It’s been a while since I popped up on here. The first part of this year flew by at breakneck speed; I was so busy working on the new issue of 91 Magazine as well as a picture research project for a book publisher, amongst other things. Then, in the past six weeks life has changed beyond recognition. The global pandemic we are currently living through has forced us to slow down, many of us finding ourselves with less or no work to do, or even if you are still working, you’re probably finding you have a bit more spare time on your hands than usual. Going out for long, leisurely weekend lunches or spending an afternoon browsing the shops are not an option for the time being, so we are all looking for ways to entertain ourselves at home.

If I’m honest, I’m generally pretty happy with spending a lot of time at home. I already work from home and with a young child I rarely go out in the evenings, so it hasn’t felt like a massive adjustment for me. But, I’ve still enjoyed the challenge of finding other things to do rather than spending all my down time in front of the telly. I can’t quite remember how it happened, but myself and the other half have found ourselves really enjoying jigsaw puzzles. Truthfully, if you had have told me six months ago we would be spending hours of our time hunched over an 1000 piece puzzle, I probably would’ve snorted with laughter, but here we are!

Puzzles pictured: left - 500 piece Cat puzzle, £16, 1000 piece Gradient puzzle, £16.99

Activities that occupy your mind, like gardening, colouring and doing jigsaws really are a tonic right now. I know I’m not alone when I say I have had moments where anxiety and worry about the situation has tried to overcome me. I’ve found turning off the news and immersing myself in another activity has really helped.

I must say, I was quite surprised that when I started to look online for jigsaws that there were in fact many more contemporary designs around than I’d expected! Seeing as we are all in the same boat right now, I thought I’d share with you a few that I’ve come across. A few of the ones below have gone out of stock since I initially found them (clearly I’m not the only puzzle fan!), but I’ve included then anyway, as I’m sure they’ll be available again in due course.

1000 piece - Jonathan Adler Now House Vertigo puzzle, £21.50

285 piece LA MURALLA ROJA by Slowdown Studio, £30

1000 piece Midnight Garden puzzle, $22.50

Double sided 500 piece succulent puzzle, £12

1000 piece Love Lives Here puzzle, £13.50

800 piece Bathing with Flowers puzzle, $48

500 piece puzzles in various designs, £16

I’d love to hear if anyone else has been enjoying a puzzle in recent weeks?! Or if you might now give it a try? :)