Below Curdworth Locks, Birmingham and Fazeley Canal

David suggested a lie-in and late start after yesterday's locking.

So at 7am we were off!

Curdworth locks - 11 locks stretching over 2 miles. The top lock is a new lock which had to be built when the M6 Toll road was built.



The first four are always beautifully kept. Fresh new paint, the numbers of the locks picked out in red paint and the limit of the paddle gear also painted red.




There are planks on the top locks so that you don't have to clamber up onto the lock beam and the bottom locks have also got a walkway to assist getting to the other side of the lock.

The stupid strapping posts have also been given a coat of paint!







Then at Lock 5 it is back to normal. Crappy locks.












We stopped below the bottom lock as David was not feeling very well. He immediately retired to bed with a hot water bottle.




Dad, with three little helpers. I matted the card onto silver, yellow and orange card. The orange card was scalloped using scissors. Orange ribbon was wrapped vertically around a white card base and then a white grossgrain ribbon with an orange stripe was wrapped around that and tied with a knot.

Finally I added three square silver gems on the bottom left hand corner.












And with this one was made using a blue card base. I Cuttledbugged some silver card and added it to the card and then added some red Cuttlebugged card on top. Lastly, I added the silver and blue matted photograph.

Wiggins Hill Bridge, Birmingham and Fazeley

We set off at 0700 and found the first 6 locks on the Farmer's Locks flight not only for us, but all the top gates were open too. (That wouldn't have anything to do with the dark boat that went past just as I was going to bed last night would it?). Anyway, we took this as a good omen for the rest of the year.

How come I never noticed this lock-keeper's hut at the bottom of the locks?

There was a lot of ice about, but the sun was lovely and warm and it is so nice to be out in the countryside (though only just).

After the 27 locks I was so knackered that I slept for two hours and I ache all over. Hey Ho! Only 11 locks tomorrow...










These two cards were some of the some time ago for a stall at a boat festival. Instead of a "New Home" card they are for people with a "New Boat" Well, makes a change.












I used photographs and scanned copies of boat licences,electricity cards and maps as a collage. The pins, tied with string are meant to represent a mooring stake and ropes.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Flying rats waiting for Roy to come out of the cafe with their breakfast. Soon the sky will darken with seagulls swooping to steal the bread from the pigeons. And then come the Canada Geese but don't get me onto the geese....









Saw this in Private Eye today. Hope I'm not breaching copyright but couldn't resist showing it.







Tomorrow the post should be coming from somewhere else. I've washed the white ropes that are on the top of the boat, so they are gleaming white again and we are heading for pastures new. Well, newish. The last 4 times we have been down the Farmer's Locks we have had to come back the next day for some reason or another. So wish us luck.




This photograph is one of my favourites. I think I found the paddle gear on the Shroppie, but I can't remember. It almost has a look of a painting about it. For this card I used a large square white base. The photograph was matted onto silver, acid green and white scalloped card. The swirly doodly bits were rub-ons. Finally, a green twill ribbon was wrapped around an "o" ring and fixed with two butterfly/dragonfly brads and stuck down with double sided tape. It doesn't really show up on the picture, but the right hand side of the front of the card has also been scalloped.








This yellow card using the photograph of the cans on top of Amber Moon. I have used it lots of time because the colours are so vivid. Oranges and greens instead of the usual blue and red. I matted the photograph onto silver, yellow and orange card and added a green tab to the right hand side. I then added two daisy type silk flowers, one in yellow and the other orange. The two petals were actually snipped off by accident. But there are no accidents when making cards, so I just stuck them down.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Just looked in my Drafts thingie and discovered that I hadn't actually published my last post. Sorry!

Not much has been happening around here. We had two lovely days with Spring in the air, but it seems to be back to normal today, overcast and cold.

The weather will probably get worse now, as we are hoping to start out on Friday after David's visit to the Hospital.

The brickwork around the basin is in a terrible state after all the ice and snow. Some major trip hazards out there - hope BW are well insured.

Now, back to the Saga... Being in the Army, we didn't really have any furniture of our own, so downsizing for the boat was fairly easy (well not if you don't go around buying 6' altar pieces it isn't). But it did mean that after 25 odd years of marriage we had never had to chose a colour scheme or style of crockery.

As a massive fan of William Morris and the Liberty store I finally decided on the curtains. Well it was a start! I went for the light blueWilliam Morris Strawberry Thief. The rest of the boat would follow through. I had always made my own clothes so curtains should be a breeze. I enrolled for a curtain making course at Liberty - one day sewing in the Directors' Board Room - all wood panelling taken from a ship and portraits. Where else would you want to learn to sew curtains? I received a 10% voucher for a discount on materials, but had to buy it that day, so I bit the bullet and bought enough Strawberry Thief to make the top side of a fur-lined blanket. I would get the rest of the curtain material in the sale.

Then disaster! Turned up on 26th December for the sale to discover that my lovely blue Strawberry Thief had been discontinued! Only a few metres left. S***!!! I bought what they had. Rushed off the Osbourne and Little and bought what little they had left and then to the two John Lewises in London and managed to get some more which they had in their depot. But it was still not enough.

So thinking cap on. Bought some blue chintz to match and with careful cutting I managed to make a central panel for each curtain of the Strawberry Thief and with blue chintz strips all around, mitering the corners and pink piping between the curtains were the right size. A pig to make, but the final result was quite pretty.





Finally, some cards. The first one with a picture of children on the roof of a boat. Personally, I found children wearing life jackets very photogenic - sad or what? I matted the photo onto silver and blue card. The yellow card was Cuttlebugged using the Birdsong folder before matting it onto more blue card and then they were both fixed to a light blue card base. Then the three blue circles were stuck along to top right hand side.








This second one, the photograph was matted onto silver, dark pink and more silver card.

The base card was white and I wrapped some dark pink ribbon around a piece of card the same width as the card and then wrapped gold thread around it several times before fixing it to the base card.

The photograph was attached with sticky pads and the silk flower was stuck in the right hand corner.

Gas Street Basin, Birmingham

Work goes on around at the Mailbox. Not sure what they are actually doing. Half the arm has been drained and they seem to be building a wall down the middle. Time will tell.

Snow and more snow. Summer had better be bloody hot this year!




The trouble with living with Portobello Road at your back door is that you want to buy things. There was one particular shop about a 1/4 of the way down selling architectural stuff from demolitions etc. Always something interesting to see like stained glass and icons etc. We often popped in to see what was for sale and got to make friends with the owner and his assistant (a resting actor - but that's another story). One day he was showing a beautiful pink altar piece. All William Morris tiles with metal leaves and grapes. David thought we could turn it into a table top for the boat. The owner did not want to sell it though. Wanted it for himself. Was going to put it in his bathroom.

We badgered and badgered, every Saturday and eventually he needed some money to go to see the World Cup in Rome. Result! We bought it before he could change his mind.


The next problem was to get it back to the flat. The tiles were fixed onto concrete and the concrete onto a large slate. It weighed a ton. We had four American Colonels visiting - they were big and strong. They very kindly took a corner each and walked it back up the hill to the flat. Now we just have to persuade the boat maker to fix in into the boat.



Two cards made with a photograph of nb Brighton on the Oxford Canal.

This one I matted onto maroon, orange and green card. Underneath I stuck an orange patterned ribbon and then wrapped thin maroon ribbon and tied a green dragonfly charm to it.













This one I matted onto white card and cut around the edges with tiny scalloped edged scissors before matting it onto maroon card and fixing a gold brad into each corner.

I stuck a piece of maroon paper across the bottom half of the card base and wrapped a knotted gold ribbon around the top join and a strip along the bottom, adding three gold brads along the right hand side of the ribbon (wonkily).

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

See how the poor bricks on the path have cracked because of all that snow and ice we had in January.

And still it snows!! Though I don't think we had any today, but it is bitterly cold and the rain is icy.

It was David's Birthday yesterday and we had lunch at Edmund's again - his favourite restaurant. Then it was back onto the warm boat and the big arm chair and the telly for the rest of the day.


Continuing our saga on living on this boat.... This is how we planned the boat: 57 1/2 ft long (ordered 57 but got an extra 6"), traditional stern and small front deck. (Thought that as we were in England it would probably rain rather than not, so more inside than out might be useful.) Windows to the bathroom and then portholes for the bathroom and bedroom. Beata 1905 engine and diesel central heating (our only real mistake, but more later).

Going through the front doors and the living space. Ceiling to floor cupboards each side of the door. A 3-4 seater settee along the right side. The galley is "U" shaped with a cupboard in the front facing the doors. Inside the "U" a fridge, washer/drier with gas hob and work surface above, sink and drainer with cupboard underneath and on the back wall, a cupboard on the bottom with a gas cooker above and a small cupboard above that. Between this and the window, another cupboard and a 'hole' underneath. On the opposite wall by the hatch and under the window a small cupboard with drawers.

As we had, in theory, made Caroline homeless, we made a bedroom for her which also housed my sewing machine and the computer. It had a permanent single bed and sliding doors for a bit of privacy. We also had three shelves fitted and two cupboards fitted, one at the top and the bottom ends of the bed (very snug).

The bathroom, we made a walk-through. It gave us a lot more room and enabled us to have a full-size domestic shower with sliding doors. We also went for a pump-out toilet.

The master bedroom is behind and behind that a large walk-in wardrobe with lights, hanging space and shelves.

Finally the bit at the back where the engine is, but that is not my territory!


This is David's birthday card from me. He has a "thing" about Amanda Holden so I used a couple of pictures if found on the Internet.

I started with a 5x7" white card and folded the front in half, back on itself. I used some lilac dotty paper and matted a panel onto gold card which I then stuck down on the "back side" of the front of the card. Then I printed off the photograph and matted it onto gold, patterned and more gold card before fixing it to the flap, almost at the bottom.

Finally, I added the peel-off strips. (Should probably have added the ones under the picture before I stuck it down, but didn't think of it at the time.)






On the inside I printed off another photo and matted it onto gold card and fixed it to the inside of the front of the card. On the other side I matted the patterned paper onto gold card and a panel of plain white paper down the left hand side for the message. I added another strip of gold peel-off down the right hand side, and that was it.







This is what it looks like when it is stood up.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

We have just come back from a few days in Penzance in Cornwall. Went down on the National Express coach 2 for 1 and the B&B was 4 nights for the price of 3. Cheapskates you say.

Couldn't believe how green the grass was down there - even saw some daffodils in flower. Though the weather wasn't too good. One night the waves were hitting the promenade and the spray was hitting the window of our bedroom.

Found a great pub with smashing food (The Navy Inn), which we went to twice.

Also hired a car for the 3 days. Last time David drove was at least 3 years ago. So we drove all around the peninsular and up to St Austell and The Eden Project (which we both hated).

One day we took the helicopter to St Mary's on the Scilly Isles. That was a first for me. David was all blaze as he'd been on lots - even got shoved out of one once. The trip back was a bit nerve wracking as there was low cloud, but as the majority of the passengers were fit young men of the Scilly Fire and Rescue Service, I reckoned that at least we would be rescued if necessary.

Back in Birmingham nothing much seemed to have happened. There had been a message from Linda and Kevin on Tranquility who were passing through, so I got in touch and they popped around for a natter before returning their share boat to its base. And then it was batten down the hatches again as it has snowed again today.


Last Valentine card of the year. This is another one that I made to be sent out to Afghanistan for our troops to buy to send home. Unfortunately, the lady I send them to has moved and the Post Office has just returned the parcel. Too late to send them again.

Anyway, this one has a Cuttlebugged hearts panel in white, matted onto red. One of the hearts I filled in with an embossing pen and embossed it with red embossing powder. The Love God was a removable tattoo that I stuck onto white card and cut it out with a Nestabilities, matting it in red, using the Nestabilities again. Finally, a computer generated sentiment matted onto red card.