I recently surprised myself by doing exceptionally well in the Learned League’s Birds-themed Mini-League, held in the long-running online trivia game’s off-season. I finished second in my group, which qualified me for the finals, tho I ultimately turned in a middling performance in the championship quiz. Still, it was a pretty good showing for someone who’s never really studied either birds or zoology. As I was bending over this jigsaw puzzle one evening, it suddenly struck me that my strange reputation as a go-to for avian-themed books and games targeted at the layman may have had something to do with why I’d gotten so far!
This reputation is also, I believe, one of the reasons I received this gorgeous jigsaw puzzle. I had the chance to review the book it’s based on, Around The World In 80 Birds by Mike Unwin & Ryuto Miyake, back in 2022 so absolutely jumped at the chance to take a look at the jigsaw puzzle derivative. It also gave me an excuse to finally set up my puzzle/craft table! Up until last year, I’d done all my jigsaw puzzles at my former best friend’s house, in order to protect my games from my kids’ itchy fingers. Now that my kids are a little older, I figured I could risk setting up my own table. My middle child could not, alas, resist the temptation of messing with the frame once I’d put it together, but a stern talking-to fortunately cured him of the impulse for the rest of my puzzle-solving duration.
Let me take a moment to brag about my puzzle/craft table before I continue. The square table has a cushioned top, and is set right next to a lamp I specifically bought with one fixed upward light and one directional light I can point wherever I need extra illumination. I laid my grey felt jigsaw mat over top, with four colorful felt trays to help sort pieces into. I’m honestly quite proud of it, and grateful I had a reason to finally put it all together with this jigsaw.