30/10/2008 by admin.

We thought the game was over, but seemingly not! Just days after the ‘rose over Mayfair’ a freak hailstorm has hit the town of Ottery St Mary in Devon.  One feet of hail (o.3m) fell in just 2 hours between 1.00 and 3.00 leading emergency services to describe the scene as ‘absolute chaos’.  The storm was hugely localised and centred on the town, causing the worst flooding seen in 25 years.   What’s curious is that Ottery St Mary was the birthplace of Samuel Taylor Coleridge - who features strongly in Charles Lamb’s journal - and the ‘rose cloud over Mayfair’ incident occured on the eve of his birthday. 

“Okay!” We hear you cry, but readers of The Haymakers Survey may remember that, in his journal, no sooner do Charles Lamb and Lucy Ebbs witness the rose cloud does a severe storm of hail and thunder sweep in to catch them unawares! Charles regrets his complacency before trying his best to protect his beloved from the worst of the storm!   Poetry in motion…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPM5khluZWE

Samuel Coleridge is famed for ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, which featured the verse about the cracking ice, as featured in Chalres Lamb’s journal. Hardly surprising then that the ‘Freak’ storm at the birth place of the poet should also coincide with a report by the WWF highlighting that our planet is on the verge of an ‘Eco Crunch’ due to the unsustainable rate at which people are using up the world’s limited resources.  Perhaps this explains the heavy October snow in London and the South East of England too? Sarah was amazed to find the snow had frozen overnight for the first time in 70 years- to resemble mini-ice sheets.  In these challenging economic times is ‘Mother Nature’ alerting us to a more serious threat to our well-being - afterall, the House of Commons was discussing Global Warming at the time! 

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously?, Q22 Do you love our Earth? FREE CHRISTMAS PRIZE DRAW!, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst? | No Comments »

20/10/2008 by admin.

Today, St Paul’s Cathedral celebrates 300 hundred years since its completion.  One of the most beautiful and iconic symbols of London, was completed on its designers 76th birthday.  The magnificent building has stood proudly for 3 centuries.  Amongst the cathedral’s memorials are special monuments to Admiral Nelson and the Duke of Wellington, in the South transept and the North aisle.  Both are buried in the cathedral.

However, the significance for us is that in our story, Malachi recites the lampooning poem, “The cat, the rat and Lovell the dog, rule all England under a hog,” once affixed above the entrance to St Paul’s as satirical criticism of the leaders of the day.

Here’s a famous image of the Cathedral surviving the Blitz during World War II.

As if to celebrate, Mother Nature has put on a show this autumn in the parks and woodland of England. The combination of a wet summer, a mild frost and some warm September days has led to some spectacular autumn leaf colour - and we all know the significance of the autumn equinox in our story and talk of the golden hues of autumn.

Here’s a song called Autumn Leaves which seems to capture Charles Lamb’s feelings about Lucy Ebbs.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=K7-haKkFnT8

Finally, we have a word from one of the two surviving Beatles members - Ringo Starr!

Ringo officially became a Beatle on 18 August 1962. In a ‘Peace and Love’ video message to fans, the Beatle - real name Richard STARKEY - said that from 20 October he would no longer be responding to requests from fans for autograph signings as he was too busy.  

 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mdyBzgSpYbc&feature=related

Some have reacted critically to this, but we understand and given the pivotal role of The Beatles in our project, we do wonder if this is a coded message that the end of the series of coincidences relevant to The Haymakers Survey has arrived? Only time will tell! If so, it’s been a real pleasure to reveal everything and we hope you have enjoyed the show! Maybe the time has come to focus on the sequel!  In the meantime, let’s follow his advice and “Act Naturally”

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9heOFFlAcFY&feature=related

Love,

Billie Shears

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously?, Q24 Do you get enough time to yourself?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

06/09/2008 by admin.

One of the most important parts of our story is a poem called Shadows, which includes the verse:

“Ah, be ours the task to stop it, ours the task this Earth to keep. With imagination blot it, woe decry industrial creep. Woe decry that icy tear, “Forget me Not,” the time is Near.”

In our tale, the poem was passed to Julia by her Grandmother who advised her to, “Look out for the signs. You have the gift…”  Charles Lamb’s journal reveals how the poem came about and who wrote it - that it captures concerns about the impact of machines upon Mother Nature.

Julia wondered if events in the poem were beginning to unfold in the world and at home. Well, Sarah believes the presence of a 50ft mechanical spider creeping about the streets of Liverpool (home of the Beatles) in icy rain represents the line, ‘woe decry industrial creep.’  The creation is by the french company La Machine.  The spider is made out of steel and popular wood and is operated by up to 12 people.

Here’s a video of the spider caught in the snow!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool08/video/08/lamach_lee_snow.shtml

A read of the poem inspired Julia to examine the 12 white stones our dog, Malachi, had helped to discover.  Funny then how a Labrador was discovered with 13 golf balls in its stomach - one of which had turned black and was decomposing.  The dog named Oscar had apparently swallowed the balls when accompanying his owner about a golf course in Fife, which is strange in itself as Malachi passed Ben a fife to help inspire his thoughts and actions on the survey. 

Commenting on the operation, the local vet said he’d never seen anything like it, claiming it was just like a magic trick!

Posted in Q29 Could you live without machines?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »

08/05/2008 by admin.

As if to celebrate the launch of ‘The Haymakers Survey’ novel, a crop circle near the Avebury Stone circle in Wiltshire has appeared showing two teardrop motifs.  Remember, ‘woe decry that icy tear’ and the two teardrops to feature in our tale! Curious?

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

17/04/2008 by admin.

One of the heroines of modern English poetry, Miss J. Hunter Dunn, has died.  She featured in ‘A Subaltern’s Love Song’ a poem of enduring appeal by John Betjeman; who went on to become poet laurette.  Although written  in 1941 to celebrate their engagement, their love was never fulfilled.  In 1965, Joan Hunter Dunn spoke glowingly of the moment that Betjeman told her he had written a poem about her, and how the knowledge brightened the drab war time days.  

 The opening verse reads:

“Miss J. Hunter Dunn, Miss J. Hunter Dunn, Furnished and burnish’b by Aldershot sun’. 

An anagram of ALDERSHOT reads EARTH SOLD!

Here’s an image associated with Miss J Hunter Dunn, capturing Betjeman’s idealised vision. “Love-thirty, love-forty, oh! weakness of joy.”

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q50 Do you miss someone you love?, Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously? | No Comments »

22/03/2008 by admin.

A silver pocket watch found with the frozen body of a man who was the last victim of the Titanic to be recovered, has gone on sale.  The watch was discovered 12 days after the liner hit an iceberg and sank. Thomas Mullins was a third class steward.  It’s regarded as a unique watch from an investment point of view its value is sure to soar in 2012, which marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking.  Interestingly, the watch has lost both its hands and is beyond repair; so its now timeless.

In Newquay, pronounced New-Key, a Friesian cow has given birth to female triplets - beating odds of a million to one.  The chance of bovine triplets being born is 150,000 to one - but the odds of them all being female is 1.2 million to one.  The calves have been named, Bluebell, Primrose and Violet by their farm manager.  It follows the brith of 3 male calve triplets in August 2007,  in New Zealand; which also had a million-to-one chance!  the mum was a cow called Number 26!

Well, well, well - Enid Blyton’s Famous Five are returning to our TV screens with an updated 21st century look. 

 The Famous Five: On the Case features the children of the original ginger beer-loving adventurers - and their dog, Timmy! Producers say the animated tales remain faithful to the themes of storytelling, mystery and adventure central to the original books but add a contemporary twist.  Odd how Charles Lamb describes a famous five of his own - four great artists and poets from the 19th century and a dog called Malachi!

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q.5 Do you believe in fate?, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

27/12/2007 by admin.

A notebook belonging to the romantic poet, Lord Byron, has been discovered in the National Archives.  Dating from 1809, the handwritten leather-bound phrasebook is filled with expressions of love in Greek! It contains phrases of ‘Familiar Dialogue’ as Bryon described it, into headings such as ‘Tender Expressions of Love’ where he listed Greek expressions for ‘My Heart!’ and ‘My Love!’  Byron was fascinated by languages and learnt several.  Lord Byron was the most influential poet of his day and adored by women.  Pity he wasn’t represented at the Blakesware Set.

Another Christmas miracle - this time involving a 2 year old girl called Teagan Gislason from Minnosota in the USA. She was playing during a church service when she found a screwdriver. She tripped and lodged it in her skull, stabbing herself in the eye. However, doctors were able to remove the screwdriver without surgery and Teagan is expected to make a full recovery. The girl’s father believed she was saved for reason and ‘can’t wait to see what that reason is!”

Posted in Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously?, Q18 Do you let your heart rule your head?, Q17 Can you speak another language? | No Comments »