Barbridge Junction, Shropshire Union Canal

A late start for us and then a stop at the bottom of Hack Green Locks. The SUCS were at work here, resurfacing the towpath, clearing up the picnic site, repointing the bridge and painting the locks in the distinctive grey and white of the old Shropshire Union colours. Who was it said that volunteering won't help BW? Good on them. David stopped for 1/2 hour to talk to them and take some photos and then we went on to Barbridge Junction where I caught the bus into Chester for an afternoon of retail therapy.

We had the pork and apple sausages from the farm shop at the top of Adderley Locks tonight. They were delicious.





I noticed lots of blossom on the cherry trees in Chester which reminded me of some cards I made of blossom some years ago.

I mounted the photograph onto silver card and then stuck it onto a white card blank.

Coole Pilate, Shropshire Union Canal

What a fantastic name - Coole Pilate - not got a clue what it means. Also, the Shropshire Union Canal Society (SUCS - love that too!) have made a great mooring area with tables, seats and barbecues.

You could tell that David was feeling better today - we set off at 0630 this morning in a heavy frost. This is the boat in Audlum top lock.

We passed one boat on the upper flight and then there were three Middlewich boats waiting to set off just as we came to lock 12. They let us go through, so we were not suddenly No 4 in the queue.

We managed to get water from outside the Shroppie Fly (the boat we past going up said it was frozen when they had tried earlier), and I popped into the Co-op for a newspaper and some bread, then it was down the rest of the locks in brilliant sunshine and on to the mooring here.


A cute little card using some papers from a card magazine. I used a square, white card blank and covered most of the front with blue card and then some blue flowery paper. Before I stuck it down I wrapped some blue ribbon around the middle and tied it with a knot.

The circular topper was also matted onto blue card and added onto the front of the card. Several white daisy type flowers were added with glue dots to the circle and a sentiment was added to the bottom right hand corner.

Adderley Bottom Lock, Shropshire Union Canal

This is Oinka and she lives in the farm at the top of Adderley Locks. Next week there will be a farm shop operating here, selling lamb, bacon (not Oinka), eggs and slices of Victoria Sponge - and that's just for starters.

If you are passing drop in for some super food.

We had a short day today, leaving Market Drayton at 0930 after the rain stopped. We then stopped at the bottom of Adderley locks for a lovely sunshiny day.

In the evening we walked back up to the top lock to talk to Simon and Alison who have the farm and are opening up the shop. David is writing a series of articles about people with small businesses on or by the canals - you will be able to read it in Canals, Rivers and Boats sometime later this year.





We are moored by this tree. We have been here before because I have used a similar photo for some Sympathy Cards.













And here is a card. The photograph is mounted onto black handmade paper and then gold card fixed onto a white card blank.

The sentiment is a silver peeloff stuck onto black paper and gold card and added at the bottom at a slight angle.

Market Drayton, Shropshire Union Canal

David set off at 0700 this morning while I had another hour in my warm bed. The the weather was almost balmy today, the wind seems to have dropped a bit. It was just a bit tedious having to travel at tickover past all those moored boats between Norbury and Shebdon.

We passed the landslide in the Woodseaves Cutting and as we reached the moorings above Tyrley locks one of the moorers warned us that a boat had just gone down leaving all the (double) bottom gates open. So thank you Eleanor May for your consideration. I'll do the same for you one day.

Market Drayton moorings were almost abandoned when we arrived so we had a choice. I chose close to the bridge so I didn't have so far to walk into the town, which has improved a bit in the last year. A Wilkinsons, and an indoor market! The grotty Morrisons is still the only place to get any food though and it is about as far out of town as you can get from the canal.

I've just realised why I am getting on better with this blog today, it seems to have gone back to the old system.

Here is an anniversary card that I made just before we left. A white easel card with red mirror card, silver lace edged paper, ribbon with hearts woven into it and a wooden rose. The sentiments are silver peel-offs, matted onto red mirror card and silver card.

Inside there is a strip of red gems stuck to a piece of red mirror card and fixed with sticky fixers to make it stand up and hold the card front in place. The box has a silver top and the edge is scalloped. I wrapped more ribbon around the side and stuck a bow in one of the corners with three red gems.

Norbury Junction, Shropshire Union Canal

Can't get the hang of this new blogger!  The text formatting seems to have a mind of its own.  I am obviously doing something wrong.  At least I've found the spell checker tonight.

We set off early and the weather was lovely, though the wind was still very cold.  We stopped at the sanitary station at Wheaton Aston intending to do a pumpout but none of the cards seemed to work, so we went on and filled up with diesel at 78p a litre.  It was £1.02 at the Junction!

Then it was on to Gnosall where we stopped for a rest and a very good meal in the Boat Inn, then it was on to Norbury Junction for the night. 

David said he saw two kingfishers today - that's nearly as many as we saw all last year.

 Here is a birthday card I made using a Forever Friends Bear that came from a tissue box!  I cut him out using a circle Nestabillity and then cut a red scallop circle for a backing.  The base card is white and I cut out the lacy borders with a Martha Stewart edge punch to make it look like ribbon, once in rose paper and then again with the same red card as the scalloped circle.  I stuck these down vertically in the centre of the card, adding a red and white spotty ribbon tied in a knot down the middle.

Huntings Bridge, Shropshire Union Canal

Left or Right?  Decisions, decisions.  Leaving the bottom lock of the Wolverhampton 21.

Blogger has been doing some updating.  At the moment it is driving me mad, but I suppose I will get used to it eventually.

We started down the Wolverhampton 21 at 0815, and had to wait at the third one so that the BW guys could fill the empty pounds.  We eventually set off 20 minutes later with help from that lovely lady who lives on a boat at the top lock and looks after abandoned dogs.  This one was a very friendly Staffie.  She always carries her windlass while dog walking and bread for the ducks.  The first 10 locks were for us and we stopped at lock 10 for a bacon and egg buttie from the stall there, then it was on - all the rest were against us and it seemed to take forever.  David had to clear the weed hatch three times!  Eventually we could smell horse so we knew we had only three more locks to do (Wolverhampton Race Course) and then a brief trip on the Staffs and Worcester and onto the Shroppie.

We eventually moored up on the excellent visitor moorings here along with Caxton and Matilda Rose who spent the end of last year iced in in Birmingham.

Now for what I did with the products from dotcomgiftshop

 I made a pyramid exploding box. 

 I covered the inside with some pretty flowery paper and on the outside I sponged a sky using a mask to make the cloud.  Then I stamped a row of trees from one of my Lavinia stamps.  I used green card for the bottom to represent the grass and a strip of Martha Stewart Fence over the join.  I finished off with some paper flowers and one of the rabbits from the dotcomgiftshop

I found that the sticky dot at the back of these rabbits had lost its glue, so I used a dab of PVA.





I used one of the "chicken" for the surprise in the box.  The instructions for this are very clear but I could not find any beaks in the packaging.  Also, they suggested using a heat gun which I don't have, so it was back to the trusty PVA which was a bit messy.

I think I might save the other pompoms for another project.


And now for the card.  A bit of recycling here.  I cut the picture of the snowdrops from a card that was sent to me some time ago and just stuck it to the front of another white card blank.

And now it seems they've taken off the spellcheck.  Sorry, too frustrated to check for mistakes now.

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.