30/08/2009 by admin.

On Sunday afternoon drinkers at the Castle Hotel, Neath in South Wales, had the surprise of their lives when a 16in Dogfish fell from the sky and landed on a canopy above them.  Andrea Lewis, Assistant Manager, said ’something hit the canvas really hard, startling the guests and started flapping around.’

Its far from a fishy tale and where it came from remains a mystery. The favoured suggestion is one of a pair of rare Osprey’s in the area may have dropped its catch.  Whatever the reason we’re interested because of Bill Richmond’s claim recorded in Charles Lamb’s journal and in our free Journal extract that, “I’ve seen fishes fall from the sky” to help illustrate the miraculous is all around us.  Strange that the fish to fall should be a Dogfish given the role of Malachi our Samoyed dog as Mother Nature’s Messenger!

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q65 Have you ever wished you could fly?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »

29/08/2009 by admin.

Our readers will be aware that Charles Lamb’s journal recalls his nightmare when he sees an Oasis being destroyed and how his voice goes unheard when pleading with Mother Nature to save herself.  So its curious that Oasis, the rock band, has announced it’s spliting up; a move that quickly followed a decision to cancel a concert as the lead singer claimed to have lost his voice. 

We’re saddened by the break-up because the group were inspired by The Beatles but especially as one of the band’s most famous songs was ‘Wonderwall’; a description used by Charles Lamb in his journal when referring to the strange carvings at Royston Cave.

Here’s Noel talking about his love for The Beatles and John Lennon especially.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yhocvav-Xs&feature=related

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument? | No Comments »

27/08/2009 by admin.

Although our project is concerned with the big picture on environmental and ecological challenges faced by the natural world, we’re happy to focus this week on climate chaos and activities at the Climate Camp, including the Climate Casino operating outside of the Stock Exchange - colourfully performed by a dozen or so campaigners in fancy dress, with props including the use of large playing cards to illustrate how humanity is gambling with the planet.

We love it as in our novel and Charles Lamb’s journal the Three of Hearts - representing Love, Art and Nature - is a symbol of life as it could be.

In the words of Bruce Forsyth, Play Your Cards Right, come on get involved at home. Your a lovely audience, so much better than last week!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImtxgtucEEg&feature=related

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q78 Do you want to be part of the picture?, Q61 Have you ever worn fancy dress?, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q38 Have you built a house of cards?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

27/08/2009 by admin.

An ’Elephant in the Room’ is an idiom for a problem that everyone knows about but doesn’t discuss due to taboo or awkwardness. 

Well the challenge of human population growth has manifested itself in the UK, where population growth is at a record 47 year high - growing by 408,000 the biggest increase in almost 50 years.  It now stands at over 61 million. 

The size and growth of the UK population is part of a world-wide phenomenon and the great taboo of environmentalism, largely due to human rights concerns. But many argue the issue is a most serious one, which unchecked is likely to heighten the risk of global ecological catastrophe.

Here’s a little something to brighten the mood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTo4QLuHE88

Posted in Q51a How many people does it take to fill up the Earth?, Q55 Do you believe in truth? | No Comments »

26/08/2009 by admin.

Today Climate Camp 2009 was revealed as Blackheath, a whisker away from Greenwich, London. The venue was chosen as the organisers wanted to camp in clear sight of the London City Skyline. Around 1,000 have set up camp for a peaceful week to help educate, raise awareness, challenge current strategies and explore solutions to the unfolding climate chaos.

Aside from the symbolism, we’re most curious about the chosen venue - Blackheath! One popular but incorrect theory is that the heath’s name derives from its use as a burial ground for the London based victims of the Black Death plague.  It was also associated with the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381.  The Greenwich Prime Meridian - the home of time - runs along the west side of Blackheath! Our readers will be aware that these 3 themes (potential climate change induced disease, a peoples uprising and the Greenwich Meridian) are all features of our novel.

But the creme-de-le-creme is that Caroline Brunswick, married to the Prince Regent, was banished in 1799 to a private residence in Blackheath.  As our novel reveals, the banished queen appeared before Ben Whittenbury and Charles Lamb as part of an extraordinary brief encounter that suggested a royal command from Mother Nature, “Forget me Not!”  Don’t just take our word for it - read the novel and see the truth for yourself!

Posted in Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

25/08/2009 by admin.

Exactly 400 years ago today the Italian astronomer and philosopher, Galileo Galilei, showed Ventian merchants his new invention - a telescope. When he pointed it skyward the instrument led him to a series of ground-breaking conclusions that was to land him in a whole lot of trouble with conventional thinkers.  The telescope resembled a slim brown stick and was primitive by today’s standards, but it confirmed the idea of the sun as the centre of our planetary system not the Earth. 

In celebration of this and the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, 2009 is also the International Year of Astronomy. So we have two significant anniversaries linked to the Haymakers Survey - one which led to a change in thinking on our place in the Universe… interesting!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH_pOaOVhgk&feature=related

Posted in Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q23 Do you believe all the laws of physics?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you? | No Comments »

24/08/2009 by admin.

“Hedgehogs: why can’t they just share the hedge?”

The amusing question has been voted the funniest joke at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  The winning joke was by the comedian Dan Antopolski from his ‘Silent but Deadly’ performance. Its another example in our Watch relating to Hedgehogs - a way of describing Hertfordshire folk as captured in our novel.

If that wasn’t enough of a coincidence, the runner-up was a joke by Paddy Lennox about a chicken and an egg - a subject on which Malachi speculated in our novel. the joke goes: “I was watching the London Marathon and saw one runner dressed as a chicken and another runner dressed as an egg. I thought: ‘This could be interesting’.”

Environmental chaos is no laughing matter of course as the forest fires outside of Athens illustrate but we go to any lengths to make our point!  One of Sarah’s favourite jokes is “Why don’t polar bears eat penguins? Because they can’t get the wrappers off.”

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q19 Do you love hedgehogs? | No Comments »

20/08/2009 by admin.

Langstone Harbour in Hampshire on the English coastline has been clogged up with seaweed creating the illusion from the air of a massive Green Carpet. There’s a similar breakout off the coast of Northern Brittany in France too. 

Its all down to nutrients being pumped into the sea with a damaging impact on the local wildlife. The carpet is upsetting the food chain since it kills worms and shrimps in the mud beneath. Fortunately the Environmental Agency has introduced tougher rules for farmers to prevent fertilisers getting into rivers that feed the harbour.

Langstone Harbour is an inlet of the English Channel sandwiched between three islands, including Hayling Island, the east of which is designated as a Special Protection for Wildlife. The harbour is also one of three linked harbours, including West Portsmouth. Portsmouth is home to HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar.  Given the role of Nelson in our tale and the proximity to HAYLING, everything combines to send a clear message - to guard against pollution and provide special protection for wildlife. 

Oh, Hayling island is also home to an ancient Yew tree believed to be the oldest tree in the UK, estimated to be between one thousand and two thousand years old.  Curious given the role of the Tree of Life in our tale.

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

17/08/2009 by admin.

Crasher the Squirrel has become an internet sensation recently after he popped up in a photo taken by Melissa Brandt and her husband at a National Park in Canada. Since then the curious fellow has gone global with his image superimposed in many famous pictures around the world. 

Here’s the original….

And here’s some of the follow ups…

It’s another delightful story involving grey squirrels whose antics have intrigued us given their role in our novel as a partner to Yggdrasil - the mythical ‘Tree of Life’. The squirrels are present to demonstrate that the time for talking on action to preserve the environment is over, so its fascinating that Crasher popped up in a National Park - a reserve of land declared or owned to protect it from human development and pollution. 

According to the World Conservation Union there are now over 6,500 such parks worldwide. The National Parks of England and Wales are relatively undeveloped and scenic landscapes. There are currently 12 in England and Wales - the same number as the mystical stones revealed in our story. The national parks include the Lake District, which William Wordsworth described in 1810 as a ’sort of national property in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy.“

Posted in Q78 Do you want to be part of the picture?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »

14/08/2009 by admin.

Our more serious posts often focus on activity at the Earth’s poles.  Today is no exception where we reflect on the pace of melting on one of Antarctica’s largest glaziers. Research shows that its melting four times faster than it was 10 years ago.  The surface of the ice on Pine Island glazier is now dropping by 16metres a year.  Professor Shepherd of Leeds University says the melting at the centre of the glazier could add about 3cm to global sea levels but the trapped ice behind it would add between 20-30cm.  There are fears that its collapse could lead to the massive disintegration of the West Antarctica Ice sheet. 

There are similar concerns raised in the Arctic where the absence of sea ice in the Nares Strait between Greenland and Canada has surprised scientists, including Professor Box who says the impact of climate change on large glaziers is like taking a cork off a bottle.

We know there are mixed views across the globe on what’s happening to this planet’s environment, including the amount of ice at the poles, which is why we are on our mission - to reveal some deeper magic. Just up to you whether you believe our coincidences recorded on this Watch are purely that or whether they represent something more.  

Posted in Q53 Do you prefer to keep warm?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »