Election June 2017: See also 9th June below **

You can't have missed what's happening today in the UK. [*That had become yesterday by the time we wrote the 9th June update. Confusing? Sorry.]

I wish I could vote for Jeremy Corbyn. He says everything that I've always believed in. Did you see his wonderful final speech in Islington? There's a great report in the Guardian. And if you want the whole rousing rally, with stirring audience reactions, it's now on YouTube.

Ba, of course wants to vote for the Greens, because they care about the environment: her beloved trees and flowers and the rest of Nature.

BUT we're living in Scotland! So Alice had to pour a bit of cold water on our enthusiasm. She totally agrees with Corbyn too, but told us that Scottish Labour are a different kettle of fish, and won't support Independence if we end up getting another five years of being bossed around by the Tories in Westminster. She voted Green No.1 at the Council elections, beause we have Proportional Representation for local elections in our more progressive country. We tried to explain this system to Ba, but she just got confused and upset. She doesn't understand why she can't even cast her own vote.

Alice will be voting tactically. She wants to be sure that even if Theresa May's party end up with the most MPs, there will nevertheless be a strong opposition. And if they still get a big majority, and look like getting their own way with continuing austerity - she would rather have Scottish Independence to run things our own way. [Then she could vote Green again.] So just for today she's voting SNP.

We'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the final results. But we won't be staying up all night to be bored by Swingometers and all that. Early to bed, and get up around 5:00 am to see what's what.

** Well, now we've got a wonderfully interesting situation, with a Hung Parliament. Ba is asking if that means Theresa May will be hanged - she's not a favourite in this household.

Alice explained it means the parliament is "hung up" with no one having a big enough majority to be sure of passing any legislation. The BBC has an excellent informative page explaining it all.

The photo above, by the way, is one Alice took from the London Eye when she was "Down South" way back in 2005, newly jazzed up a bit of course. [ I know: it's not down at all. ]

Odds and ends [plus a trailer]

Trailer. We've just got back home after a holiday at this amazing place in Spain. Alice has always been into the "alternative" culture, what with Psychotherapy, and the Five Rhythms Dance - not to mention Astrology of course. Silly expression that, isn't it? Because we have just mentioned it! Human figures of speech are a wonder to me, make me wonder, I mean - and figures of speech is another (self-referential) one too. It's endles . . .

Anyway, Cortijo Romero is a super place for a different sort of holiday. Take a look. We'll be saying  more about it when Alice has finally edited her zillions of photos. There's lots of us two there, and Ba features especially among all the wonderful flowers.

Meanwhile.
We have various "odds and ends" to catch up with. Yet another bizarre turn of phrase used by you humans.

Our friend down the road (who incidentally is a great Game of Thrones fan, looking forward to Season 7 as much as ourselves) also has a monkey, who was gven this jumper by a friend of hers. As you can see, it's a bit over-large for him, so she wondered if our Monkey here would like it.

It does fit just a bit better. Is Ba applauding and jumping with excitement - or is she horrifed by the gaudy colours?

I actually rather like the garment, but I'm afraid I have to admit it might be best to save it until the next Festive Season. [Click if you're sure you want to see it bigger.]

Alice concurs, much to Ba's relief.

When we next visited the grandchildren, we found them busy making these hedgehogs from a bread recipe, including yeast, so they had to wait for the dough to rise before the creatures could be shaped with their prickles and given some eyes. This is the final product out of the oven. The children took them to school, one each a day. The later report was that they were jolly good to eat too.

What is this plant, and where are we? You haven't seen us precisely here before. And no, it's not a Triffid. The label it came with told us it's a Begonia, moreover,  a "hanging" one.

Alice had planted two corms (a bit different from bulbs) and this one is in the bathroom, by the window, so we're curious to see how well (or not?) it will thrive there.

Here's the other one, in the usual kitchen indoor windowsill space. It's bigger, and the leaves are a bit more tattered. We can't wait to see the flowers when, we hope, they eventually come out.

Back to a favourite spot
Where are we now? And why does she always photograph us looking at food! I suppose it's because we're all sitting still for a while during a meal. And she does so like the look of tasty dishes.

We've been here oodles of times: it's the extra nice cafe in the Gallery of Modern Art One.

She came here to catch up with an old friend who moved away from Scotland ages ago. And they didn't half talk. They never moved from the spot to go and look at any of the art!

I was glad we received a mention when they got onto the usual topic of matters psychological. Alice said that we each present "an excellent mouthpiece for different facets of her personality." A bit pompous, if you ask me, but then nobody ever does [ Sigh ] even though my life-long study of human beings has led me to draw my own conclusions on such matters.

We came back the following week, and sat for a while in the lovely warm sunshine, looking across the lake towards the distant swans and the front of the Gallery itself.

Later on we walked around and Alice got a better shot of them. That's more like it! Aren't they beautiful birds indeed. This photo is one well worth clicking on to enjoy at full size.

We all had a little picnic on the edge of the Land Art beside the lake.

Ba couldn't wait to dig in, as they say.

These M&S "popped chips" are very tasty with a lump of cheese. And apparently they have fewer calories than the usual sort, so Alice doesn't feel so guilty for enjoying them.

We went through the gallery itself (no looking at art on such a sunny day) and down the steps to the Water of Leith.

There were still some bluebells blooming in the shade of the trees. It was very peaceful, and Ba could happily have stayed for hours.

But I was glad we carried on - as we got to see this magnificent heron.

It was standing very still, looking out for tasty fish in the running water. Barking, splashing dogs didn't seem to make any difference to the concentration.

Further on, there were some beautiful trees and flowers, plus lovely rippled reflections in the water. [ Do click! ]

Where on earth has Ba got to now! Well, you know how she loves to be "In Nature," and she couldn't resist one last time.

She had begged to be hoisted up into the hollow of this tree, though it was quite a stretch for Alice. She would have stayed there for hours too, but we persuaded her that it would eventually get cold, and we were heading home, anyway . . . Still, what a splendid afternoon we'd had.

I like being in nature too, despite teasing Ba, and so does Alice.