Sowerby Bridge, Calder and Hebble Navigation

 So, what was today's accident?

We managed to flood the boat again.  The locks on the C&H are only 60ft long, so our 57 1/2 foot boat fits in fairly snugly.  Most of the locks have only one paddle in the top gate where you can use a windlass, the rest (and always the ground paddles) need a special hand spike (a long piece of wood which you use as a lever).  These are a bit of a bind, and being lazy I only used the windlass paddle (which is a gate paddle).  This particular one managed to catch the boat and fill the well again.  Oops!

The bit from Brighouse to Sowerby Bridge is very pretty, a wooded hill on one side (covered in bluebells) and the river on the other side. 

This  sentiment was chalked up on a disused lock keepers hut.  Sweet!  I feel a card coming on.

David said he did it wrote it for me last night.

So, I'd better show a romantic card then.

I covered a heart with handmade paper (with flower petals in it) which was then mounted onto some pink handmade paper.  I then added a rose and a pink bow.

This I stuck down onto a white card base, adding three oval, pink gems in the bottom right hand corner.

Kirklees Top Lock. Calder and Hebble Navigation

 It isn't getting any better.  We came back down the Huddersfield Locks and back onto the River Calder.  As we got to the first lock I noticed that the bottom paddles were all up.  Good, I thought, someone is coming down.  I got off the boat, walked up and noticed that the top paddles were also all up!!!  There was a BW work boat in the lock and the pound above it was empty.  They were working on the lock gates.

So we tied up for three hours to await the work being finished and the pound being filled.

Some good news though, a boat was coming down and they did most of the first lock for us, and of course they had left the gates open on the top lock so we could just go straight in.

We saw our first ducklings today.

There was a stoppage posted on the Internet.  On the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.  Glad we decided not to try it.

A lovely atmospheric photo of boats and a bridge.  I matted it onto silver and green card.

I cut one side of some blue card with scalloped scissors and pricked a row of dots along it before Wrapping some green ribbon around the other edge.  This I stuck to the right hand side of a white card blank.

The photo was then placed over the top of the panel and a metal photo clip stuck down on the bottom left hand corner of the photo.

I punched out some green leaves and stuck them down on the bottom of the card and then added two silk hydrangea flowers.

Huddersfield, Huddersfield Broad Canal

 What a day!  It started when we noticed that we had scrapped the paint of the bow flare messing up the sign writing.  Then we caught the front fender in the lock and broke it off (that's the third time this trip).  There was a lot of rubbish in the canal and we managed to get this mattress filling wrapped around the propeller.  It all came up through the weed hatch!   Then 5 locks up we met Hug coming down.  They had abandoned their plan to traverse the Huddersfield Narrow Canal after spending 4 hours doing 4 locks and finding the next 1 mile pound empty.

When we got into Huddersfield we phoned BW for some advice - all they would say was that the canal is open, but there is very little water in it.  So we decided to turn around and try for the Rochdale tomorrow.

The best part was that we met up with Janet, a dear friend and designer of our boat.  She took us home to see the dogs and then took us out to lunch.

I finally tried a diamond fold card.  It was surprisingly easy (after the initial mess up with the folds).

I covered the base and the front with patterned paper and then added a diamond of pink pearlescent paper on the front.  The toppers were free with one of the magazines.

Coopers Bridge, Huddersfield Broad Canal

Looks like Summer is over already.  Rain has been forecast.  So we left early.  Lots of river sections and canal cuts which means big locks off the river with dodgy landings, but then the flood locks at the top end of the cuts were all open.

Lots of signs of Spring, birds on nests, and at the lock at Shepley Bridge a stoat/weasel was frolicking and almost came right up to my foot before it saw me and scurried away.

Now we are finally off the rivers and feeling more secure above the first lock on the Huddersfield Broad.  Should be in Huddersfield tomorrow (though I checked today and there is no room on the visitor moorings and most of the boats looked as if they had been there for some time).

Have not seen any cygnets or ducklings yet, but here is a photo of one I saw earlier.

Just a white card blank with some lilac checked ribbon tied around the bottom and tied in a knot.  I matted the photograph with white, deckle edged card and then lilac deckle edged card.

Mill Bank Lock, Calder and Hebble Canal

 Spring is springing, lots of green trees and Broad Cut Low Lock as seen from the river.  We saw lots of swallows today too.

We left really early again in a thick mist, passing Hug getting ready to set off.  Then, a bit further on a cruiser came out of the mist towards us.  Just past that and another boat was moving in front of us.  And it was only 7.30 on a Sunday morning.

We were able to get all three boats into Fall Ings lock and then Hug and Mr David travelled on together to the top of Figure of Three locks, where we decided to stay for the rest of the day.

We were grateful for the help with locking from Elaine and John on Hug - John being very fit!

During the afternoon the pound seemed to be getting very low so we moved up through Mill Bank lock for the night.

A clean and simple card (CAS - 2 layers and/or two colours + black and white).  I stamped the flowers onto white card and mounted this onto gold mirror card and green pearlescent card.  This was then stuck down onto a white card blank.

Kings Lock, Aire and Calder Navigation

 We spent a few days in Leeds and were joined on our last night by Jan and Bowman from Rivendell, which was a good excuse for dinner at Mumtaz again and strict instructions from Bowman not to wake him when we left.

Then at 0645 we slipped our moorings and set off down the Aire and Calder to Castleford Junction before turning right towards Stanley Ferry.

We got a text message to say that we did not disturb anybody on leaving.

Some of the locks on this stretch are so BIG.  Mr David is in this lock somewhere!

This is Castleford Junction.  Turn left for Selby and Goole and right for Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Brighouse.  Go straight on and you end up on the weir.

Not a very good photograph of this card.  A white card blank and a decoupaged Forever Friends bear on a Cuttlebugged heart.  Four red gem hearts decorate the top of the sides.

Clarence Dock, River Aire

 We got to Newlay 3 locks just as the lady lock keeper arrived with husband and daughter in tow.  They helped us down these and then drove on to Forge 3 locks and helped us down those (while we took the daughter, Jessica on the boat with us). 

The stone runnel for water overspilling the middle lock here was beautiful.

Then it was on to Kirstall Lock with Jessica again while the lock keeper went on with the van and we were helped through here too.  This is one of the dodgy locks as there is a huge council estate just over the hill.  On hot days there are lots of swimmers etc.

We did the next lock on our own and then were met at Oddy 2 locks by the lock keeper again as the middle lock gates are a bit iffy and will be breaking some day soon.  We needed the three of us to open the top gate as the middle one was leaking so badly.

Coming to the next lock we met an Otter boat with an elderly man (late 80s?).  The lock was empty so I opened the gates for him and he brought the boat in, climbed up the ladder and held the boat while David and I opened the paddles.  Then his wife came out and the couple doddered around the lock.  And there was me thinking that this might be the last time I do the Leeds and Liverpool as it is getting hard.  They were like Babes in the Wood.  How they got on at Oddey Locks as they would have been on their own, the lock keeper having gone back up to Field Locks.

 Last time we were in Granary Wharf they were building like mad and the moorings were unavailable.  Now there is electricity and pontoons, but apparently they are all private now and the hotel charges!

We were in Clarence Dock, with electricity hooked up for lunchtime, which meant we could have lunch in Mumtaz.  Goody!

Another version of the lock wheelers.  This time I matted three identical photos in silver and light blue card.

Blue ribbon was wrapped around the card, once on the left and again on the right, this time tied with a knot.  The three pictures were stuck down over the left hand ribbon in a row and a computer generated sentiment "Idle Women?" matted and added with sticky fixers over the right hand ribbon.