Gas Street

The umbilical cord still holds us fast to the mooring. It was far too cold to stand on the back of the boat when you didn't have to. Maybe tomorrow.... (sigh!)

After a very busy weekend we were looking forward to starting out again. On Saturday David's youngest sister and husband paid a surprise visit and then on Sunday one of his nieces and her family popped by after visiting the Sealife Centre.

On Monday after a trip to Waitrose (where David bought 3 bottles of wine, fortunately) and I had started, yet again, to reline a pair of curtains we were entertaining a famous international classical/jazz violinist and 4 Bulgarian musicians! By the time they left they had drunk the wine and I had not relined another pair of curtains. Had to go back to Waitrose and get more wine.

A farewell lunch with Caroline on Wednesday and with the cupboards groaning (not too many shops along the Shroppie) and we were ready to set off today. NOT.

These are the 5 cards that I made for Bruno showing Calthrop, the boat he is living on at the moment in the basin. Nothing special, but just shows you what you can do with a couple of photographs.

Gas Street

Two days of almost balmy weather. The urge to be out and cruising is getting stronger and stronger. We WILL be off soon.

The first "gathering of the moorers" this evening - a beer each and a good gossip.

This boat has been on a 48 hr mooring for so long that it has been graffitied. There was no sign of a licence either. AND no little notices from BW either!















This is the card for the 10th birthday of a half-Italian, basketball fan. There were some great posters on the web that I couldn't choose.







I covered the inside with spotty paper and cut out a six-sided star on the CraftRobo in silver and a smaller one in blue. This was scored to make it pop up when the card is open. An arc with a circle at the end was then cut out and stuck to the star and a basketball stuck in the circle.

Gas Street

When I grow up I want to wear a wet suit and play around in freezing, dirty lock water in the middle of February!

The Worcester Bar lock gate being inspected this morning.


Isn't it lovely - the nights are gradually drawing out. It was 5.30 before it got dark today. I am even getting up earlier in the mornings - about 9.15!





I have just uploaded some "boys" cards into my MisiMe store. Here are four of them.

They are all decoupaged and you can buy them (and more) from

We now have two huge great signs on the
moorings. They are advertising commercial moorings in the basin and at Brindleyplace.

So maybe we'll get some more boats in the basin soon.

It was David's birthday yesterday. Here is his card. A pic of Marilyn Munroe matted onto gold and black and behind two strips of gold and black card crossed over. 3 black dots (they don't look quite so wonky in real life!) and a rub-on sentiment. He loved it!

Gas Street

Well! The James Brindley is now dead. The boards have started going up. We have also heard rumours that The Malthouse and Bobby Brown's are also closing down. Things are really getting bad.

More snow today. Really, really getting fed up with it now.

Lots of activity around the moorings on Wednesday afternoon with graduates and families. Turns out Callum had just received his MA. David took the photo and I printed it off and made this card for him.

Gas Street

Alright! That's enough snow. Can we begin spring now, please?

And why is it that whenever I pluck up the courage to start on the curtains that someone comes along with an order for a card? It happened again on Tuesday. The sewing machine has been playing up and I was using it as an excuse to not finish off re-lining all the curtains. David finally nagged me enough to get the thing out again and hey presto! Making me a lier it was working beautifully. I managed to get one finished and took the 2nd one off the window and unpicked it and was just starting to reassemble it when Bruno came in asking for 5 cards of Calstock. Then there was Steve's challenge to make a card with K2 and the hearts.

We went for our final drink in the James Brindley last night. God-awful pub but sorry it is having to close. While there Pete asked for another 20 of his "gangster" cards and then today I got another 2 orders from the doctor's surgery. Not that I am complaining. But David is - he can't see the curtains ever being finished!

Here is the K2 step card. It is a bit of a rushed job and I hand-cut the hearts so they are not as well finished off as the ones done cut on the CraftRobo. But you should get the idea.

Gas Street

I was looking at the lights (or lack of them) on the James Brindley pub by the moorings and thinking that if any more of the name lights go out, so will the pub.


And guess what? The brewery is closing it down on Thursday and giving the lease back to BW. It has been very run down for a few years now, and the roof has been leaking so much that they had to shut the top part and just open the ground floor bar.

So what now? And more importantly, where will all our cars be parked? And what will BW do with it?

Fortunately, we don't own a car, but it has been useful for visitors and deliveries.


As I write it is snowing and we are expecting to be iced in again very soon. Glad we got lots of coal and wood in.


I was asked to make a card for a friend's older brother. I started with a long card and printed the message straight onto it. I covered the bottom half with patterned paper and ribbon to cover the edges.

I got the photo of the fossil from the Internet and just printed, decoupaged it once and matted it, before fixing it with sticky fixers.