29/04/2009 by admin.

The European Commission has announced that it will rename the deadly Swine Flu virus to Novel Flu in order to minimise damage to the farm industry.  The Commission say the virus involves human-human transmission rather than anmial- human so its a human rather than an animal disease and its important to protect the pig industry during the economic crisis.  The WHO are continuing to describe the disease as Swine Flu. As Malachi explains in our story, “What’s in a name, a rose by any other would smell as sweet.”

A review of our posting yesterday suggests the EC has unwittingly provided further vindication to the power of ‘The Haymakers Survey’ to alert the world to the potential implications of ongoing disrespect for our planet.  

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »

28/04/2009 by admin.

The world is facing a potential ’swine flu’ pandemic.  The outbreak has already claimed more than 100 lives in Mexico with thousands more infected and the virus has now spread overseas.

Now transmitted from human to human the virus is said to have arisen from people working on pig farms.  So, how does this link to our novel? Well in our account of events:

• To help open her mind to the power of the imagination to see the otherwise unseen, Sarah Whittenbury recites the nursery rhyme ‘Ring a ring o roses, a pocket full of posies. Atishoo, atishoo, we all fall down.’  Many have associated the verse with the Great Plague of London in 1665 or earlier outbreaks of bubonic plague.
• Ben Whittenbury dreams of receiving ‘pennies from heaven’ to restore the disused pig-stys in the grounds of Keeper’s Cottage, whilst Charles Lamb’s journal records the pig farm in its full glory.  And, Malachi our messenger claims that ‘it’s gone to pigs and whistles’ an idiom which means its become ruined or worthless.
• Sarah likens Ben Whittenbury to Dr Who:  WHO is an acronym for The World Health Organisation a specialised agency of the United Nations acting as a co-ordinating authority on international public health.  The WHO have a key role in leading the global response to the threat.
• The curious notes from the future left within our pages include one that speculates on the potential growth of the human population. It concludes with an observation that the predictions for growth by 2100 may well be impacted by a pandemic.
• In Charles Lamb’s journal, Lucy Ebbs, Mother Nature personified, warns that humanity needs to mend our ways and show the planet more respect or we will feel her wrath.

Life on Earth is indeed most mysterious. If previous pandemics are replicated then a whole generation is potentially at risk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0XknwXqLDo

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q73 Do you like nursery ryhmes?, Q44 Is there anything worse than a fly at night?, Q16 Have you ever had a psychic experience?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst? | No Comments »

27/04/2009 by admin.

Our novel begins with an early reference to a ‘wind of change’ and later features a discussion about Hertfordshire folk sometimes described as hedgehogs on the assumption that they can sometimes be a little prickly - not that we’ve experienced anything of the kind.

Because of this we’re tickled by the story of a rescued hedgehog named Huff Puff that has reached some three times the size of a normal animal.  Weighing in at over 2kg (the norm is just 600g) Huff Puff has been put on a diet by staff at the Furze Pig Hedgehog Rescue Centre in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire who say the podgy hedgehog just kept “growing and growing” gorging on cat biscuits and dog food. 

 Huff Puff is thought to be the biggest hedgehog in Britain.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8021015.stm

On a serious note, perhaps this is a discreet reference to recent media coverage about the increased environmental impact of over-weight humans? Its mainly to due with the amount of food people with large waist lines tend to consume balanced against the limited capacity of our earth to feed us all.  Thanks to Huff Puff for the timely reminder. 

Posted in Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q19 Do you love hedgehogs? | No Comments »

26/04/2009 by admin.

We have three further examples of animal magic each linked to our story!

Smiley Spider

Scientists have been marvelling at the markings on a harmless tiny spider that lives in the Hawaii rainforest.  The spider’s scientific name is Theradion Grallator but its appearance is no laughing matter since it faces the threat of extinction.  Experts believe the spider may have developed the markings to confuse predators.  Whatever the reason, its another example of the ‘Smiley Face’ mentioned in our story as part of the curious unfolding mystery that is ‘The Haymakers Survey’.

Lamb Sextuplets

Whilst closer to home,  a sheep has astounded farm workers in Northumberland by giving birth to six lambs.  The sextuplets were borm to a pedigree Lleyn ewe at Crookham Westfield farm at Cornhill on Tweed.  The newborns were discovered on 3 April by Mark Richardson - who was surprised as had never seen so many lambs born to one ewe.  The last record on sextuplets was in 1996.  So Mr Lamb we see you’re at it again? Another remarkable natural event linked to our furry friends.

Albino Buffalo

Yet another example of an albino in nature (search in right hand column below for details).  An albino buffalo has been seen in Hellsgate National Park in Kenya - a first for the country. It has a light brown coat but there are concerns for the animal’s safety as it will be more noticeable to predators.  Some local communities consider the calf’s appearance as a bad omen, but the senior park warden said, ‘It’s a great day for nature and animal lovers.”

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q59 Do you like surprises?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | 1 Comment »

20/04/2009 by admin.

Susan Boyle has become an overnight sensation thanks to her performance on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from the West End musical ‘Les Miserables’.  The unique beauty of Susan’s voice caught everybody by surprise - leaving the judges and audience open-mouthed in awe.  It proved beyond doubt never to judge a book by its cover for Susan’s appearance, humble manner and dress sense conflict with the ideals of an image obsessed fashion conscious world.

To date Susan’s performance has been witnessed by some 100,000,000 people on You Tube - with people the world over showering her with praise and saying how moved and inspired they were by the experience.  Its truely remarkable.  In her opening comments, Susan said she longed to emulate Elaine Page.  Well, Susan’s idol has said “Susan’s performance has captured the hearts of everyone who saw it, me included.”  Elaine said Susan is a a role model for everyone who has a dream and is now touting the idea of the pair singing together.

‘I Dreamed a Dream’ is a solo sung during the first act of Les Mis. Most of the music is soft and melancholy, but towards the end becomes louder and taut with frustration and anguish; as she cries aloud about the wretched state of her life and her unfair mistreatment. The lyrics are about lost innocence and broken dreams - an ironic twist of fate give her thrust into the limelight.  There’s hope for Ben Whittenbury yet and Julia is intrigued given her dreams and those of Charles Lamb recorded in our novel.

For anyone yet to witness her performance here’s a link…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY  

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

19/04/2009 by admin.

One of the main inspirations for our project was the artist William Blake.  How coincidental then that Tate Britain are recreating the William Blake 1809 Exhibition in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the first solo exhibition of his work which took place in a small room above a shop in Soho.  This is an artist who was obscure and impoverished at the time yet is now regarded as ‘the greatest most individual genuis of Britsh Art’.  A most worthy acolade for the visionary poet and painter in our view - creating mystical works of otherworldliness and depth. Ironic then that when he first exhibited Blake was derided by the critics and was a commercial failure.  Only by a twist of fate did his work resurface after his death. 

William, of course, has a cameo yet insightful role in our story being the guiding light that led us to monitor world events. Could it be that he had some insight on all of this - the array of coincidences reported here  - as our novel suggests? Who can say?

Let’s celebrate by reciting the extract from his ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’ which acts as an introduction to our tale, designed to give our planet a voice:

Earth’s Answer

‘Earth raised up her head, From the darkness dread and drear. Her light fled, stony dread! And her locks covered with grey despair’.

The exhibition runs until October 2009. We encourage you to pay it a visit.

http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/painting+%2526+drawing/art67779

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q16 Have you ever had a psychic experience?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »

16/04/2009 by admin.

Our readers will know all about the mystical ‘Tree of Life’ at the heart of our story and recorded in Charles Lamb’s journal.  Yggdrasil is an evergreen or fir tree and represents the essential role of trees in the continued survival of humanity on this planet. Trees are often said to be the ‘Lungs of the Earth’ so at a time when deforestation threatens the beauty of the Amazon rainforest isn’t it strange that a small fir tree has been found within the lungs of a man?

Reports claim that Artyom Sidorkin from Russia inhaled a seed which then sprouted inside him. After he complained of severe chest pains, doctors were convinced he had cancer after an X-Ray revealed what appeared to be a tumour. 

However when he operated, Dr Kamashev, thought he was hallucinating for growing inside Mr Sidorkin’s lungs was a 2 inch spruce!  He blinked three times as he was sure he was seeing things!

The presence of the tree is a real mystery as biologists say it is absolutely impossible for a green plant to grow from a seed inside a mans body; claiming that they need certain conditions -light, water and certain temperatures.  So, we have a person from Russia - home of the Samoyed tribe - operated on by a doctor whose names (Artyom and Kamashev) include the word HAYMAKERS!  It’s magic!

Celebrate for all we need is the ‘Air that We Breathe’….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMSAnZR2Q8Q

Posted in Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q21 Have you ever hugged a tree?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

12/04/2009 by admin.

“Be proud of your faith!” These were the words of Archbishop Vincent Nichols the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church spoken on a day of hope and renewal for Christians the world over.  His Easter message was especially interesting to Julia given Lucy Ebbs’ words to her through dreams recorded in our novel (eg see page 65), ”I need to tell you - you hold the key.  You must never break faith Julia. Can you promise me that?”

How curious then that the new archbishop said, “Be proud of your faith and don’t be afraid to live by it and act on it and be as deeply as rooted as you can in that faith and as open to the world as you can. We all need to take a bit more time to live life a bit more deeply, with a bit more reflection, a bit more spirit. We are so rushed.”

Readers of our novel will be familiar with the importance of the word, “rush” as part of an anagram key to the central message within it.  Perhaps its worth reminding ourselves of what happened in Julia’s dream immediately after she’d heard Lucy speak. Here’s the extract: “Julia looked at her cupped palms. Rotating within it was a tiny Earth - she literally had the whole world in her hands.”  

What does it all mean? Let’s have some music….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmd83LIADnE

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q24 Do you get enough time to yourself?, Q22 Do you love our Earth? | No Comments »

11/04/2009 by admin.

A 33 year old woman has had a terrifying close encounter with Polar Bears after she leapt into their enclosure at Berlin Zoo during feeding time.  In a crazy stunt the woman seemed elated at first as she swam towards one of the bears, but was soon set upon and biten by one of the creatures.  She was only saved from serious injury and potential death by the swift intervention of keepers and visitors at the zoo. 

The woman’s motivation for entering the cage remains a mystery  - perhaps she was unwittingly attempting to recreate Richard Westall’s painting ‘Nelson and the Bear’ which features in our story and in Charles Lamb’s journal as a symbol of Mother Nature’s plight due to the behaviour of humanity.  Is this another fascinating example - a distress call - to remind us of the need to act now to preserve our Earth as we know and love it?  Compare the images…

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q18 Do you let your heart rule your head?, Q.9 Do you feel in control of your life? | No Comments »

06/04/2009 by admin.

Tate Britain is rereating an interative exhibition from nearly 40 years ago. When it first showed in 1971 US artist Robert Morris’s ‘Bodyspacemotionthings’ featured cylinders, ramps and weights on chains.  The exhibit closed after just 4 days when audiences went wild, including ‘going wild’ on seesaws.  However, the relaunched exhibits will be much safer as they will have to conform with current health and safety rules.

So, how does all this relate to ‘The Haymakers Survey’? Well, Tate Britain is home to the ‘Haymakers’ painting by George Stubbs which triggered Ben Whittenbury’s pursuit as Nature’s Champion as recorded in our novel.  A novel which includes a scene where Julia and Sarah use a discarded cart as a make-shift seesaw.  On it they discuss the appearance of the ‘Lady in Grey’ who represents the spread of the industrial world over the natural world.  As they swing to and fro Malachi climbs aboard to keep everything in balance - which is what humanity needs to do much better. 

Posted in Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q60 Have you ever experienced deja vu?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination?, Q23 Do you believe all the laws of physics?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »