Dover Lock - Leigh Branch, Leeds and Liverpool Canal

Some people are really unbelievable.  What a mess.

An uneventful day, we were hoping one of David's sisters would have met us at Dover Lock but she couldn't make it.

It is the first time we have been here when there have been no boats moored up.  We had the whole place to ourselves all day.

Maybe the closure of the pub has got something to do with it!


Where do I start?  I dry embossed a  white card panel and stuck it onto the bottom of a larger orange piece of card, brown/orange/yellow/white stripy card was added above and a strip of orange lacy card covers the join.  Orange and white butchers twin is wrapped around this and tied in a bow.

The sentiment is printed out and added to the top of the card with dimensional foam stickies and the whole panel is fixed onto a white card blank.

Anderton - Trent & Mersey Canal

Today we visited the breech at Middlwich.  You can see what the locals feel about donating towards it's repair!

We were off very early again and were at King's Lock Middlewich for 0745.  We walked up to see the breech, which is pretty spectacular.  I can't find the pictures at the moment, but will update when the come to light.

After buying diesel from a very unhelpful and uninterested member of staff at the chandlry below the lock we carried on down into Middlewich, stopping off to go to Tesco to stock up and then set off again.

Arriving at Anderton we filled the water tank up and then moored on the first visitor mooring for a well earned rest after yet another long, arduous day.  (And we said we would take it really slowly this year!!!)

How about a bit of seaside?  I just matted this picture onto silver card and then onto the white card base, adding the sentiment which was also matted with silver card.

Wiggins Hill Bridge, Birmingham and Fazeley Canal

We set off today at 0730 (late for us, but whatever).  Set off down Farmers Locks, all but 2 against us.  Hadn't realised until today that you can see the Council House and Museum from Saturday Bridge.

The weather was lovely and sunny after a slightly chilly first thing and mist hiding the top of the BT tower, so the lock wheeling was fairly pleasant.

We did not pass a boat until after the bottom of Aston Locks and that was a single hander who dropped his dog off for a crap on the towpath!

We were absolutely knackered by the time we got to bottom of the Milnworth locks and stopped just after the winding hole on pilings, a bit shallow, but as there were no boats around we didn't get grounded.  And it was straight to bed for a couple of hours to recover from all those locks.

It was so nice to be out in the country again (apart from being under the flightpath for Birmingham Airport), and got to see a proper sunset for a change.

I know it's long gone now, but here is a Mother's Day card made with a Flower Fairy picture, lots of flowers and a yellow bow.  Mind you, looking at it again, with that sentiment, it could be a birthday card or a thank you card as well.

Wallingford, River Thames

 We were off at a quarter to eight and got all the way to Culham Lock before we found a lock keeper on duty so we could pay for a two day licence for the Thames.  The Thames are so easy to use now that they are electrified and we are allowed to use them out of hours.  Mind you, we had to wait for half an hour at Sandford Lock as a hire boat had just come out and for some reason the lock would not open again.  David had to phone up the emergency number.

The moorings at Oxford were rammed and there were one or two scullers on the water.

I love this barge.

Lots of work being done on the willow trees, this stretch looked quite bare.

There were our first swallows, kites, ducks, geese (the proper ones) greebes and most other waterfowl on the water.


We arrived in Wallingford around 3 o'clock and moored up on the left by the swimming pool.  There would have been room on the town side if the gin palaces had moored more considerately.

One happy birthday card.

Above Povey Lock - Llangollen Canal

 Good things about the Llangollen Canal:

•  It's pretty
• It's not too long
• There is lots and lots of piling for mooring onto

Not so good things about the Llangollen Canal:

• The by-washes
• The leaky locks
• The lift bridges
• Grindley Brook staircase
• The number of boats
• The current

 I really don't know why we come.  Well, yes I do, it is really beautiful and fairly peaceful once the boats have stopped moving.

It was the usual 7 o'clock start, but we were finished by 11.  And, only 7 locks and 2 lift bridges.

The women in David's life!   ps: I'm the little fat one in the distance.

This type of card is called an easel card because it stands up a bit like an easel, get it?

You take an ordinary card blank and fold one half in half again and fold it in on itself. 

I decorated the front parts with black patterned paper, matted onto black card and added a topper which was matted onto black and white card and a pink bow with a gem and stuck it to the middle of the card.

The base has a panel of the black patterned paper matted onto black card and some pleated pink ribbon tied around it with some silver lace.  This was then stuck down onto the inside of the card base along with a white matted panel for writing the greetings on.

Because the ribbon sticks up it stops the front of the card from folding flat.

Stonely Green Bridge 10, Llangollen Canal

Surprising what you can find on lock gear!

The morning was spent in Chester, we caught the bus just past the bridge at the top of Hurlston locks.  David bought a very expensive box of chocolates and then we came back.


So, we set off at 1 o'clock and stopped at Stoneley Green Bridge at 3 o'clock, having travelled just over 3 miles and done 2 locks.  Enough for one day.

Don't know what this card is for really, could be a birthday card, or a thank you card, or a retirement card, or a new home card, or most things really.

I just matted the picture onto blue and then silver mirri card and stuck it onto the front of a white card blank.  Three blue gems were stuck onto the bottom to give it a bit of a lift, and that was it really.

Hawkesbury Junction, Coventry Canal

The Greyhound, Hawkesbury Junction or Sutton Stop as it is also known.

Another early start (for some).  I had a lie in.  And we were at the junction by 0915.  A small queue to get through the stop lock and lots of fun with a 70' hire boat coming around the corner and a posh woman in a shiny boat who complained that their bow-thruster had broken.

We were moored up just past the water point by 0930 and await the arrival of the family.  The pub was busy and were given a private room upstairs overlooking the junction.  It was ideal, we could watch the boats manoeuvring the turn and the kids were not in anybody's way.  It was a lovely lunch.  I can understand why everyone has been raving over the food there.

The kids left a three o'clock and we walked back to the boat for an afternoon nap.

This is not a very good photograph of the card, it does not bulge where the string is wrapped around it.  Trust me.

I used a white card blank and cut a piece of duck egg blue, textured card.  I diecut the two feathers from light and darker duck egg blue card and added speckles with inks.  These were stuck to the card with a button and some blue and white bakers twine was wrapped around the topper and tied in a bow through the button. 

The sentiment was made on the computer and says "Happy Mother's Day", but it could say almost anything as this is such a useful type of construction.

Fazeley, Coventry Canal

More strapping posts than you can tie a strap onto.

At least 2 of them are round.

Cold day, we started down the Atherstone locks in a heavy frost.








Saw this sign at the bottom lock.

Some lambs seen by the side of the canal.

I started this card using a white card blank.  I Cuttlebugged a piece of patterned cream card and stuck it to the middle of the front before wrapping some thin green ribbon around it.

I cut 2 pieces of green card and decorated one edge of each one with a punch and then fixed them onto the front of the card.

Then I added a bow and a green button.

Bridge 68, North Oxford Canal

 Well, it didn't ice over last night, and it hasn't rained yet, so whose looking the idiot?

An early start, just in case it rained and a long, slog trog up to Hilmorton Locks.  I like these, there are two locks to chose from, so the chances of one being for your is greater than usual and the paddle gear is quaint and easy to wind.

Don't know what the contraption between the locks is for, it must have wound something in its time.










The moorings at the bottom of the locks were fairly full, and you can't get flush up to the bank, so we came on here, where we have a nice piece of piling and a very muddy towpath.

We came across this boat on the last of the 14 day moorings.  The sign says "GENERATOR RUNS TILL LATE NIGHT".  You can't miss it, so you've no excuse to moor next to it.  Or perhaps that is what they want, peace and quiet.

One of our moorers turned 60 in January and this is what I came up with.  I left the front fairly plain, just using the computer to write out the wording and matting it onto silver, yellow, orange and more silver card.  The base card blank was a sort of orange.

 

I printed out one of David's firework pictures for the inside and just added a silver "60" in the bottom right hand corner.

Tyburn Farm, Stratford on Avon Canal

 SPLAT!  Passed this on the SoA this afternoon.

We are off!!!  A slight delay because it rained this morning, but that meant I got some extra washing done before we lost the electricity hook-up.

David got a bit wet on the way, but we managed not to get anything around the prop today.

Last night we went to the opera to see Madam Butterfly.  It seems that Lt Pinkerton of the US Navy is now a Sergeant in an Italian uniform and a bit overweight.  Madam Butterfly is supposed to be 15 years old too (not 50-odd).  Very off-putting, but I suppose you would have had to use your imagination when Pavarotti played him too.  The music was fabulous though, and I cried.

Last week it was Saima's birthday and she had a party.  This is the card I made for her.  I covered the front of a white card blank with green card, leaving a small white border.  I then added some white card to the top and patterned paper to the bottom of the green card, again leaving a border.  I wrapped some green ribbon around the panel to cover the join and tied it in a knot.  Two roses and a spray of yellow flowers with 3 leaves was tucked through the ribbon and stuck down with a glue dot to keep it in place.

To finish off I used three 3 gems in the bottom left hand corner.

Gas Street

 A pump out today.  With the new tank it seems we can only go 14 days.  At least the red light came on to warn us, we were not sure if it would still work.

We untied the ropes and David reversed 10 metres and there was an awful crunch.  A length of rubber hosepipe, firmly wrapped around the propeller.

The weather today was lovely, sunshine and warm and the wind has dropped.  Sat out at lunchtime - that's the second time this year.  Due to rain tomorrow and Thursday.  Great, we are off on Thursday!

 Walking to the Doctor's surgery the other day I walked past some student accommodation and noticed this original window decoration.  Couldn't resist a photo.

Mike needed a birthday card for Kim and wanted yet another picture of his boat.  I hope she appreciates them all!

I made a centre step  card that folds down and fits into a normal C6 envelope.

I matted the check paper onto gold card and put a strip down the two sides and another along the bottom.

The photo was then matted onto more gold card and the corners punched out.  I added red gems to the corners and one each side of the long, gingham, bottom panel.

I covered the back with a panel of gingham and gold and a smaller one above.  I stuck a "Birthday Wishes" peel-off on the top one and a die-cut panel in white card for the message to be written onto.

Paddington Basin, Grand Union Paddington Arm

 Lots of rubbish in the canal - this bit was still smoking when we went past.  David phoned BW to report it and when he gave the bridge number the guy said, yes, the brown wooden one, someone tried to set fire to that recently!

Yet another lovely day.  There was no room at the various visitor moorings on the way to Little Venice and definitely none there.  The winter moorings end today, so at least some of the boats should be moving off.

So it was on into Paddington Basin where there were about three spaces, so we winded the boat and moored up by the temporary entrance to the station.  A bit noisy, but adequate.

A new baby congratulations card. I matted the decoupaged Forever Friends bear onto a scalloped, silver circle.

Some blue paper from a Forever Friends paper pack was stuck to the bottom front of a white card blank with a silver peel-off strip across the join.  The topper was added on top.

Two sets of three glass gems were added in the top corners to finish the card.

I have left this card blank, no sentiment either inside or out so it could also be used as a 1st birthday card.

Berkhamsted, Grand Union

A day of R&R.  A quick shop around Waitrose and then I only got off the boat a couple of times to shut the lock gates.  The pound went down alarmingly in the afternoon and we were aground
again.






I don't usually make square cards - they don't fit in my card racks or boxes well.  But I had some card blanks that needed using.

So I matted some pretty backing paper onto gold card and wrapped it around the spine of the card blank.  Then I used at topper which I matted onto white and gold card, punching a hole in the top and wrapping some pink ribbon through it and fixing it in a knot.

The two corners were also part of the topper pack.

Catherin de Barnes, Grand Union Canal

We made it!!!  Left around 0845 and did Farmer's Bridge Locks with the help of Kathy and Smudge (only two against us).  Never done them so fast.  Then it was a right turn and the Digbeth Arm.

 Approaching the top lock at the Ashted Locks we came across Grant cleaning out the sluices.  Look at all the rubbish he has already removed.  Goodness knows what is lying in the bottom of the canal.

Well we ended up with some of it around the prop, as usual.

 At the Warwick Bar we came across a pair of these two locks gates.  Couldn't work out quite how they worked.

The weather was beautiful, didn't need a coat and the sun was shining.  There were catkins out and at one point the blackthorn was just bursting into bloom and the daffodils are not far behind.

After the Camp Hill Locks we were on the GU proper.  It was so shallow that we could just manage to get down the centre of the channel.  There was no way we could have got into to side.  Several times were were scraping along the bottom and David had to go down the weed hatch about 4 times.  Horrid.  This is why we usually go down the Stratford on Avon Canal to get to the GU.

The first fisherman we met was grumpy, but all the rest smiled and spoke and we even saw a Kingfisher.

We pulled up at Catherine de Barnes at 3.15 absolutely shattered.  25 locks and lots of walking and then I got treated to a lovely dinner at at Longfellows (David is doing a review of it in Canals and Rivers magazine).

Wednesday was Saima's Birthday and she got this card from us.  It was from the stockpile, unfortunately, didn't have time to make a fresh one.  I matted the photograph onto white card and cut the edges with deckle edged scissors, then matted it again onto lilac and silver card.

I stuck it down onto a light lilac card blank and added the lilac ribbon, tied in the centre with a knot using double sided tape.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

 Now to catch up with what has been happening here.

20th October.   Saima (who was living on Potter) bought her first boat.  An old working boat called Cormorant.  She got it for the grand sum of £6,000.  Yes! £6,000! 


Message to Andy.  Have found the map, no date but it shows all the branches.  Pop in anytime to see it.

Mike, one of our moorers, needed a card for his Mother for her 90th birthday.  Something showing the boats.

So I matted a photograph of fireworks over Gas Street Basin onto silver holographic card and sparkly purple card.

Then I added a sparkly silver "90" (which I straightened before it was picked up.









I printed another picture directly onto the inside of the card.  Forgot to photograph it before finishing the card.  Oops!

To finish off I printed the sentiment onto sparkly vellum (4th of July font) and tied it all up with strands of silver cord.












Mike then wanted this card made.  An old photo of Pete with a speech bubble and the sentiment: Have a Great Birthday or Else!

I stuck the photo directly to the card blank and drew a gold frame around it, added a sparkly gold "90" in the bottom right hand corner.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

 I know!  I know!  I promised not to lapse, but the Vodafone dongle thingy has been crap just lately and I get frustrated with waiting for a two bar signal to work in the centre of Birmingham.  We've had better signals in the middle of nowhere.

 

  

So, the leaves are falling in our pissoir (I know it's an ally way, but the local male population (and some of the girls) disagree and use it as a public convenience).   Autumn is on the way, though the weather has been rather lovely, lots of sunshine - though snow is promised for next week.

Rob has been setting up a shop using Frederick.  He is selling his photographs in card format or mounted onto board (website when I can find the card I have just misplaced).  He has very kindly let me show my cards too - but he is selling far more than me (about 50-1).

This morning, while David and I went to Stourbridge for their open day an American lady visited Frederick and told Rob that she read my blog.  I am so sorry I missed her.  Please come and visit when you are passing again - I don't get that many readers!)

Meanwhile, I have made only two cards in the last month.  This one - a birthday card - and a Christmas card which I'll show next time.

I Cuttlebugged some white card and matted it onto some red which had the bottom edge punched out.  Then I wrapped some black velvet ribbon and then some metallic type ribbon around this panel.  The metallic ribbon was a pain to stick down - even using glue dots didn't seem to work well.

The panel was then stuck down onto a white card blank using lots of double sided tape to keep the ribbon stuck in place.  The red "poppy" was originally a hair decoration from the £1 shop.