The House Party

The House Party
The House Party (Best of British) by Geoff Tristam – Ravensburger – 500 pieces

I’m having such a good time with these puzzles I got from the marketplace, I’m so happy we went out of our way to get them! This one was complete even though it isn’t in this picture; I found the missing piece after I had already put it away – of course. I’ve always loved Geoff Tristam’s comic style and humor, add that to the wonderful Ravensburger quality and you’ve got a great puzzle that was a joy to assemble.

The House Party 1

This joke makes me smile, it reminds me of my dad saying he couldn’t wait till the “horse’s ovaries” were served. When I was young it made no sense because I had no idea how the words were spelled, I thought dad was just trying to gross us out again. 😉

The House Party 2

Another ridiculous joke that makes me smile. American pies are way different than British ones – obviously. We normally have pies for dessert, their pies are usually the main course, made from meats, vegetables, etc. But when they say “game pie” in this puzzle they obviously didn’t mean venison – it was backgammon!

There’s something about the smaller piece count Ravensburger puzzles, they seem to be even better quality than the larger piece counts – even though they’re made from the same stuff. Perhaps it’s that the pieces are bigger and there is more area to feel the quality of the chipboard and the finish. They’re just fantastic puzzles in my book, and I’m always happy to find a Ravensburger to assemble.

 

2000 Piece Update

2000 Update

This one is going quite slowly, but it’s a combination of things that’s making it take so very long. It has nothing to do with the quality or the amount of fun I’m having with the assembly; it’s mostly about how I’ve been feeling and the location of the board I’m working on.

Since it’s 2000 pieces it has to be done on a larger board, and my 3 x 4 foot puzzle board is currently occupied with the Mystery Puzzle. I borrowed mom’s board of the same size but it’s on the floor in my bedroom and that’s really the only place I can work on it. It’s not easy for me to get down on the floor to work on it (and getting up is no picnic either), so the time I can spend on this puzzle is limited at best.

If someone’s around to help, I could lift it onto my bed and work on it there; but even then I have to work sitting up with no support for my back and hips and the amount of time I can do that is pretty restrictive.

I’m 9 days into this assembly, still dealing with a cold/virus that doesn’t seem to want to go away, and a place to puzzle that isn’t very conducive to quick or efficient progress. Oh well. I make it a point to place a few pieces every day – no matter what. So although it may take me quite a while to finish it, I will definitely be completing it at some point in time. 🙂

I’ve gotten all the words together, and almost all the lines between the scenes done, so now it’s up to sorting and assembling each section. I love the look of it, the fantastic Ravensburger quality, and in general am having a great time! ❤

The Cake Off (What If #12)

the cake off
The Cake Off by Geoff Tristam – Ravensburger – 1000 pieces

Just what I was looking for in a puzzle, though it took longer because I’ve been sick. I wanted something a little easier to assemble and this was perfect. They aren’t easy, because you don’t know what the final image will be, but the cartoony aspect makes it simpler than, say, a landscape.

It’s sort of a take of on The Great British Baking Show, there is talk of soggy bottoms on cakes, etc.  Although I’m pretty sure what happened in this image would never happen on the actual show! The contestant’s names were hilarious; Ben Offie, Sue Flaye, Victoria Spunge, etc. The box shows a one of the contestant’s dreams collapsing, but “What If” she responded by rising to the occasion? That’s what you have to puzzle, and it’s quite an image. 😉

As is my custom, I don’t show the whole image so as not to spoil anyone else’s fun. I find it’s more entertaining to figure it out all by myself and want you to have the same fun too.  I only take a picture of the part of the solution that’s shown on the front of the box, so I’m really not spoiling anything at all. This was an excellent quality Ravensburger puzzle, with wonderful artwork by Geoff Tristam. I’m looking forward to finishing up the other 6 What If puzzles I have here. It’s been so long I’d forgotten how much enjoy putting them together. The next one is What If #13, The Safari Park; looks like another good one!

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It might be a week or so before I get to this one, as I’m still working on my 2000 piece collage; but the Safari Park looks like fun, doesn’t it?

The Cake Off – In Progress

what if #12
The Cake Off

I’ve been sidelined for the last few days with a doozy of a cold, and haven’t touched my puzzle in progress. I did manage to do a bit of sorting early this morning when I couldn’t sleep, and finally got some pieces put together!

It’s a little more challenging for me than normal, because I don’t have any trays to lay out the pieces,  scrabbling through the box trying to find things is NOT how I like to work. All of my trays (and some borrowed from mom) are being used on the mystery box puzzle, so I’m having to try to assemble this puzzle in a completely different way. Ick.

This puzzle is perfect for me at the moment; it’s from Ravensburger’s What If series and it’s called The Cake Off. My husband and I have been watching The Great British Baking Show the past few weeks, and this image is a send up of that series. We love the show, so I was pleasantly surprised when the next puzzle in the series for me to assemble was this one. 🙂

It’s been relatively untouched for 3 days, but I’m hoping to be able to do a little more work on it today. Can’t wait to see what happens at The Cake Off!

Humbug!

Grinch

It’s the last day of Hanukkah, and only 15 days until Christmas – I have to say that my holiday spirit has either left the building, or failed to show up in the first place. I’m not in the mood for lights, decorations, cookies, presents, or even being around smiling happy people.

Know what puzzle I’d like to have and assemble right now? This one…

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In my mind I’m living just north of Who-ville at the moment; perhaps this puzzle would cheer me up – it is a Ravensburger after all.