Tom's post

Yesterday I had another visit from our resident stoat.

We first saw it one day when we were parking our car in the garage and we saw this little creature looking at us from our kindling pile in the corner of the garage. A couple of weeks later I spotted it from my office window prancing around on the garage roof, a few feet away from me. It was there for about five minutes and I tried to photograph it but the pictures were very bad through my window panes. I did open the window to improve my line of vision but then it ran over right to the window, stared at me and then shot out of sight.

Yesterday it appeared on the window sill in front of me peering into my office for a few moments and then scuttled off along the sill into the brambles. I did grab the camera again but I was not quick enough to get a snap.

This morning when I came into the office there was a crashing noise beside one window and there was a gigantic hornet trying to get outside. I fetched a jam jar and trapped it so that I could leave it in the kitchen for the children to see while they had breakfast. I have now released it outside. During that process I used a four foot stick to transplant it onto an oak tree and I could feel its wings buzzing my hand, all the way from the end of the stick.

Yesterday evening I played cricket and things went unbelievably well. I clean bowled two batsmen and another was stumped while I was bowling. Also I caught out a fourth batsman. That tally accounted for two of the most reliable batsmen on the other team. When I batted things continued very well and I scored our winning run, hit a six and totalled 31 not out. In the pub afterwards I was called the  man of the match!

my new post

Last week Imogen was in a long distance race at school (running round their playing fields a couple of times). The race was for her year and the year above. Three boys from the year above her took first second and third places and she came fourth. Last term she had been captain of her cross country team against other schools. Edward had also been captain of his team in his year.

Last holidays Imo taught herself to do forward somersaults on the trampoline so she can get right round in the air and land firmly on her feet.

Last weekend we played cricket against the village. Very unusually the result was a draw with both teams bowled out for 129 runs. Archie, Fred and Ted all played well, representing the spirit of youth. In the pub afterwards we learnt that this weekend's fixture is the product of a match that has been played every year since 1964 when Howard and Trevor were both twelve. There had been a few previous skirmishes between the family ad the Village when Dad was even younger than then.

Electricity - 'live' and 'neutral'

I have often wondered why electric plugs has a 'live' and 'neutral' connections and you are strictly supposed to wire the live wire to the live connection and neutral to neutral. I have long suspected that this is nonsense. After all we know that + and - in electricity is just a convention. In basic physics you are taught that current flows from + to -. Later on you find out than in a wire the current is electrons, and they actually 'flow' from - to +. Anyway mains electricity is alternating, its not flowing anywhere its just vibrating backwards and forwards 50 times a second.

Recently I have been changing quite a lot of plugs from British to German.  German plugs only have two prongs and you can put either prong in either hole. They do have a live connection and a neutral one but you can turn the plug over

to connect them the wrong way round. All my rewired appliances work fine. Even the fan heater. (I dont know if the fan goes backwards!)

I am staying with David and he had a theory that you couldn't be electrocuted by the neutral wire. He has a screwdriver which, he says, lights up when you touch the live but not when you touch the neutral. It seemed to do that but I didn't believe it. So we unscrewed the socket from the wall and I touched live then neutral in turn. I was wearing socks. They BOTH gave me mild electric shocks. David didn't dare do it without his rubber soled shoes on.

CONCLUSION: It doesn't matter whether you wire live to live or live to neutral. You can forget the stupid colours. (But do remember to wire the nice green and yellow one to earth!)

An old roller

Last weekend a friend of mine and I visited a local car workshop where the owner builds classic Jaguar cars to order for anyone with about £40,000 to blow. There were some very beautiful looking machines there, my spider looked rather self-conscious.

There was also a 1936 Rolls Royce which somebody had brought along for the day and I thought it looked very similar to my memory of Grandpa's old roller that we used to play in at the Oast House. I took a photo of it which is attached. Does it ring a bell with any of you?

Later:  Dad reckons the number plate of Grandpa's roller was DLW 656 which they remembered because of the useful acronym Dawes Loses Weight.....However he also thinks tha the coachwork would have been done by Jack Barclay rather than Park Shaw.

Trev reckons the model of car is the same, so my conclusion is that the rolls royce I saw the other day probably was the same model as Grandpa's. How interesting for me!!
Click read more for fascinating comment posted five years later

Ruth in Berlin

I have just got back from spending the weekend in Berlin, visiting Dad in his lovely new flat. We spent about half the time putting together flatpack furniture and half the time having fun in cool bars with the cutting edge Berlin crew.

From Thursday until Sunday it was gloriously sunny and hot and we were fortunate enough to spend the last hours of the spring-summer in a very nice club/bar/circus (no, really!) which looked over the river and even had swings that you could be dangerously drunk and near the water on. Sadly it then poured down for the

rest of our trip and I got drenched and caught a cold.

I managed to make my holiday last just a little bit longer, be a bit more exciting and cost about twice as much by losing my passport on the way to the airport late on Tuesday night.

But I got to see Dad again, twice, learnt the train journey to the airport off by heart and went to see the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate while I waited for the British Embassy staff to get their lazy arses out of bed. So it was all good xx

Silver Wedding PARTY

July 14 2007 from 12 noon

Celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary

     at a Summer Party at Model Farm

There will be lunch, tea and supper, and camping space and local B&B’s.

Tell us which meals you hope to be here for.

Reply on the blog, or to camillakeeling@hotmail.com. Hard copy invites to follow.
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Belated happy birthday

I am SO bad at birthdays,

I am SO bad at birthdays,

Happy birthday dear georgie boy,

Happy birthday to you.

My new flat

I am now the proud owner (for a year and if I don’t get thrown out) of a flat in the heart of Schöneberg. Schöneberg is Berlin's equivalent of Soho. I got the keys on Tuesday. On the 4th floor, it has a nice south-facing balcony and a large kitchen with all units installed and a gas cooker. Both are rare in a flat in Berlin. My stuff should come over from the Jacobs before May. There's plenty of room. Ruth is booked in for May 4th, make your bookings now! It needs a new floor, lots of lights and furniture. So there’s a lot to do. I bought the floor (imitation parquet – cheap as chips) in Bauhaus yesterday.

And this is the living room / balcony.

The German language

I’ve been learning German these last few weeks. I’m at German lessons three hours per day + homework and five days per week. Its very amusing and interesting. We are doing prepositions. It seems that most German prepositions can be translated into most English prepositions. You just have to know the right context to do it. For example an English preposition is ‘at’. In German it can be an, auf, bei, für, in, mit, nach, über, um, von, vor, zu. That covers about half of common German prepositions. I have made a small matrix to map German prepositions against English ones. There's a dot where one can mean the other.

Yesterday we studied a short passage about Grunewald, which is a huge wood in Berlin and is ‘beloved of Berliners’. In the six year war (Weltkrieg II) it got bombed to bits. (God knows why the Brits an Yanks were bombing a forest.) The Berliners replanted it and also build ‘devils mountain’ (Teufelsberg) with the rubble from the destroyed city. As homework we were asked to write a short essay about Grunewald. I am proud to say that I invented a new word. It’s Weltkriegschutt. That means world-war-rubble – quite an important natural resource in Berlin! When I read out the sentence: Der Teufelberg war vom Weltkriegschutt gebaut, my teacher looked up and nodded in agreement. Hurrah.

From the Horses Mouth

Simon recently wrote to me describing his accident, and this is what he said (with the author's per):

I have spoken to a few friends who were on the ski-ing trip with me and the description of plunging 150m down a ravine seems to be more or less accurate. It seems we had skied off piste, after lunch, in good visibility and across nice snow which had fallen the night before. The guide led us down and through a wooded area. The drop and the woods continued to make the snow cover on the ground pretty poor and I think we were following a path to the left with quite a steep (45 degrees) gradient going down on the right. I think the guide encouraged me to follow him and there was a bit of side-stepping from patch to patch of snow, sometimes being able to jump and turn. Afterwards the guide said he had deliberately not mentioned that the steep incline to the right led to a sort of lip over a steep fall that couldn't be seen from where we were. (He didn't want to unsettle us.)

Anyway I crossed my skis, tripped over and tumbled to the right. Whatever happened next was quite quick but I slid over the lip and disappeared from the view of the people just behind me. By peering over a moment later they could see below a litter of skis and sticks, but no sign of me. The guide forbade them to try to follow me down reckoning that one casualty in a day was quite enough. Instead he called up a rescue helicopter which arrived about 45 minutes later. This machine also couldn't see me and neither could it land in the densely forested area but it was able to lower an action man on a rope who did find me, did tie me to a rope and the rescue helicopter then soared up above the trees and there was me dangling at the bottom of a rope but apparently the right way up and, to the other skiers, recognisably OK. I was then whisked off to the Austrian Hospital (Feldkirch) and re-emerged into consciousness at about 10 pm or later that night. By that time the Austrian doctors had assessed me for fractured skull, broken vertebrae (neck), broken ribs, broken collar bone and seriously dislocated knee including twisted  and broke ligaments, cartilage and a broken bone at the end of the fibula. One of the co-skiers had spoken to Ursula who by then was making her way out from London to Austria, no doubt feeling very worried about me.

Amazingly, for all the injuries I had picked up, I wasn't encased in any plaster, I wasn't in intensive care and nor did I have any probes or drips sticking into me. All that went on for a few days was a diet of dried bread and paracetamol while Ursula came and looked after me, ferried stuff back to London for me and then set up a welcoming committee for me at St Thomas's. <end>

NEW new date for wedding

Hey everyone,

george, alex, you will be glad to know that due to some double booking issues, the wedding will now be on Saturday 8th September, not the 1st. i know this is good for camilla too, as she has a thing in devon or something on 1st.

Everyone's a winner.

And no more excuses!!

Ich bin ein Berliner

I’m now in Berlin. I’m staying with Alexander. My new contact details are
C/o A Huber
Körte Strasse 27
10967 Berlin
Tel: 0049 30 6981 5252
Post is being redirected here from London and my English mobile is still working.
I'm pretty busy at the moment. I've enrolled at German school, 3 hours per day, 5 days per week. I'm opening bank accounts and looking for a flat. I'm staying with Alexander until that happens. Hopefully I should have something by 1st April. When I do I’ll email y’all with my more permanent contact details.

New date for wedding

Hi everyone,

just wanted to let you know that the wedding has been brought forward to THIS SUMMER.

The new date will be Saturday 1st September 2007. I hope everyone will be back from their Summer holidays by then and has not already got plans.

Love Alice
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Simon definitely alive – photo evidence

I went to see Simon in the Howard ward at St Thomas’s this morning. Eila and Ursula were there when I arrived. Simon had an operation last night to screw a metal plate into his collar bone to fix the two loose ends together. He was in quite a bit of pain he said, but he wasn’t moaning or groaning. Very brave. His left leg is also in that plastic splint because his knee is a bit messed up. The quacks will be operating on that next. He may have to move to Guy’s hospital for that because they’re better at knee stuff there.

After Ursula and Eila left Sara the nice nurse came in and said that Simon needed an X-ray so they could check that the operation was OK. Sara said that the porters were a bit busy. First she asked if Simon could walk down! Simon said he could. That would have been very slow and probably even more painful. Then she asked if I could take him down in the wheel chair. She also said that it was easier to tow the wheel chair backwards. You can see the steering wheels on the chair are at the back. How stupid, and designed to humiliate and

confuse patients like a lot of things in hospital. We managed to get Simon going forwards the whole way. We eventually found X-ray near A&E after wandering around various corridors. While Simon was being X-rayed I nipped out for a quick fag. There was one poor smoker there in his pathetic hospital gown (does up at the back so your arse shows)- another hospital humiliation device.

Simon’s room is on the top floor and has a great view across the river to the houses of parliament. Archie is coming to visit him this afternoon. He’s going to be in one hospital or another for a while. But he’s in pretty good spirits and, like everyone says, should make a full recovery unless he gets MRSA or something.

Simon is a lert

I just spoke to Simon who sounded on very good form and, most importantly, as alert as a yurt. Good! He had Giles Rowe with him who was probably distracting him when he said goodbye calling me Jim, just a slip I thought. Bionic Sime.

Update on Simon

From: Jim Keeling [mailto:jk@corbettkeeling.com]
Sent: 10 February 2007 20:06
Subject: Simon

All bros

You have probably now all heard about Simon’s skiing accident.  I was chatting to Paul just now and he came up with the brilliantly modern idea that I should use email to keep you all posted as to what I know.

By way of background, he was on a ski trip with the British Venture Capital Association in St Anton.  As they run two such trips and I went on the one a few weeks earlier, I can picture the resort and know the form quite well as to what would have been going on – good hotel, about 30 people, dividing into groups of 4-8 each day with guides, Simon probably the best skier there.  Simon and his team would have been off piste, whenever the weather permitted.  The trip is organised by a specialist corporate ski business and the girl in charge on site for this trip, Kate, who I have not met, was skiing with Simon when the accident happened.  I have spoken to Kate several times since and also to a couple of doctors at the hospital.

To the accident – as relayed to me by Kate who was at the scene.  Friday about 3.30pm their time, skiing in the trees and then onto a steep bit of open snow above a ravine.  Guide tells them to side step and Simon as, in Kate’s words, “easily the best skier in the group” gets permission from the guide (good boy) to ski, but then crosses his skis, presumably falls and goes over the edge.  Guide and rest of group shout to him but there is no reply as, they assume, he was unconscious.  1.5 hours later a rescue helicopter winches him out of the ravine on a rope and Kate and the rest of the group are relieved to see he is holding his head high – so is conscious etc.  They say he fell “150 metres”.

He was flown to the best hospital in the area for this sort of accident.  Rather comically, a police helicopter turned up after the rescue helcipopter to check I’m not sure what – a sign of the times.

Kate I think went with him on Friday evening and certainly returned to the hospital this morning to deal with the doctors, take him kit etc.  They got hold of Ursula at about 7pm and she passed the message to Mum and Dad and me.  She has also been in touch with various others including Harry, Archie and Sarah.  Ursula did not manage to speak to a doc immediately as they were not available when she called, but by chance I got through to one at the hospital who made it clear that they do not think there is any permanent damage.

I spoke to another doc and Kate, who were together with Simon, this morning and the prognosis is as follows:

- He has a hairline facture in his skull, which is not a problem as it will get better in due course (sounds a bit like Arthur’s a year or so ago).
- He has broken or maybe cracked or maybe very badly bruised three or four ribs, which is also not a problem, though painful
- He had some bleeding in his skull, which I think would have been a problem if it had continued but had stopped and was expected this morning to remain stopped, so should not be a problem.
- He has cracked his “fifth vertebra” (yesterday’s doctor’s description), or his cervical spine (today’s doctor’s description).  This is I think more serious, but he is NOT paralysed in any way.  A more specialist doc will examine him on Monday to decide if he needs an operation, but it sounded to me as though this was more of a precaution than because an op is likely.
- On the basis, I think, that there is not an op, he is likely to be in hospital for a week before being fit to fly back.
- He is not able to sit up at the moment and his face is quite bashed up.  He is lucid at times, but then forgets what he has said.  The doc said he will be much more compos mentis tomorrow.

He is absolutely exhausted, sleeping a lot and, I guess, up to his eyeballs in pain-killers.  Maybe as a result, he said this morning to Ursula that he did not want telephone calls or anyone to go out there to be with him for the moment.  It may be that Ursula decides to over-rule the latter, but I should think it is best not to call him for the moment.

The hospital details are:
Room 216
Landeskrankenhaus
6800 Feldkirch
Caringasse 47
Austria
(You may want to check that if you are sending him anything as things may have been lost in translation - tel:  00 43 55 22303)

Do call if you want any more details.  If I hear of any big change in the prognosis, I will try to do another email.  If any of you think the email addresses I have used for any of the bros are wrong, pls forward this with the right address.

With lots of love
Jim

Posted on Jim's behalf by George
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OK Simon you are banned from skiing

Just joking Simon. But really, how old are you? Seriously Mum phoned me while I was out digging stuff with a tractor and told me that Simon had skied over a cliff. That was yesterday (9th Feb). He's now in an Austrian hospital with cracked skull, cracked ribs and neck vertebrae and stuff. Tom says he can move all his extremeties. Thank god. How many lives have you got left now Simon? Hey, get well soon and may be you should try that jet pack thing it might be safer. (Simon sent me that link a couple of weeks ago.) I left a message for Ursula. What a nightmare it must be - to have such an irresponsible husband. How are Harry and Archie bearing up. Comments please, including S's health updates and nothing soppy!

Tom's post

Some sporting news from Somerset. Recently the children's school has held cross-country races for the pupils aged seven or more, which includes Imogen, Edward and Arthur. The Keelings did very well, with Arthur coming in third and only beaten by two unbeatable athletes who ALWAYS win. He had come sixth in the same race last year.

Edward came first in his race and as a result was made captain of the cross-country team for a race against another school. That took place today and he won that race as well.

Imogen's race included her year and the year above her. She was the fastest girl out of both years. She finished seventh, only being beaten by older pupils and one of her contemporaries, so next year looks promising for her!

I notice that some of you put photos on the blog. Is the 'photo albums' tab at the top of this page the right place to start for going about that task?

Caterpillar Convoy and Logs

I tried the URL for Gohome, it is great Lizzie. Thanks. It was terrific to see lots of you at Simon's party nearly two weeks ago. Opps I forgot to write a thank you letter - Thanks Simon and Ursula. Since then I've moved Trev's and my stuff to Jacobs, partied in London for the weekend and got back to Spain last Monday where I've been recovering. A couple of days ago I saw this creature about 50cm long crawling across the path outside the gate here. I nearly ran away, but I was brave and took a picture. Click on it to get a better view. What is it?

I have sent it into New Scientist for an explanation.

Here's a picture of the field I've been taming with the tractor. There was a pile of old timber in it that I had to chop up. I reckon there are 200 logs in the pile, that should keep the home fires for a bit. Next week I'll have to put them into more permanent storage.

Michael and family are away for a few days so I have been in charge here. I have to feed and walk two large dogs among my other duties. Imagine - me looking after dogs - who'd a thought it?

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First ever son-in-law

Hey everyone,

For those of you who don't yet know, I have some very exciting news - I got engaged to Ryan last Thursday. This means there is going to be a potential male in-law in the Keeling family, although so far, my efforts to persuade him to take on the surname have been unsuccessful. This is all extremely exciting for me and I am proudly displaying the ring on my finger, trying to put off giving it back to the jewellers to have it adjusted. The great question was asked on the balcony of the top floor of the oxo tower, which was a little chilly, but very special. We are thinking of getting married in Summer 2008, once we know the date, we will let you know and if anyone already has any plans, please tell me asap

Alice

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