On the Bends

Well, the weather forecast was good. They lied once again! We set off at 6.30 am and managed to get to Gargrave for water before it started turning nasty. We joined up with Utopia to do the locks up to the moors but wimped out after two.

The weather got better in the afternoon and at 4pm we set off again and got up here. The wind is fairly strong but the sun came out eventually.

Another of the graduation cards I made the other day. Home made backing paper and three mortar boards stuck down with sticky tabs and some red ribbon

Thorlby Swing Bridge

We didn't get very far yesterday - just about 2 miles actually.

We had a pump-out and bought some more diesel before we left and then the drizzle set in so we stopped just before the 4th swing bridge.

I went for my daily constitutional and found a beautiful wild rose bush with dark pink flowers. Of course, the camera

decided to die on me. That's a first. So instead I have posted a picture of the "un-veg pledged" towpath with all the beautiful wild flowers, including an orchid.

This is the result of me messing about with my new stamps. I made the backing paper on the computer using a dingbat for the cap.

The student was cut out and fixed on with sticky fixers

Skipton

York, Lendal Bridge last Monday and this time last year. The water must be up at least 10ft.





The four of us took the train for a day out in York and had a lovely lunch in 19 Grape Street (originally called Grope Street as there were lots of brothels there once!).


After lunch Ed and Julia went off to see the abbey and I sussed out Lakeland Ltd! We walked down to Ouse Bridge to check out the moorings there and the water was right up to the top of the wall. Normally there is a long climb up the side of the wall to get to the pub.

We have had rain every day since I cannot remember when. Yesterday I took the train to Leeds for the day. When I got back the water had come over the towpath under the bridge at Skipton for a short time.

Today I probably had my last shop in Skipton as we hope to start back towards Wigan tomorrow. A quick look around The Stamp Man and collect the prescriptions from the chemist.

We have had a result of sorts from BW - we are moving to the other side of the pontoon temporarily for 6 months. There still seems to be no sign of the "new business" which has caused all the fuss.






A lovely little bear card. The stamp is Australian. I used to have their web address but lost it when the computer went down - so if anyone knows where it comes from, please let me know.

The bear was stamped and coloured in and fixed to some silver card and then onto some gingham material. All on a white card.

I have been going through lots of American blogs - mostly stampers. They are really lovely and have given me lots of ideas. Several ones have lots of tutorials too. Thank you to the comments from fellow bloggers, and the one from Portugal - thank goodness for Babelfish..

Skipton

We have given up on travelling to York by water.

We spent the last few days on a lovely mooring just before the swing bridge at Lower Bradley. It has rained heavily every day, though the rivers around here do not seem to be too flooded - the worst being south around Doncaster and Sheffield.

It was decided to come back to Skipton for the Sheep Day (today) and for water and shopping etc. Also Ed has to go to London on Wednesday for hospital appointments.

Before we left I took a walk down the towpath and discovered this new monument to the Polish crew of a bomber that crashed near here in 1942. It is at Hamblethorpe Swing Bridge and is the work of a few enthusiasts with lots of sponsors. BW built the monument and have included 3 items of metal recovered from the crash. The actual site of the crash is a couple of hundred yards away and there is a wooden cross there. It looked as if the plane had actually crashed in the the embankment of the canal. Must have been a headache for the linesman that day too.

Back in Skipton they were celebrating Sheep Day. The centre of the town was closed off and there was a Farmers' Market, Sideshows, Lots of sheep (of course) with sheep sheering, sheep dog demonstrations (including herding geese) and a pen with raptors and this lovely barn owl.

It has been raining hard all afternoon we booked tickets to go to York by train tomorrow.

Julia and Ed are still hoping to sail there - this may put them off.

This is the card I sent to my niece Rebecca who has just announced that she and David, her husband, are expecting a baby next year.

I must admit I took inspiration from a layout from a card I saw on one of the Splitcoast blogs I have been reading.

Pretty sprigged backing paper, lilac and purple organdy ribbons, a fabric flower with yellow flower brad, peel-off "BIG news" and rub-down "congratulations". Then three crystals on the lilac card. Can you spot the deliberate mistake though?

Lower Bradley

Sorry, the internet connection is too low to upload any pictures.

We left Skipton this morning after spending a week on a 24 hour mooring. No excuse, but there was one other boat there that was there before we got there and was still there when we left.

Julia and Ed spent a couple of days in Keswick while we looked after their boats and then they looked after Mr David while we went to Harrogate for the weekend to attend the wedding of a nephew of mine. The wedding was lovely and it was great to see all the family again. We had even more good news, my niece Rebecca is expecting a baby at the end of January next year.

Because of all the rain these last few days all the rivers have been closed to navigation so it doesn't look like we will be able to get to York this year. We are hanging around a bit because Julia and Ed are waiting for visitors to arrive.

I had lots of fun stamping up with my new stamps from The Stamp Man and then went and bought lots more Paper Nation people to decoupage from the other craft shop in Skipton. I have managed to make seven cards all with stamps. Not one of my favourite techniques, but I am getting better at it.

Skipton

After a night in Gargrave we moved here to Skipton and have been here for a few days. Ed and Julia have been away visiting friends near Keswick and we have been keeping an eye on their boat and tomorrow David and I go to Harrogate for a family wedding and they will look after our boat.

Skipton has been lovely - as always - There is a market on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and there are two craft shops. I managed to spend £95 at The Stamp Man which was fun explaining away to David!!!

We had a visit from Janet yesterday, our friend who designed Mr David. Lunch was in Pan Loafy's opposite the mooring and was a very tasty soup. We then had dinner at the Canalside which was good too, though we had just missed the lobster festival.

This is the first photograph I have managed of an insect on a flower that I have ever go to be remotely in focus.

This card is just a bog standard pretty one. A skeleton leaf, three lilac paper roses and a pink organza bow mounted on lilac opalescent card and silver Dufex then stuck onto a pink card. Still rather pretty though.

Because I bought some stamps yesterday I spent the afternoon stamping - something I have not done for ages and ages. Today I even made three or four cards which I will post soon.

Langber

Dodging the showers we got as far as Salterforth yesterday morning. For once it was dryer in the tunnel than outside. We had lunch in The Anchor pub and were given a guided tour of the cellar. The original pub had two floors and was built long before the canal was built. When the canal came through, the cellar flooded so they built another storey on top and then built up the road to go over the bridge. So the pub is now in the old bedrooms and the new bedrooms are above. Coming out of Foulridge Tunnel. We were very good and waited for the traffic lights to change!

This morning we left in light drizzle to go down the three locks at Greenberfield and moored out past East Marton on the start of the zig zags. There are Curlews flying and calling out overhead, beautiful orchids on the towpath and peace and quiet. Then the sun came out. Perfect!!!

The card has a Mexican Worry Doll. I bought several at an evening market in Melbourne a couple of years ago (I was visiting Caroline at the time). She is supposed to take all your troubles away.