Friday 30 August 2013

Getting locked in



Yesterday I went with my daughter to Bingley in West Yorkshire.  It's on the Leeds to Liverpool canal and has quite a few locks, which I wanted to see.  We went for a walk along the River Aire and back along the canal.



First there is a flight of two locks




A three rise


and further along, a five rise.  



It doesn't look as good in a photo as real life, but that is quite a drop, apparently the steepest flight of locks in the UK.  A barge was just coming out of the bottom lock,and it takes quite a while to get through.  
I was quite overcome, my daughter said "Oh you're not going to cry are you?"!
Call me strange but I just love locks..

On the way back another barge was starting to go through.  This is it in the top lock.

Once it's in, and the gates shut behind it, the water can then be let out of the front gates into the next lock.  As the water level goes down the barge is lowered down to the next level

and when it's full the gates can be opened to let the barge through

and repeated through all the locks until it reaches the bottom



I absolutely loved it and could have stayed all day



Thursday 22 August 2013

Girl's reversible dress



I've made this cute little dress for my niece's baby, using this free pattern.



It was very easy to make.  (the colours have come out more peachy than the pink they really are.)




~~~

I forgot to say at the time, but if anyone is wondering about all those froglets I showed you earlier in the year, I went back a few days later and there was not one to be seen.  I guess they were eaten because some were still tadpoles so couldn't have legged it.


Friday 16 August 2013

Kid's jeans skirts and sheep charming



I've been sewing little girl clothes for my friend to sell at a family fun day.  
The photos haven't come out very well in the electric light so I'll just show you three of the skirts I made from jeans.
I had fun with different finishes.  This one had a frill made from another pair of jeans, edged in floral fabric and finished with ric rac

I made a matching tie belt for this one


These jeans had orange stitching so I chose fabric and buttons to match



~~~

The other day I was walking through a field of sheep, when one of them 'baaed' and another 'baaed' back.  I was thinking it was maybe a mother and it's offspring, but then there was another 'baa', and another, until they gradually all joined in and it was 'baa', 'baa', 'baa' all over the field and they began following me.
By the time I was half way across, some were right up behind me

 I quickly tried to take some photos before I was trampled!

 and when I'd climbed over the style, they were even trying to get through after me

They obviously thought I'd got some food - or one did and they all followed like sheep!



Sunday 4 August 2013

July 2013 Photo Scavenger Hunt



This is my selection of photos for this month's scavenger hunt organised by greenthumb at Made with love


Black






11
legs 11 - my husband just home from work




Something very old
I was walking past the church and saw this old bus being used as a wedding 'car'






Something bright
the sky when I went strawberry picking.  These particular rows are finished, so they're not as interesting as strawberry clad ones, but I wanted to get a photo with the bird scarer in




Coins
£5 coins




Technology
the insides of my computer tower






Numbers
on the side of an old shipping container






Wheels
pulley wheels on an old combine




The great outdoors
the strawberry picking place also has fishing lakes.  I was going to have this for my technology pic, thinking that the rods might be some high tech gizmos, but when I asked the fisherman if I could take his photo he started telling me how he fishes with split cane rods which are really old.  Funny because he was quite young (and he was chuffed to bits that I wanted to take his photo). 






Smile
on my first aid tin




Umbrella






Feet