Hurricane Rat

Hurricane Rat hit Model Farm last night removing the garage roof. No further damage was done.

Comments
ugh how horrible for you all. The wind is howling down here in Somerset at the moment so i hope we d not lose any of our house or barns.
Posted by: Tom | January 03, 2007 at 07:00 PM

Oh my god! THe guardian predicted 75 mph winds tonight. BBC says 12 mph now. Hold on to your hats!
Posted by: George | December 30, 2006 at 06:47 PM

christmas at Baldry Gardens

Merry christmas to everyone. Sorry David that i did not manage a blog on christmas day. 

I spent my christmas at Baldry Gardens (which we are all hoping is the last, as Mum is selling the house)  joined by Rob, Jo, Mama (my other Granny), Alice, Ryan, Jude and Dean a friend of Ryans. We all had a lovely day ate loads and felt very full.

Hope everyone has a happy new year.  Lots of love Lizzie x x 

Goosy Gander

What Ruth and Trevor forgot to mention was that, while drinking the Christmas booze, they phoned me at 5.20am and left a message. 

BT callminder 1571 then called me every 20 minutes until I got out of bed to answer it at 7.20.  Later that day Gavin, Marco, Alexander and I had goose. 

You can see the remains over there <<. Hope you all had a good one, xxx George

Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas Keelings. Ruth, yes you get a prize for being first. It's now 22.55 so you others have little time left ... I spoke to Mum and Simon at Jacobs, they sounded like they were having good fun down there. Jim refused to speak to me because he was carving. Huh. Simon explained how Jim and he were technologically challenged by the blog, and I encouraged Simon to try harder and that is was worth it.

Camilla and Poppy send lots of love, as do the in-law Keeling branches in residence here. Anthony, Patrick, Jeremy, Lala and Ruby and Biba, Camilla and Poppy and Pat and me. And Lola our new cocker, Mina our not so new farm puss, and Bonnie. It wasn't freak weather however, that was last year.

Tons of love from all of us  xxxxx David

happy christmas

Just learned to play poker and won! and then.....won chasse l'ace too!!!! Must go to bed!! xxxxxxxxxxxxx camilla xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx lovely Christmas with lots of lovely family and friends. Hope you all had a good one.

and from poppy too. i have been being a bit of a scrooge but feel the joyous christmas spirit now i think. although i have just been beaten at a succession of card games by my mother so that makes me a bit more angry. lots of love everyone xxxxxxxxxx

Messy Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas Keelings! Trev, Mum and I went to see reggae band MakaTing at the Zodiac last night - a time honoured tradition in this neck of the woods.

Here we are at the start of the gig.

Mum very sensibly went to bed at around 3am, whereas me and Trev foolishly stayed up till 6.30am drinking the Christmas booze!

Merry Christmas : )

lots of love from Ruth, Trevor and Carrie xxx

xxx xxxx

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat

Your family expects you to do your duty and post a blog on Christmas day.

Make a joke, take a photograph, riddle a riddle.

Last family to post is a booby!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE TO ALL THE KEELING FAMILY.

We were in Somerset

Well there were about 30 Keelings of all ages and sizes at the Old Rectory yesterday. Siobahn and Tom laid on a huge lunch, lakes of champagne and wine were drunk, seen was played by the 3rd generation before lunch, some second cousins made a guest appearance.

I'm not sure what happened after lunch because I fell asleep upstairs. I believe that Rob managed to stay awake through the whole thing.

Grandpa, Simon, Harry and Archie are trying to set up a match at the Field Game (mad Eton game) between Keelings and other old etonians

we're in suffolk, you're in somerset

Hey everyone, we just discovered how to use this thing (although we think the password is the least memorable password ever and would like to suggest it gets changed) so we thought we'd write and say hello and hope the west country party is going well. We are in suffolk where there is lots and lots of food and quite a few dogs. Camilla is busy cooking, David has just woken up from a nap and Lola (the smallest dog) has just finished chewing her way through a book. It's very exciting. Sorry we aren't with you, have loads of fun xxxxxxxxx

Ruth takes on Alice's idea of a Keeling freecycle

Alice had the brilliant idea that, as us older cousins were getting to that age where we were starting to make homes, we should set up a Keeling freecycle for older family members to give away old bits of furniture to younger members.

Well, I have obviously graduated to elder status 'cos I have some surplus items which I want to get rid of and give away before I depart for London.

If anyone is interested -tho its doubtful - let me know!

Lot One: Metal-framed green house.

Lot Two: a rather ancient but still functioning IBM Thinkpad. Win98. 5GB w external floppy and CD drive. No use to an adult, but it might be fun for kids?

Toms post

Well done Ruth and David for their good career/business news. By the way I thought Rob's idea of a family tree site is a good one for sharing our knowledge of our family. Good luck George in the Spanish adventure.

Last week I was taken to see Spamalot in London. It was a highly entertaining evening and I can highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a bit or a lot of Monty Python. Tim Curry played King Arthur in their quest for the Holy Grail and was superb. The last time I saw him on stage was about 25 years ago when Barbar took me, David and Fanny to see The Rocky Horror Show in the Kings Road.

The following day I was shown round three houses that are being built in Bolton Place. Each one is about 17,000 square feet and is costing £10m to build.....it was another world.

We are looking forward to the great invasion on Sunday for lunch with lots of you. Siobhan seems to be spending lots of time in the kitchen this week.....also she lost her voice last Saturday, so we are desperately trying to find it before the weekend.

Many thanks to George for the tutorial in post writing. I hope this essay comes out ok and I get good marks for it.

Flat Hunting in Berlin

You may have heard that I've changed my plans for 2007. I'm going to Can Carbo in Spain first to help my friend Michael building that B&B. (See 'Can Carbo Figueres'.) Then, probably in April, I'll make my move to Berlin.

I'm in Berlin this weekend with Alexander and we've looked at 6 flats all ready. There's a lot to choose from at good prices: 2 bedrooms, 100 square meters 900€ per month. We saw one in a very fun street called Motstrasse. It was on the top 5th floor. Huge and it went round an atrium which would be great for sun bathing, barbecues and parties. It also had a log burner. All very fab but they forgot to put in a lift. I just pictured myself carrying beer and logs up five flights. Ruled out. x George

Ruth's new job

Ruth recently got her Senior Reporter exam. Its quite serious, e.g. be proficient in libel laws. She can now apply for superior jobs and has immediately got one in the smoke at a newspaper called Whitehall and Westminster World, which is for civil servants and is about whats going on in the civil service. "Sounds dull", she writes, "but it is all the sort of high politics that I want to do. And it will be good experience in making something readable out of long reports etc. The company (Dodds Parliamentary Communications) also publish some other good mags/websites like The House and Epolitix."

Comments
Hey Alice,
I start my job on the 8th of January and I am going to be staying with a friend in Archway until me and another girl, who is also moving from Oxford, find somewhere to live - probably in East London somewhere.

We missed you guys in Somerset, but when I get my place I want to have a cousins' dinner, and of course there'll be a moving in party to attend.
xxx
Posted by: Ruth | December 25, 2006 at 03:18 PM

have just discovered keeling blog - well done ruth. where will u be staying and when do you start?
x
Posted by: alice | December 21, 2006 at 09:17 PM

Where do the crows go?

In the morning the crows fly over Jacobs towards Bourne Farm. In the evening they fly back towards the reservoir. You've seen it. Where do the crows go? Do they work in Battle or Hastings? There may be a crow office in Hastings ...
The project: Find out where the crows go. You can follow the crows on foot. They come over in small flocks, so once you loose one flock just follow the next one. As the crow flies.
Prize for first correct answer: Platinum membership of discodamaged.com for one year

Comments
George
David, how do you know they stop at Bourne? Have you been following them? I cant recommend you for a prize unless you have evidence!
Posted by: George | December 05, 2006 at 07:05 PM

Paul Keeling
Clearly far too much time on your hands G! But as a thought, didn't we used to get wasps drunk, tie a bit of cotton to them and then follow them to their nests. Perhaps dosing a bit of carrion with brandy would help reveal their secret. Careful control over the dose will be imperative. Perhaps Dr T could help here?
Posted by: Paul Keeling | December 05, 2006 at 06:55 PM

David
Unless they get lost on the way, in the morning they go to Bourne Farm and in the evening they go to the resevoir. Sad buggers these crows. Can I swop Platinum membership for a mars bar? On second thoughts the DD blog (is that what it is?) looks livelier than this one!
Posted by: David | December 04, 2006 at 01:55 PM

Simply Books V3

Recently I heard that a competitor "Dosh", in much the same sector of the market as is Simply Books, sold out to MYOB ("Mind Your Own Business" - typical Australian wit there). MYOB groups with Sage and QuickBooks in sector positioning, but is a much smaller company. Paul and I once slightly courted Dosh. Much cursing over here that it wasn't SB that MYOB bought, but no surprises however.

Meanwhile I have decided that I can't leave SB alone and will be bringing out a second version - called Version 3 ("Version 1" being the pre-commercial version). The project mission remains the same, namely to make book-keeping more and more accessible to non book-keepers. The timescale is pretty open, I imagine it will take me less than a year but you never know. If I complete it to market I'll be happy - I don't want to feel the need to eat my proverbial hat.

Rob has offered to help with suggestions, especially with regards to clearing up terminology and similar errors that may confuse accountants who help clients with SB at the year end (or indeed use it themselves because the software has excellent value for experienced book-keepers as well as novices because it is a very efficient cost-effective tool). Any other help gratefully accepted! (EG Dr TK ?? GK Java input? SK/JK watch for any market developments? TK go on using SB? PK is a shareholder so he has motivation to help in any way. Anyway remember to tell your friends of my existence and the free trial etc.)