Limehouse, Regent's Canal

 Lots of pictures today.

We were due into the lock at Teddington around 11 am and gradually the 4 other boats we were travelling with arrived. 

We discovered that we could get ourselves accredited for the Pageant (even without our boarding passes which were sent to Birmingham earlier this week).  We went down to the lock and found that the couple doing the accreditation were Sandy and David from Jacaranda.  So we had lots to catch up on.  Anyway, we managed with the invitation to the Pageant and our passports to get a turquoise wristband each which is stapled together so we can't take them off!

We all set off.  Leo No 2 has a very low bow and shipped lots of water.  Catherine has a great picture on her blog from a previous trip on the river.


You can see it here

The River was very quiet until you get to the Houses of Parliament.  Then the trip boats kick in and there are boats coming and going all over the place and it cuts the water up.


David having just negotiated Tower Bridge.  Through the middle arch again.  We won't be doing that in the Pageant as we are on the outside of 5 boats, so will be going through the South arch.

 

The tall ships had begun to moor up for the Avenue of Sail.  Such romantic boats.

Why is it that just as we get to the entrance to Limehouse lock there are boats coming up and down the river in both directions.  As we were waiting to go get in we were being swept downstream with the tide and the wind so it was full power to get back up and into the lock.  Still David didn't hit any sides (of course!)

The lock gates are almost a semi-circle each side and they don't have paddles - just open sideways slightly and the water rushes in.

Then they open it a bit more and it rushes down the side as well.

Finally they open the gates about 6 inches and the water shoots through until the levels meet.

Inside there were most of the 40 narrow and wide beam boats in our squadron and we were moored up about 6 boats out from the wall.

A briefing at 7pm and supper after.  The briefing took ages and seemed to bring up more problems than answers.  We were also given the good news that we would be leaving at 0530 tomorrow morning!!!!

So, we missed supper and went back to the boat to get some sleep to be ready tomorrow.

White card blank, holographic card, black card, chipboard stickers.  Nothing difficult here.

Teddington, River Thames

Sunbury Lock - the older one.  This is what all the locks were like before electrification.  And I could not remember it at all - even though we have been through numerous times.  Must be getting old.

We left early again and had the river to ourselves for most of the way. 

Because we didn't need a mooring at Hampton Court and it was empty except for 1 boat.  We stopped briefly at Kingston on Thames for me to get a 1st aid kit (more expense for the Pageant).  There was a fee for mooring £10 between 9am and 9pm!!  And, there was only one bollard to tie up to.  David stood and guarded the boat and I ran to Boots and back be for the "clampers and towers" arrived.

After we got to Teddington I caught a bus back into Kingston for the afternoon.

More nursing mothers.  This time a coot who made the nest on a lifebuoy.

I matted the card onto silver, red and green card and cut the edges of the bottom two with deckle edged scissors.

Then I cut a strip of green card which was fixed to a larger red one, the edges of the red card also cut with deckle edged scissors.  For a bit of decoration I added some sparkly wavy peel-off sticker strips.

Above Shepperton Lock, River Thames

Leaving the moorings at Windsor at 0545 this morning.  Blissful.  I noticed that the wild roses are in flower and there are a few ducklings about as well as cygnets.

Managed all but one lock, again, without needing a lock keeper.  If they all get made redundant it will be my fault.

Found a spot to moor up by the pub at the top of the lock and then had lunch on its very busy patio in the sunshine.  Hope the weather lasts until next Wednesday.





FIRST BIKINI OF THE YEAR?














Another one of David's photos, this of a swan sat on her nest.  I matted the card onto silver card.  The back panel started out as a tissue cube and I matted that onto more silver card.  The base card is blue and a plastic 3D dragonfly finishes the card off.

Windsor, River Thames

 The river is beautiful early in the morning, especially when the sun is shining.  We left at 0600 again, managing all but one lock before the lock keepers came on duty.

Some diesel, so we are ready for the Pageant, from Windsor Maria (there is a good landing stage for narrowboats, so we always try to make use of them when we are passing) and then the afternoon in Windsor.



Boats in the mist.  These are at the old Foxhangars Wharf at the bottom of the Caen Flight.  There is a swish new marina there now.

I matted the photo onto silver card and then dark navy card before sticking it onto a white card blank.

Marlow, River Thames

We left Reading and were on the Thames at 0600.  It was beautiful, the sun came out and for the first two hours we had it all to ourselves.  Then just before 0900 (when the lock keepers come on duty) there were boats were everywhere.

Henley was getting ready for the regatta.  There were some nattily dressed rowers on this boat.

 Some lovely houses on this stretch.  Still only need the boathouse for myself, though.

We got another Thames Licence, this time a 15 day one for £136, which is a bit less expensive than the £35 per day.

 And yet another obstacle.  I blame David Walliams.

By 1030 we had had enough and found a spot by the park in Marlow.  Free this side of the bridge, but £10 the other side.  A couple of Cornish pasties and cream cakes from an excellent cake shop/cafe on the High Street for lunch and then it was more tittivating of the boat and a sleep while all the little hired speedboats rocked the boat gently.

This card began with the fairy which was stamped and coloured and then cut out.  It was stuck onto a silver square of card which was matted onto lilac paper which was cut with decorative scissors and then pink pearlised card.

I used a piece of sequin waste for the back ground and stuck it down onto a purple card base.  Then added the topper.  The two flowers were cannibalized from a hair slide and I stuck the ribbon on the inside front of the card so that they hung over the front.

Blakes Wharf, Reading

 The two swans that were nesting when we were here three weeks ago have produced.  Only two though, and very shy.  Every time I tried to take a photo they were scuttle behind Mum.

We spent the day painting and polishing and sorting out all the anchor chain and warp.  We have so much now there is no room in the anchor hold and the chain is in a plastic bag on the front deck.

I covered the top part of this white card blank with some patterned paper and added a sticky backed ribbon across the join to hide it.

Then I added the ceramic dog which I picked up in a craft market in Budapest a few years back.  It was stuck down with three glue dots.

Reading

 Arrived at Tyle Mill for a pumpout and some water to discover this sign on the temporary water point.  Looks like a busybody  going over the top a bit. Someone has added the lines "Presumably this applies to washing boats.  Drinking water is freely available."  Surely, if we had a bucket, getting a bucket load of water down the 2" hole into the water tank would waste more water than if we used a hosepipe?

At least the pumpout was working.

Several of the locks around here have this sign on the top gate.

I see what they mean!

Fobney Lock landing was quite gentle today.  Don't know what all the fuss is about.

And County Lock when full was at the level that it was empty when we were stuck there three weeks ago.

The next test.  Get the boat up to the traffic light without crushing the two boys hanging off the landing stage.

They did get out, and I asked one of them to press the button.  Sorted!

Blakes Wharf was a welcome sight after a long, hot day and then it was off to Clas Ohlsen for some anchor chain and warp so we are equipped for the Pageant. 
Clas Ohlsen is a Swedish firm, a bit like Woolworths/Wilkinsons but has lots of stuff for boating and is relatively cheap too.  They are popping up all over the country and are well worth a visit if you need any boaty things.

While in Newbury I put my cards out for sale, and one gentleman said that I didn't have any cards for MEN.

So here you go.  I printed off the background from a clip image on a CD Rom that I had and matted it onto some silver card which was fixed to a white card blank.  The tank was then stuck over the background.

Woolhampton, Kennet and Avon Canal

 A frustrating day today.  We wanted to visit the Greenham Island services but they were late opening, so then we went on to B&Q and there was a boat on the pub mooring close by, so I had to wait and hold the boat in the current while David went to look for the10 extra metres of anchor chain which we need for the Pageant.  But they didn't have any.

We then followed a hire boat that kept leaving a paddle up on the bottom locks and then when we got here there was no room on the moorings, so we had to put a couple of spikes in and wait until someone left.

But saying all that.  It was a lovely day, hot and sunny, though a little humid.  There were cuckoos cuckooing, wild flowers, butterflies and dragonflies.  Tonight there are masses and masses of mayflies flying above the water.  Still no ducklings, baby coots or moorhens though.

And now for something completely different.  An oriental card.  We have several Chinese shops in Birmingham, but I think I bought this pendant in Chester.  I made a gold panel, adding a corner of origami paper to the bottom left hand side and strip of gold card on the bottom left hand side.  I matted the pendant onto a small piece of copper card and stuck that down onto the gold panel.  The panel was then stuck onto a long white card blank.

Victoria Park, Newbury, Kennet and Avon Canal

We moved down to Victoria Park for another two nights in Newbury.  The weather has turned and the sun has come out and its hot! hot! hot!

This evening there were lots of shouts and splashing and a muntjak deer had got into the water and was trying to escape the people trying to help it out of the water.  It managed to swing down the side of the boat and the bank and then went back across the canal and got out before running away.  It was such a surprise as it is a really built up area.

There was a family of swans above the lock.  So quite.

I made this card as a baby congratulations card.  Just matted it onto white and maroon card and stuck a white feather underneath it before adding it to a lilac card blank.

Above Newbury Lock, Kennet and Avon Canal

I am beginning to get the message!

Though someone left the top paddle up 2" and a long pound was almost dry. 

The horse chestnuts are in flower.  I matted this picture onto white card, edged it with deckle edged scissors, then pink and silver card.

The pink ribbon was wrapped around the front and tied in a knot in the centre and a 3D butterfly was added in the top right hand corner.

Hungerford Visitor Moorings, Kennet and Avon Canal

They've mucked up my favorite bridge.  It used to be all overgrown and quite romantic in a broken down kind of way.  

A cold, damp day.  The grass was cut yesterday so the inside of the boat is covered with cut grass from our boots and shoes. 

These clumps of whatever always remind me of that Thing in the Addams Family.

After 13 locks and 2 swing bridges (one where I needed help and was watched by a male walker as I struggled and David had to moor the boat and come back to help), we had lunch in the Tuttie Pole.

Where are all the ducklings this year?  Apparently the first broods of Kingfishers this year were lost in the floods.  Maybe the ducklings went the same way.  We have seen only 3 since leaving Reading and there was only 1 there.  Come to think of it where are all the Moorhens too?

I matted this photo onto silver card and then onto some blue handmade paper before sticking it onto a blue card blank.  Then I added a daisy plant and butterfly.

Crofton, Kennet and Avon Canal

 A really early start, with a stop at Pewsey for water and then it was up over the summit, through the tunnel and down to Crofton.  The water levels were a bit more even this time, no overflowing locks but it was a pain having to trudge around the locks closing the bottom gates and lowering the paddles before we could fill the locks.  Some of them didn't even need to be left with the paddles up either!

Lunch in the K&A Trust tea stop in the pumping station - so here are a couple of cards.

This one the photo was matted onto silver, light green, darker green and even darker green card.

A green panel which had been decorated with a punch and had a green ribbon wrapped around it and tied in a knot was stuck down horizontally onto a blue card blank and the picture was placed on top.

This one shows one of the boilers in the pump house.  I matted that photo onto gold, red and black card.  I Cuttlebugged a piece of red card and matted it onto black card and wrapped some twine around the bottom.  They were both stuck onto a white card blank.

Honeystreet, Kennet and Avon Canal

Finally off again and heading East.  We called in at Devizes Marina to get our new accelorator thingy fixed and had a pleasant cruise in sunshine to Honeystreet where we stopped for the night.

I have been making lots of new cards for the shop at Greenham Island and this is one of them. 

One of David's photos was matted onto silver and green card.  The edges were deckle edged and stuck onto a green card blank.  Three green gems were stuck on the bottom of the card and a couple of paper dandelions were fixed to the bottom right hand corner.

Devizes Wharf, Kennet and Avon Canal

David went on the Wadworth Brewery tour today and met Monty, one of the two dray horses.

This is their tack room.

He came back with 6 bottles of their Jubilee beer!

And a card showing part of the wharf with the Kennet and Avon Trust building which houses a museum and shop.  I matted the picture onto silver, yellow and red card.  The red card was embossed with a frame and then matted once again onto silver card.  Then it was stuck onto a white card blank.

Devizes Wharf, Kennet and Avon Canal

You are cleaverer than me.  Just where do you/don't you moor?

And Duh!








We took a bus into Bath today and nearly bought an iPad.  Well, we did actually buy two, but came away with none.  The first one had marks on the screen, so we had to be given a credit note.  The second one would not connect to one of our emails.  So we asked for our money back.  But.  Because we were given the credit note they couldn't pay the money back onto our debit card so we are now waiting for them to credit us through the bank.

The bus goes down Caen Hill by the side of the flight and you get tantilising glimses of the locks.  The new marina at the bottom looked rather empty and forlorn.  Considering one of the excuses used around there for overstaying is that there are no moorings....

Anyway, here is a card with a picture of the flight.  I matted it onto gold, red and green card and made a panel by Cuttlebugging a piece of red card and matted it onto gold card, scalop edging one side.

Three red gems were added to the embossed flowers for a bit of bling.

Devizes Wharf, Kennet and Avon Canal

I'm beginning to get the hang of this zoom thingie on my camera.














Just one lock today and then down onto the long pound to Devizes.  The weather was lovely.  Stopped to get water in Pewsey and then just after we ran out of diesel!!!

  Fortunately, we have a jerry can with spare and not long after we found Tipton, a fuel boat, moored up so we got some reasonably priced diesel and were soon on our way.

Then it was on into Devizes and were moored up by noon.



 Heaps of the week?

Now here's a pretty boat.  Matted onto silver and red card and stuck onto a blue card blank.  The three red dots were cut from red card and covered in shiny stuff to make them stand out.