Gaton Pump House, BCN Old Line

It was just a short run.  A trip to Galton Valley for the BCNS Bonfire Meet.  Just over an hour away and only 3 little locks.

Everything was fine till we got to the bottom lock.  David put the boat into reverse to stop it and got something around the prop.  We got the boat into the bottom lock and David went down the weed hatch.  Something nasty. 

We pulled the boat through the bottom lock and a hire boat (which had water in the bilges up to the engine - who had the worst problem?) came down the middle lock.  Mike Rolfe was following us, so he took the next lock and I helped him up to the top.  He then came down to help in the weed hatch.  To no avail. 

So, we hauled the boat up to the lock mooring at the top and called River Canal Rescue.  It took the guy 3 hours to reach us and had the offending wire out of the hatch within 15 minutes!!  You just need the right gear.

By this time all the bank side moorings had gone and I didn't fancy breaching up and having to negotiate wet cratches so we moored up on the visitor moorings by the pump house.


"It's my girlfriend's birthday on Wednesday, can you make her a card?  She loves cats and cute.  Oh! and she is busy on Wednesday, can I come and pick it up tomorrow morning?"

I printed off the cat three times, coloured it in with pencils and then decoupaged it.

A square white card blank was covered in pink floral paper, some pink ribbon tied around the bottom in a knot and a panel of green floral paper matted onto silver card was laid over the this.  The circle was die cut, as was the silver surround and the whole thing was stuck on with sticky fixers.  I added the sentiment and name which was matted onto the green paper and some white roses with die cut leaves and a swirl cut from the green floral paper.

Of course, the card would not not fit into the envelope, so I had to make a box. Time was getting short, so I just matted another piece of the pink floral paper onto silver card and stuck it to the top of the box and added a strip of silver peel-offs along the sides of the lid.

Gas Street, BCN

 Another lovely day and lots of people, but the awful singing finally got to us at 2pm and we set off for home.  There were out of tune singers, wailing singers, religious singers and nearly all were appalling.

We followed Tony on Trent down the locks and traveled back in glorious, warm sunshine.

 We have an ongoing problem with our bog.  It all started exactly a year ago, while we were at Tipton!  We had a new LeSan HeadMaster toilet fitted a few weeks ago, but it is absolutely useless.  It will flush away only intermittently and even then there is a back flush so it never goes away.  We dare not do anything serious and are  having to use the toilets in the Hyatt Hotel.  There is talk of a warrenty, but the firm don't seem to think it an emergency.  (Southampton Boat Show).  They are getting back to us.

This is the card that I made for Richard the first time we had the problem.

I dry embossed some brown paper with a bark folder and cut it into 4 panels, sticking three on the front to look like planks in the outside loo.  I made a mini toilet roll using a sheet of loo paper cut into strips and wrapping it around a small tube.  String was threaded through the tube and knotted then fixed to the front of the card with a brad.

The fourth panel I stuck inside the card adding a cream matted with gold sentiment.

I thought about making it a "smellie" card, but decided against it.

Tipton, Wolverhampton Level, BCN

 What is the world coming to?  We have just passed 8 fishermen and each one similed and spoke!!

Apart from trips to Sherborne Wharf for jobs and pumpouts we have not been anywhere on the boat, so i haven't had much to blog about. 

David let me buy a metal box from Steve to put all my card stuff in.  He was fed up of having the boat full of boxes and stuff. Steve makes the most wonderful boxes.  We have two now, and Pete and Peter have one each; so along with Steve's own box for Frederick there 5 on the moorings - each one made specifically for its owners.

We set off for Tipton at 0730 this morning, arriving 3 and bit hours later.  Wayne had left us a mooring on the towpath side so that I could sell cards and there were several other traders there, including the cheese boat which was doing a roaring trade.

As like last year the sun came out and it was warm and sunny.

I used 5 photos to make this card, cutting out and using the centres which got smaller and smaller.  I then used sticky fixers to constrsuct a 3D type picture which was matted onto gold card and then onto the white card blank.

I saved the frames a an did an inverted pyramid on another card.

Gas Street, BCN

More trees lost to the canal around Birmingham.  The NIA has been denuded too.  Notice, though, they have not cut down the ones on the corner which can actually be a nuisance - yet!

David set off at 0630, I stayed in bed with a cup of tea.

We were back by for 10 and kicked the squatters off the mooring.

I really enjoyed my weekend out.  Can't see us getting away again until September at least.  Still, we have a grandson to look forward too.

One reason why we came back early was that Pete, our neighbour, celebrates his 83rd birthday today and there was a party and boat trip for him.

I went with a skateboarder theme, for no reason, just thought he might like it.  The card was made with a blue card blank, a brown panel matted onto silver card and the sentiment and name picked out in silver peel-offs.  The two skateboarders were stickers which I mounted onto card and cut out. 

The bottle tag was made with white card and I matted some patterned paper onto silver card and stuck it down on the front, then I cut out a white panel which went on the top and added the peel-off sentiment and name and the skateboarder was added to the bottom.

Hopwood, Worcester and Birmingham Canal

 This mooring is up for auction!  Is there a prettier spot?  It is at Lower Bittel Reservoir on the Worcester and Birmingham.  Not many utilities, electricity, water and rubbish (I think), but nothing else, and you'd need a car.

 We set off for Alvechurch and finally caught up with the others just before Tardebigge tunnel.  There was no room for us to join them as the bank was too shallow, so we winded and came back here.

Lunch at the Hopwood Arms and a quiet afternoon in the sunshine.

Cathy (a fellow moorer) always managed to pose a challenge when she needs a card.  She handed me a badly photocopied photo of her grandchildren with the Simpsons.  Could I make a card for the Grandson, and Smudge (the dog) needs to be there too.

This is what I did.  I cut an aperture into the front of a tent fold card and added a strip of peel-off around the edge.  I scanned the picture and David twiddled with it to enhance it a bit and I had a copy made at Snappy Snaps.  It is not too good, but better than the original.  I matted this onto silver card and stuck it to the back of the card blank through the aperture.

I found a clip of the Simpsons and printed it off onto card, and also the sentiment and name which I cut out by hand and die cut using black "dots" to looks like brads.  Smudge was cut out and added to the bottom of the aperture to look like she is peeking out.

Hopwood, Worcester and Birmingham Canal

 The first Saturday that we had sunshine and the stag parties were jumping the lock and swarming over passing boats as they negotiated the narrows.  I think the police must have had a word with the owner of the Canalside Cafe because several signs have appeared (though only one seems to remain at the moment).

We have actually taken the boat out of the basin (apart from pump outs).  We visited Sherborne Wharf to get the windows finished and sealed off and then set off down the Worcester and Birmingham.

Hopwood is about the first decent moorings a good run from Birmingham so we moored up by the bridge.

Three fellow moorers passed on their way to Alvechurch and we arranged to meet them tomorrow.

It was so nice to be out.  I have missed so much of Spring this year.  We saw ducklings and moorhen chicks, lots of butterflies and dragonflies, roses, foxgloves, meadow-sweet and the last of the yellow flags.  And best of all, the sun shone all day!

Poor Richard at Sherborne Wharf had the joyous job of fixing our toilet.  I managed to drop a wet wipe down (though I have no recollection of doing so!)  Consequently the macerator came to a grinding halt.

This is the third time that he has had to play with our outpourings.  I made this card as a small thank you.

I printed off the stamp about 4 times, coloured them in with pencils and markers, then decoupaged them using sticky fixers.  I was really proud of myself as I managed to get the pig to peek out of the door.  I did this by sticking the hinge end of the door directly to the shed with double sided tape, cut a flap at the side of the pig and stuck him behind the door with sticky fixers.

The sentiment was done on the computer and I matted both onto gold and green pearl card.

This is a side view showing how the pig peeks out of the door.

Gas Street Moorings, BCN

Two more Canada geese goslings.  Still looking cute, but not for long.

The adults are particularly annoying at the moment, honking all night.

It was back to Sherborne Wharf today to get two of the three leaky windows fixed.  Of course, the weather turned cloudy and chilly again - especially with no windows!

Three new baby cards all made with the "bobble" of a hair decoration and a feather.