Map of the Universe 1500-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger

"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."
Arthur C. Clarke

Earlier this month the whole world was astonished to see the first picture of the black hole at the centre of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster. It is 55 million light-years away from Earth. It is an exciting and scary sight.

In the last few weeks galaxies and stars were pretty much on my mind, as I was working on a new stunning Map of the Universe 1500-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger.

If you enjoy challenging jigsaw puzzles, this is one fiendish puzzle, and I say that as a compliment.
It took me many days to complete, and when the last piece of puzzle was slotted in, I felt like celebrating.

This is an amazingly detailed image of the Universe, with galaxies, solar system, stars and constellations.

The colour palette is restricted, there is a lot of black, with small fonts and thin-line images.

Typically I start with finding the frame pieces, and once the frame is established I build inwards.
With this puzzle, I found it quite tricky to begin with the frame, as the pieces were all black.

My tips would be to start sorting by whatever jigsaw pieces with colour you can find, and assemble the bigger wheel with months in it.

This is the work in progress:

Then it's the turn of the inner circles. Gradually build in the corners with the Spectra, Galaxies, Stars and Solar System.

It might help if you have a knowledge of the map of the Universe, and move the pieces to their approximate locations (I'm not one of those clever people, alas).

The fonts for names vary, some are easier to read, some need a magnifying glass to read (I got one in the Poundland).

Like all Ravensburger puzzles, this jigsaw puzzle is made from strong premium grade cardboard, with linen finish to minimise glare on puzzle image.

The drawings of the constellations are beautifully executed.
My younger son and I are reading Greek Myths at the moment, and he was interested to see the names of the characters like Hercules, Orion, Pegasus, Centaurus, Andromeda etc.

This puzzle could be a great educational tool.

The attention to detail is astonishing. It's a true work of art.

This beautiful puzzle will make an excellent gift for any jigsaw puzzle fan. Work on it on your own, or as a family project, and learn about the mysteries and beauty of the Universe.

Disclosure: I received the jigsaw puzzle for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are my own.

Gardening World - Spring 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger

"Sometimes since I've been in the garden I've looked up through the trees at the sky and I have had a strange feeling of being happy as if something was pushing and drawing in my chest and making me breathe fast. Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing. Everything is made out of magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all round us. In this garden - in all the places."

Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

I grew up in a big city. We always lived in flats, so having a garden of our own was out of question. Until I was 14 we lived in a ground floor apartment, with a big yard and a front garden shared by all the flats. My Mum used to plant flowers and shrubs under our windows. I loved the smell of lilac in late spring, wafting in my room, when I was sitting by the window, doing homework.

My Mum has green fingers, and always grows lots of flowers and vegetables on her balcony. And now that we live in a house with a big garden, she loves to visit and work in our garden.

Right now my garden is full of hyacinths of all colours, as planted by Mum last autumn when she stayed with us.

Our garden is beautiful, but not as tidy and orderly as the one in Gardening World - Spring 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger.

This garden is immaculate.

The garden scene in the puzzle is truly idyllic. A couple are working in unison, tending to the vegetable patch. (If only my vegetable patch was as neat. And I'd love that cold frame too!)

The dog is watching its owners with great interest.

The garden around the vegetable garden is full of trees in bloom and flowers.

The birds are busily working on the bird feeder.

The round pergola would provide a good cover against the strong sun and the rain. Imagine having tea and enjoying a book there, listening to the bird song and smelling all the scents of the garden.

The attention to detail in this puzzle is striking.

This beautiful puzzle measures 70x50cm when complete, and is suitable for ages 12+.

Like all Ravensburger puzzles, this jigsaw puzzle is made from strong premium grade cardboard, with linen finish to minimise glare on puzzle image.

This colourful puzzle will make a lovely gift to a garden loving friend or family member. If there's a lady in your life, who enjoys puzzles, this could be a wonderful gift for Mother's Day.

Disclosure: I received the puzzle for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are my own.

Children’s World Map 3D Puzzle from Ravensburger (180 Pieces)

Midterm break whizzed past like an arrow - blink and you miss it. We've been reading a lot, playing games, watching Netflix, baking cookies and, of course, doing puzzles.

Children's World Map 3D puzzle from Ravensburger is an excellent educational gift for any school age child.
This globe is a great way to introduce a child to world geography.
Open the box to discover 180 curved puzzle pieces and a display stand which allows for the finished globe to be rotated.

All the plastic pieces are curved and have numbers on the back, plus a little arrow pointing where the next piece should slot in.

The pieces are perfectly crafted and don't need a glue to hold the globe together.

My son loved the puzzle, and didn't want any help. I confess my hands were itching to have a go, but no, he didn't want me to meddle.

The finished globe measures 20cm and goes on the display stand. The design shows different animals on the continents where they live. There are also some famous landmarks as well as transport and buildings typical of the areas where they appear, for example, there is a wooden house in Siberia, and Taj Mahal in India.

The globe is easily assembled, and would be easy to disassemble if you wish to keep it in a box.
It will make a lovely gift for young children, who are learning about geography and zoology. It's not just an entertaining jigsaw puzzle, but an educational tool as well.

This puzzle is not suitable for children under 3 due to small pieces.

Our only suggestion is that it would have been great to have a leaflet with information on all animals per country. I'm no zoologist, and couldn't quite figure out what some of the animals are.
For example, when looking for the place where my Mum lives, we could see a goat or deer-like animal, but I have no clue what it is supposed to be. I even discussed it with my Mum on the phone.
From my description she couldn't guess it.
And a leaflet with data on the animals per country would be a great way to learn about their names.

Eddie loves his globe. In fact, when we were in Oxford before Christmas, looking at the gifts, he spotted a few differently-sized globes and told me he would love to have a globe in his room.
And now his wish is granted.

Disclosure: We received the puzzle for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own.

Fairytale Fantasia 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger

"Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lasuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and coves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end."
George R.R. Martin

And though you might argue with George R.R. Martin, there is something about this quote that rings true.
I thought about this description, when I received a new Fairytale Fantasia 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger.
This gorgeous puzzle is a colourful tapestry of indigo and purple, moss green and rust red.

C.S,Lewis said: "One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again".
I confess I have never outgrown fairytales. There are so many wonderful YA writers nowadays who put their own twist on the classic stories, or invent new fairytales for the modern audience.
I often buy YA fiction books just for myself. Just the other day Eddie and I were browsing in the local bookshop, and one of the ladies there told Eddie that he might like to read A Pinch of Magic, which is currently the book of the month at Waterstone's. To which I replied that I've already bought it for myself.

Fairytale Fantasia jigsaw puzzle will appeal to book lovers who enjoy fantasy adventures, enchanted objects, cruel curses and pure magic.
The scene is highly detailed and richly-coloured.
You meet characters from famous fairytales, who come to life on the shelves among the old volumes.

There is a Mad Hatter having a tea party.

Snow White holding an infamous apple, ready to take the fateful bite.

Cinderella is leaving her glass slipper, escaping from the ball. Magic creatures, enchanted castles and dragons, knights and fairies, ships on the stormy seas and circus performers - all of them spring from the pages of the books.

This beautiful puzzle measures 70x50cm when complete, and is suitable for ages 12+.

Like all Ravensburger puzzles, this jigsaw puzzle is made from strong premium grade cardboard, with linen finish to minimise glare on puzzle image.

Once I finished the puzzle and took the photos, I gave it to a friend who's looking after an elderly lady who loves puzzles. I know she will enjoy it as much as I did.

This delightful jigsaw puzzle will make a lovely gift for any book worm.

Disclosure: I received the jigsaw puzzle for the purposes of reviewing.

What If? no.21 The Game Show 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger

If you enjoy creative competitions, you might remember a fun competition run by Ravensburger last year.
What IF? you were drawn into a Jigsaw Puzzle?
The search is on for Britain's funniest friends and family!
Does this ring a bell? Did you enter the competition?
Oxfordshire-based toy company Ravensburger was giving its puzzle fans a chance to feature in their bestselling What IF? jigsaw range.
Entrants were asked to submit their best funny family and friends photo using the hashtag #WhatIfWeAreAPuzzle.
The winning group was to be drawn into the next What IF? 1000-piece puzzle, depicted as entrants in a Challenge-Quiz-Show type scenario.

Launched over 5 years ago, What IF? is a firm favourite with puzzle fans across the UK. The series reflects life's unexpected twists and turns, and challenges us to imagine "What IF?"??? As the puzzle image is not shown on the box, you need to use the visual and written clues to help envisage what the finished jigsaw puzzle might look like.
One thing is for certain - expect plenty of smiles along the way!

I was very curious to find out who has won this unique prize. Now the winning entry has made it into a new What If? no.21 The Game Show 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, and what a corker it is!

The illustrations are the artwork of the much-loved artist, cartoonist and comedy writer Geoff Tristram.
The puzzle shows four members of the Douglas family, who dream of winning £1 million in TV's top quiz show, Lost in Translation.

Tash, Bradley, Liam and Ria are testing their language skills. The quizmaster Brendan Bromsgrove asks them to translate a phrase from Latin. What if they have no clue what it means?

The image on the box shows the moment when Tash & Co realise they are not able to tackle the Latin phrase. But what will the puzzle inside the box reveal?

Geoff Tristram has created caricatures of many famous faces. I imagine the Douglas family were well chuffed to join in such an exclusive club. This is truly a prize you cannot buy.

The puzzle measures 70x50cm when completed. It's suitable for ages 12+.
Like all Ravensburger puzzles, it's made from strong premium grade cardboard, with linen finish print to minimise the glare on puzzle image.

This colourful, entertaining jigsaw puzzle is suitable for ages 12+, and will make a fun gift for a whole family.

Disclosure: I received the puzzle for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are my own.

Let's Visit Santa 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger

"I know what I really want for Christmas. I want my childhood back. Nobody is going to give me that. I might give at least the memory of it to myself if I try. I know it doesn't make sense, but since when is Christmas about sense, anyway? It is about a child, of long ago and far away, and it is about the child of now. In you and me. Waiting behind the door of our hearts for something wonderful to happen. A child who is impractical, unrealistic, simpleminded and terribly vulnerable to joy."
Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten


Let's Visit Santa 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger will thrill anyone who has fond and funny memories of visiting Santa as a child or taking your children to a grotto to meet the old chap with a fluffy white beard.

I remember taking little Eddie to the grotto in Oxford, and he was rather shy, hiding behind my back and refusing to come and say Hello to Santa.

Working on this puzzle, I thought about my own childhood new year's eves parties and Russian Santa called Ded Moroz (Father Frost).

This festive jigsaw puzzle shows a very busy scene: there is Santa himself with his visitors, a cheeky elf, a kind snowman, a magic merry-go-round, three kings in the background, and lots of animals of all sizes. A little boy hugs Santa and whispers his Christmas wishes in his ear. His older sister seems to be happy to wait for her turn, enjoying the warmth of the fireplace and twinkling lights.

The Christmas tree is festooned with candy canes, baubles and other ornaments.

There are so many wonderful presents scattered around. The puzzle is exceptionally detailed and colourful, and captures the spirit of the season perfectly. It is such a kind, nostalgic scene.

This is the 22nd Limited Edition puzzle designed and developed by Ravensburger's UK team.

The puzzle measures 70x50cm when completed. It's suitable for ages 12+.
Like all Ravensburger puzzles, it's made from strong premium grade cardboard, with linen finish print to minimise the glare on puzzle image.

This is the last jigsaw puzzle of the year for me. And what a lovely puzzle to end the year with!

If there is a jigsaw puzzle fan in your life, they will be thrilled with this gift for Christmas. 

Disclosure: I received the puzzle for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are my own.