Thornhill, Leeds and Liverpool Canal

Sorry about the photo- it's the only one I took today.  I do think the reflection in the water is good though.

Field Locks were open by 0815 and we were on our way with the help of a friendly lock keeper, then it was two swing bridges before Dobson 2 locks at Apperley Bridge, which we had to do ourselves.  They were pigs.  Very stiff and hard work.  The swing bridge below the locks takes a small road, which for some reason was very busy for a Sunday morning.  David helped me close the gates and I pressed the button to open the bridge.  NOTHING.  I checked the barriers and tried again.  NOTHING.  I opened the barriers as the queues of traffic were building up.  We tried again and still NOTHING.  So we had to phone BW and get the emergency engineer out.  We had to wait for an hour, so I set off to find a newspaper.  It was uphill all the way and, finally, I found a Sainsburys.

The engineer came out, reset the bridge and everything worked perfectly.  Did I feel a fool?

We stopped for the day a bit further on in a very pretty spot with views over the Aire valley, but very shallow, so the boat was right out in the canal.


A few years ago, coming to Soulsbury Locks on the Grand Union we came across the local canal society lock wheeling in Victorian boaters' dress.  The photo is matted onto silver, light blue, darker blue and more silver card.  I added a blue photo corner to the top left hand corner and a flowery ribbon around the right hand side, tied in a knot.  This was then added to a blue card blank.

I added some white cotton lace across the bottom and more flowery ribbon over the top of the lace.

Field Three Locks, Leeds and Liverpool Canal

 There was a lock keeper around at 8am, but we didn't enter the top lock at Bingley until 8.30.  The descent was smooth and rapid and I helped where I could, but the paddles were so stiff.

Then it was down the Bingley 3 locks before going on to the Downley Gap 2 locks where we had to do them ourselves.  Here the paddles and gates were almost impossible; I'm not surprised the lock keeper had the day off.

Lots more swing bridges, including the one with wedges that take 18 turns to remove and 36 turns to replace, not to mention winding the lock open and closed.

We were running from the weather and almost got to Saltaire before the downpour.

Caroline and Curtis came up from Birmingham to return our other laptop and bring me some flowers for Mothers' Day, bless her.  Didn't bring the puppy though.  Had lunch in the Boat House and then they left and we moved on to the top of Field Three Locks.  Hope the BW lock keeper is there tomorrow.

Coming along we noticed the new banking - every so often there was a bundle with greenery.  I'm no expert, but I thought rushes and yellow flags needed to have their roots IN the water.  They'll all be dead in a few weeks time.

I haven't shown a waterways card for ages, so here is one showing the bottom of the Bingley Five Rise with the hotel boats Me and My Shadow. 

Bingley Top Lock, Leeds and Liverpool Canal

 We set  off early and picked up some Silsden hire boats on their way back to their base.

This stretch of canal has a swing bridge about every 1/4 mile so it is difficult to do any housework before jumping off the boat to do a bridge.  Here is how it went today:

Get dressed
Do bridge
Wash face, clean teeth, brush hair
Do bridge
Tidy up boat, start washing up
Do bridge
Finish washing up, get out hoover
Do bridge
Dust, hoover
Silsden boat does this bridge
Put hoover away
Do bridge - 3 Silsden boats come through too
Make bed
Bridge open, but following 3 slow boats!
Put washing on soak (can't use washing machine unless we have 4 clear miles for the batteries)
Silsden boat does bridge
Put yesterday's washing away
Follow very slow wide-beam Silsden boat to boatyard where it proceeds to wind in front of us (in the wind!!!) and moors up in the winding hole, making it difficult for the next boat to wind.
Freedom!

 It was really windy so we moored up for a while and then moved on to the top of the Bingley locks.  I went to find the lock keeper for the timings.  There was no one around but there was a sign with the times.

No I don't know either.

A card for Mothers' Day - or just Mum, or even Auntie.  I covered a white card blank with paper, using a strip of patterned card from the same paper set, wrapping some organza ribbon around it first and tying it up in a bow I stuck it across the card.

The topper is also part of the same paper set and I added it over the ribbon.

Booth's Swing Bridge, Leeds and Liverpool Canal

 The plan was to stay in Skipton for two nights but the wind came up and as the wharf has a curving wall we were banging against the stones.  So after lunch we moved out of town for a bit of peace and quiet.

Lots of signs of spring now, birds on nests, leaves budding and frogs croaking for all they are worth.  Haven't seen another swallow though!





This card has bee tinkered with several times.  This is the latest incarnation.

I covered a foam heart with some gold webbing and then added the gold rose which was then matted onto yellow card and gold miri card.

I wrapped some gold ribbon around a piece of white card and added some gold peel-off borders and stuck this down onto the white card blank along with the topper.

I used the computer to make the sentiment on white card and matted it onto gold miri card before adding it to the bottom of the card.

Skipton, Leeds & Liverpool

Rain was forecast today, so we decided to press on to Skipton. So the Bank Newton locks were done in the drizzle and then it cleared up a bit.

We came across NEW LOCK GATES!! Both top and bottom locks, and they were so new you could smell the new wood. Both gates were leaking already though.

Gargrave was quiet, three hireboats and two others on the moorings.


What can you do with the drunken paddle?


We managed to slot into our favourite mooring in Skipton opposite the boatyard in the Springs Branch and I collected the mail that David had so kindly sent us.

And now for a day's rest.














I covered a white card blank with a printed clipart of a race track and then added the car and a computer generated sentiment.

Bad Leak, Leeds & Liverpool Canal

A day of leaks.

This one is a leak from the middle Greenbergerfield lock - the water was pouring down over the car park.

Diesel (83p ltr) and coal from the boatyard and then it was down the three locks.

We are no longer on top of the canal. The 4 odd miles on this pound follow the hills, winding around and back on itself with an embankment on one side. We soon noticed that about every 100 metres there was a temporary sign....

No wonder they had to close the canal last year because of lack of water.














A decoupaged flower fairy today.

A white card blank which has the left hand side covered in stripy paper. A pink ribbon is wrapped around the join and the fairy panel is fixed on the other side.

I saved the top bunch of daisies and stuck them in the bottom right hand corner.

Salterforth, Leeds and Liverpool Canal

OK! OK I get the message. Messages on one of the Barrowford locks






We stopped off at Morrisons in Nelson for supplies and then on up the 7 Barrowford locks. When we got to the top lock drooling for a bacon buttie we found another sign. I don't like carping on about the stupidity of BW but really...

We missed our time slot for Foulridge Tunnel where we had to wait 1/2 hour and as we came out the other side we noticed Cafe Cargo had opened up in the old wharf building. So we stopped for lunch and discovered we had met the proprietors on the Llangollen about 5 years ago. Anyway, lovely meal, friendly staff and highly recommended if you're passing.

Then is was on to the visitor mooring by The Anchor pub with its stalactites and stalagmites in the cellar.



I love Eeyore, he reminds me of someone.

I decorated one edge of some red spotty paper and wrapped it around a white card base. Then I die-cut a circle and scalloped circle which I then Cuttlebugged before sticking them onto the card.

Eeyore was added to the circle along with a couple of butterflies and a sprig of flowers.