Gas Street

As I write this blog (on Tuesday 28th October only) IT IS SNOWING!!!!! What is the winter going to be like?

Our trip to Biarritz was fun. We had a hotel room overlooking the sea and Spain and watched the surfers like little black seals all day. The food wasn't as good as we've had in Poitiers or Bordeaux though - a bit out of season seaside fayre - and the weather was almost as bad.

The picture shows Sorcerer arriving into Gas Street with Vick on the front and Peter steering on the back. We are expecting some new moorers soon as several vacancies have been filled.

We have had several "disasters" on the boat. First the heating pump broke, so we could not have the fire going as the water was not circulating from the back boiler. Then the main water pump broke which meant we could not get water to pump into the taps or the toilets.

David came out from Lyons Boatyard to fix the water pump last Friday and then came back today to fix a new heater pump. But before he could arrive, the main electrical connection into the boat fused up and burnt out - so now we have no mains electricity!!! It never rains - it just snows!!!

One of my canal themed cards. A picture of one of the high bridges on the Shroppie matted onto silver and white card. A band of silver holographic card and red scalloped card horizontally across the middle and a piece of green hessian behind the picture.

And now the snow is actually sticking on the ground! Thank goodness we got the fire fixed in time.

Gas Street

Curdworth tunnel taken in August. Sorry no topical photos - not much happening at present.

We have been to Stockholm for a few days. The weather (after the first night) was glorious sunshine - though a little chilly. The trees were all golden and everything was VERY, very expensive!!

Apart from a drunken fight and a dip in the canal, the moorings have been fairly quiet. David had a meeting with the new Bobby Browns (ex Panama Bar) and they have promised to sort out the noise problem - so that just leaves the O Bar to sort out. And on Saturday morning the Portsmouth football team all walked along the bar and over the bridge. I'll have to get an autograph book.

Also on Saturday the pump which keeps the central heating water flowing through the boat packed up with the fire going full blast. David managed to get all the hot coals out before it erupted and we are having to survive with an electric heater until Tuesday.

A pretty card with a sepia photo matted onto gold, cream and black card with a small ribbon rose in the top left hand corner. Half the base card was covered with sepia coloured postcard type paper and a ribbon covered the join.

Gas Street

We seem to get a lot of people coming here to feetd the Canada Geese, consequently the geese have started roosting on the lock island and making their usual mess. We asked BW if we could have it power washed and were told that "It was not their responsibility". Then when the Conservative Party came for their conference last week we got railings painted black and white (but not by our moorings which were promised and really need it) and then two men turned up with two brooms and a small plastic bucket on a piece of string.


Trouble is - it needs doing all over again already.

David and I have just had three days in Poitiers, France. Lovely place, tiny airport (just our Ryanair plane) and close to the city. There are two lovely cathedrals and lots of interesting architecture - and David got to ogle the girls again and eat lovely food.

Here are some Halloween cards I have made. They, and others, are available from my shop here.

Gas Street

Doesn't this just sum up our Summer this year?

Sorry - not been very active on the blogging side recently. Must have been all the consternation last week with the Conservative Conference. Or just lazyness. We had lots of policemen around and all the boats had to be escorted through past the conference centre again. Though I think if I was going to be bloody minded enough to blow up the Conservative Party on my boat (and possibly me with it), two extra policemen whould probably be a bonus.

Otherwise (apart from wearing out the bus pass) nothing much has happend. Although I've just remembered that Pete slipped on the moorings and spent a couple of days in hospital, coming back with a black eye.

Peter went off on his boat, Chanel, last Sunday and came back Friday with his new boat Sorcerer, so that's another new(ish) boat on the moorings. There are about 3 or 4 more moorings up for tender - so we may be quite full soon.

Christmas is coming!!! Here are four cards which I am about to upload to my shop here

This one is l made with red card. A green ribbon and bow are fixed under the banner which is matted with silver card.

This one is a pink card with silver organza ribbon whith sparkly snowflakes and wound around with silver thread. The wire angel has net, feathers and gems on it. I have made a box for this card as it is too thick to go in an ordinary envelope.

This is a yellow card with turkeys on the front. The wording on the front says "Stuff the Turkey!". Inside the insert says "Eat chocolate!" and there is a large chocolate coin fixed to the bottom right hand corner.

And finally a green card with a patterned panel and a silk, white poinsettia flower fixed to the left hand size.

Gas Street

Famous people on the mooring this month No 2 (well, sort of). This time it was Leon (who?) being interviewed by the local ITV station. Apparently he won the X Factor last year.

There was a cartoon in Private Eye this week. A busker stood outside a record shop. The shop is advertising "X Factor Winner 2008" discs. The busker has a sign saying "X Factor Winner 2007".

David was asked not to photograph him by a minder, but as you can see he did.

The security for the forthcoming Conservative Party Conference is gearing up. We noticed on Tuesday that the rubbish bins had disappeared. Now there are fences all around the conference centre and turnstiles and more policemen that you normally see in a year.

I promised a card for the Birmingham City fans after the Aston Villa one last time. Here it is.

I made a large three-fold card and put silver card on half the front page covered with a backing paper I made up on the computer. I then printed off three copies of the logo which I decoupaged onto white, silver, blue, patterned and more silver card. I printed off the sentiment using the Bend It font again and matted that up the same way.

The 1st inside page I made a large panel using the same combinations of card and for the 2nd page I printed off the recipient's name and age and then matted it up again in the same way.

The back page is just a large panel using the backing paper matted onto silver, blue and silver card.

Gas Street

So! How many men does it take to change a light bulb?

We went to the Symphony Hall last night not really expecting there to be any tickets for us to see Nigel Kennedy and his band but when we got there, there they were, along with two tickets to go back stage afterwards. What a star!!

I am not keen on jazz as a genre but he was mind-bogglingly fabulous and we really enjoyed the gig.

He is such a nice chap. He had also invited some homeless people and had sent someone with them to Primark to kit them out beforehand. He even recognised us at the party afterwards!!

This is the card that started it all off. David found a photo on the Internet and I matted it up onto gold and maroon card. The backing paper I made in Word using a jpg which I just copied and pasted until the page was full. The Aston Villa crest was decoupaged three times and I did the sentiments on the computer using the "Bend it" font which was also matted onto gold and maroon.

Next time you'll get a Birmingham City card - just to show there is no favouritism!

Gas Street

At last! The weather has been lovely all week.

We took a bus ride to Alwras on Tuesday (the trip by boat was aborted in August). We went to visit the National Memorial Arboretum. It is a memorial to all those in the Armed Services who have lost their lives since the Second World War. There are a few people we knew who have their names cut into the walls so we took this opportunity to pay our respects.


The place was very busy (we were expecting it all to ourselves, like most overseas Commonwealth Graves). The whole area has been done beautifully with masses of young trees (naturally) and small monuments to individual regiments and corps etc and the two main monuments of soldiers inside the two semi-circular walls was very moving.

This picture shows the gap in the wall. A shaft of sunlight shines through on 11 November - a bit like the summer solstis at Stonehenge.











We found the Intelligence Corps plot - just a young tree in the middle of a bog. Just about sums it up really!

After we walked into Alwras (taking our lives in our hands trying to cross a very busy dual carriageway) and had a lovely lunch in the George and Dragon before catching the bus back to Birmingham.

On Friday we were sat on the boat with the front door open when Nigel Kennedy (the violinist) walked past. David spoke to him when he came back and showed him one of my cards with an Aston Villa theme (him being a great Villa fan). I said I would make him one for today so when he went past again we gave it to him. He is a really nice guy and seemed very pleased with his card. Well - I got three kisses and he is getting us tickets for his gig tomorrow night in the Symphony Hall!!!


My first Christmas Card of the year. Though I am in the process of planning our card I have not actually stuck anything down yet. This one is for our friends on Amber Moon. David took the photo of their cans last week when they were here and I made 25 copies. I printed the words "Happy Christmas" onto the cards then stuck the pictures towards the top, covering the edges with curvy edged holographic peel-offs.


David also took a few more pictures and I made these two cards using up the Christmas cards that I messed up in the printer (you know card makers never throw anything away!). The first photograph I matted onto gold and green card. I stuck ribbon across the front and a green panel on the right hand side with 3 amber square jewels stuck on it.
And this one shows the tiller pin (Amber Moon not an Islamic moon.) This one I matted onto gold, orange and green card and just a narrow gold ribbon along the bottom with three more amber glass jewels

I don't know what they will do with them, I suppose thank you cards or something like that.