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 »

05/09/2009 by admin.

At Hartland Quay in Devon, a man miraculously survived a 200ft plunge in his car over a cliff.  Steve Jones, Watch Manager at Swansea Coastguard, said, “It beggars belief how he managed to survive.” The man was airlifted to safety and taken to a local hospital.

We’ve chosen to include this miraculous escape in our Watch because Hartland Quay sounds like Heartland Key -  and our readers know all about the three hearts in our story, illustrating Love, Art and Nature - and how we learn that faith is the key to solving the ecological crisis; trusting the forecasts and expected implications of climate chaos and responding quickly and sensibly to the challenges ahead.

Miracles happen…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4bFtJB4CLo&feature=related

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q22 Do you love our Earth? | No Comments »

14/07/2009 by admin.

In our novel the term Hedgehog is used fondly to describe Hertfordshire rural folk due to their slow and sometimes prickly manner.  It led to the rather odd question about hedgehogs in the survey, but at the time we didn’t imagine it would feature much in our Watch. 

Well, to our surprise we’ve had a number of stories relating to hedgehogs - the latest being about a little fellow named Spud! Back in March, the likeable creature was found barely alive and suffering from a skin condition that caused all his spines to fall out. 

However, under the care and support of Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital the animal’s spines have begun to reappear.  the little chappie’s bristling with good health once more. 

So we have it - a message perhaps that humanity’s response to the ecological crisis has thus far been spineless? You decide!

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q19 Do you love hedgehogs? | 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 »

12/06/2009 by admin.

Gerrit Blank a teenager from Essen in Germany has been hit by a meteorite yet lived to tell the tale.  He was on his way to school when he saw a fireball heading towards him from the sky.  The missile from space hit the boy’s hand then bounced off to leave a foot long crater in the tarmac.  Gerrit was left with a 3 inch scar in his hand.  It came to him like a bolt out of the blue. It knocked him flying with a sound like thunder that left a ringing in his ears for hours.  The pea-sized meteorite had sped along at 30,000 mph.  There is only one other case of a human  surviving after being hit by a meteorite.  It was a one in a million chance - perhaps a reminder of the reference in our novel of the remarkable speed at which the Earth is moving through space.

Posted in Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q41 Do you like surprises? | No Comments »

13/05/2009 by admin.

Our story reveals the discovery of a jar containing treasures which help to illustrate the enchanted and miraculous nature of life on planet Earth.  Curious then that the RSPCA - founded by William Wilberforce (one of the members of the Blakesware Set) - had to come to the rescue of a fox cub with his head trapped in a jar. 

The animal, named Fizzle by his rescuers, was apparently in quite a lot of distress.  His rescuers wet his neck to loosen it and pulled the jar off.  Fizzzle was thought close to his parents and quickly dashed to freedom.   Its also uncanny that the animal caught in the jar was a fox given the references to a fox hunt recorded in Charles Lamb’s journal.  Mother Nature isn’t happy with us. 

THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS

Some may say there’s a spiritual link to our project - that a divine force is behind it. Our readers will know of the meaning of the man in the shadows… the secretive one who wears a top hat. Well, we’ve seen a magical photo in the Metro newspaper which intrigued us - take a look!

http://img.metro.co.uk/e-edition/A17s0z/Metro20090513/resources/17.htm

TREASURE CHEST

Passengers on a Japan Airlines 747 plane were amazed when their flight was brought to an abrupt halt before take-off due to a transit box stuck in engine No 1.  The pilot was forced to a standstill only when police raced onto the runway and flagged him down.  Authorities at Los Angeles International Airport believe the container may have been sucked into the engine after being parked too close to the engine. 

Another curious coincidence since the magician in our tale stores all the Earth props used to perform his tricks in a large chest.  He laments that his attempts to persuade us to live better with Nature have failed. So who could blame him for resorting to desperate measures to stem our love affair with the plane?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=picE8ZvknpA

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q80 Have you ever searched for buried treasure?, Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

20/04/2009 by admin.

Susan Boyle has become an overnight sensation thanks to her performance on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from the West End musical ‘Les Miserables’.  The unique beauty of Susan’s voice caught everybody by surprise - leaving the judges and audience open-mouthed in awe.  It proved beyond doubt never to judge a book by its cover for Susan’s appearance, humble manner and dress sense conflict with the ideals of an image obsessed fashion conscious world.

To date Susan’s performance has been witnessed by some 100,000,000 people on You Tube - with people the world over showering her with praise and saying how moved and inspired they were by the experience.  Its truely remarkable.  In her opening comments, Susan said she longed to emulate Elaine Page.  Well, Susan’s idol has said “Susan’s performance has captured the hearts of everyone who saw it, me included.”  Elaine said Susan is a a role model for everyone who has a dream and is now touting the idea of the pair singing together.

‘I Dreamed a Dream’ is a solo sung during the first act of Les Mis. Most of the music is soft and melancholy, but towards the end becomes louder and taut with frustration and anguish; as she cries aloud about the wretched state of her life and her unfair mistreatment. The lyrics are about lost innocence and broken dreams - an ironic twist of fate give her thrust into the limelight.  There’s hope for Ben Whittenbury yet and Julia is intrigued given her dreams and those of Charles Lamb recorded in our novel.

For anyone yet to witness her performance here’s a link…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY  

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

19/04/2009 by admin.

One of the main inspirations for our project was the artist William Blake.  How coincidental then that Tate Britain are recreating the William Blake 1809 Exhibition in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the first solo exhibition of his work which took place in a small room above a shop in Soho.  This is an artist who was obscure and impoverished at the time yet is now regarded as ‘the greatest most individual genuis of Britsh Art’.  A most worthy acolade for the visionary poet and painter in our view - creating mystical works of otherworldliness and depth. Ironic then that when he first exhibited Blake was derided by the critics and was a commercial failure.  Only by a twist of fate did his work resurface after his death. 

William, of course, has a cameo yet insightful role in our story being the guiding light that led us to monitor world events. Could it be that he had some insight on all of this - the array of coincidences reported here  - as our novel suggests? Who can say?

Let’s celebrate by reciting the extract from his ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’ which acts as an introduction to our tale, designed to give our planet a voice:

Earth’s Answer

‘Earth raised up her head, From the darkness dread and drear. Her light fled, stony dread! And her locks covered with grey despair’.

The exhibition runs until October 2009. We encourage you to pay it a visit.

http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/painting+%2526+drawing/art67779

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q16 Have you ever had a psychic experience?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »

16/04/2009 by admin.

Our readers will know all about the mystical ‘Tree of Life’ at the heart of our story and recorded in Charles Lamb’s journal.  Yggdrasil is an evergreen or fir tree and represents the essential role of trees in the continued survival of humanity on this planet. Trees are often said to be the ‘Lungs of the Earth’ so at a time when deforestation threatens the beauty of the Amazon rainforest isn’t it strange that a small fir tree has been found within the lungs of a man?

Reports claim that Artyom Sidorkin from Russia inhaled a seed which then sprouted inside him. After he complained of severe chest pains, doctors were convinced he had cancer after an X-Ray revealed what appeared to be a tumour. 

However when he operated, Dr Kamashev, thought he was hallucinating for growing inside Mr Sidorkin’s lungs was a 2 inch spruce!  He blinked three times as he was sure he was seeing things!

The presence of the tree is a real mystery as biologists say it is absolutely impossible for a green plant to grow from a seed inside a mans body; claiming that they need certain conditions -light, water and certain temperatures.  So, we have a person from Russia - home of the Samoyed tribe - operated on by a doctor whose names (Artyom and Kamashev) include the word HAYMAKERS!  It’s magic!

Celebrate for all we need is the ‘Air that We Breathe’….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMSAnZR2Q8Q

Posted in Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q21 Have you ever hugged a tree?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »