The Anchor Inn, Shropshire Union Canal

Such a lovely sunny day for cruising.  David set off at 0715 while I lounged in bed with a cup of tea, getting up in time to do the Wheaton Aston lock.

We did a DIY pumpout at the service station and then travelled on through Norbury Junction to the Anchor Inn, travelling further than we had planned again.  In fact we are about a day ahead of ourselves already.  Considering we are supposed to be taking our time....

Still it is supposed to rain tomorrow.




Now for my new line.  Decorated candles.  This is a view of the box with the candle in it and the lid.  There is a window in the box so you can see the candle.

This is one view of the candle.  It is a photograph of The Packet House at Worsley, on the Bridgewater Canal.







And this is the centre of the picture, showing the Packet House.




The photograph is printed onto acetate and wrapped around the candle. 
It should be removed before lighting.












And this is the other third of the picture candle.


















For the Box, I printed the same photograph onto the outside and made two windows which I covered with acetate, so the candle shows through.











I fitted the candle in the box so that the picture on the candle lines up with the one on the box, this window is also on the corner of the box, but that was a mistake.











And this is the third side of the box.  The back of the box has instructions etc.

Park Bridge 8, Shropshire Union Canal

 Someone's stolen the ground paddle.  Are CRT aware?

 A really late start, for us, today, 0900!!  Mainly because there had been lots of rain in the night, and it was still a bit damp.

The first 5 locks were for us, and then the 10th, but the really bad news was that the van selling the bacon butties has gone.  The factory opposite has closed down.



We went for a slow trip down the locks, it took us 3 3/4 hours, not to bad for not rushing.  We met 3 boats coming up the locks, but the last two were right at the beginning.

Signs of Autumn everywhere, lots of berries on trees and bushes, and this lovely group of fungi at the side of one of the locks.

Then a right turn at the junction and a left onto the Shroppie and we stopped just before Bridge 8, the first set of moorings with no ledge!!!  A couple of hours nap time and I managed to stay up until 0830!!  Only one lock tomorrow, whey hey!

A Forever Friends bear with lots of boxes, has it been shopping, or is it bringing gifts?  Anyway it was matted onto a fancy oval die-cut and pink dotty oval.

I covered the front of a white card blank with pink dotty paper on the bottom and white with pink hearts on the top and a pink stripe across the join.  A butterfly in the top right h and corner and another on the left hand side of the printed sentiment.

Wolverhampton - BCN

What do you think of this sign?  It is a large, metal construction and must have cost at least a lock and a half, if not two and states the bl****** obvious.   

Had to wait for the cleaners to finish cleaning the boat before we left, so we went for a swim
first and left at 1230.  The trip was fairly uneventful, there was only one empty pound at Factory Locks, but not empty enough to need re-filling.  The down side was that David had to go down the weed hatch 4 times while waiting for the bottom lock to be ready.

It took us 4 1/2 hours to get to Wolverhampton and we just moored up opposite the services on the off-side moorings and  I was in bed by half past seven.  And only 3 locks!






I love this little ballet dancer.  I cheated with a ready-coloured stamped image and matted it onto a blue, die-cut panel. 

A pink card base with some patterned paper on top, I edged this with some pink ink and wrapped the ribbon around it before attaching it to the card.  Two gems were stuck to the ribbon which was tied in a knot, and a computer generated sentiment was added between the ribbon and topper.

Gas Street Basin, BCN

 Alarms and excursions in Gas Street.  Ash began listing rather badly.  Of course, the owner was away at the time.  The pump to drain the boat wouldn't work, a borrowed pump would not work either.  CRT came to the rescue and lent a pump and the bilges were drained.  Marigold then found the leak and stuffed part of an old shirt into the hole with a screwdriver.  It seems to have worked, the boat is still floating!

I don't know why I have not published this card before, I made it years ago for my daughter's birthday.

At the time she had two Maui cats, Simba and Zizzi.  Zizzi came to grief on the A38 a couple of years ago.

Anyway, I made "spine" card by embossing a line down the side of three pieces of A5 card about 1/2" in.

The cards were decorated with matted photographs of the cats