Hammer & Nail.

The birthday blessings spilled over into today as well, when a truckload of compost was quite literally spilled onto our front yard at 8am. Happy birthday, husband! 

Several boxes of specially-curated beers from my mom arrived shortly after.

A knock on the door later in the morning revealed our sweet neighbours who'd put together a selection of treats, cured meats and a bottle of wine for him, with a thoughtfully written card.

For a man who is happiest flying under the radar, he's certainly received a lot more attention than he's used to. And lots of food and drink, too, for which he's definitely not complaining! 

Also excited were our children who received their much anticipated carpentry set in the mail today. The courier delivered a large sack of wood offcuts yesterday sans tools, very anticlimactic. 

They were shouting with excitement when the box of tools was eventually delivered at lunchtime today.

They wasted no time getting started:

We focused on safety rules and getting comfortable working with hammer and nails today. 

Our little man isn't too keen on woodworking just yet but gave it a try. Our big girl knew she wanted to make a geo board and jumped right in with planning and getting it started, minimal guidance needed. Our big boy flitted from one idea to another (robot to stool, to boat...) he eventually made a boat but loved the little nail critter he made and named Bob. He probably called my name every two minutes. All very different styles and approaches but the older ones have a common interest in it. 

Given how costly labour can be here in New Zealand, we thought it would be great for them to get comfortable with some basic carpentry. As a result, this little carpentry station was born. 

They have their own toolbox and carpentry supplies cupboard at the moment; it would be great for them to have a table of suitable height to work at as well. A work that's definitely in progress.

We handed them our old rice cooker to dismantle this evening and they had a grand time going at it with screwdrivers and taking it apart. Fun!