It’s a mystery…

What a fun little puzzle to do. Inside the box was a short story which ended in a mystery to solve once the puzzle was complete. I needed to find a code somewhere in the picture. I couldn’t find it, but luckily the solution was in an envelope in the box. 

Christmas Advent Puzzle

For the last few years I have been getting my advent calendar from a well known British puzzle brand, and although it’s been nice, they don’t actually give you 24 puzzles and you end up with lots of small puzzles and not one large finished piece. This year I was gifted a new approach - a box of pieces each day which combined to make one large puzzle. There are lots of the market to choose from - some where the pieces fit at random and others where you build each day in sequence. I had the latter and really enjoyed it. The quality was okay, and I’ll definitely consider another next year. 

Busy November

It’s that time of year when I feel like I won’t have time for puzzles, and yet I always manage to find time. 

It helped that I had a BCD day with friends in the middle with the theme of light and dark. 

October afternoons

There is nothing better than a jigsaw puzzle when the weather starts to feel autumnal! Happy October! 

Cotswold Jigsaw Championships

 In Bourton on the Water where I live there is a local photographer who, like so many others, had to diversify during the pandemic and ended up making puzzles out of his photos of the local area. The business has continued to grow and he decided it would be fun to hold the first ever Cotswold Jigsaw Championships. Now, I’d decided back in 2022 that I’d had enough of competition puzzling. However, people who knew me kept tagging me in the social media posts being sent out and as it was for charity and just 10 minutes down the road I decided to enter - I mean, if nothing else jigsaw people are some of the best and it would be nice to meet others. 

I was surprised when I arrived to see some really serious jiggers there - including ones who had competed at the world championships in Spain this year. That actually relaxed me a bit as I had no expectations and decided to simply enjoy the puzzle. Well, what a nightmare the puzzle proved. It was a 500 piece map of the Cotswolds and as a group there was a collective groan - this sort of puzzle is never conducive to speed puzzling. Being one of a few locals I probably had a slight edge as I knew where places were, but it still proved to be quite the process. I ended up winning with a time of 2 hours and 37 minutes, some 30 minutes ahead of the next finisher. To put this into context, at 

‘Worlds’ the average finishing time for 500 pieces is around 45 minutes, so that gives some indication of puzzle difficulty. 

After we finished it was time for a chat and some networking with others before the team event after lunch. I had decided to stay and watch for a bit, but after seeing the beautiful puzzle I was persuaded just to sit and complete it for fun. The winning team of 4 completed this 1000 piece puzzle in just over 1 hour, with the next team of 4 coming in at 1 hour 33. You can imagine my delight then when I came in 3rd with a time of 1 hour 57 minutes. Just shows how much a puzzle picture can impact speed and time! 

Overall, a fantastic day and I’m already looking forward to next year. 

A weekend away!

September proved to be a nice month to puzzle. I started with a BCD meeting with friends and ended with a weekend with university friends. Both included puzzles from the opposite end of the spectrum. The first was a Perspex puzzle which was an absolute beast as it was essentially doubled sided and very fiddly. Then some smaller Gibsons and finally time well spent with a 3 year old and one of her puzzles - encouraging the next generation of puzzlers! 

Corner Pieces

I’ve seen a new maker come into the puzzle market over the last few years. Corner Pieces puzzles seem to be a nice cheap alternative to some of the bigger brands and their quality isn’t too bad at all. They also seem to choose nice bright pictures which is always pleasing. 

Combined with a Wadington’s circular and a slightly dull small 500 and August proved a good month for puzzling. 

Not bad for July

I’m actually quite pleased I managed 3 puzzles this month! None were particularly wonderful and the cut and quality on the Hollywood Greats left a little to be desired, but all were pleasing enough. 

I’m massively behind on checking at the moment and with a fundraising fete coming mid August I need to up my game…

A slow June

End of term madness is beginning to bite at school so my weekends are becoming precious and void of time to puzzle. I did manage a couple and both were okay, although the dog one was a little tedious. 

A sale, some checking and two glorious Wentworths.

I started the month by selling puzzles at a local fundraiser. A good day in general with lots of puzzles being whisked away to new homes. I managed to check a few other puzzles, but my real focus was setting aside some time for a real treat - two large Wentworths I’d be loaded by a friend. They certainly did not disappoint - my friend loves bold colours and designs and the puzzles certainly reflected that. The best bit was my house having that distinctive Wentworth smell whilst I left them on display.

Last checking flurry for a fundraiser

On the 1st of May I will be once again manning the jigsaw stall to raise funds for my local pantomime group. So, April was spent trying to get a few more ready to sell. We sell anything less than 1000 pieces for £2 and anything 1000 or more for £3 - checked as complete I reckon that’s not bad! I also have a bargain bucket for anything which is perhaps a bit ragged or missing a piece where any item is 20p. I always mark on the box where the missing piece is and some people are happy for a bargain. 

Starry Night Gold Jigsaw - Mindbogglers (1500)

Took up most of March and was trickier than expected, but so satisfying at the same time. The gold (picture doesn’t do it justice) was simply gorgeous and the picture great. The cut wasn’t perfect, so it was important to have excellent light to ensure the pieces were in fact in the correct places. 

I spent a good number of weekends on it which was lovely. 

BCD house party weekend!

Finally, time with ‘my people’ and whole weekend of puzzling, talks, and presentations. I was part of the ‘Club 3000’ who aimed to complete a 3000 piece puzzle over the course of the weekend and we succeeded. Now, how much longer until the next one…?