A pile of LEGO pieces, mostly transparent 1x1 plates, a couple of minifig torsos and some minifig accessories.

The package that arrived

Surprisingly many of my childhood LEGO parts have survived and I’ve only needed a couple of translucent-green replacement bricks to finish the space sets I’ve rebuilt so far here on the Hyggebygge blog.

But for the older sets I know there are more pieces missing, especially among the 1x1 round plates that easily roll away and I guess ended up in the vacuum cleaner. I still remember that horrible rattling sound from a LEGO brick being sucked up the tube and forever lost. The worst was never knowing what part it had been.

Now I get to know as I sort all my childhood LEGO and compare the bricks I have to set inventories. Whenever I have noted enough missing parts to grant it, I’m ordering replacements using Bricklink. Seasoned builders call that a "haul" (examples on YouTube), but my orders are so small I don’t think that term applies.

About a year ago I placed a few such orders with some sellers throughout Europe, and one of them annoyingly just never arrived in the mail. After a couple of months had passed, I lost hope and the kind seller gave me a coupon as compensation for the loss, although it was very clear the postal services of either Holland or Sweden were to blame. It wasn’t worth a lot in monetary terms, but still I feel bad whenever any LEGO brick is lost or destroyed.

Now, some days ago this small package arrived in my letterbox, and as I had not ordered anything at all lately I was very puzzled. But when I started opening it I quickly realised it actually was that Bricklink order I had given up on ever seeing!

I wonder what wonderful parts of the world that package has seen on its yearlong voyage… I guess it’s been tucked away in a dark corner of some transport vehicle or sorting room all along.

Well, it makes me very happy it emerged and eventually arrived, although I’m pretty sure these guys would have done a much better job…

Two LEGO instruction booklet covers, one depicting a delivery truck and the other a post-motorcycle.

…but it will be about twenty-five more posts here on Hyggebygge before we get to build them, and at the current pace "delivery" will be yet another year into the future!