Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

 I don't know, you miss a few days and it is really difficult to get back into the habit of blogging.  So sorry.  Though it is difficult if I don't have a photo to publish too.  Blogs are boring without pics, don't you think?

Anyway, we got back from Spain early August and missed all the fun on the moorings (yet again)!

There had been an auction for a mooring and the winner arrived, but soon started accusing other moorers of various misdemeanours and then began threatening to mutilate the males and stab one of the females.  Fortunately their contract for the mooring was not signed so they moved off.

The good news is that BBC Dave was the under bidder and he was offered the mooring.

On our big cruise in the Spring we managed to rub off the Mr on the bowflare.  Calum can be seen here painting the white bits

And Ana has just finished the signwriting.

So we are all shipshape again.

Well, almost, but that is another story.

Caroline and Curtis celebrated their second wedding anniversary in July.  This is the card I made.

  I Cuttlebugged a square piece of white card and stuck it onto some yellow card.  I wrapped several paper lace strips around and fixed it to the back and also some yellow paper string, fixing that at the back too.

A white Nestability heart was Cuttlebugged, then matted onto a yellow scalloped one and fixed to the side of the panel.  I stuck this panel onto a white, square card blank and then added to roses and leaves.

Aix en Provence, France

Here's a first! Posting from the iTouch in a hotel after a great meal in town. Can't upload pictures yet though.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

More Canals than Venice, More rubbish than Naples and now, more oil than Arabia.

A couple of weeks ago David applied to join the flotilla travelling down the Thames, through London, on the Queen's Jubilee next year.

Yesterday we got an email to say that we need to attend a rehearsal at the beginning of September.

The PLAN had been to travel down the Nene, Great Ouse and Cam this summer, but now we will have to cut it short and just do the Nene before travelling down to London.  Still it should be fun.

Great discussions.  We have a new moorer and they are discussing where she should moor her boat!  It was suggested that maybe she should put the boat in the gap between the boats!!!

Lilac card blank.  Green scalloped mat using Nestabilities.  Yellow circle embossed with Cuttlebug.  Decopaged pansies and a fluttery butterfly.

To finish, a large green gem.

Gas Street Basin, Birmingham

  Lots of fun on the moorings yesterday.  Another "marital" - although none of the parties is actually married!

An awful of shouting, screaming, crying, death threats and hiding in boats.  Never a dull moment in Gas Street Basin.
 
 One little niggle when we were "doing" the Droitwich Canals the other week. 

If I can see the next lock I usually walk to it.  In this case, I came to this wooden fence with a door.








This is the sign, which is quite acceptable.  The only trouble was



















The padlock was on the INSIDE and the padlock used a different key.  NOT the BW Watermate key.

The lock cottage was totally encased with a wooden fence (those boaters might want to walk around the lock) and I had to walk down the lane past the cottage, over the canal bridge and down the other side to get to the lock.

BW don't give a s*** about boaters yet again.









The only access to the lock is on the left hand side from the bridge, through another gate (thankfully this one wasn't locked).













I made this card the other day for a lady who has just graduated.  The original card was by Carole'Anne Sluchinski and you can find her tutorials here and here.  I changed the shirt into a blouse and added some black buttons and a pearl necklace and the scarlet and silver were her university gown colours. 













On the sentiment I was asked to add two storks carrying babies and two wedding rings as Francis, the recipient, had got married and had both her sons while doing her Masters Degree.

I made another panel for the back (not shown) for the personal sentiments. 

On the whole, I was pretty impressed with what I had done and (mainly thanks to Carole'Anne for her great tutorials) so did the recipients.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Went to Stratford on Avon yesterday for a mooch and noticed this sign in the basin.  Only 185 locks to London?  Must count them some time.

We celebrated 12 years on the boat on the 13th.  How the time flies.  And how much we have learnt in that time.  We were waterways virgins when we set off, with just the 2 days of the Helmsman's Course under our belts. I would certainly recommend the course for newcommers (and some oldies!).

Here's to the next 12 years.

Also noticed the sign above this shop.  Looks like a sentiment for a card to me.

Had to make a card for a lady who loved shoes.  David found a reason (not that he usually needs one) to chat up a shop assistant in Selfridges and he managed to get a Jimmy Choo card which they put in the boxes with the shoes.  I matted it onto some silver card and stuck it to the front of a deep lilac card blank.

On the inside of the "topper" I added the words which I printed onto some light lilac card, added lots of glitter and stuck it down on the inside.

Gas Street Basin, Birmingham

 Didn't take any photos today, so here is one from the Droitwich gathering.

David was up at 0530 and we set off (well, David set off, I was still in bed).  Just after he started the heavens opened and it rained all the way back until we got out of the last (very wet inside) tunnel.

We were back on our moorings at 0915.  Don't let me do 42 locks in one day EVER AGAIN!

Another early card.  I stamped the card and coloured it in then matted it onto silver and black card.

I cut some blue paper with wavy scissors and stuck the panel onto the bottom half of a light blue card.  The topper was then fixed over the join.

The sentiment says "A little bird told me!" and I used it for a congratulations card for an expectant couple.

Hopwood, Worcester & Birmingham Canal

 Left at 0445 and began the 42 locks we did today.  Another lovely day for locking and most of the locks were for us.  Lots of boats coming down the locks, which was good for us.

The ants had been busy at this lock, lots of tiny little anthills.

We met one boat coming down and the bloke told David to pass his boat in the pound!  Not take it up onto the towpath then.

We managed the Tardebigge flight in 4 hours again it began to rain as we got to the penultimate lock.

But it was on, on!  We finally got here at 1345 and went straight to bed.  At 6 we tried to get a meal in The Crown but they don't do food Monday and Tuesday nights, so it was back to the boat and scallops and bead and butter.

While I was still working for Birmingham City Council I made a card for the guy who does the Christmas Lights.  I found some pictures of  street decorations, a Christmas tree and some lights and made a collage on a white card blank.  Then I printed out the electrician onto card and cut him out, adding him to the card with sticky fixers.