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