Gas Street Moorings, BCN

 A photo apropos nothing really, I saw it in Glasgow last year and thought it a great name for a shop selling meat and wine.

The New Year went off with a bang!  We got  fireworks this year (after getting none last year).  Is there another mooring on the system with virtually its own firework display?

Later on Frederick had its back doors gemmied
and a generator was stolen.  And, yes, the the gates were locked.

The wind was so bad the next night later that it blew the two "24hr" signs off the mooring posts (but not the 4 others).  That meant that the boat that had been on the moorings since way before Christmas could now claim he was on a "14 day" mooring.  Coincidence?



We are planning our cruising this year and the Leeds and Liverpool are part of them.  So here is a card made with a postcard of an old working boat, I think at Bank Newton.

It is lovely around there, but there is never anywhere to moor overnight.  Last time we went through there was a huge leak from the canal and water was pouring down the car park by the cafe there.

I mounted the postcard onto some silver card and then onto a blank card base.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

 We have been on this mooring for almost two years now and as there was nowhere to tie the boat at the front we used the metal railing on the end of the next pontoon.  It was supposed to have been on our pontoon, but that is yet another story.

Anyway, during the high winds over the past few days the weight of the boat pulled it down.  It was 2am in the mooring and we reported it to CRT on the emergency line.  Our two trusty workers were around next morning and they fixed it.

We are too scared to used it again for tying up the boat, so now we are waiting for a new cleat thingy to be put onto the end of our pontoon so that we can tie the boat more firmly.

There should be fireworks tonight - I saw some men on the roof of the House of Sport.  It's usually a good sign.  We didn't get any last year, so here's hoping.

 I haven't made a new year card for ages, well 2009 actually.

So here is one I made earlier.

Hope you all have a happy and prosperous year ahead.  Give us a waive if you see us on the cut.  We are planning the Llangollen, Liverpool, York and back this year.

 Merry Christmas everyone.

And a happy New Year!

Gas Street Basin. BCN

I  don't know how the Trust has the cheek to publish this poster.  Just remind me.  Who closed more canals than anyone else?  Who put concrete into locks?  Who sold off reservoirs?  Who tried their best to stop local associations from re-opening their canal?  Who let canals fall into decay and stagnation?  

Oh! Just call me a sad old git.

"To my beautiful wife on our 1st Christmas"  A lovely decoupaged card with lots of glitter.

 

And "To my wonderful husband on our 1st Christmas.  Decoupaged and lots of glitter.

Gas Street Basin, BCN

 I must walk over this bridge at least once a week and it wasn't until yesterday that I noticed the rope marks in the stone coping.  The bridge goes over the entrance to Regency Wharf.

Then, blow me, as I was walking by the Malt Shovel there were more.  This bridge is over the entrance to that tiny wharf with the little boat and reed bed.

And the moral - keep your eyes open!

 Fifty Christmas cards for Susan who runs a "spa" service.  I made 50 of a lady having a massage in the summer.

I cheated slightly by using the stamp digitally and colouring it on the computer to save time.

Every one is slightly different.





Here are some close-ups. 




This one has a glittery snowflake with two smaller paper ones.















A couple of die-cut holly branches.  The berries are made with glitter glue.










Notice some of the fairies have brown hair and others are blonde.


This card has holly leaves and gold berries (they were "retrieved" from crackers one Christmas).

I used holly leaves and glitter glue for this card too.

Gas Street Basin , BCN

 I have made an early New Year's Resolution.  I am going to blog at least once a week even though I don't have much to say boating wise.

I'll just have to fill in with stories and pictures I haven't already blogged about.

The view from the front of the boat.  Jurys Inn getting a facelift.

We got back from the Bonfire Meet without any alarms or excursions.  We went the long way around, down Spon Lane locks.  Never done them before.

Apart from that we have been moored up here in Gas Street except for pump outs at Sherborne Wharf.  John and Jenny Jackson came and delivered our coal for the winter and David has got several wooden pallets from the Hyatt for chopping up, so we should keep nice and warm.

I have branched out from cardmaking and made this lumiere.  I made a sort of box type card, cutting a hole in the front and backing it with some vellum.  

Two holes were punched at each spine and ribbon threaded through and tied in a knot.

Various silver, sparkly, peel-off were added along with some sparkly Christmas trees

A battery operated candle is placed in the centre of the vellum panel to shine through the window.









Then, of course, I had to make a box to put it in.

I used the same colour card that I made the lumiere from, cut a hole in the centre, added the silver peel-offs, and that was it.

Galton Pump House, BCN Old Line

 After a surprisingly quiet night we woke up to a dry morning, which was a relief after all the rain last night.

How I miss not being out in the country (?) all the time.  The trees are beautiful, there were birds tweeting in them and ducks in the water.  But on the other hand, I also love living in the centre of Birmingham and having everything close at hand.  And David likes being in Birmingham too - no need to get down the weed hatch!

I did my stint in the refreshments tent and managed to to gorge on the lovely cakes, but had to hang onto the tent during the gusts of wind.

I am publishing this before the bonfire starts, so I have something for tomorrow.  It is raining now.  So fingers crossed.

Another birthday card for a guy who works on our moorings.  It was for his sister.  I used a photograph taken on the Llangollen, which is a canal he know well.  I matted it using Nestabilities in yellow and pink (colours matching the boat).

I used another square card blank and matted a Cuttlebugged yellow panel over some pink card which I edged with a Martha Stewart punch and wrapped some pink ribbon around it before sticking it onto the left hand side of the card.

To finish off I added some green swirls and leaves and three pink blossoms and a pink bow.  The sentiment is a silver peel-off