All Oaks Wood (Between bridges 34 & 35) - Upper Oxford Canal

How is he going to get that facing this way to go through the lock?

Summer is definitely over.  We awoke to a misty, cold, grey morning.  We were through the stop lock  just after 7am.

Ansty was its usual unfriendly village of the year. Lots of signs saying no moorings along the village embankment.

We were hoping for a pumpout and diesel from Rose Narrowboats at Stretton Stop, but they were tono busy to help us out.  Their loss.

We are now moored up on the end of a long line of piling which is full of boats and it is raining.

One for a gardener?  The backing paper was matted onto green card and string wrapped around it tied in a knot.  The topper and mat were made using a die-cut label die and fixed using dimensionals over the string.

Three clear gems were added to the top right hand corner.

Trafford Centre - Bridgewater Canal

The long mile at Sale and the usual scullers.  This couple were novices and ended up in the bank when they panicked an saw us.

Apart from that an uneventual trip to the Trafford Centre.  I got the bus into Manchester for a bit of retail therapy and David had a rest.

Lots of signs on the Bridgewater telling the towpath users what they can and should not do.  As usual there is dock shit on the towpath, cyclists pushing their way through pedestrians and the odd motorised bicycle.  Didn't see any swimmers or horses though.

This type of card is called a "card in a box".  It actually folds flat to go into a regular envelope and when it is taken out it "pops" up.

This one has lots of golden (brass?) die-cut musical instruments.  The blue panels fixed to the sides were dry embossed with a musical score and dark blue ink rubbed over the embossed parts.

Ye Olde No 3 - Bridgewater Canal

The Bridgewater Canal looking charming in the spring sunlight.

After the usual early start we stopped in Lymm for shopping before 9 o'clock.  We then moved on to Ye Olde No 3 where we planned to stay but there was only room on the water point, so we got some water and then worked it out that if  shuffled up a bit we could moor on the edge of the water point.

Don't think we got in anyone's way.

This was a commission card, but the commissioner never came back to pick it up.  I got the images from the internet (Jacob was a massive Transformers fan) and matted it onto gold, red and green card and fixed it to a white card blank.  The name was done on the computer and the age number is a peel-off, both were matted and then added with dimensional sticky pads.

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.

Below Slat Mill Lock, Oxford Canal

Not a very good picture, but it is almost at the end of its dive.

The washing was all done, so we left at 6 this morning and headed into Banbury.  We filled up with water and did a bit of shopping and we were off again by 11.  Saw two boats today with unusual names "Bump and Grind" and "Moor and Peace".  We got through Slat Mill lock and were moored up by 1230.

Here is a 21st birthday card, I made this one for a boy, but it could have been for a girl.

The cards were stickers which I stuck onto card and then cut around the edges.  The base card was white and I matted 1 panel of white card onto blue, then more white, then red more white and finally red card.  I also added a yellow strip horizontally behind the two red panelled pieces with some twine wrapped around it.

The sentiments were all peel-offs matted onto yellow card.

Thatcham, Kennet and Avon Canal

Payment for help doing the locks.  A ride on a boat through Greenham Lock.

 Diesel from the boatyard at Newbury after a late start because of the rain.

Monkey Marsh lock slowly being de-watered and the mooring at Thatcham.

Here is a card for a dapper man.  An advert for men's shoes, matted onto gold, brown and handmade white card then stuck onto a blank card base.  The sentiment was made on the computer and matted onto brown card and fixed underneath.

Great Bedwyn, Kennet and Avon Canal

Is this the winding hole????

Today I saw the first yellow flag, such a beautiful flower, but only lasts about a week and they are all finished.

It was up to the short summit and then down to Crofton.  We decided to go on to Great Bedwyn. We had rain and hail, but mostly it was dry.

This floating "thing" was moored on the lock landing at the bottom of the Crofton Locks.  It had come from the cottage in the middle of the next pound.  Presume they use it for shopping and have a car parked by Crofton somewhere.  Anyway, it was right in the middle of the lock landing and there was no room to get on or off the boat without difficulty.

Unfortunately when we got to Great Bedwyn there was no room on the visitor moorings and the pound was full of boats, so we had to tac onto the end of the next lock landing, using the bollard on the end and a spike at the back.

A simple Harry Potter card, can't remember where I found the picture, but I die cut it into an oval and matted it onto white card and then blue card which I cut with deckle edged scissors then stuck it onto a white card blank.

All Canings, Kennet and Avon Canal

 Really, really early David took the boat across to the water point to fill up the water tank and to empty the toilet tank (in that order), then backed the boat onto the moorings.  I took a bus into Bath for a bit more shopping - I've not been shopping for ages!  Honest!

I got back  at 3pm and we set off as the weather was so lovely and had a treat - an afternoon cruise.

PPS:  The two boats were still on the 24 hr moorings when we left!

There are a lot of continuous cruises on this stretch as there are 14 miles with no locks.  The canal was not built for mooring boats (they used little fat boats to travel to wharf to wharf and did not live on the boats like the narrowboaters did) the edges are all shallow, so most of them are moored like the one above and you definitely need a plank to get on and off the boat.  If it is a wide-beam boat then you end up taking up half the canal.

We got to All Cannings at 5.30 (missing the Long Barrow yet again) and found the last free mooring.
I am at home here.  My father's family came from Bishops Cannings and I was brought up to the south, across the next row of hills.

This card and bottle tag was made for a boating neighbour, he was 88, the skateboard was appropriate (he was called Ponytail Pete as he had a ponytail.  Unfortunately he died earlier this year.

The skateboarders are stickers, stuck onto card and cut out to use as toppers fixed with sticky fixers.

I used grungy background paper, matted onto silver card for the blue card and used peel-offs for the sentiment and name

The bottle tag used white card and I added a white panel with peel-off sentiments again onto patterned paper.

I think he liked the whisky, well he never offered any to us!

Devizes, Kennet and Avon Canal

 A rest day, that means the Launderette.  This time I got a service wash so didn't have to spend the morning there.


We popped into town and bought some new hose and 2 funnels (you couldn't get just one) in the new Wilkos (used to be a supermarket) and I finally found a stuffed parrot for our pirate mad grandson in a charity shop.

This lovely little steam powered boat tooted past, out for a cruise and back. 

PS:  The two boats on the 24 hour moorings opposite are still there!

A white card blank and strips of mauve card stuck onto a white card blank.

The "40" was die cut in glitter paper and added and the sentiment was printed onto the card blank before the rest was added.  (It is important to do that first as it mucks up the printer if you do it the other way - you don't need to ask why I know that!)

Thatcham, Kennet and Avon Canal

 Network Rail are electrifying the line, not exactly a pretty sight.

We left early again, this time to the accompaniment of a woodpecker.  There were free  moorings at Thatcham too (now that IS a first!) so we moored up (it was only 0745) and by 1055 I was on the train to Reading and then on to London for a day's shopping.

Yonks ago I bought a roll of  stickers and made a few cards, with this one I made the sentiment on the computer and matted it onto gold card and stuck it behind the sticker.  This was then stuck onto a green card blank.

Bridge 223, Jolly Boatman - Oxford Canal

 Now here is a sight you don't see very often, and she was the third one we saw this morning on the towpath.



I tried to creep out of the front door, but it squeaked and set  her off to the bridge.

Where she looked around the corner and couldn't decide what to do next.

She finally decided to jump into the canal

 So she leapt into the water with a great splash, swam across to the other side and disappeared across the field.

And I took lots of pictures of the bridge and missed all the action!

We met 6 hire-boats today, all full of single men, is there something we should know?

One of my least favourite lift bridges (Mill Lift Bridge) has now been electrified, so it was just a matter of pushing a couple of buttons and not hanging onto the end of a chain and then sitting on the beam.  Greatly improved.

We got diesel at Enslow Wharf and while tied precariously to another boat at the wharf and "traditional" type boat put putted past and a speed of knots, knocking all the boats about and pulling all the ropes.  And they say it's the hire boaters who don't slow down!

Apart from that, there was no room in Thrupp (0f course!)  I never know why so many people want to stay there there is nothing much to do there.

We were looking for somewhere to stay the night though and finally found a spot by the Jolly Boatman pub, so we went for lunch and had a lovely meal each.

Now here's a card for a boy.  A blue card blank with a part embossed brown card matted onto light blue card.  Navy ribbon was wrapped around the panel and then stuck onto the card blank.  Three die-cut and embossed stars were added with a computer generated banner and a blue ribbon knot.

Between Haynes and Foxes Lift Bridges (170/171)

 All the lock workings have been greased recently and there is grease all over the locking mechanism, so when you touch it you also get covered in grease.  Someone came up with the great idea of using a stick to flick the lock up or down and left it on the top of the paddle gear.  It caught on and most of the stands now have a stick on top.  Now why didn't I think of that?

We were up and off by 0700, arriving at Cropredy at 0815 where we spent an hour taking on water.

Then it was on to Banbury where we arrived at 1145.  David went off to do some shopping but I had to return to the boat.  I have had a bit of a tummy problem and cannot go far from the toilet.  I also had excruciating pains in my legs and could hardly work for a short time.

So, after Banbury we stopped between the two lift bridges just outside the town.

This was David's Birthday card last year.  I found the pictures on the internet and printed them out 3 times.  I matted one set of pictures onto some lilac card and matted that onto holographic silver card and then onto a white card blank.  I cut out details of the pictures from the other two copies and decoupaged them onto the base pictures.

Below Adderley Locks, Shropshire Union Canal

 Halloween is coming....

Off early again and up through Audlum, a quick stop to shop in the Co-op for essentials and then on to the bottom of Adderley locks.

No alarms or excursions today and we were moored up  by 1230.

An autumnal scene at the top of Audlum.

This is the birthday card I made for my youngest grandson's first birthday.  He has an apatite on him like nobodies business.  I used one of Mo's Digital Pencil stamps and coloured it in with pencils.  This was then fussy cut onto a die-cut mat and matted onto a larger yellow one.  The number one was then die-cut in silver mirri card, along with his name in orange letters.

Bettisfield, Llangollen Canal

A couple of lovely autumnal scenes on the Llangollen.
















We stopped off in Ellesmere to do some shopping and then travelled on for couple of hours before mooring up in Bettisfield.

We have an amazing engineer who has done some really crappy jobs for us.  I made this card as a thank-you for some work he did for us.

As he usually wears dungarees I made this thank you for him. It is a white card blank with some red gingham paper stuck on the top, but with a slit at the top to form a collar and used brads for buttons.

I made faux stitching around the edges and die-cut the tools which were tucked into the pocket.

Fazeley Junction, Coventry Canal

Now that's what I call a planter!

Yet another early start.  I do appreciate it - eventually - but I do find it hard getting up in the mornings. We got through the locks quite smoothly and then went on the the two at Glascote.  Here we managed to meet a boat coming up on both locks. 

The man who lives in the cottage at the bottom lock came out and helped with the locks.  Quite a rare occasion.  Most lock keeper cottage owners turn their backs on the canal and resent boats using the locks (the one at the top of the Lapworth flight for a start).

By the time we were coming out of the bottom lock there were 3 boats in the queue to go up, and more kept coming as we sailed down to the junction, mooring up just short of the junction itself.

I caught a bus into Tamworth for a look see and picked our first blackberries on the way back to have with our melon.  Lovely.




The digi stamp is called Mikey, I have one of him playing the guitar and another with his girlfriend, but I like this one of him standing proudly by his VW.  I have used this one as a congratulations card, congratulations on passing the test, or just getting the car.

The stamp was already coloured so I die-cut it and matted it with a red label, adding the sentiment with sticky fixers.

Atherstone, Coventry Canal

Charity Dock - the place where boats come to die.

I got another lie in today.  Woo hoo!  I even missed that annoying swing bridge at Rose Narrowboats.

We arrive at the moorings above Atherstone locks and moored in front of "Granny Buttons".  A boat we seem to see quite often.  The first time we met her was in 1999 when we were still wet behind the ears and were moored in Millwall Dock, Canary Wharf for the Millennium.

I walked into Atherstone town which was quite pleasant and had a fried breakfast in a 1940s themed cafe.

I love making these kilt cards.  This one has some tartan paper fixed onto a white card blank.  The topper was made from white card matted onto black card.  The kilt is made by folding a enth of slightly curved tartan paper, the belt is black card and a silver square and a photocopy of a sporran.

The sentiment is printed on the computer and matted onto black card also.

This is another card that could be used for several occasions, a birthday, wedding (groom, best man) perhaps.

Ugly Bridge (Br 55), Grand Union Canal

 We were up and off by 0545, but stopped just before the top of the locks as it started raining.  At 0900 we set off again and began the locks on our own as the two boats behind wanted water first.

I had had enough by the time we got to the petrol station so we moored up.  Why the call the bridge "Ugly Bridge" I don't know, it was looking rather attractive to me when I finally saw it this morning.

There was a lot of water about and because there were 2 boats coming behind us and they had lots of crew they were letting the water down before the previous lock full could dissipate, suddenly there was water all over the towpath.  The locks are leaking like mad, so we will probably be on the bottom by morning.

My brother is a nut for the Atlantik Wall, the WWII German fortifications all along the Atlantic coast.  He has a blog and a Facebook page.  So this is the only card I could make for him.

I took the image from his blog and made several copies and then decoupaged the picture.

The picture was matted onto gold card and then onto a white card blank.  The sentiment was made on the computer

This is what the card looks from the side so you can see how it stands out.

Ugly Bridge (Br 55), Grand Union Canal

 We were up and off by 0545, but stopped just before the top of the locks as it started raining.  At 0900 we set off again and began the locks on our own as the two boats behind wanted water first.

I had had enough by the time we got to the petrol station so we moored up.  Why the call the bridge "Ugly Bridge" I don't know, it was looking rather attractive to me when I finally saw it this morning.

There was a lot of water about and because there were 2 boats coming behind us and they had lots of crew they were letting the water down before the previous lock full could dissipate, suddenly there was water all over the towpath.  The locks are leaking like mad, so we will probably be on the bottom by morning.

My brother is a nut for the Atlantik Wall, the WWII German fortifications all along the Atlantic coast.  He has a blog and a Facebook page.  So this is the only card I could make for him.

I took the image from his blog and made several copies and then decoupaged the picture.

The picture was matted onto gold card and then onto a white card blank.  The sentiment was made on the computer

This is what the card looks from the side so you can see how it stands out.

Cadbury Wharf, Worcester and Birmingham Canal

 There was method in our short run yesterday.  Today is the birthday of our No 1 grandson and his party was on the railway line which also goes through Bournville. 

So, after the long walk all around the Cadbury factory to get to the factory shop to buy some chocolate for the trip, we had the short walk to the station and catch the train  I tried to take a photo of our boat from the train, but this is all I got.

This is the card I made for him.  He has an almost 1 year old brother and they are great friends (most of the time!).  I printed out the digi stamp twice and coloured them one.  One I die-cut and the other I fussy-cut and stuck on top with sticky fixers.

I used a blue, square card blank and covered the front with patterned paper.  The name and number were die-cut and added to the card.








And this is the little chap about to blow out his three candles!

Dane Aqueduct - Macclesfield Canal

Sunrise at the top of Bosley Locks.  The start of a beautiful day.

We got to the top lock to see a boat entering the top lock.  So we moored up and waited a couple of hours until one came up the locks.  I spent the time using the launderette in the service building.

The first half of the locks were for us and the two volunteers had turned the other half, so this time they were all for us.

The weather was lovely and the locks had been greased and I realised why I enjoy these locks so much.

We got to the bottom after 1 3/4 hours and moored up on the aqueduct.



Hey Dude! The guy is called Mikey, and I have several versions of him.

This one was pre-coloured so I used the colours of his clothes for matting.  I Cuttlebugged a white panel and an orange one and die cut the stars in all the colours.

All this was stuck onto a white card blank.