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.

Kintbury, Kennet and Avon Canal

Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner by one of the locks.

We left Newbury at 0630 and arrived in Kintbury at 0945.  5 1/2 miles, 8 locks and 2 swing bridges!

I took a walk into the village to visit the lovely bakery there.  It was shut!  There was an "ultimate lardy cake" and some delicious looking almond croissants in the window too.





We passed this boat with a very dried out lawn on the roof.  Goodness knows what the weight is when it is wet and also, what state the roof is in with rust.

So, onto a card for Mum.  A digi stamp which I cut into a circle and matted onto a fancy pink circle.  Some zebra striped paper was matted onto more pink card and some pink ribbon with a bow was wrapped around it.

The panel was fixed to a white card blank and the circle added on top.

Spon Lane Junction, BCN

It doesn't really show in the picture, but you can just see Mr David on the canal as seen from the bridge at Wolverhampton Rail Station.  It's the little blue dot on the left of the railway signal.

We were on our way to Birmingham for David to get his tooth seen to.

Back from Birmingham at 1130, we set off and got to Spon Lane Junction at 4.15 and decided to make it a day, so we moored up on the off side of the lock landing.

Now for a Mother's Day Card.  Now should it be Mother's or Mothers'?

I began with a lilac card base and then embossed a piece of white card where the embossing folder had blue ink spread over one side so that it partially inked the white card.  This then had some lilac ribbon and some fancy ribbon wound around the card and stuck it onto the card base.  Then I added a bunch of silk violets, wrapped in a gauzy ribbon and a computer generated sentiment.

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.

After Bridge 1 - Llangollen Canal

Another early start, and another lovely day.  We stopped off just before the aqueduct at Nantwich and I walked into town then we set off for the Hurlstone locks. 

We managed to follow a boat up the locks, but did meet one boat on the way down in the middle. 

After taking on water we moored up just after the visitor moorings, almost out of hearing of the traffic on the main road.

A red card blank, a red card which has been embossed using the Cuttlebug and a heart die-cut in the middle.  I put some patterned paper beneath the heart and stuck the panel down with siky fixers.  A flower and some die-cut leaves were fixed to the bottom of the heart and a gem stuck into the middle of the flower.  The sentiment was printed on the computer.

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.

Bollington, Macclesfield Canal

 
We travelled for 1 hour today.  Really getting on with it!

Another lovely day, we managed to squeeze into the moorings at Bollington, just past Clarence Mill, next to the cafe boat run by Mark.  I even got the cards out and sold a couple.

Took a walk down into the village for milk and bread and saw the aqueduct from a different angle than usual.

This card was made using some flocked handmade paper.  I matted it onto brown handmade paper and wrapped some hessian ribbon around it and stuck it onto a white card blank.  A hessian bow was added to the ribbon and a computer generated sentiment was added to the top.

Radford Semele, Grand Union Canal

 
We had a visitor whilst working Hatton Bottom Lock.  This black cat stalked all around the lock and then waited on the other lock gate while I shut the near one so that it could come across.

After going to bed, last night, at 6.30 I had to be dragged out of bed this morning to finish off the flight.  The weather has certainly turned and it was trying to snow as we did the last 10 locks.

Whilst doing the bottom lock at The Cape, two scruffy boats moored up on the bottom lock landing.  There was a lot of shouting and a couple of kids running around, but no one showed any signs of coming up through the lock, or giving a hand.  So when we went through I shut the gate behind us.  When we came through last year there was a boat moored between the locks with a rabbit hutch just on the edge of the towpath.  There are a lot of boats around here that do not have a home mooring.

Stopped off at Tesco and thawed out with a Costa Black Forest hot chocolate.  Loverly.

After a rest and discovering that the telly wasn't too good, David decided to move on here.  Of course it started snowing again.

The Radford Semele church has been re-built, or at least the scaffolding has come down.  It was too cold when we moored up to take a picture.

Caroline sent a text to say "Happy Mother's Day".  I hadn't realised.  So here is a card.

I cut a panel of brown and pink swirly card (from a cake box!) and glued it on the right hand side of a pink, tent card blank.  I added 5 glass gems down the inner edge.

A pink silk lily flower was stuck down with a glue dot on the top left and corner and the sentiment was done with peel-offs.

Marsworth, Grand Union

Not the sight you want to see at 0630 in the morning!

And, yes, we did miss it (the picture was taken after we'd passed).

We are now breasted up on a permanent mooring as there are two boats on the visitor moorings, both have been there for some time - one has a TV aerial on some sort of scaffolding poles and a printed piece of paper with guidance for boaters with no home mooring.

Took the bus into Aylesbury for a mooch.

The locks will open at 10am tomorrow and there is a widebeam in front who got here before us.

The last of my Mothers' Day cards using the pack of toppers of Victorian ladies.

I matted some pink and yellow patterned paper onto pink card and stuck it onto a white card blank, after wrapping some cotton lace along the left hand side.  A pink panel was made using pink, patterned paper and more pink card.  I edged the top and bottom with scalloped scissors.  The topper was then added to the panel and it was stuck onto the card in the bottom right hand corner.  3 pink pearls were added to the top right hand corner and a bunch of pink paper rosebuds was stuck down with glue dots and covered with a white organdie bow.

Bridge 118, Grand Union

What sort of moron bothers to pick up their dog turd and then leave it by the wall of a pub?

We stopped of in Leighton Buzzard by Tesco, to have a look around the town and then did a couple of locks before settling down in the middle of nowhere so David could watch the racing from Cheltenham.


I went for a walk up a couple of locks and saw this sign.

For some reason the word Warning in Polish as well.  Are there a lot of Poles around here spearing, stealing, and eating fish from the canal?

When we lived in Poland, back in the bad old days, you could not buy fish for love nor money and they have a tradition of eating carp on Christmas Eve, but I'm sure it's not that bad now.

Another Mothers' Day type card using one of the topper set.

I matted some primrose yellow card onto daffodil yellow and duck egg blue card that covered most of the front of a white card blank, wrapping some blue and primrose dotty ribbon around the panel first and then sticking it down.  I added the matted topper on the bottom right hand side and some punched green leaves, primrose and blue roses and a yellow feather on the top left hand corner.

Birdingbury Wharf Bridge, Grand Union

 We moved up through Welsh Road Lock to await the opening of Bascote Locks and David had a problem with the accelerator so we called out River Canal Rescue.  A charmless operative arrived and guess what?  It was all David's fault and he proceeded to order David around saying "Do this!" and "Do that!".  Then he demanded our Breakdown Book???  Sorry!  Didn't have one.  Won't say any more.

We were joined by another boat with a crew of 4 men, they were moving the boat down to Oxford.  We moved up within sight of the lock and were then joined by a third boat before the lock finally opened about 2.30.

We flew up the locks meeting 4 boats on the way down and arrived at Kate Boats, Stockton with 15 mins to go before they closed.   It was no good, they had already locked up and wouldn't give us a pumpout.  At least they let me have the keys to Wildflower so I could get the life jackets ready for Easter.

This "thing" was in the basin.

We moored up just past The Boat pub and went in for a meal.  There are new owners and they have great plans.  Talking to them we discovered that we knew several people and places in common back in Birmingham.  Small world.

So another "Lady" card.  I found a pack of 4 toppers somewhere and used one for this card. 

I covered a white card blank with some backing paper which I matted onto blue card, wrapping some blue lace ribbon around it first and tying the ends in a knot.

I stuck the matted panel with sticky fixers over the ribbon and added 3 blue gems in a row over the knot.

The Cape, Grand Union

 Hatton was a breeze doing it in two lots. Can't think why we always did it all in one go.

There seems to be only one other boat on the move, we pass it early in the morning and then they pass us early evening.

We are on a 48 hr mooring with 8 other boats - they will all be leaving tomorrow as their 48 hrs will be up.  I don't think.

Lunch in The Cape of Good Hope, nice food, but very expensive.

Gearing up for Mothers' Day.  Using some free papers from a card magazine I wrapped some brown organdie ribbon around the front of a white card blank and then matted the topper onto brown card an wrapped more brown organdie ribbon around the bottom of that, tying it in a knot.  A cream heart shaped button was sewn over the knot and the topper was stuck onto the card front.  I matted the M onto some brown card and added the 'u' and 'm' with gold peel-offs.

The card is blank so it could just be a birthday card for Mum instead of Mothers' Day.

Bingley Top Lock, Leeds and Liverpool Canal

 We set  off early and picked up some Silsden hire boats on their way back to their base.

This stretch of canal has a swing bridge about every 1/4 mile so it is difficult to do any housework before jumping off the boat to do a bridge.  Here is how it went today:

Get dressed
Do bridge
Wash face, clean teeth, brush hair
Do bridge
Tidy up boat, start washing up
Do bridge
Finish washing up, get out hoover
Do bridge
Dust, hoover
Silsden boat does this bridge
Put hoover away
Do bridge - 3 Silsden boats come through too
Make bed
Bridge open, but following 3 slow boats!
Put washing on soak (can't use washing machine unless we have 4 clear miles for the batteries)
Silsden boat does bridge
Put yesterday's washing away
Follow very slow wide-beam Silsden boat to boatyard where it proceeds to wind in front of us (in the wind!!!) and moors up in the winding hole, making it difficult for the next boat to wind.
Freedom!

 It was really windy so we moored up for a while and then moved on to the top of the Bingley locks.  I went to find the lock keeper for the timings.  There was no one around but there was a sign with the times.

No I don't know either.

A card for Mothers' Day - or just Mum, or even Auntie.  I covered a white card blank with paper, using a strip of patterned card from the same paper set, wrapping some organza ribbon around it first and tying it up in a bow I stuck it across the card.

The topper is also part of the same paper set and I added it over the ribbon.

Worsley, Bridgewater Canal

We moved up into Worsley proper and moored up in the rain. In fact in rained most of the day.

Caroline drove up for the afternoon to help us with our tax returns. We had trouble doing it on line, so she had to take our main laptop back with her. In the rush we forgot to back up stuff onto this one, including the photographs and the boat log.

Still, David would not have had to go out and take this photo for me of the footbridge by the moorings.

A boat was on the moorings when we got back from the pub with Caroline and they happened to say that they were on their way to Birmingham. They did not know that the Barton Swing Bridge was closing at 4.30 and it was now 4!! They sped off and didn't come back, so I hope they made it.


Just before we left Birmingham Cubie asked for a Mothers' Day Card for her mum.

She wanted someone sitting drinking wine and her mum loved boats. So this is what I came up with. I used a photograph which I matted onto gold card, cutting the top and bottom edges with wavy scissors. I coloured in the stamped image and added it with sticky fixers.

To finish I added some sparkly flowers and a printed sentiment.

Broadoak Park, Worsley, Bridgewater Canal

Not your usual sight on a canal. This is a Mancchester University rowing team practicing along the long mile straight at Altringham.

While we were getting our pumpout the other day we were discussing our route and the man doing the pumpout said that Barton swing bridge was going to close soon for maintenance.
We got caught last time we came up here so I checked with the Bridgewater Company to discover that we had until tomorrow to get through.

So it has been a bit of a rush. But we made it with a day to spare.

We did a "first" today and moored up by the Trafford Centre for a look around. Mind boggling architecture!

Caroline is driving up to meet us tomorrow so we will hang around Worsley tomorrow and have a bit of a rest.



I have just printed out some Pink Petticoat toppers with a view to making some Mothers' Day cards. I made this one starting with a black card blank, some zebra stripy paper matted onto pink pearlescent card with a black ribbon wrapped around the top and a bow tied around it with a piece of jewellery stuck by the bow.

I cut out the topper with an oval Nestability and then cut out a pink scalloped oval for the backing, sticking it down with some sticky fixers.

Wolverhampton Top Lock, BCN

Monday and Tuesday were two glorious, sunny days. David has his tooth out and his new dentures fitted so we were raring to set off today.

I was woken up at 3am this morning to hear rain pattering on the roof. Sod's Law???

So we set off at 0815 and passed only one other boat on the move.

Galton tunnel looked almost picturesque in the sunshine with the ivy falling over the tunnel mouth.

Two of the three Factory Locks were for us and it looks like some work has been done on them since we last traversed them in 2009. The anti-vandal locks have been replaced which was a bit of a bind as I jumped off the boat without the key, having forgotten about it completely.
Well it is the first set of locks for 6 months.

When we got to Wolverhampton I went on a shopping expedition missing the Community boat coming up the locks with the young men doing their penance by cleaning up the canal.

I was so tired when I got back I fell asleep in my chair. Jeez! it was only three locks. What am I going to be like tomorrow?





Some time ago I was approached by the dotcomgiftshop to do a review of two of their products.

This is the box of Easter Chicks. Four gorgeous "bobbles", felt wings and tails, eyes and string.









And eight wooden rabbits.

I have finally made a box using some of these items and photographed them. Unfortunately I cannot find the lead to download the pictures. So tomorrow I will have to do it again using another camera.

So tune in tomorrow to find out how it turned out and what I thought of the products.



I have made another Mothers' Day/ Grandmothers' Day[Granny type card.

Granny is decopaged and matted onto gold card.
I then made a white easel card and decorated the top and bottom edge of the front with a scalloped edge. I wrapped some cotton lace around some pink card and added that to the front, adding Granny, a blue rose and three gems for decoration.

The base part has more lace ribbon, roses, and gems. The whole card comes with a pink box to match.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

We're still here. David went to the Dentist to discover they'd made the wrong dentures so we have to wait another 2 weeks while they make the new ones. It didn't help that it was such a lovely day on Thursday when we should have been off.

The "Book Barge" is in town, along with the Jewellery Boat.

We have just watched the Baggies beat Arsenal for the cup. Couldn't have gone to a better team. What with England beating Franch at the Rugby and drawing at Cricket today - exciting times!!!


I have got two Mother's Day Cards. Is it Mothers' or Mother's? I thought the former as there is more than one mother, but all the magazines seem to use the latter. Anyway. Both are for sale if you're interested.

The first one is a white C6 card (6x4"). The colour s are white and pink with a white and pink flower and green foliage. The sentiment says "Happy Mother's Day" and there are three white pearls decorate the top.












The second card is a pink, circular scalloped card. I wrapped some pink organdie ribbon around the spine and tied a large bow. The sentiment says "Happy Mothers' Day) and is decorated with blue roses and a silver butterfly.








I made a box for this card and used some pink tissue paper to make it fit snugly.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

I too this photo yesterday as we approached the Salford Junction under the M6 motorway. It never looks other than grey, but on a grey day it is almost daunting.

We had intended to go up the Tame Valley Canal and home via the Walsall Canal and the BCN, but with the trouble with the engine we thought getting back home was a better idea. The the engine behaved itself perfectly all day.

Life back on the moorings goes on. Well, sadly, it doesn't really. Sam Waller one of the oldies of Gas Street died last night. He was not the most friendly of moorers and a grunt or a nod was all I ever got from him if we passed, and that was only if I spoke to him first. His boat Swallow has been moored here unloved for all the time we have been here. At one time it was in danger of sinking and lurched at a 45o angle. But he was involved with the trip boats and will be sadly missed.

Feeling very despondent with the cardmaking at the moment. I did not sell a single Valentine Card this year and no one ordered a Mothers' Day card. Until yesterday afternoon, when an old customer needed one for his mother (who incidentally makes cards too - no pressure there then).

This is what I came up with. A square white card blank with a square of torn, green handmade paper (with leaves dried into it). Then a torn piece of thick white handmade paper with a poesy of dried flowers arranged on it. Then I partially covered a lilac label tag with more green paper, tied it with a green organdie bow and added the mother's name in peel-offs onto silver card which I trimmed and added, finally adding more dried flowers before sticking it to the card with sticky-fixers.


On the inside I added another piece of torn green, handmade paper, then I printed the sentiment onto white card and trimmed it with scalloped scissors and stuck it to the centre of the card. Dried flowers were added for the final touch.

The font is called Love and I think it is very pretty. It has little hearts on all the capital letters. I think I may use this more often.