Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

 A couple of atmospheric pictures down Farmer's Locks today.  We had just got back from shopping in Harbourne when Mike said the trees were on their way down the locks.  So I put the food in the fridge and we set off to give them a hand.

The trees had to be hauled down as the locks were too small for the tug boat as well and that job fell to Vick.

We met a total of 4 boats on their way up.  All except one were understanding.  Unfortunately one couple were not prepared to make allowances and grumbled and complained the whole time.

This type of boater seems to be proliferating.

We gave up at the bottom of Farmer's and left them to go down to the bottom of Aston and then come all the way back up again.

The poor trees are suffering a bit, the tops of the trees keep bashing on the bottom of the bridges and tunnels!

Got a request for a 50th birthday card for a bloke, with his wife and dog.

This is what I came up with.  I stamped the figures and coloured them with watercolour paints.  I made two slits in the topper, one by the girl's left leg and one by her right hand, I could then thread some leather "string" through and fix one end at the back and the other behind the dog so that it looked like a lead.

 The topper was cut out using a Nestie and then matted onto a silver once.

I made an easel card and covered the front with some black and silver star backing paper, matted onto silver card.  Then I added the topper to the centre and a 50 which I printed and cut out and then matted onto a silver star cut from a Nestie and a round sunburst mat, which I stuck on the top right hand corner.

Inside I made a panel for the handwritten message which was a white piece of card matted onto the black patterned paper and silver card.

The sentiment and name were made on the computer and matted onto silver and patterned paper and fixed down with sticky fixers to make them stand up and to hold the card open.

All I need now is for them to pay for the card!