Audlum, Shropshire Union Canal

Sunrise on the Shroppie.  The start of a beautiful day.

We were in Audlum for 1115 and had the side hatch open all through the day.  I put my cards out for sale, but no one was particularly interested.

In the evening we went for dinner in the Lord Combermere pub in the centre of Audlum with old friends Jackie and Chris on Rainbow.  We had not seen them for several years, so it was great to catch up with them.  The meal was very good too.

One of the moorers in Gas Street likes to send friends cards with his boat on, it gets to be quite difficult to find something different to make.  This time I cut the picture into 3 rectangles and then backed each one with white card, matting them up onto the front of a red  card blank.  The sentiments were made on the computer and a butterfly was added for definition.

Market Drayton, Shropshire Union Canal

 We left at a quarter to seven (yes it was just light - just), and got to Tyerley locks as it began to spit with rain.

We got to the bottom, meeting 2 boats on the way up and just at the bottom it started to rain heavily.

The plan was to stop at Market Drayton anyway, so we did and then got a taxi to take us to Morrisons to stock up on food.  David went back in the taxi and I walked into town and then walked back to the boat

We spent the rest of the day warm, by the fire, in the boat.

This is a "card in a box".  It is a 3D card, but it folds flat so it can be posted.

I covered the sides of the box with silver card and then used die-cut hearts for the decoration, they are fixed into the box with acetate strips, or stuck directly onto the sections.  The champagne glasses are peel-offs which I cut out before adding to the front of the box and the sentiment was another peel-off.

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

Gas Street Moorings, BCN

It is surprising what you can see from the canal!

Last time to be up at 5am!!!!!  All the 23 locks were against us.  When we got to Farmers Locks the wind was really gusting through the tall buildings.  David normally stops the boat and closes the top gate before driving into the next lock, but the gusting meant he couldn't leave the boat between locks.  At the lock just before the BT tower he couldn't even get the boat into the next lock in a straight line.  There was a tsunami of water over the towpath from the propeller and I just managed to jump out of the way in time while he bumped his way into the open lock.

We opened the top gate of the top lock just as the chimes from the Brindleyplace clock chimed 0900 - 3 1/2 hrs from the bottom of the Aston locks.  Right at Old Turn for a pumpout and diesel and then back to the moorings for a rest, a swim in the Hyatt and then a nap.  Bliss.





I am proud of this card, I did it all on the computer (apart from the sequins).

Lower Shuckburgh, Grand Union/Oxford Canals

The boat that has everything!

A quarter to six start and just as we were approaching the locks a hire boater asked to join us.  They were brilliant, Dad, Mum and 2 daughters plus Granny.  All helped with the locks and we were at the top of the Stockton locks well before their 9am deadline for the return of the hire boat.



We went on and did the Calcutt locks.  This is what the middle lock was like.

Fortunately there were boats coming down and there was enough water for us to come up.

Then it was on the Napton junction, a left turn and stop at one of our favourite spots, by Bridge 103, and it was only 10am. 

Boy, is this stretch busy.  There were boats going past all day long.  By 4pm there were boats moored all along the Armco piling.

I loved making this "tent" card for a wedding of a Polish couple.

I covered the front and inside of the card with lovely floral paper.  A large round aperture was cut into the front of the card and a frilly edged frame was stuck over the top.  Then I added lots of leaves and flowers and large pearl on top.

Inside I die-cut the frilly circle after printing out the names and date and stuck it to the back of the card.







The box was covered in more of the floral paper, matted onto silver card and another frilly circle with the names and dates printed on it was stuck onto the top of the box.

The couple buying the card loved it, took it away and someone told them that they had got the date wrong!!!!!!

I printed of 2 new sets of dates and stuck them over the wrong date with sticky fixers.  Think we got away with it.

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.

Turners Green, Grand Union Canal

 An early start and two of my least favourite lift bridges on the system.  The first one was relatively easy, but the second one took 70 turns of the windlass to get it up and forever to get it back down again.

We passed one boat moored up with a sign on the side saying "We like our view, thank you".  In other words, "Bog off, we don't want you moored here!"  As bad as the two houses before the locks saying "No Mooring".  I thought we could moor anywhere on the towpath side.

There seem to be a lot less boats moored on the Lapworth flight, there were lots of plants growing in the water, it looked very pretty.

We  had the Lapworth locks to ourselves until the last but one when we met a hire boat coming up.  Then a lady looking mystified asked which which way to Stratford.  She was coming from the GU and I told her to turn left when she came out of the cut.  They promptly turned right and went up towards Birmingham!  Can't tell some people.

So it was on the the goats at Turners Green for the rest of the day, a sleep and a good night's rest.

This is the card that I made for my daughter's wedding anniversary

I covered the blank card with a blue and gold textured, handmade paper, then added some white card at an angle with a strip of brown card on the bottom, some navy ribbon was wrapped around the join.  The sentiment was made on the computer and the card was decorated with silver sequins.

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!

High Lane, Macclesfield Canal

The lovely pink sunset last night proved true.  A lovely warm, sunny day today.  We left late (for us) and were here at High Lane half an hour later.                                                                                      We caught a bus into Stockport.  That was a first, never been there before except passing through by train.  Got my iPad sorted with 3.  Hopefully it is fixed properly this time, got some food from M&S and then it was back here.  Lots of boats on the move today, but still lots stationary ones.                                                                                         This is a 48 hour mooring, but the ropes on the first 2 boats in the picture are that slack it must have been here weeks.  

This is the card that I made for my Auntie Meg for her 90th birthday.  I had lots of fun  making it.  I used a piece of patterned paper and stuck it onto a square card blank.  I then die cut a scallop circle and a silver frame to go on top.  I added some acetate behind and then added the silver and gold die-cut circles and the silver 90 onto the front.  I then stuck down the leaves, flowers and roses around the bottom.    Another circle of pattern paper was added to the  back of the card which can be seen in the second picture.        

                       

I am showing this card, because today I heard that she died.  She was 94.  RIP

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.