Project Monkey http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk A family site for Benjamin, Elliott, Leigh & Mark Keating Mon, 07 May 2012 12:25:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Paris or Bust http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/05/07/paris-or-bust/ http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/05/07/paris-or-bust/#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 12:16:53 +0000 mdk http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/?p=189 The first video of the family and friends trip to Paris last year posted to Mark’s YouTube channel:

You can go to the You Tube Channel to visit new ones or videos of other things.

]]> http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/05/07/paris-or-bust/feed/ 0 Naming the Beast http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/03/05/naming-the-beast/ http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/03/05/naming-the-beast/#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:58:11 +0000 mdk http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/?p=179 Continue reading →]]> There was a short list, and a very short list it was, for Elliott’s name. We had a much longer list with Ben, but he did steal two of the names from that list that were our favourites with Benjamin and Connor. So with Elliott we kept the list short, using one or two from the list for Ben though the finalists were unique to Elliott himself.

The two final contenders were: Elliott and Wesley, both of them having favourite SF/Fantasy links to them, with Wesley making two of Leigh’s top favourite things in Buffy and Princess Bride.

But eventually we settled on Elliott. There were some compelling reasons for this and we did consider all of them to have encouraged and finalised our decision.

  1. Elliott actually looks like an Elliott. True he did look a bit like a Wesley as well, but he was more Elliott like.
  2. Elliott is the character from ET a favoured film for Leigh.
  3. Elliott is the name of the Dragon in Pete’s Dragon and Elliott was born in the Chinese year of the Dragon, always try and get a little recursion into your life.
  4. Elliott is a Scottish name and it means Ruler (King) of the Elves.
  5. Elliott’s second (middle) name is James and Elliott James Keating has a nice metrical feel to it.

And for those of you who are concerned at the spelling and the notion that it is also a girl name, well the spelling is traditionally Scottish and the usage of Elliott as a girl’s name is very modern. But to be honest Leigh and I both preferred the double l and t in the name so it was used.

]]> http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/03/05/naming-the-beast/feed/ 0 Elliott’s First Day http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/02/10/elliotts-first-day/ http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/02/10/elliotts-first-day/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:18:50 +0000 mdk http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/?p=129 Continue reading →]]> So our second son, Elliott James Keating, was born on the 9th February 2012, the gallery below shows a selection of the images from the very first day of his life, taken by Daddy with a Canon 5D MkII and his iPhone 4.

elliot-day-one-total-01 elliot-day-one-total-02 elliot-day-one-total-03 elliot-day-one-total-04 elliot-day-one-total-05 elliot-day-one-total-06 elliot-day-one-total-07 elliot-day-one-total-08 elliot-day-one-total-09 elliot-day-one-total-10 elliot-day-one-total-11 elliot-day-one-total-12 elliot-day-one-total-13 elliot-day-one-total-14 elliot-day-one-total-15 elliot-day-one-total-16 elliot-day-one-total-17 elliot-day-one-total-18 elliot-day-one-total-19 elliot-day-one-total-20 elliot-day-one-total-21 elliot-day-one-total-23 elliot-day-one-total-24 elliot-day-one-total-25 elliot-day-one-total-26 elliot-day-one-total-27 elliot-day-one-total-28 elliot-day-one-total-29 elliot-day-one-total-30 elliot-day-one-total-31 elliot-day-one-total-33 elliot-day-one-total-32 elliot-day-one-total-33 elliot-day-one-total-34 elliot-day-one-total-36 elliot-day-one-total-36 elliot-day-one-total-37 elliot-day-one-total-38 elliot-day-one-total-39 elliot-day-one-total-40 elliot-day-one-total-42 elliot-day-one-total-41 elliot-day-one-total-42 elliot-day-one-total-43 elliot-day-one-total-44 elliot-day-one-total-45 ]]> http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/02/10/elliotts-first-day/feed/ 0 Christmas Lego Display http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/01/27/christmas-lego-display/ http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/01/27/christmas-lego-display/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:49:15 +0000 mdk http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/?p=82 Continue reading →]]> Once again this year we built a Lego Xmas village on our display shelf. there was the addition of an extra Christmas set in the shape of the newly released Lego post Office but we also decided to add elements that felt Christmassy to us.

So….

There are some Harry Potter figures running around the place, a Star Wars figure or two to view, quite obviously there is the Doctor, Amy and Roman Rory and I do believe a special Santa.

Enjoy the pictures…

Lego Yoda and the xmas tree A dementor looks over the post office Harry and Hermione Snowball fun Is that Voldermort in the background Putting up decorations A view of Rory, Doctor, Tardis, Amy and a Vampire from Venice Vampires and xmas gifts Xmas gifts and the Tardis crew A Clone Trooper drives the Sleigh A R2 Droid buys some cakes Teachers buying Beer as usual Clone Trooper view Teachers and Singers A Dementor stalks Hedwig Trade federation sneaks up on an x-wing pilot Chewbacca Sneaks up on a trade Federation Droid Chewbacca alt. view The Choir Dementor closer up Harry and Hermione with post workers Town view Yoda Santa out view lego-xmas-24 lego-xmas-25 lego-xmas-26 lego-xmas-27 lego-xmas-28 Large xmas tree Professor Flintwick, where's Snape? The band lego-xmas-32 lego-xmas-33 lego-xmas-34 lego-xmas-35 Tie Fighter pilot takes a rest lego-xmas-37 ]]> http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2012/01/27/christmas-lego-display/feed/ 0 Layla and Ben meet Santa http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/24/layla-and-ben-meet-santa/ http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/24/layla-and-ben-meet-santa/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:04:42 +0000 mdk http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/?p=65 Continue reading →]]> So, yesterday Ben got to meet Santa (in the guise of a bearded Welsh chap, real beard, actually Welsh) at a local playgroup near to his Great Nans.

Layla was happy to meet Santa and rewarded everyone with a huge cheery smile, Ben was less pleased. He did me proud (this is not sarcasm), Santa was a strange man who smelt of smoke and Ben was not impressed by that and tried to refuse the present. I am truly glad that he wasn’t lured in…

The present was chocolate (inner sigh) which is at least better than some age inappropriate toy or cheap geegaw that would be broken in a few minutes. Since we have yet to introduce Ben to chocolate his mother has gleefully pawned (to mean owned) them.

Images below:

Layla smiles for Santa

Layla smiles for Santa

A totally un-chipper Ben

A totally un-chipper Ben

More smiles from Layla

More smiles from Layla

Ben pushes the wierdly dressed and smoky-breathed man's gifts away,m he isn't fooled that easily...

Ben pushes the wierdly dressed and smoky-breathed man's gifts away,m he isn't fooled that easily...

and a gallery of images taken on the day as well:

IMG_6111 IMG_6115 IMG_6132 IMG_6134 IMG_6138 IMG_6142 IMG_6147 IMG_6148 Layla smiles for Santa More smiles from Layla A totally un-chipper Ben Ben pushes the wierdly dressed and smoky-breathed man's gifts away,m he isn't fooled that easily...

 

]]> http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/24/layla-and-ben-meet-santa/feed/ 0 Ben’s Xmas Drawing http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/17/bens-xmas-drawing/ http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/17/bens-xmas-drawing/#comments Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:59:11 +0000 admungulator http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/?p=59 Continue reading →]]> This year Benjamin has shown an interesting prescience and drawn an xmas tree. Well, he did a drawing and we think it looked a lot like an xmas tree and it is being used in all of the Christmas cards that we are handmaking this year (a limited run of 29) for various family and friends. Other cards will be sent but we only make a short run of cards (it is a slow process). I will post a picture of the cards at a later date, but for now here is Ben’s picture.

Ben's Xmas Tree 2011

]]> http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/17/bens-xmas-drawing/feed/ 2 Header Images http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/08/header-images/ http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/08/header-images/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:41:21 +0000 admungulator http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/?p=56 Continue reading →]]> The header images used on this site are all from a selection taken with a mobile phone. They are meant to illustrate elements from our day to day life and I like the grainy look and feel and random nature of the choices.

My markkeating.me.uk site has far nicer header images in terms of quality as they were taken with a higher performance camera and lens but that wasn’t what i wanted to achieve with the header on this site.

]]> http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/08/header-images/feed/ 0 Frist Prost http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/08/frist-post/ http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/2011/12/08/frist-post/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:47:58 +0000 admungulator http://www.projectmonkey.me.uk/?p=6 Though really it is…

Frist Post Again

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