I know, it's been ages since our last post, but we've been very, very busy indeed.
If you've seen the video of Reading in Bed on Alice's friend Joy's YouTube channel, you will see this title is a bit different: we've added "@ 70". It's a new version, based on the earlier video, but with significant alterations to the title, the commentary by me and Ba, the background music, and other stuff, so we could enter it for a competition!
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (of which more in a while) has a yearly competition for a short film (under 8 minutes) and each year there's a key word which has to be included: this year, the 70th such festival, it was SEVENTY! Perfect for us, as Alice is just a bit over that age.She was so keen to enter, that she's even allowed us to admit to her truly venerable years, not just here, but also in my commentary when her glasses slide off her nose. There's generosity in the cause of creativity for you! [She's blushing as she types.]
Of course, it's meant a lot of extra work and not a few bouts of swearing blue (why "blue?) slaving over the computer, preparing the new version in a hurry to get it submitted in time.And then, they extended the deadline!! If we'd known, we could have tidied up some of the little glitches which had bothered Alice. She's a terrible perfectionist, with Virgo rising, which is why everything we do takes so very long. But then, I think, they are part of what lends the enterprise its own unique charm. Anyway we'd let Ba make her naive criticisms, as they sent the whole thing up in a trendy, filmic self-referential manner.
On top of this, we've also been working on the promised Extras! Lots of photos and bits of video to sort out there, not to mention our own judicious commentary. No wonder we're behind with this blog. When the competition is over, we'll ask our friend Joy to upload @ 70 to her channel as well.
Forgotten Photos
Back in April, when Alice recovered her funeral hat, we mentioned seeing the Titum Aurum, and posted a photo. Recently she was reminded of the sheer amazingness of plants, when her Poetry Group discussed a poem by Denise Levertov.But she couldn't find the other photos of the visit! She eventually discovered it was because it was in late June 2015, after the momentous trip to Yorkshire (when we adopted Ba) and the delay in catching up extended from that catching up to this one too.
So Alice busily edited away and caught up.
And here they are, very much delayed. Just click to see them at a larger size.Above I'm waiting in the long queue. On the left is a banner prepared by the RBGE explaining the growth cycle of the flower - not every year, but only rarely. See also the RGBE website for more details.
While we were there, we also visited the wonderful hot houses.They are indeed very hot, and very steamy. But Alice declared it was worth a dose of sweating for the beautiful water lillies, and the graceful Hibiscus.
And the wilder flowers are lovely too. I enjoy just sitting in the gardens, soaking up the atmosphere, so we go back there every now and again, sometimes for an Art Exhibition, too. See our previous blog post, right below this one, or in a separate tab here.
More flowers still
As you may well know already, we have our own flowers at home, despite living in a tenement flat.
Our window boxes might not look like much from the outside, but they give us a lot of pleasure. [Do click!]Recently we did a big re-planting, removing the dead bulbs and getting ready to replace them with fresh plants newly bought (from Homebase.) We've got some trailing blue Lobelia, some Empress of India Nasturtium (a gorgeous red, we hope) and some bright yellow Marigolds, already in flower. It was very late in the evening by the time the whole job was complete and we put them back outside, hoping the tender young plants would survive a slightly chilly night.
Alice decided to record the event, anyway. Shooting with flash at night has a quite dramatic effect, doesn't it? 
Meanwhile, we have our indoor collection inside the kitchen window.Ba didn't want to risk falling off the hanging basket, but sat more happily below.
Alice doesn't always "remember" to water them, as it invloves climbing a ladder and standing on the draining board, but the Geraniums seem to forgive her and keep on blooming. A welcome sight to cheer her while washing the dishes, I say! She's grunting now - it's not a favourite occupation.
The Film Festival
The 2016 Edinburgh International Film Festival will soon be upon us! Therefore much anticipatory excitement in our film-loving houshold.We grabbed a programme as soon as they came out.
By the time we'd compared our not-so-short list with what was possible, given the clashing dates and/or times, all four pages of the calendar looked like this! But our tickets are now booked, paid for and delivered. Hurrah!
I expect, however, there will be another long gap in our blogging while we enjoy, digest, and recover fom the event. You have been warned.
Another type of film
Meanwhile, we made a rare visit to our local multiplex, booking online (cheaper) and using an E-ticket on the smartphone for the first time. Can you guess what we went to see?
Not a hard job, with our Alice's enthusiasm for all things related to the literary Alice and the original real-life Alice Liddell.
Yes, it was the new Disney film, called Alice Through the Looking-Glass. It's had terrible reviews in general, but our favourite critic, Mark Kermode, said on Radio5 that he liked it, so we gave it a go. If you don't mind spoilers, this early trailer (there are several versions around online) gives you a good feel of the piece.
[ We had to chop this rather splendid poster in half, it's so long and thin. . . ]
As long as you realise that the film is NOT a version of the original Lewis Carroll book, although we do see all our favourite characters - it's still good fun, and even touching in places.
One of the "new" characters is Time (deliciously played by Sacha Baron Cohen.) In the A Mad Tea-Party chapter of the original Wonderland book, the Hatter explains to Alice that Time is a "HE" not an "IT". In this film, he is owner of the Chronosphere, which keeps the minutes of the univese ticking as they should, but can be used to travel in time.
Time also has some delightful tiny machine-like helpers, the "Seconds" (they can aggregate into Minutes and Hours when required) who in character reminded me just a little of the Minions.This one is Wilkins, metal-mustachioed and steam-powered, with an exhaust pipe on his head. He can speak, though the other Seconds communicate only in ticks and tocks. The cute, green-eyed robot propping up the book is "our little oil can with legs", says director James Bobin, "the curious puppy who always wants to help out."
Even Ba, whom we dragged along rather reluctantly (she's not fond of the cinema in general, says it's all too artificial, too loud, too bright, and just Too Much!) appeared to have fun after all. I think the Seconds won her over.
The script is original and daring: not only is Alice a fiercely independent and talented young woman, who expertly captains her deceased father's ship, but the backstories to the madness of the Hatter and the rivalry between the Red Queen and the White are cleverly portrayed. The subtilty of the psychological lessons learned, but never forced on us, reminded us of those in Inside Out.
There's yet another trailer on YouTube if you feel up to taking on one more highly compressed version of the plot.
A long post this time: so that's us for now, folks, probably for a good while yet - we'll be busy.
