18/02/2010 by admin.

We have another example of a lamb with extraordinary markings that can readily be linked to our project. Our readers will know how in Charles Lamb’s journal the boxer Bill Richmond teaches Charles Lamb to defend himself and toughen up for the challenges ahead on the understanding that someone tasked with helping to care for Mother Nature needs to be ready for the fight (pages 255-256). Well take a look at this little fella born 5 days ago on a farm in Durham…

He’s been named Miyagi after fictional martial arts expert Mr Miyagi from the Karate Kid films, he was born five days ago with a thick belt of black wool around his middle. A Lamb with a fighting flare - the little Haymaker!  Farmer William Herbert said:

‘I’ve been farming for over 50 years but I’ve never seen anything like this before. Some lambs have a spot of discoloured wool, but it’s very unusual to see a  full thick stripe. It goes all the way around. It looks like I’ve gone out to him with a paint brush.

‘He’s one of a set of triplets but he won’t be treated any differently to his  brother and sister. They don’t have any markings on them – he’s the odd one out.’

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

02/02/2010 by admin.

Our regulars will know of the significance in Charles Lamb’s journal of white/albino animals and the role of hearts in illustrating the value of Love, Art and Nature.  Well, surprise surprise there’s a white whale in Polar land China that has been trained to blow heart shaped bubbles.  Interesting…

Here’s a video of the whales blowing bubbles and doing other tricks…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCAUleX5h8A

But there’s a dark side to this. Should such majestic creatures be confined to a tank for human entertainment? You decide!

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

Posted in Q77 Do you get bored easily?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q71 Is there something missing in your life?, Q17 Can you speak another language?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.8 Do you crave a better life? | No Comments »

12/12/2009 by admin.

We may have just witnessed the most startling event linked to The Haymakers Survey on our 3 year Whittenbury Watch! Our readers will be able to vouch for this.

On 9 December near Tromso, Norway on the edge of the Arctic Circle a strange giant helical spiral of light span in the sky for some 12 minutes. It was accompanied by twisted beams of blue light from the centre of the spiral to the ground resembling MayPole ribbon.  After the sprial stopped spinning it went into itself and a black aperture appeared - like a black hole.  The diplay could be seen all over Northern Norway so it must have been very high up in the sky. Here’s one the videos that captured the event…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hrWjkn_DHs

A popular explanation given is that it was a Russian missile fired from a submarine in the White Sea that went spiralling out of control.  However, there’s very many people who doubt this on the internet including some scientists. 

We have our own version of events and this is where things get really interesting. In our novel Charles Lamb’s journal features helical spirals. Pages 401- 403 tells how a spiral of light appears in Royston Cave, Herfordshire after the Samoyed messenger, Malachi, forces his way into the cave.  Here’s the extract,

“Then Gaia it happened exactly as I describe. A miracle emerged from the chaos! The stones clustered at the centre of the cave and began to speed in a dynamic spiral - a helical twist. The stones gave out a luminous glow as they span…. How long did they spin? It was hard to tell. The stones were hypnotic, seeming to suspend time and space. It was a moment when the ideal and the practical collided. A fushion of time and space.

Stukley [the cave guide] broke our collective silence. “What are those things?” “I brought then home… in search of meaning… of truth, ” was all Reverend North could muster.  “It reminds me of a whirlpool,” claimed Mary [Shelley].  The Reverend’s eyes widened, “As water washes away stones and torrents wash away the soul, so you destory man’s hope” [Christian Bible Job 14-19], he said, prophetically as the stones settled at the cave’s core.  Mary Shelley was the first gather up a stone. “De profundis clamavi”, [Out of the depths i have cried unto the] [Psalms 130].  Stukely says.. “What force is this to defy the laws of gravity… ” … Captain Lwein says, “… that was a force for sure… the Force of nature - a warning to mankind to mend our ways.”

Pages 408-409 also tell of a spiral - this time in water in which Lucy Ebbs [Mother Nature] allows her blue ribbon to fall into it when, with Malachi beside her, she reveals to Charles Lamb an insight into the magic of creation [see October 8 posting] “I shared the truth with you as I’m afraid for the future. I am in grave danger.  There are so many demands on me. I’ve only so much to offer.”

So, we have two examples of active sprials in our novel - one that glows and another with a blue trailer within it; just like the spiral in Norway.  Strange too that this phenomena should take place in Norway - given the significance of Yggdrasil and Nordic legend in our project and novel.  Tromso has been inhabited since the end of the ice-age and the Sami-culture - from which the Samoyed dog is linked - is the first known culture of the region.

A higher force is at work - we have faith.

Posted in Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Star Question - what happened to the blue ribbon?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

02/11/2009 by admin.

Our readers will know all about how our novel poses the question - “do we have the X factor?” That is do we (humanity) have what it takes to preserve our natural world or are we simply too selfish and greedy a species to merit our position as alpha species for very much longer?  Well we’ve seen a number of examples on this Watch of events linked to this point (just enter X factor in the search function below). 

Today we have another example to reveal: at the heart of arguably one of Europe’s busiest shopping streets a giant X has appeared in the road. Its a new pedestrian crossing at Oxford Circus based on designs from Tokyo which allows people to cross diagonally as well as straight across. 

So in these hey days of consumption we wonder whether the large X at the centre of a shoppers paradise is in reality a poser for humanity! 

Posted in Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.8 Do you crave a better life?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »

08/10/2009 by admin.

On page 409 of our novel Charles Lamb reveals in his journal how Lucy Ebbs - Mother Nature personified - gives him an insight into the magic of the Secret Inheritance at the heart of all creation. Charles reports, “Gaia I have seen the inheritance for myself. The phenomena of the magic circle astounded me. Should the chance arise I shall share the truth with you” Lucy’s response was, “Now you know how miraculous life is… on this living planet that circles the sun, accompanied by the moon and the stars.” Charles’ account was penned on 1 May 1823.

Curious then that in Moscow people have been left mystified by a huge circular halo hovering above them. Although scientists claim this was no more than a simple cloud formation. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT2jwkCirP0&feature=related

It may well be just a simple cloud formation., but if there’s another explanation. Why Russia? Well aside from the affinity with May Day, the country features in the message on page 289 of our novel when Charles Lamb tells Lucy of Turner’s painting ‘Snow Storm: Hannibal and His Army Crossing the Alps’. He says, “The might of nature is the real subject of the painting. The message is that Napoleon should have turned back whilst he still had the chance, but he drove on and used up all his resources. It was the cruel Russian winter that turned the tide.” It implies that the cloud halo is a sign sent in kindness that we need to change our ways.

But perhaps it goes deeper than that! How about this extract from page 301 when beside the fallen tree that exhibits the web of life Lucy Ebbs tells Charles Lamb, “Humanity is the only species capable of influencing its destiny… I need you to bear witness to my deeds.”  The text then reads, My lips parted. “Charles, sh!” She put a finger to her pursed mouth. Bemused, I watched her use the long straight stick she’d found to draw a clear circle around her, dragging it in the uneven wet soil. She invited me into the circle. I hesitated. “I circle our world* with this rod, against the sore stitch, against the sore bite, against the grim dread, against the great horror that is hateful to us all, and all evil that enters this land.” 

*Caleb Hitch later recorded in his footnotes that Lucy was reciting a charm from the Lacnunga spell book - Anglo-Saxon and from the 10th century.

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

24/09/2009 by admin.

Terry Herbert, an amateur metal detector, has found the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered. The harvest of over 1,500 pieces of treasure included weapons, coins, helmet decorations and Christian crosses. The first scraps of gold were found by Terry in July with the last pieces removed by a small army of volunteers a couple of weeks ago.  The hoard is believed to have been in the ground for some 1,300 years and has been declared treasure by coroners with a monetary value of £1m.

Its a magical discovery and we ask, did we foresee it? Page 212 of our novel tells of Bill Darvill’s search for ancient treasure using a metal detector and how he paused now and then to dig the soil of an open field to hunt for gold. It was the prelude to the discovery of Charles Lamb’s journal (page 214). Here’s an extract:

“Legs astride, the metal detector swung too and fro in his [Bill’s] hands like a hypnotic pendulum…. [He] witnessed the heavy clunck as Jonas’ spade struck something buried within the soil. [He] also heard Sarah’s excited shriek, “Yes we’ve found the treasure”.

In response Malachi says, “Open your heart, we’ve got to change. There’s still a chance for us.” He adds in Latin (page 215) “Multorum minibus magnum levator onus” which means “By the hands of many a great load is lightened.”  His words have extra poignancy given a Latin inscription in a strip of gold amongst the Staffordshire hoard which translates in “Rise up O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and they that hate the be dispersed.”

Could it be that the discovery is a timely reminder that we need to work together to salvage the real treasure - the diversity and ecology of the majestic and miraculous planet we inhabit?

Posted in Q80 Have you ever searched for buried treasure?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q47 Do you know your history?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you? | No Comments »

23/09/2009 by admin.

Yesterday we published a promotional video which included a RED ALERT warning.  It’s why a red top was worn as symbolism!

Well, well, well. This morning residents of Sydney, Australia were greeted by an epic unprecedented red dust storm causing widespread disruption.  Dust storms are common in the country but nothing on this scale has been witnessed by those alive today. The dust cloud was some 400 miles long and travelled over 1,000 miles down Australia’s east coast. It was formed from dust whipped up in the dried out basin of Lake Eyre. 

Health hazards aside residents were in awe of the spectacle. Comments included, “The sky was bathed in a red hue…. it was like waking up to see Armageddon… it was the weirdest thing I’d ever seen, like waking up on Mars.” So has Mother Nature confirmed that we are on Red Alert?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-s0nENyQ4w

Posted in Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst? | No Comments »

22/09/2009 by admin.

In celebration of the Autumn Equinox - an event significant in our project - we’ve put together a promotional video, which is featured below.  

Sky TV and You Tube are running competitions for video entries to inspire and engage the world on the issues.  We could use the video as an entry but it may be judged a commercial activity (which it isn’t as we make no money from the project) or the mention of our website could disallow it.   These are fundamental parts of our project - we’re tempted to ‘break the rules’ but will have to tinker! Oh these things are so difficult sometimes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xbcG5bphlk

Posted in Q56 Do you believe rules are there to be broken?, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q78 Do you want to be part of the picture?, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »

17/09/2009 by admin.

To help mark the launch of the 2010 Guiness Book of Records, Sultan Kosen, the world’s newly crowned tallest man is visiting London from Turkey. He is 8 feet tall and has the world’s largest hands and feet.  Beneath the shadow of Big Ben, Sultan says he came to find Love.

Congratulations Sultan and best of luck with your endeavour. We’re most interested in our appearance because in our novel (page 76) we mention that heavy rhythmic thuds echoing across the fields of Hertfordshire could be down to Jack O’ Legs, a Weston Giant and Hertfordshire Legend, marching across the countryside. 

In fact the thuds were due to Sarah and Julia using an old single-axis cart as a make shift see-saw.  A game that led Malachi to say, “Life is full of ups and down’s - the trick is to keep everything in balance”, which was all about living in harmony with nature.

Posted in Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q13 Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

01/09/2009 by admin.

We have unearthed another curious example of albinos, but this time amongst humanity! In Brazil a black couple has given birth to three albino children. The story has come to light as Rosemere Fernandes has struggled to meet the medical bills for Ruth, Esthefany and Kauna - and to afford the the sunblock and extra clothing needed to protect their sensitive skin.

It’s strange that they should have 3 albino children - given the significance of 3 in our project.  It’s also telling that the family should live in Brazil - home to the Amazon Rainforest.

Above all we like this - an anagram of ROSEMERE, RUTH, ESTHERFANY and KAUNA is SEE THE HAYMAKERS RUN FOR NATURE

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q62 Have you ever helped the poor?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »