The Zen of Jigsaws

[CarolineLondon]

No I do have homework, yes I haven't started it yet, No it wont start itself...lol. I have been ill you know!

Does anyone find every now and then they go a bit doolally tapp. That overwhelmed by the pressure to be a grown up, something snaps and you descend into Spike Milligan. One of the reasons my ex left me (only actually I left him!)., was because he said I was such a child! Like he was the big grown up...bore!

I have no trouble getting in touch with my inner child it's my outer adult that eludes me sometimes, sometimes if Im honest I have no interest in it! There I said it. I can tell you without a doubt my best ideas do NOT come from being an adult

So to Jigsaws my latest passion the panacea for ALL the ills in the world. It allows me to put two fingers up to the establishment, by achieving nothing of worth and value AND completely indulging myself. Could I make my own you ask, probably not which is also why I love them.

Now I'm going to spoil this, don't look if your faint hearted. I have read people often have their best ideas when doing a jigsaw, whilst you are distracted your inner brain is free to other problem solve and comes up with good ideas. There by achieving a great deal...but you didn't hear that from me that's on the QT and yes completely inappropriate.

Fickle as I am I shall exhaust my love of jigsaw but for now I believe as they have Bingo Halls they have Jigsaw Halls, replete with faded red velvet covered furniture, chandeliers and lounge music!

Whose with me

LOVE YOU ALL

XX

[hamble99b]

hi Caroline

there used to be a site, years ago, where you could upload your own pics and it would be a virtual jigsaw puzzle.

max spielman and other photo companies can make photo jigsaws too. shop around. some card catalogues may do too.

[CarolineLondon in reply to hamble99b]

Hamble you are a genius! Im working on my illustration skills, so who knows one day I may draw my own jigsaw Thank you so much for your reply XX

[angelite]

Are we talking the baked bean/licorice allsort challenge or more traditional ? !

I often think I would like to do something like this-then I look at the stack of washing up/recycling and feel the guilt ! S'no fun being a grown up is it ? : )

[CarolineLondon in reply to angelite]

Awe Angelite now I feel guilty but I suspect you have a relationship and / or family and that's even more wonderful than my jisgaw. So you can indulge in your family and I can indulge in my jigsaw now and then and I will send you happy thoughts. Im sure at some point in your life there will be time enough for jigsaws. And your right sometimes I am grown up but I indulge in silliness whenever I can, either way we are children inside XX

[Hidden]

You have a wondeful spirit and it always shines in your writing - no matter what the topic. I hope whatever you are studying in school allows you share your talent with others. My grandmother used to do jigsaw puzzles that had pieces that were practically microscopic. That looked quite intimiding to me! But I enjoyed the more beginner jigsaw puzzles myself.

Something like a wharf scene with colour buildings, boats, lobster traps, buoys- maybe throw a fish market in their too. And seagulls and a bench with a lady feeding pigeons in a grassy park with a big tree. Add some squirrels and pine cones. And flowers in window boxes, butterflies- sparrows... Now that would be a jig saw puzzle I would enjoy doing! What is your jig saw puzzle like? How many pieces?

I am like yourself showing your inner child. I have plush toys in my bedroom and my bedspread is very colourful and bright with multi-coloured birds. My shower curtain are multicoloured rubber duckies and flowers. My boyfriend's bedroom looks straight out of better homes and gardens with shades of brown and ivory. He likes my style though. He did bring over four Ralph Lauren pillows and a white knitted blanket to my house. But he likes my plush animal toys on my bookshelves.

Life is hard to figure out but trying to make it fun- even in the simplest ways- I think helps with depression and anxiety.😃

[CarolineLondon in reply to Hidden]

Your pad (home) sounds great I love lots of colour! Funny isn't it who we creative types attract.

You Grandma may have been doing 2,000 piece or I think there may even be 5000 piece jigsaws. Mine are just 1,000 that's enough for now

Hamble had a great idea about me creating my own and it's a thought. I need to create stuff for kids at the moment and that could be part of my homework.

Do you want to hear a sad story, my ex was a wonderful kids story teller, he had a real skill at making up stuff on the spur of the moment; not that he acknowledged that nor thought it of himself I'm sure. We could have built such a wonderful future, working on collaborative work his stories, my illustrations, his photography, we could have travelled the world. But he was only interested in money and property, oh and being a boring grown up...lol. I believe if he had just opened up his mind, going my root would have net him more money eventually and more fun, but some people are so limited in their thoughts. They think life is merely about materialistic stuff. It wasn't even that he wanted to do good with his money he simply wanted to hoard it. What's so funny is he has the most awful friends who if he dies before them will quite happily take his cash, they do it now and he's not dead yet....lol.

Anyway back to lighter stuff, thank you so much for being kind about my posts, I love everyone here you all indulge me and it's so kind. I do get down but when I do I keep myself to myself, weather the storm. Next I'm back up and trying to see the bigger picture which is getting bigger by the second! I want to do so much and I am limited right now by some of my circumstances but the day will come

One more thing about the ole Jigs and then I'll push off and do some homework, if you do a Jigsaw as part of a group even if there are only two of you it's soooo nice. I imagine it's like women making a quilt together it's a calm time of chat and bonding. Maybe the answer to PTSD is a big ole jigsaw...lol.

Oh now I've done it I now have a picture in my head of ex-army guys in camouflage round a table with a jigsaw asking if anyone's seen Ladylady Chatterley's eye....lol....Admit Ex Army guys you LOVE a jigsaw AND quilting

Right Rome wasn't built in a day, I think it was two...lol.

XX

[CarolineLondon]

Perhaps there should be a national Jigsaw Day (aka also Bird watching, trainspotting, quilting, fishing, pretending to be a pop star, lounging).

A day where everyone has to down tools!

All kids are sent to a giant creche and any remaining adults rounded up and put in the British Library, whilst the rest of us get on with some good ole fashioned timewasting fun! Whose with me brothers :-)...lol.

No I am NOT saying Im ready for the funny farm...lol.

XX

[Findingme]

My life is an upturned jigsaw. The pieces include a sick mum, an elderly dad, siblings who are all self absorbed but better placed than me to offer support to my parents, a daughter without any quals, a dog, an old cat, an ex, family, things in storage, a few qualifications and some experience in running businesses, but no clear cut career path. Add in a troubled childhood and two divorces. If I give you this mess, can you come up with a picture that makes any sense? I spend all day, every day looking at the pieces and trying to sort them out, but so far all I have done is move them around the board. Where should I start?

[CarolineLondon in reply to Findingme]

The corners my love always start with the corners ...lol. No all joking apart Im sorry you are having such a hard time, you sound overwhelmed, I hope you get some help from somewhere before you burn out! What about HomeStart?

XX

[Findingme in reply to CarolineLondon]

Funny you should say that. After I posted this I remembered I used to find all the edge pieces and put them together to get a sense of the size of the jigsaw, then start putting together the most obvious parts of the middle, then fill in the gaps until I get to the hardest pieces which I do by trial and error. My problem is, I don't even have the nice jigsaw board in which to build yet, and I don't have a picture of the finished product. Once I can decide on where to build my jigsaw, I think I will have to work on some of the main parts first, and maybe let go of the idea that the finished product will have nice tidy straight edges. Maybe it will be one of those 3D jigsaws, and have lots of missing pieces. I think I am a bit OCD as this causes me stress just thinking of it.

[CarolineLondon in reply to Findingme]

Lol thats not the idea! Your life isn't a jigsaw anyway its a tapestry and quilt you keep adding too with more an more interesting things and it wont be finished as your friends and family join and take it up and it has soft expanding edges. Dont try and figure out where you are going enjoy the here and now it wont come again and its where all the magic is. BIG KISS XX

[21esme]

To quote CJ "I didn't get where I am today without knowing a shrewd idea."

Instead of reading/book groups in the local hall there could be jigsaw groups.

Or new sport - competitive jigsawing. So everyone has the same jigsaw and under competition conditions has 3 hours to complete their jigsaw. You could have an audience, Mexican waves, big screen, compere, slow motion playback. Live from the crucible ,

Sarah x

[CarolineLondon in reply to 21esme]

Sarah! Not only have you quote one of my FAVOURITE shows and people but you have come up with suggestions of epic proportions of rightness. Genuis pure genius. Start your own party Sarah and I shall join! 20 fingers up to the establishment Thanks for making my day XXX

[CarolineLondon in reply to 21esme]

The motto could be I jigsaw therefore I am!

[trekster22]

i used to love doing jigsaws online but cant remember the name of the site.

[CarolineLondon]

Online? clear the desk trekster, throw the dishes on the floor and get the real jigsaw out and when work ring to find out where you are say "for heavens sake Im at home finishing the jigsaw...tsk". Up the revolution!

X