Christmas

Completed over the festive period I was treated to two very nice Wasgij puzzles, a fun Christmas cracker, a picture of Father Christmas by the fire and then a London Underground puzzle which was brilliant....until...I was left with all the white pieces at the end which slowed things down somewhat. I always love Wasgij and these two were a matching pair with the solution and the problem in the same box. The Wentworth Cracker was a cute treat to find at the dinner table and didn't take long and the Father Christmas was completed Christmas Day morning to get me ready for the day. 

Time taken: plenty of Christmas cheer. 

Who said what?

I was given this by a friend to check for selling on and have left it for a long, long time as I could see it wasn't going to be a simple task. Even after completing it I'm not sure that it falls into the jigsaw category...but it was not too bad. Each piece has either a famous person picture or a quote. All you had to do is match them up. I knew some of the more famous quotes and matching speakers, but most of the time was spent using the picture to place pieces. Educational you could say, but not one I would return to. 

Time taken: It seemed to take forever! 

The Lost Cities of Chayan Khoi (Papillon) - BV Leisure (1000 pieces)

A tricky little number and one where I changed approach a couple of times. I had decided to put the butterflies in first, but as I was doing that my attentions were diverted to the decking and elements of the sand. I left the darker patches until last and after my initial enjoyment doubts found myself to become quite engrossed. 

Time taken: Evening 

The Mouth of the River - Wasgij (1000 pieces)

This Christmas I ended up with 3 different Wasgij puzzles and this was the first I decided to try. Putting the sky and water in place first it soon became apparent that I had a lot of grey pieces and as I started to play around with them the hippo began to emerge. I had guessed a waterfall, so it was fun to discover I was wrong. The boat was next to take shape and the trees last. 

Time taken: evening

BCD Meeting

November saw us gathering once again to complete a range of beautiful puzzles. The theme was 'Poppies 1914-1918', but had been extended out to include wild flowers. Well, what a fantastic day I had - the joy of these meetings is other members often catch me and tempt me with selected puzzles and because I can never say no to a beautiful puzzle I really am treated to some of the best....

Time taken: not enough before it was all over!

I-pod clear out

I have recently downloaded a load of photos from my I-pod and couldn't believe how many puzzle photos were on there. Not sure when I completed them, or where, but I obviously couldn't find my normal camera - so here they are. I enjoyed almost all of them, and they varied in size and shape. Many were old brands, but the cuts were fun. Who knows what I will find next...

Time taken: varied across each one

Crazy Casino - WHSmith Puzzles (1500 pieces)

One of the advantages of moving home is that the dining table can now be fully extended at all times - this means I can start to complete some of the large puzzles I have been given. This one was a great one to start with, but sadly the previous owner had not bothered to break all the pieces apart properly so I had a bit of a job to do before I started. That aside, the puzzle was really good - lots of details to keep you going and the similar pieces/tables/lights meant it wasn't too easy. 

Time taken: 6 hours

BCD Meeting - Birmingham

Living in the countryside has spoilt me in some ways when it comes to driving and the jaunt to Birmingham felt a little like a white knuckle ride! However, once there the puzzling was great - the theme being theatre, tv and film. Lots of lovely puzzles and people are starting to bring more cardboard ones along as well so I am kept rather busy. I completed 3 jigsaws on the day, but one was put away before I could photograph it - ah well...

Time taken: a day of chatting and puzzling

Sitting Pretty - WHSmiths (500 pieces)

What a lovely little puzzle - one of the last I had been asked to check. I popped the cat in place first started with the white sections and face. After that it was simply a case of slotting everything else in place. 

Time taken: 2 hours 

Check, check and check again...

August is the month of fetes and fundraisers and as I've mentioned before one of my jobs is the check puzzles so that groups can sell them on to raise a bit of cash. This summer has been like no other and I have been steadily ploughing my way through a never ending pile of puzzles! I enjoy the challenge and always end up doing things I perhaps wouldn't normally. This summer I have mainly done 500 piece puzzles which means on a free day I can get 3 or more done. The selection has been interesting and I have been subjected to a lot of different makes and cuts. A rather lovely way to spend a summer. I have posted photos of all the completed ones below. I have had a number with pieces missing, which my local Panto group try to sell for 20p - I always make sure I mark exactly where the missing pieces are - and some people are happy for 20p, others don't want them. I'm not sure whether I would...

Time taken: varies per puzzle

A House Move

July was the month to move house!! Therefore all the jigsaws had to be packed away as I considered them some of easier, bulky items to pack first. This has left my fingers twitching and now that I am happy settled in my new abode I will begin jigging once more. More importantly I have just been given 2 enormous black bin bags of puzzles to check for a summer fete - all 500 and 250 pieces. 

Let the jigging commence! 

National Trust Minatures

Been a while since I've bought one of these - it appears only the big properties sell them. Haven't cross referenced the cut, but do think it may be different, which is nice. Not a cheap price, but still a little piece of Wentworth magic to keep me satisfied. 

Time taken: 5 minutes 

British Jigsaw Championships

Well, it's official, unless I can master a jigsaw in under 2 hours I am simply not going to beat the wonderful winner who managed it yet again in under 2 hours. Nice puzzle, but need to start training in earnest ready for next year! 

Time taken: 2 hours, 18 minutes 

BCD Meeting

Well, this month is was my turn to host our meeting and I was pleased to welcome one and all. I had recently written in the club newsletter about how much I enjoy cardboard jigsaws and the members heard my call, turning up on the day with lots of cardboard ones. We completed a couple around the theme of natural beauty and a good day was had by one and all. 

Time taken: 2 puzzles over the course of a day (with lunch and committee meetings to contend with)

Which One's Santa - Ravensburger (1000 pieces)

It's never too early to do a puzzle with this topic....see, I didn't say the C word, but very much did this puzzle. I always buy the Ravensburger Christmas Puzzle for my Dad and happily for me he always passes it on once he has completed it. It was a lovely puzzle to do, not least because there were lots of Father Christmas figures to organise and place. The sky was a little small for a sky enthusiast such as myself, but overall a very pleasant little puzzle for a rainy day - and didn't we have a lot of those in May!?

Time taken: afternoon

Diamond in the rough - MENSA jigsaw (1000 pieces)

Soul destroying - and had I not have been checking it for a local group I think I probably would have given up. I can't say I garnered any real enjoyment until the last 100 pieces or so where it was clear I was going to win. I was able to connect smaller pieces by spotting small white chips, but then ended up with loads of small sections which proved tricky to connect. Ah well, I suppose this is what some puzzlers enjoy...

Time taken: I lost count...

La Grande Jatte - Wentworth Wooden Jigsaw (750 pieces)

A dear friend handed this to me at our last BCD meeting and I really was very grateful - I really cannot justify buying Wentworth jigsaws for myself, so be gifted one was a real treat. Despite the blurred image (yes I know it is supposed to be), it really was a lovely puzzle to complete. There were whimsys in their own right, and then other pieces which combined to make further shapes. 

Time taken: Two evenings 

BCD Meet - Hemel Hempstead.

I love it when a BCD meeting comes around - something to really look forward to. The theme this time was 'Boxes' so there were lots of really interesting discussion pieces - but for a puzzle purist, the jigsaws were what I had come for. I completed 2 on the day and helped with another. Apart from the puzzles it was a great chance to catch up with friends. 

Olympic Obsession

It would appear jigsaws aren't my only obsession....turns out the Olympics (be it winter or summer games) rates pretty high on my obsession levels and consequently no new puzzles were completed - although a fiendishly difficult one is on the go I promise...

Birthday treats....

Now I don't buy myself Wentworth puzzles....unless they are 40 pieces. Why? The cost! They are mega expensive for someone who only does a puzzle once. Yes, I know they are lovely, the quality gorgeous and the smell enough to make any puzzle enthusiast weak kneed. However, I just can't justify the expense - especially as I am given most puzzles for free. Good news is that January is my birthday month and also the Wentworth January sale, so a rather kind family member bought me 2x250 piece puzzles. I thoroughly enjoyed each one and just wished they had lasted longer...

Time taken: 1 hour for each