There was a bag of puzzles

in among the items which needed sorting out. Middle Cat had packed them altogether and put them to one side. Yesterday we gave them away.

They were not jigsaw puzzles but three dimensional wooden puzzles. Some require the pieces to be locked or unlocked. Others require a set of irregular blocks to be fitted together into a cube or sphere. There are yet others which require a ring to be removed from a seemingly impossible position. Some of them are relatively simple, others are very difficult indeed.  I have wondered at the minds of those who have created such devilry.

The Senior Cat made these. He was fascinated by them and the people who designed them. He began with the very easiest models and went on to some very complex pieces. He would make multiple copies of each puzzle and sold some. Most of the time however he would give them away. He was particularly fond of making them from special native timbers to give to overseas visitors. They were made to be small enough and light enough to be welcome gifts. I wonder sometimes what has happened to them. He was once asked to make several as gifts for a very senior diplomat to give visitors. From the reports back they were delighted to have something very different from the sort of thing they are usually given. 

But, like so many other things, we gave the last of them away. They went to one of his former conjuring students, now a young man. I have no doubt he will treasure them. He came to the Senior Cat's funeral, indeed participated in the service. His entire family are the sort of people usually described as "lovely" but they are more than that. 

They really did care about the Senior Cat. It was J...'s father who put the magnetic catch on the front door. It keeps the door open if you need to take things out or bring them in. For the Senior Cat it made using his walker so much easier. Recently it has been wonderful for us as we pack things and take them out for recycling, reusing and more.

I said this to J..'s parents as they were leaving. I know they meant it when they said, "If there is anything we can do...and please don't lose touch..."  So often those things are said and perhaps meant in a casual sort of way but this seems different. Their children are all going into "caring" professions, roles where they can and will make a difference. 

All the Senior Cat ever did was teach their eldest to do some conjuring tricks. They have given us so much more.