10/09/2009 by admin.

In our novel (page 177) Malachi quotes from a collection of old Nordic poems preserved in the Icelandic medieval manuscript Codex Regius, (Latin for King’s Book). He says, ”They stretched out strings of Gold and fastened them under the Hall of the Moon”. 

Malachi said this after mention of how an invisible magical force holds everything together. Let’s look at this more closely. We believe in Nordic mythology Vidofnir sits glistening like Gold in the tree tops and its around his staff that Icelandics weave their string or thread. It is this thread that is tied to the hall of the moon -its crescent.  It explains how the Earth and the Moon are tied together in orbit - by [unseen] strings of Gold. 

So, with this in mind we’re fascinated that scientists believe they’ve discovered the oldest example of humans making cords. In a cave in Georgia, when looking for pollen they were surprised to accidentally stumble upon microscopic fibres more than 30,000 years old.  A researcher from Harvard University said they are weaven in a way that suggestes a very old princple of making rope or cord, preserved in mud that accumulated over thousands of years. Some of the fibres were coloured using natural plant pigments - were they Gold perhaps?

Maybe Malachi’s quote also suggests we are risking upsetting the natural balance of things! That things are hanging by a thread - in the Antarctic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_k2Vbhza9o

Posted in Q80 Have you ever searched for buried treasure?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »

09/09/2009 by admin.

Lucy Hayes,an 8 year old from Cambridgeshire, has become the youngest female from Britain to skydive after jumping 9,000 ft over Lake Bled in Slovenia.  Lucy and her brother Tom, aged just 7, skydived with their father, an expeirienced jumper.  Children under 16 are not allowed to skydive in Britain and their friends at school were amazed after they told them they had jumped out of a plane.  Her friends thought she was very brave but Lucy said, “It was absolutely amazing. I loved every minute of it.”

So, we have another example of someone named Lucy in the headlines, this time for a record-breaking feat. In the run up to Copenhagen, many in the world remain sceptical of the threat of human induced climate change or our collective ability to tackle it globally.  Maybe Lucy -Mother Nature personifed - is on our side that the ‘Sky is no limit’ we just need to take a ‘leap of faith’.

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

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 »

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 »

06/08/2009 by admin.

Yet another example of an albino animal caught on camera in Hertfordshire! This time folk in Woolmer Green (which sounds like Warmer Green) in Welwyn photographed an albino blackbird. 

Local residents have delighted at the bird’s antics.  For the benefit of new visitors our novel - and Charles Lamb’s journal - reveals that the appearance of so many albino creatures is a reminder to us of the need to do all we can to preserve the diversity of life on planet Earth.

In another twist, ‘Blackbird’ is of course a much loved Beatles song. Here’s a quirky and most entertaining performance from Sir Paul McCartney…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uqGCqMYaHQ&feature=related

Posted in Q41 Do you like surprises?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

29/07/2009 by admin.

Venus, a planet synonomous with love, has caught the heart of star-gazers. A strange spot has emerged on the planet and astronomers are at a loss as to know what caused it. 

An amateur skywatcher spotted the new feature on the same day that another first witnessed the scar on Jupiter.  The bright spot appears in the southern hemisphere of the planet.  A leading scientist said, “It’s fair to say that something unusual happened on Venus. Unfortunately we don’t yet know what it is!” Early suggestions for the activity on our ’sister’ planet include a powerful volcanic eruption, charged sun particles or waves on the surface. 

All the same, the mysterious event is all the stranger since it took place almost simultaneously with the Jupiter hit and the longest solar eclipse this century, and Mars has also been featured on our Watch.   We politely remind you that each of these celestial bodies feature in our novel! Venus also suffers from a runaway greenhouse effect.  As explained in this interesting video, astronomy can help us see our place in the Universe….. hmmm….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqIkKxhjW4U&feature=fvsr

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q14 Do you believe your stars? | No Comments »

22/07/2009 by admin.

Some 2 billion people across Asia have experienced the longest total eclipse of the sun in the 21st century. 

(Source: Lutfar Rahman Nirjhar - www.nirjhar.com )

The eclipse lasted 6.6 minutes and took place at 3.00am Greenwich meantime.  The exceptional duration was because the moon was just 3 hours away from its closest point to Earth in its orbit.  The length of the eclipse will not be surpassed until 30 years into the next century.  The clipse was the second of three to take place in a one month peiod. It was an amazing awe inspiring spectacle falling as it does within our 3 year Watch and taking place so close to the 40th anniversary of the first Apollo Lunar landing.  The moon is subject to much mythology and superstition in cultures the world over.  A full moon features prominiently in our tale at several key moments; at points of discovery and understanding.

The eclipse has also given scientists an opportunity to learn more about the sun.  For example, solar scientist Lucie Green, from University College London was aboard an Amercian cruise ship heading for the Japanese island of Iwo Jima to examine the waves in the corona. Well done Lucie! 

Jupiter also receives a mention in the novel - so its rather odd that almost to the day an amateur astronomer reported the discovery of a mysterious scar the size of the Earth near the pole of the gas giant. It has caught NASA scientists by surprise with an early conclusion that the planet was hit by a comet or asteroid. Such an event last took place 15 years ago when Shoemaker 59 crashed into the orb.  News of the impact has stunned the astronmy world. Jupiter also has its share of mythology with the Roman God Jupiter being in charge of cosmic justice. In Rome, in the courts of law people used to swear ‘By Jove’ to witness the oath. 

Posted in Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q14 Do you believe your stars?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q11 Do you believe in justice? | No Comments »

11/07/2009 by admin.

Warning Plot spoiler

In our novel, Charles Lamb’s journal records how the Captain is lost at sea feared drowned yet Lady Plumer later reveals a sighting of him that leaves her suspecting he survived.

We were therefore thrilled to read about the adventures of a budgie named Captain who was miraculously found adrift at sea off the coast of Devon.  He was discovered by chance barelky alive by a diving team.  The bird was reunited with his owner, Mr Peel, after he saw its picture in his local paper. It seems the bird escaped from his enclosure and managed to evade predators before flying out to sea only to tire and fall exhausted into the water.  the bird was ringed which allowed him to be reunited with Mr Peel.  Curiously the Captain seemed all the better for his adventure.  Mr Peel said,”I’ve never seen a bird look so healthy - it has done him the world of good”.

Posted in Q65 Have you ever wished you could fly?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you? | No Comments »

24/06/2009 by admin.

Our novel records the mysterious antics of Malachi the Samoyed dog who seems able to disappear and reappear unexpectedly in the strangest of places.  Time seems to hold no barriers for our messenger - working on behalf of Mother Nature personified in our story as Lucy.

How interesting then that a dog named Lucy who vanished from her home in Cornwall on 6 February has been found 550 miles North roaming a garden in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland.   The 17 year old border collie was missing for over four months and nobody has any idea where the dog has been or how she ended up so far from home.  Lucy’s owner, Mrs McKerron was overwhelmed to be reunited with her lost canine after Edinburgh Cat and Dog Rescue range to say her dog had been traced following a microchip scan.  We like nothing better than a mystery with a happy ending.

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q41 Do you like surprises? | No Comments »