya8FgOp0DM7-j5BJiNHOfhPsDcZg_/s280/MPPXXXii-4573.jpg)
Back at home I make a round of coffees and, not
unsurprisingly, we start puzzling. I get to have a rake through Wil’s crates
and manage to score a copy of Tube It In for a friend and a few of JCC’s latest
creations that haven’t made it into my collection yet. Wil gives me a prototype
hyper dexterity challenge consisting of an angel dangling from a hook on a
chain inside a Kikkoman bottle – the aim is to dangle a necklace around the
angel’s neck… I can only picture the angel coming unhooked and NEVER going back
on the hook again!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxI9LyHx_Z_LZCAEeK_SWYsKk3rK8MoEeIYkb1thQkflgcUAluXuV_iPMcF_sqn_BZ0ec7XT9ngEQGTVpaqu7vLjrOYsDUDXfTBDr_gR956IxAt0NVckDwRSrUaPiyxZqo4uHK-jtO5OA/s200/MPPXXXii-4570.jpg)
Some time after midnight, wondering how the heck they’re
still so wide awake when they’re supposed to be an hour ahead of me, I head to
bed, leaving them happily chatting and playing in the puzzle cave.
Next morning we feast on croissant and pain au chocolat before heading down to the hall to set up before
the rest of the gang arrives… and for the first time in a while, I actually
manage to get there first! (Probably only because Angela wasn’t able to make it
– she always beats me to it!)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhgJZLJGJH3DZoOopZaR8iYtLd7NXmiSN6w1lvYcaHjSluKYaKzJtEzPWAxDAgoruENYR6d_FTIu753ZpAFw0CTKcimyMGAzhkuKNT4Qolm1oNmFVRZ_Bq6cJ2suI2s890hmiXuQqKod0/s200/MPPXXXii-4566.jpg)
Actually I
do the man a great disservice: the jigsaw puzzles are awesome pieces of art from
Mike & Gill Hayduk – must order
some of those soon!
…the tongue depressors, well that’s another story entirely.
Since I last mentioned them in the MPP XXXi write-up, things have gone a little
downhill on the tongue depressor front… and for the benefit of those of you who
haven’t followed Steve’s social media cries for help, here’s a potted summary: first of all, someone sent Steve a bunch of tongue depressors in an
envelope with no discernible postmark – this confused Steve.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwEPg2fNdCVsh4ByDoDFloKu04JonpBUPx6at7zplCJkpaVwOsgYcjeiOY1DEGcsAC_F644OziFTX4RUrDifHXMyvpduwIOt3hPxcFEg9_BoMlEznWrewyPLAbHzAiDweKdMcMfdANyVD/s200/IMG_0168.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiHm3bSU50azdr2Qi-gmmaaS2gffEAyA0PQRan2CBs3FRL4alEo_jmbhUS7aqJ7Ixbxaz9ai4ipRkKABw79PG3mF8qxWAnOQVBTkwwTEpzi9vcCeENO-2EC8eEv8dByXq3mTOmTlt-mpZ/s200/MPPXXXii-4580.jpg)
We had a new guy called Ed join us for the day – Ali collected
him from the station and we had him sat down and puzzling with us pretty soon
after he’d arrived – he wanted to feel some Karakuri boxes so we’d brought a
selection along for him to have a go on… generally he knocked them off pretty
quickly and told us how simple he was finding them… Ali passed him a Super-Cubi
and that kept him quiet for a little while – but he got it open and closed
again fairly efficiently, pausing halfway to run a finger around the mechanism
inside and express some awe and wonder at the engineering – you see, he’s
totally unsighted – and a pretty darn good puzzler!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_aMpMDVSGm1LFUp9SovqdziqHavaEv-v7jwFKypoqakYCcKghhz2mCKFq16D0i3iBFMl0n-Z737huZiuh_njtRwY4TiDpWqOVWAIYzt3VTFN9SMRP6O7xWdgXOAYljtd0oJp0NhJhDzt/s200/MPPXXXii-4581.jpg)
Having met up with Jim Kerley the week before, he’d given me
a few copies of an old puzzle he’s reproduced in laser-cut acrylic – I give
them away as a gift from Jim and ask the guys to let him know how they find the
puzzle… and I trust they will! :-)
Rich Gain had brought along some 3D printed copies of his recent
designs and I managed to grab a copy of his Coronation Cube and Printable Interlocking Cube
#3 (I think – someone will correct me if I’ve got that wrong!) – I had a great
time fiddling with those on the Sunday evening after all my puzzling guests had
left… they’re definitely worth a look.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsHnuda7aDTTGFj1nWkxuy2069QaYYu0R7gcs8HISNUATaVKhDS8AH9WDDjvg5ycyQktQ8I_ZxSQ8UeRF36zyDJySziWiAqxomaC464aMzoSUfs9PCLNkMXX1zhR0OZetXOJXVHRTYXGb/s200/MPPXXXii-4571.jpg)
Several people were tempted to try Mike Toulouzas’ Flatliner Deluxe during the course of the day, and not a single person managed to solve
it:
Toulouzas 1 – MPP hive-mind 0
… in
fact it remained unsolved by the gang until the following day when Rob managed to
solve it around lunch time… Well done Rob!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNmhcJQ0qvtnoxGt3GPbFm4lhwRDv5OGU4RRURipu8Cq54w-tmdxLNq-u4zuq5JE8XhGsFAeaE6w_cpirMFnJF3wl62THMNoVHANUlozWPgXTdxoJ8TA-8FOmivD_o2045X6dyX9lT_bS/s200/MPPXXXii-4574.jpg)
The gang did best me on one of my own puzzles, with several
of them solving my Ixia Box, even though I’d had a month’s head start on them…
and that final compartment still remains locked for me… although the guys did
rather helpfully put some coins and treasure inside there for me – no doubt
when I eventually get it open I’ll find a few tongue depressors in there too!
:-)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrLgHCbbez8ZsUnAKi2mZDZIZ5ZR-32G38RKZ9z4NhTrv2MFR_RQKS9Pg-pSfBBXGWlI7G19zl4qty8OaCwdOAiCT5jYeBTl0hE9SniRqY7yHpE5_o2Z7nKzOAhWWKOskPe2YTas4wHgM/s200/MPPXXXii-4575.jpg)
Somewhere after 5 o’clock we all decamped back to my place
for the traditional fish supper, where there was a fair amount of really good
banter and some dinner, and puzzles, of course.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BnvD0NiOHe0pGERFLD4zeMQrc_etk1-OJatV0rw9A3sPgCxr6zFql7Es2zJO51le9V3Xcyo8NXnIWQSlVXPdi147CKml-2N-BsikEaYy3muxkGAlEPxbQi2oix5c4OPuN_Iv2tn8_tE0/s200/MPPXXXii-4576.jpg)
Sunday morning was complete with the traditional
Coolen-Puzzle-Solving-Service, sorting out a couple of pesky little blighters
for me, before I dropped him and Wil off at BHX for their flight home… followed
by more puzzling and some lunch before Rob was safely deposited there for his
flight home… and another fine MPP weekend draws to a close.
Mikes puzzle really bugged me so I was really glad I solved it in time for my flight back! Excellent packing puzzle, I enjoyed it very much even though there were a lot of others puzzles I would like to try as well.
ReplyDeleteI just made the obligatory star, triangle and square, but I guess I now have to trawl the internet looking for other depressing items to make...
Thanks once more for all the hospitality, it was good to see a lot of friendly puzzlers again!
Btw Glas is a lot heavier than aluminium so I only bought a bottle or two...
Cheers, Rob
It was a GREAT pleasure to have you stay with us, Rob!
Delete