02/12/2008 by admin.

Happy 27th Birthday Britney Spears. Let’s celebrate - in the last year, Britney Spears was the most searched for term on Yahoo.com.  There are billions of searches each year and the troubled pop artist drew more hits than Barack Obama.  He was third on the list, behind Britney and ‘World Wrestling Entertainment’. 

This is all very interesting as some recent buyers of our novel initially mistook it to be by Britney Spears, not Billie Shears.  This was simply an ‘at a glance’ problem, but their names are very similar and rhyme.

Then we realise that Britney’s breakthrough song was, ‘Baby one more time’ with the lyrics, ‘Give me a sign, hit me…” She still believes. Do you? Here’s the video, complete with the clock ringing at 3.00.

 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_bsniYwSaWg

Curious as a definition of ‘Haymaker’ includes one able to deliver a good punch. Which leads us on to the ‘World Wrestling Entertainment’. Interesting as ‘throwing a haymaker’ is a wrestling move.

Perhaps this all explains why Britney Spears made an appearance on the show, ‘The X Factor’?  Does not our novel ask whether we - the human race - have the X factor? Are we equipped to care for our planet and its eco-systems? Why Britney even chose to wear a top hat, just like the mysterious man in the shadows - the character orchastraing our story is clearly making a big impression.

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q62a Is life logical?, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q.9 Do you feel in control of your life?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

25/09/2008 by admin.

There’s no cause for a-Lamb, but there’s blue sheep roaming the fields of Tyneside! The blue sheep are the result of a farmer putting blue dye on them so he could check whether mating had taken place. Only trouble was that the rams chose to fight amongst themselves, spreading the dye over their bodies in the process.

All very quaint yet the curiosity for us is that in his diary the colour blue was especially precious between Charles Lamb and Lucy Ebbs! Time to celebrate with some animation …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C81NxEQW01U

And a song…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ejP-KZ_tk8

Meanwhile, further South, the former Beatles singer, Sir Paul McCartney has performed in concert in Israel.  The concert comes 43 years after The Beatles were banned from playing in the country for fear of corrupting the nation’s youth.   During his visit he went to Bethlehem. Outside of the Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, Sir Paul said, “All we need is peace.” 

What’s remarkable about the visit is that in our tale, Caleb Hitch tells of the curious triangle surrrounding Keeper’s Cottage, with its lines leading east towards Stonehenge, north towards Royston Cave and south towards the Holy Land in Israel - which we suspected was too far to count, but clearly not!  The curious link between our story and The Beatles rolls on.  Here he is performing at the concert singing the Long and Winding Road!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS58AOGpLCQ&feature=related

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Star Question - what happened to the blue ribbon?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q73 Do you like nursery ryhmes?, Q66 Do you have a favourite flower?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q.9 Do you feel in control of your life? | No Comments »

13/09/2008 by admin.

Sir Cliff Richard has celebrated 50 years in showbusiness by publishing an auto-biography. Sir Cliff used to live in a council house at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. The house was tiny and he had to share a room with one of his sisters. It was in 1958 that he burst on to the music scene with the song, ‘Move It’ with a style initially based on Elvis.  Sir Cliff has has number one’s in each of the four previous decades. The relevance of the anniversary to to our story is simple - for early in our tale Sarah asks Julia about Peter Pan and Netherland! Sir Cliff seems to defy his years, so was fondly dubbed, the Peter Pan of Pop!  He was also the front singer of ‘Cliff Richard and the Shadows!’

A devout Christian, Sir Cliff has remained a Bacholor Boy throughout his career. What can we say, other than Congratulations!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iArJm9gBvg

Posted in Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Q80a Do you keep a diary?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q62 Have you ever helped the poor?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q31 Are you a charitable neighbour? | No Comments »

29/08/2008 by admin.

The eccentric and controversial popstar, Michael Jackson, has celebrated his 50th birthday. It’s not for us to judge his personal life. We just wanted to share some things he said in an interview to a US breakfast show today. He said how much he enjoyed making people happy through his music.  The anniversary is curious as in May 2007, the singer auctioned a red-military jacket similar to that discovered Ben during our adventure.

During his interview, the fallen icon said his happiest time was during the release of the album, ‘Off the Wall!”  Did he have the Royston Cave in mind?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDzxl_Q0qYE&feature=related

He also had a huge hit with the song, Ben…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSqo17o2a1w

Another amazing video is ‘Don’t stop till you get enough’! Just take a look at those stones? They look just like those sacred to the Royston Cave. As Michael said, ‘The force, it’s got a lot off power!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_hz2am90Hk&feature=related

So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Michael once performed the ‘Earth Song’!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Hcd60VoRM

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q61 Have you ever worn fancy dress?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q39 Do you believe in magic? | No Comments »

16/08/2008 by admin.

Mystery surrounds the ‘discovery’ of the remains of the legendary ape-like creature Bigfoot by two men in Georgia, US.  Matt Whitton and Matt Dyer claim to have come across the corpse in the North of the state in June. Bigfoot experts have reacted sceptically to the claims, and are refusing to investigate further. Whatever the truth, the timing of the ‘incident’ is curious - perhaps linked to our carbon footprint?

Another annivesary linked to our project - Madonna, the celebrated Queen of Pop, has turned 50!  Since 1983, the highly-talented artist has had a steady stream of hits making her the most successful female popstar of all time. Her hits included True Blue! She has reinvented herself many times, which is a lesson for us all. 

 Our Watch recorded her appearance at the July 07 Earth Live concert, and we find her ’Hey you’ song especially inspirational.  Happy Birthday Madonna - and thank you for all the beautiful music! Here’s one of Ben’s favourites…

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

As if to honour her birthday and Ben’s favourite Madonna song, the sprinter Usain Bolt has set a new world record for the 100 metres.  In the competition’s Blue Ribbon event, he raced like a bolt of lightening, making the line in an amazing 9.69 seconds to claim Olympic gold. He left the rest of the field in his wake.  Given the Frankenstien links in our story, does this mean the human race needs to act in record time on environmental issues?

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Star Question - what happened to the blue ribbon?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q72 Are you a good time keeper?, Q55 Do you believe in truth?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

26/07/2008 by admin.

Another interesting anniversary - Mick Jagger has reached 65 - making him a pensioner.  The global rock icon, energetic lead singer for the Rolling Stones, has thrilled fans for the last 40 years.  In spite of his age Sir Mick just keeps going.  In our story, our friend, Bill Darvill compared one of the sacred stones Sarah shared with him as a, “Rolling Stone, probably Mick Jagger!”  Play on maestro…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuGjBNSRi1c

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

22/07/2008 by admin.

At an antiquities auction at Bohhams an item includes a marble statue head carved some 2,000 years ago in Italy - the home of Latin - which bears a remarkable resemblance to Elvis Presley.  The amazing likeness includes a quiff, which is strange as this was not the fashion at the time! Fans of the King of Rock n Roll  would be forgiven for thinking their idol had a previous life in Roman.

Posted in Q63 Do you like the way you look?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you? | No Comments »

10/07/2008 by admin.

Liverpool, The Beatles’ home city, held its first ever Beatles day today.  As if in celebration, two significant items of Beatles related memorobilia achieved remarkable sums at a rock and pop auction at Christies in London.

Top of the Pops was the hand-painted drumskin used on the front cover of the world famous 967 album Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.  It sold for over £540,000, well in excess of the £150,000 pre-sale estimate.  The drum was designed by Sir Peter Blake. It’s regarded as arguably the most iconic image associated with The Beatles and the album cover is the most famous of all time, capturing the spirit of the Sixities. Ringo Starr summed the album with the words, “It was flower power coming into its fullest. It was love and peace…”

A close second were John Lennon’s hand written lyrics for the iconic ‘Give Peace a Chance’ which became an anthem for peace campaigners.  The lyrics reached over £420,000 - more than double the pre-sale figure.  They were written in black felt pen on a piece of white-card.  John gave the lyrics to Gail Renard a 16 year-old girl who dodged tight security at a hotel in New York to request an interview for her college magazine.

It goes without saying how significant the Lonely Hearts Club Band is to our story, and there’s flower power, of course, and Charles Lamb spoke of securing a peace between humanity and nature - no more exploitation of our world’s precious resources! Here’s the lyrics below…

As if to drum home the point, researchers say that one third of the world’s coral species are under serious threat due to pollution, coastal development, over-fishing and climate change.  These are the stark findings from the first ever global survey of its kind. The figure is alarming and the wider consequences frightening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBgh_YmY4lU&feature=related

Posted in Q66 Do you have a favourite flower?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | 1 Comment »

01/07/2008 by admin.

What’s thought to be the earliest surviving Beatles interview from 1964 has been found in south London.  Beatles historians say it is the earliest surviving interview in which Lennon and McCartney talk about how they met and discuss the songwriting process. The nine and a half minute video was recorded for a television programme broadcast in Scotland but has never been seen or heard in the rest of the UK.  Many believe it a miracle that the footage survived at all - for some 40 years it was stored in a rusty can in a damp garage, unopened, unloved and almost thrown away - until finally someone took a look inside and found the hidden gem.  During the interview John Lennon explains how he met Paul McCartney for the first time at a village fete in Liverpool.

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument? | No Comments »

30/06/2008 by admin.

Another crop circle highly relevant to ‘The Haymakers Survey’ has appeared in Wiltshire.  Amazingly, we have a circle in the design of a diamond! What’s more, within the diamond are three circles which magnify parts of the diamond.  This is highly curious given Sarah’s detective work with her magnifying glass ahead of the mysterious re-enactment of the Beatles song, Lucy in the sky with diamond!

Perhaps this explains why several recent crop circles appear to resemble images seen when looking through a kaleidoscope (see example below) … especially as Sarah had difficulty seeing through her magnifying glass, ‘It’s like looking through a kaleideoscope’ she said (image on the right).

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q23 Do you believe all the laws of physics? | No Comments »