Moore - Bridgewater Canal

Bluebells!!  What can I say?  Wonderful.

A family reunion day today.  First of all one of David's nephews came to pick us up to take us to Runcorn to see David's eldest brother and his wife (who has just fallen down the stairs and broken a hip and a wrist).

She is doing remarkably well as she is almost 80 but determined not to let it hinder her in any way.

Later on another one of his nieces (there are 8 in this particular family) and her husband met us in the Red Lyon for supper and lots of laughs and reminiscences.  Later they came back to the boat for a nightcap before walking back home.

This lovely little chap with a butterfly about to land on it's nose is matted onto dark and then light brown card with the corners rounded off.  Brown gingham card was wrapped around a panel of pink card (again with the corners rounded) and fixed onto a white card blank.  To finish it off I added 3 pink pearl gems to the bottom right hand corner.

Moore - Bridgewater Canal

Forget-me-nots on the bank.  Lovely.

We were up at dawn's crack (yet again) and through all the tunnels by 8 o'clock and sharing Preston Brook tunnel with a duck who paddled on before us, quicking furiously.

There was a boat already moored up by Moore Post Office so we used the one spare ring put a pin in for the back rope.  Later this boat moved and we were able to move up and moor on the rings at Moore.

I took the opportunity to catch a bus into Warrington and then another from there into Liverpool.  I wanted to see the Chinese Terracotta Army but would have had to have waited until 3.30 pm before I could get in.  So, after a wander around the shops I caught the train back to Warrington and then the bus back to Moore.  It is such a handy service a bus goes past the mooring every 1/2 hour.

One of my Big Wishes card (I think I made about 4).  A jolly lady with her jolly ginger cat.  I cut them out and stuck them onto a blue background with dimensional stickers.  The edge of the card has been edged with dark blue ink, as has the blue dotty paper behind it.  The whole panel was then added to the white card blank.

Anderton - Trent & Mersey Canal

Today we visited the breech at Middlwich.  You can see what the locals feel about donating towards it's repair!

We were off very early again and were at King's Lock Middlewich for 0745.  We walked up to see the breech, which is pretty spectacular.  I can't find the pictures at the moment, but will update when the come to light.

After buying diesel from a very unhelpful and uninterested member of staff at the chandlry below the lock we carried on down into Middlewich, stopping off to go to Tesco to stock up and then set off again.

Arriving at Anderton we filled the water tank up and then moored on the first visitor mooring for a well earned rest after yet another long, arduous day.  (And we said we would take it really slowly this year!!!)

How about a bit of seaside?  I just matted this picture onto silver card and then onto the white card base, adding the sentiment which was also matted with silver card.

Wheelock - Trent & Mersey Canal

Still coming down the Cheshire Locks (Heartbreak Hill).  Today we got as far as Wheelock.  This time doing 14 locks in 3 1/2 miles and taking 3 hours.  I feel like a rag doll.  I was promised a pub lunch but it never materialsed (again!)

Still, the weather has been good to us and this is the beautiful sunrise this morning.

I love this picture, it was taken outside the Bishop of York's palace on the River Ouse just outside York.

The moorhen is sat on her nest inside a tyre fender.  This time I used the picture I matted it onto silver, black, pink and then more black card before adding it to a pink card base.

The sentiment I made using a computer and matted that also onto pink and black card.

Rode Heath, Trent & Mersey Canal

The ferns growing on the lock wall were all spread out and looked like stars, very pretty.

We were up and off by 6.30 and then waited 1/2 hr for the tunnel to open at 0800, we were in it by 5 mins past and out again by 40 mins past.  Coming down Heartbreak Hill we met a nasty single hander who complained when I tried to help him and then started shouting and swearing at me, then he had a go at David when he came to my defence.  We just let him get on with it in the end and left him to it. Meanwhile there was a queue of boats waiting to come down.

Today we did 6 miles and 12 locks in 3 3/4 hrs - no wonder they call it Heartbreak Hill.  

Saw a kingfisher today, a very rare sight 

One of my waterways themed cards.  On this one I matted the photograph onto holographic silver card and light blue card.  I created a banner to go behind with patterned paper and plain blue card and added a 3D butterfly to finish it off.

Westport Lake - Trent and Mersey Canal

This boat looks wider than a narrowboat, or is it just an optical illusion.

We set off around 0530 and did the horrid Stoke Locks.  As usual the top lock was the worst, very stiff and awkward.  Why are the locks closest the the CRT maintainance yards always the worst.

By now it was raining hard so we moored up by Westport Lake around 0900.




This is a simple card made with some pretty gold foiled card.  I wrapped a piece of gold ribbon through a die-cut buckle and fixed it to the back of the panel and stuck that onto a white card blank.  The sentiment was made on the computer and the numbers were die-cut in glitter card.

Barlaston - Trent and Mersey Canal

 We left around 0454!! David couldn't sleep.  So we were in Stone by 0645.  I left David filling the water tank and walked to  Morrisons for milk, bread and a paper etc.  By the time I got back he was in Star lock and beginning to fill it.

One or two of the locks were a bit iffy.  I decided not to try and walk across this one.





 I always love going past this back garden.

We were moored up at Barlaston 0945 and then had a great lunch at The Plumes





All the locks on the T&M have a little bridge over the bottom lock which makes it easy to get around the locks, unfortunately when the gates are open they close off the bridge and you have to clamber over the lock beam.

They are pretty though, and this card was made using a picture of one.  The picture was matted onto white and green card and fixed to a white card blank then several colourful butterflies were added as decoration.