Tiger Family

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1000
Size: 50cm x 70cm
Product Code:  191178

If you follow Australian Rules (AFL) football, you will know that today is Grand Final Day, 

Contending for the cup are the Adelaide Crows and Richmond Tigers, and, while I don't support either of these teams normally, I'm jumping on the bandwagon for the Tigers. It has been 37 years since Richmond last won a premiership, and it's safe to say that their fans are excited about the game coming up today. I hope that they can do it for Victoria and take home the premiership cup.

Because it's quite difficult to find footy-themed puzzles, I decided to put up this Tiger Family puzzle from Ravensburger to commemorate the team. 

This puzzle took a little while to do, considering all of the similar colours in the tiger's fur. I had to try and differentiate between each of the three tigers, and piece them together accordingly. I found it was easier to complete the plant-life on the sides of the puzzle first, then work my way into the centre.

A little bit challenging, this puzzle was nonetheless a pleasure to do and the end result is striking.

World Map

Brand: Hinkler Puzzlebilities
Pieces: 500
Size: 91.4cm x 60.9cm
Product Code:  HB22-FEB16-08

With all the turmoil going on around the world at the moment, I thought I might put up a puzzle of the world map today, just to remind people that no matter what's happening thousands of kilometres away, we're all still living on the same planet. 

The last few weeks have seen so many unfortunate events- there have been natural disasters like the devastating earthquakes in Mexico, Hurricane Irma in Texas, and the imminent eruption of a volcano in Bali. There were also a few earthquakes in New Zealand but I don't think there were any casualties this time round. 

There has also been a lot of political unrest around the world, with the murder of hundreds of Muslims in Burma (which has sadly been under-reported in the media) and, of course, the tensions between North Korea and the rest of the world. In Australia, the government has posted out a ballot, asking people to vote on whether same-sex marriage should be legalised- there are staunch supporters for both sides, but hopefully commonsense will prevail, discrimination (in this case at least) will be stamped out and everyone will have the opportunity to marry the person that they love, regardless of their gender. 

Now, I've gotten through my little rant so I can talk about the above puzzle! 

The pieces in this puzzle were quite large (although that is mentioned on the box) and made from a thin, relatively low-quality cardboard. If you have a good grasp of geography, then the bright design will be simple to complete.

This would make a good educational resource for someone learning about world maps, as it provides an adequate amount of basic information. 

Reef Adventure

Brand: Puzzlebug
Pieces: 500
Size: 46cm x 28cm
Product Code:  -

It's hard to believe that around this time last year, rather than being in cold, rainy weather, I was travelling around Fiji and Vanuatu for my wedding and honeymoon. 

The weather there was absolutely beautiful, the places we visited were amazing and the people we met were lovely. I had my first experience learning to Scuba Dive (granted, it was only in a hotel swimming pool, but at least I was able to learn the basics) and we got to snorkel some beautiful reefs, particularly near the amazing 'floating bar' Cloud 9, which was an experience in itself. 

To reminisce, I thought I would post up this photo of a puzzle I did recently. Although we weren't lucky enough to see any sea turtles, we did get to see some incredibly bright and beautiful tropical fish in their natural environment. This puzzle brought back memories of warm water, pretty coral and the aforementioned brightly-coloured fish. It was pretty quick to do, when working in colour blocks, and the design was (and is) fun and busy.

Perfect for brightening up a dull-weathered day and bringing back lovely memories, I reckon!

Sound Of Soul Strings

Brand: SunsOut
Pieces: 500
Size: 45.72cm x 60.96cm
Product Code:  39366

I have a wide taste in music, which ranges in scope from Disney songs and Broadway show tunes to punk rock and heavy metal tracks. 

I'm willing to listen to anything, and appreciate most music. 

If you have a listen to my iPod, in fact, you would find such an eclectic variation, you wouldn't believe that all the music on it belongs to just one person. You might hear Muse playing at first, then Slipknot, then the Captain Planet theme song, then Celine Dion! Who knows what will play after you press 'shuffle'!

Because of this diverse appreciation for music, it means that I have seen many fantastic bands/artists and have many more that I wish to see throughout the coming years (provided they come to tour Australia). 
As it is, I have just bought tickets to see Robbie Williams when he comes to Australia next year, will be seeing Muse in December, and hope to buy tickets to see The Foo Fighters and Pink when they are released. A couple of weeks ago I saw Stone Sour- an awesome show- and I'd love to see Metallica again if they plan another tour soon. 

The puzzle I have posted today is musically-themed, although, once again, it is a different kind of genre to all of the popular music-type artists I have mentioned above. Focusing more on a classical aspect, this puzzle by SunsOut features a string instrument (I'm unable to decide whether it's a cello or a violin) and a keyboard on a vibrant background. Musical notes float around the almost tribal design, making the images stand out. The pieces in this puzzle are made from a thick recycled cardboard (of high quality), and come in a variety of strange and unusual shapes, as is the norm for this brand. 

This was a relatively easy puzzle to do, when working in sections of colour and pattern, and is perfect for any lover of music. 

Digging Up Roses

Brand: Kodacolor Puzzles
Pieces: 100
Size: 29cm x 41cm
Product Code:  20100

Well, I'm back! And I'm happy to say that I'm feeling much better this week than I was at the same time last Saturday! I appeared to have a very short but brutal case of the cold- with very flu-like symptoms- but luckily that's mostly gone now.

Last week- on August 26 to be exact- it was National Dog Day in Australia. If I had realised last Saturday (the actual day), I would have put this puzzle picture up then. As it was, I didn't, and so I am putting it up now.

This was a puzzle from my childhood that I dug out when my parents made me do a cleanup of some of our old things stored in the garage. I highly doubt that you'd be able to find it in stores now. In fact, I don't know whether the brand even exists anymore! The pieces in this puzzle were large, made of thin cardboard (not the greatest quality) and obviously aimed at children. But oh well, nostalgia!

I decided to put this one up in a late commemoration of National Dog Day- we'll see what next week brings...