Above Hurlestone Locks

Left just as it was getting light again - it's the only time of day when you actually get to see the sun, if only for a few brief minutes. So we were at the top of Hurlestone Locks by 11am and I was sent off to Chester, on the bus, once again. It is so hard having to do all the shopping!

No pictures taken today - but this is the off-side bank on the top of the Llangollen. The root systems are fascinating and I took loads of pictures.

The "Margaret Sherry" cat in a box is decoupaged about three times. I fixed it to an oval scalloped card made on the CraftRobo.

The base card is blue and I wrapped a striped blue ribbon around the front and tied it in a knot. The topper was then fixed over the ribbon on the left hand side of the card.

Below Grindley Brook Locks, Llangollen Canal

One of the many lift bridges on the Llangollen Canal.

We got to Grindley Brook just as a boat entered the top lock. So that was good. It meant two of the locks, at least, would be for us. A staircase must be the only time you actually want to be following a boat!

We stopped for the day just after the bottom lock and I tried to get a bus into Whitchurch. There was one every 2 hours and I'd just missed one. So I had a coffee in the little shop/cafe/off-licence by the staircase locks, bought some pate and jams and then walked back to the boat.




See. I can do complicated cards.

The meercat is a digital stamp (sorry not sure where I got it from, except the Internet - will try and find it). I printed him out twice, one slightly larger than the other and coloured them with watercolour pencils.













The card is called a "Wiper" or "Windscreen Wiper" card and is basically two pieces of card which are just joined at the ends. Inside you stick a little tab which folds down inside the two pieces of card and when you "pull" the two ends, the tabs pop up.

I covered the main front top half with stripy paper and the bottom with a check paper, covering the join with a black peel-off strip. The outside panel has a Cuttlebugged silver card panel outlined with black peel-off strips and the second panel has some of the green patterned paper layered onto gold card and surrounded with more black peel-off strips.

I did the same at the other end. I printed out the sentiment and added that with a border of the black peel-offs and the second SIMPLES was done with peel-off letters.

The second pop up tab says "let's celebrate" which was another peel-off which I matted and added the black peel-off strips again.

Greaves Bridge No 52, Llangollen Canal

One of the signs in the window says:

"He is moving in!

so GREEN BOAT

& GREEN BUTTY

FOR SALE!!!"

Sweet.



We took a bus into Shrewsbury from Ellesmere to reminisce and do some shopping. David was stationed there for just under 18 months about 26 years ago and we lived half way between Oswestry and Shrewsbury at Nescliffe, just off the A5. It is only the second time we have been back in all that time and seem to remember very little of it. I don't remember any castle and, even though I must have passed it as I went into Rackhams (as it was), I completely missed the covered market building! Even the Old Post Office pub, where we had Section lunch once a week was in a different street, in a different part of town.



I put it down to having Caroline in a pushchair and every shop had either steps down or steps up to get into them, so I had other things to worry about.



We set off again on arriving back in Ellesmere to be ready for Grindley Brook tomorrow. Oh! Goody a staircase.





I have been making complicated cards, honest. But once again, a realy easy-peasy one. Three "bought" toppers of butterflies adhered to a pink card blank.

Ellesmere, Llangollen Canal

Funny sort of day, really. We set off with the intention of going down the Montgomery Canal. I had got it into my head that the canal was now open right down to Newtown.



So we moored up above the locks and waited for the BW office to open so that we could book a passage down the locks. Needless to say, this took some time but they finally answered and we booked in.



But, when the lock keeper arrived he just mentioned that we could only get as far as Mastermyn (or however you spell it, haven't got the Nicholsons with me at the moment). So, as we have already done that bit already, it seemed a bit of a palaver to go down all those locks to get the The Queen's Head to get a bus into Shrewsbury, we cancelled and went on to Ellsemere.


We passed this hirer trying to get his boat into the wharf. The man on the boat in front was hanging on the bow rope so tightly (so they wouldn't hit his boat) that they couldn't manoeuvre the boat across the canal!

One more very simple card. A white base. I cut a pink circle and a scalloped circle with the Nestabilities in the Cuttlebug and stuck them down. I then added a "bought" topper and a butterfly

Hindford, Llangollen Canal

Coming back across the Chirk Aqueduct. It seems like only yesterday...



A lovely, sunny day. We stopped here and had lunch at the Jack Mytton pub. I'm sure we've been there before, but I can't remember when, or who with, or with whom, or whatever.

This is a real cheat's card. The bear was cut from a tissue box, the scallop oval behind from an old cake box. The heart was prized from a broken hair decoration and the ribbon from a chocolate box. Cheapskate or what?

Llangollen, Langollen Canal

Launching Mr David into the void - or learning to fly.

Me? I'm cowering inside, hanging on for dear life.

We left Chirk at 6.45 and still managed to be followed over the aqueduct and meet a boat under the bridge at the junction at Trevor!

We slipped into the moorings in the basin at 1015 and tied up on those silly little pontoons that are only half the length of the boat and wobble like mad while you are trying to tie up the boat.

Still, the electricity is useful and I got all the washing done, and dried.

I love making cards with unusual "toppers". This one started out with a wooden rosebud.

I covered a long (DL) card with silver paper, punching the right hand side with a heart punch. I punched another edge to red shiny paper and added that to the left of the card. Finally a silver panel was added on top.

The rosebud was fixed with glue dots.

I made the sentiments with white card and silver peel-offs which was matted onto silver and red card and added to the card with sticky fixers as angles.

Thought the photograph shows it as an anniversary card - it was eventually sold as a birthday card - so I removed the anniversary mat and replaced it with a happy birthday.

Opposite Chirk Marina, Llangollen Canal

The start of the retrospective blogs, trying to catch up on the days when we couldn't get any signal.

Trouble is, can't remember much now.

We have another photograph, almost identical to this one of Mr David travelling over the aqueduct at Chirk, but I managed to snap a train going over the viaduct on that one.

Lots of hire boats racing past all day - mostly Welsh Lady boats.

The first of many Christmas cards for this year. White card, blue ribbon, sparkly parcels tied up with silver string, matted onto blue, white and sparkly blue card and a silver Father Christmas Brad. I haven't decided on where to put the sentiment yet though.