15/09/2008 by admin.

Long lost tapes documenting Agatha Christie, recording her autobiography have been uncovered at her home in Devon, nearly 33 years after her death. The recordings of the best-selling fictional writer of all time were hidden for more than 40 years and discovered hidden in a cardboard box by her Grandson, Matthew, in a storeroom at her former home in Greenway.  The reels of tape were working notes for her autobiography.  Only a handful of recordings of her voice are know to exist. Matthew said, “The one thing you can count on is Agatha’s unending capacity to surprise.” The tapes probably date from around the mid-sixties.  An extract of the tapes include a discussion about comparisons of the characteristics of the fictional Miss Marples with Agatha’s Grandmother. 

Here’s the face of the woman who set the template for fiction…

The connections with our story are a mystery too - links to a curious Grandmother, a long-hidden discovery in a box, revealing a past life story and many a surprise.  The plot thickens!

Posted in Q80 Have you ever searched for buried treasure?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst? | No Comments »

14/09/2008 by admin.

Noel’s HQ is an inspirational show where ordinary people do extraordinary things.  It’s just the kind of thing our very own local champion, Ben Whittenbury would do. The magic of The Haymakers Survey is spreading! Our project about the power of art, love and nature is designed to help change the world - encouraging local champions and a new way of living, that sees a world beyond the grey, money and needless regulation.  Three cheers for Noel…

Well, the funds raised from our ‘not for profit’ scheme, in partnership with the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust is currently supporting the campaign to save Balls Wood Nature Reserve.  Together we can!

http://www.harlowstar.co.uk/hertfordshiremercury-news/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=332073

We’ve given many examples on this blog about the syncronicity of our tale and world events, well we now have a very local and in many ways most extraordinary experience to tell you about.  Our story reveals how it seems that long ago a man called Ben Whittenbury was once involved in a confrontation with the Murderous Pie Man of Ware!  Well, at a fair at Castle Hall in Hertford today some distant relatives of the orginal Benjamin Whittenbury came to our book stall.  The odds against the union must be very high. It was a most remarkable and humbling experience.

Posted in Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q56 Do you believe rules are there to be broken?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q.8 Do you crave a better life?, Q.5 Do you believe in fate?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

11/09/2008 by admin.

Sgt Mark Baxter has told how swift action led to the rescue of his three year old daughter, Leona, after she was sucked into a storm drain and swept 200 feet along a drainpipe and into the River Wear.  Leona was playing in what appeared to be a large puddle before she disappeared into what appeared to be like a whirlpool in the middle of the puddle.  Her father quickly realised that she’d fallen into a drain that led to the river and dashed to save her.  Leona is barely 3 feet tall and weighs just 3 stone.  Leona’s mother said, “We are the luckiest parents alive, someone must have been watching over us.”

A whirlpool features more than once in our story. Here’s one in action…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw7YGnL137E

A miracle of another kind has taken place involving an animal called Dixie.   A family in Birmingham were delighted when an RSPCA officer turned up with their cat missing for nearly a decade!  The owners were overjoyed at the micro-chipped cat’s return, and amazed that Dixie seems to have retained all her personality and mannerisms. The owner, Mrs Delaney, says the cat has hardly stopped purring since her return.  Sarah’s told her pet Dixie all about the happy ending!

In a miraculous set of events, a historic watch belonging to a champion has been reunited with its Hertfordshire owner.  The 100 year old watch awarded to James Douglas Edgar to honour his victory in the Canadian Golf Open in 1919 was stolen from Wheathampstead Golf Club in February 2008.  Yet last week James’ grandson, Douglas, received a phone call from a jewellery collector who bought the watch at a car boot sale in Surrey.   The woman, Mandy, showed the watch to her parents - who live in Harpenden in Hertfordshire - and they instantly recognised it as the missing watch.  The circumstances are a little different but its curious that a Hertfordshire champion’s watch was lost then miraculous found again, something Ben Whittenbury and Malachi know all about - an event that triggered our Watch!

What we take from these 3 stories is that it’s not too late for humanity to change our relationship with the Earth -we can still secure the miracle needed to preserve the natural world on this planet blue in a sea of black.

Posted in Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q.5 Do you believe in fate?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

05/09/2008 by admin.

A parrot named Luna from New Jersey has fooled emergency services into an attempt to rescue a damsel in distress.  Concerned neighbours had called the police after they heard cries of, ‘Help me! Help me!” Police resorted to knocking the front door down, only to find a parrot was reponsible.  The owner wasn’t especially surprised as seven years ago Luna alarmed authorities by mimicking a baby’s cry for hours on end, triggering a visit by child welfare officials fearing an abandoned infant!  This is all very familiar given our story.

Meanwhile, in Kent, England, Leonard an African Grey has been showing off his repetoire of impersonations and moves.  The parrot was missing for about 4 days but has now returned home.  Here he is performing Beethoven’s Fifth and doing Dalek impressions - all features from our story!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7600955.stm

However, Sarah pointed out that this is nothing compared with Einstien’s performance. Now here’s a real superstar…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSDFzg8_Wfg

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q17 Can you speak another language?, Q.5 Do you believe in fate? | No Comments »

22/08/2008 by admin.

A man who threw a message in a bottle into the sea when he was just a boy has been reunited with his note 23 years after the event!  Donald Wylie was just 11 when he tossed the bottle into the water at Sandside beach, Orkney.  It was found by eco-volunteers clearing a beach at Fife, Scotland and traced to Mr Wylie, now 33.   The organiser of the beach clean-up said, ‘The message in a bottle was quite a find and surprised us all. It’s remarkable that it should turn up after all this time.”  Maybe the discovery is a coded SOS from Mother Nature?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeQ2yXE1mpU

Meanwhile, the sprinter, Usain Bolt, has been at it again, collecting his 3rd Olympic Gold and his 3rd World Record. Quite a feat! This time he was part of a quartet, the 4×100 relay.  They ran the distance in just 37.10 seconds, smashing the existing record, set in 1992, by 0.3 seconds. A fantastic champion. Congratulations Usain.

Let’s celebrate with some Chariot’s of Fire…

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

Posted in Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q.5 Do you believe in fate? | No Comments »

02/08/2008 by admin.

Firefighters had a surprise when they were called to rescue a sheep from the roof top of house in Middlemoor, North Yorkshire.  Three crews tried to rescue the animal after it made its way to the roof top via a kennel, shed and lower adjoining building.  The sheep eventually fell and suffered a broken leg. It was being treated by a local farmer.  The watch manager at Harrogate fire station said, “Its the first I’ve heard of a sheep getting stuck on a roof.” 

Perhaps this is Mother Nature’s way of helping Charles Lamb and his mission - shout it from the roof tops! Here’s some music from The Drifters…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06iKj7o8p9g&feature=related

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.8 Do you crave a better life? | No Comments »

29/07/2008 by admin.

In Humberside, England, a young romantic named Robert ploughed a proposal for his sweetheart to marry him. The message read ‘Sarah Marry Me’.  He then flew his surprised girlfriend of 10 years over the field. Sarah was amazed, and shed a few tears. She accepted at once, saying the magic words, ‘I do’. 

The Blakesware Set must be delighted. Our Sarah hopes that one day someone might do something similar for her!

Another celebration - The National Areonautical and Space Administration (NASA) are celebrating 50 years since they were established.  The highlights are many - orbiting the Earth, landing on the Moon and adventures into our solar system.  The most famous quote remains, ‘One step for a man, one giant step for mankind,’ and echoed in The Haymakers Survey.  NASAs motto is ‘For the benefit of all’.  NASA’s Office of Education’s motto is ‘Shaping the Future’. 

We recommend a visit to NASA’s website to witness all they’ve achieved.

 http://www.nasa.gov/50th/home/index.html

We come down-to-Earth with a visit to the West Midlands and a safari park to rejoice at the sight of six rare white lion cubs, which is remarkable since according to African legend white lions are a lucky charm and only come along once every 100 years.   Take a peep at the darling cubs…

Word for word, letter for letter, their names are Star, Haze, Neptune, Ariel, Oberon and Ophelia. Fortunately, none are made of stone, unlike Uncle John Plumer’s lion head statue!

Posted in Q65 Have you ever wished you could fly?, Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q42 Do you enjoy drawing?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q22 Do you love our Earth? FREE CHRISTMAS PRIZE DRAW!, Q25 Do you believe in fairies?, Q29 Could you live without machines?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you? | No Comments »

24/07/2008 by admin.

A woman from West Yorkshire has revealed how her £1.2million Lotto win followed a good omen from her deceased father involving mysterious white bird feathers.  Mrs Crossland found a white feather on her doorstep after his death two years ago and saw it as a gift from him.  Just days before her emotional jackpot win, showers of them began appearing in her garden.  The origin of the feathers is a mystery. “My win must have been fate,” added Mrs Crossland, who won with her father’s cherished number line a day after her 44th birthday.   

This is most curious given the role played by a white feather in our story! Has ‘The Haymakers Survey’ hit the jackpot - an ecological message for all humankind?

Meanwhile in Japan, Ichero a 42 year old chimpanzee, climbed on to the roof of his enclosure to cool down during a heatwave.  Zoo staff tried to coax him down and at one point he grabbed a tranquilizer gun.  Following on the heels of the Trafalgar Square sleep-in, was the chimp trying to issue a wake-up call to humanity? After all, we share 95% of our genes with a chimpanzee. Here’s the video…

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f9e_1216810602

Posted in Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q33 Do you believe in life after death?, Q.5 Do you believe in fate? | No Comments »

16/07/2008 by admin.

More magic from Mother Nature. Scientists are baffled by the sudden and strange appearance of an unidentified insect in parts of London. Tiny black and red bugs about the size of a grain of rice were first spotted in the wildlife gardens of the Natural History Museum.  They’ve also been spotted in Gray’s Inn and Regent’s Park.  Our tale also feature references to the Natural History Musuem during discussions about the future of our endangered species. The Prince Regent is mentioned several times in Charles Lamb’s journal and we all now about the Lady in Gray!

The bug appears to have an X marking on its back, perhaps in response to our poser - do we have the X-Factor? And, The Haymakers Survey is all about YES or NO responses, putting a tick or a cross in the box!

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q27 Do you like gardening?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you? | No Comments »

09/07/2008 by admin.

Experts have been stumped by the appearance of a Capricorn beetle on a pavement in an industrial estate in Ashchurch, Gloustershire.  The beetle measuring over 3cm has been extinct in Britain since the start of the industrial revolution!  It’s probable that the beetle hitched a ride to the UK on imported timber. 

In astrology, Capricorn is considered an Earth sign. In January 2008, Pluto entered the sign of Capricorn and will not leave it until 2023. Each of the previous times Pluto entered the sign have witnessed major events, including the rise and fall of Rome, the birth of Christianity and the Boston Tea Party.

Meanwhile, further south, the painting La Surprise, by the French artist Jean Watteau has sold for £12m at auction - a world record for any French old master painting sold at auction. As featured in a previous ‘Watch’ item, the painting had been ‘missing’ for some 200 years, since about the time of Charles Lamb’s journal.  Given everything that’s happening related to The Beatles at present, it’s curious that the painting features a man tuning his guitar!

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you? | No Comments »