07/01/2012 by admin.

A lion named Malik has reacted fiercely to a young girl staring at him through strengthened glass in his enclosure at Wellington Zoo. The moody lion swipped his front paws against the 33mm glass, perhaps to defend his meal, but Sofia aged 3 stood firm. She seemed surprised but didn’t kepy her cool.  Its not the first time Malik has charged the glass and is probably because he’s trying to eat his food and is trying to chase off possible rivals.

However, perhaps Malik had a deeper message - afterall in our novel Wellington chaired the meeting of the Blakesware Set, the group behind the Haymakers Survey.  And, Malachi the messenger and voice of the animal kingdom is likened to the lion statue around which the magic of time travel in our story unfolds. Malachi is also abbreviated many times in the story, including to Malik.  Maybe Malik the former king of the jungle is letting us know that nature’s patience with humanity is fast running out?

Here’s the video clip..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0RWuyqkzeE

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

19/12/2011 by admin.

At picturesque Carmarthenshire, ‘The Garden of Wales’ bundles of hay lay strew across raliway tracks after a commuter train struck a lorry carrying a hay trailer. 

Fortunately only a few passengers experienced minor injuries on the crossing at Whitland.  Seeing all that hay on the tracks makes for quite a sight and its interesting to us that Whitland translates to ‘The Old Whitehouse’, which is curious as in our novel Charles Lamb takes a serious fall adjacent to an old white house and claims that ‘it is all over.’  His journal also records how ‘The Blakesware Set’ speculated on the impact of the railways as the industrial revolution began to take a grip. Is Mother Nature telling us to derail the runaway train that is human exploitation of planet Earth?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFJ3KayeUTc

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »

22/10/2011 by admin.

In 1484, a scurrilous note was pinned to the door of St Paul’s Cathedral. It read quite simply, “The Catte, the Rattee and Lovell our dogge rulyth all Englande under a hogge.”  The brief, cryptic, satarical poem lampooned some of the highest born in the land, including Richard III who feared the poem would be used as proganda to lead a rebellion. 

In our novel Malachi warns us of the significance of the poem, perhaps directed at the inept way in which leaders across the globe are able to adopt a truely sustainable approach to living - being weighed down instead by economic crisis and war in the Middle East. 

Its fascinating then that an Occupy camp has set up outside of St Paul’s Cathedral. The group, Occupy London Stock Exchange, are protesting about the way financial institutions have mismanaged affairs in recent years.  Their presence has led to the cathedral being closed to visitors for the first time since the end of the Second World War.  The decision was taken for health and safety reasons. 

A spokesperson for the group, who gave her name as Lucy, said, “It was felt by everyone that we really wanted to stay and continue with the protest. This protest is massive, it affects everybody, everyone’s watching at home right now. It’s not just about a few people who have got some tents in St Paul’s, it’s not a stunt, it’s not a spectacle.”

Remember readers - in Charles Lamb’s Journal, Lucy’s the name of Mother Nature. Perhaps there’s a deeper spiritual message to all of this - that we should turn away from greed, money and possessions and live to saviour the beauty of the Earth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0qQyW0W0Rw

Posted in Q62 Have you ever helped the poor?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q28 Have you ever lived in poverty?, Q33 Do you believe in life after death?, Q22 Do you love our Earth? | No Comments »

15/08/2011 by admin.

New Zealand is under its heaviest snow in living memory. The once in a life time event saw Wellington experience heavy snow and blizzards with electricity cut and schools closed due to the disruption. Residents took to the streets with cameras to enjoy the snow and keepers at Wellington Zoo gave Happy Feet the lost emperor penguin found sick and starving on the west coast the chance to enjoy the conditions.

In our novel Malachi our messenger warns us - “Snow, did someone say snow?” Well, well,well. Is this the wake up call for humanity about what we’re doing to the planet that the Duke of Wellington warned us about in Charles Lamb’s journal? Coincidental too that the Emperor should have a say - as predicted by Charles. What’s Mother Nature up to?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsQSRy85xBw

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

03/06/2011 by admin.

During a live semi-final of the British TV talent show the mogul Simon Cowell and another of the panel hosts were ‘attacked’ by a fly whilst passing judgement on one of the contestants, Jessica Hobson from Sheffield.

Simon Cowell is also behind the X-Factor talent show.  We’ve commented a number of times on this watch about the need for humanity to demonstrate that it has the X-factor in taking better care of this fragile world. The appearance of the fly before the X Factor king may be a further warning sign. It features in our story (under Q15) as a prelude to a scream of anguish from Mother Nature. Jessica, a talented and misrepresented singer, was unfairly slated and reduced to tears on stage - so we have injustice too.  We have a Hobson’s Choice - a free choice to take it or leave it. Only one option is up for grabs. Live better in harmony with Nature of face the consequences.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYlM0JlQO0A

Posted in Q65 Have you ever wished you could fly?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q11 Do you believe in justice? | No Comments »

15/03/2011 by admin.

The official 2012 Olympics clock in Trafalgar Square has stopped just one day after it was unveiled. The clock is designed to count down by days, hours, minutes and seconds. The digital clock stopped at 500 days and 07:06:56. Officials from Omega are investigating the techincal problems.

The clock has the controversial LDN 2012 logo at its head and we have our own version of the logo. It forms the shape of a large dog - Malachi, the Messenger. 

All most mysterious as early in our novel Ben Whittenbury asks what use is a watch for we need to stop the clocks on the consumption of the world’s finite resources. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_a-eXIoyYA

Posted in Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q56 Do you believe rules are there to be broken?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously?, Q.6 Do you believe in fairy tales?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

15/12/2010 by admin.

An iconic lighthouse at lake Erie Cleveland Ohio has been covered with snow in ice. A combination of high winds, subzero temperatures and crashing waves have turned the navigation aid into an ice castle from the Snow Queen. Although of breathtaking beauty the frozen beacon is potentially dangerous as Coast Guard Units have issued warnings to sea mariners. 

Mother Nature loves her Winter Wonderlands. In our novel Ben Whittenbury issued his cry for action to preserve the environment - adopting a pose akin to a lighthouse - and Lucy herself later repeats the pose as a beacon of hope.  Malachi warns, “Snow, did someone say snow!” (page 100) Our 18th century hero Captain Richard Lewin is also lost at sea.  Whilst Lucy warns us about Erie (page to follow).  Its not looking good people…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0_GO7cj0jk

Posted in Q53 Do you prefer to keep warm?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

26/05/2010 by admin.

In Thessalonika, Greece a flood of frogs has forced the closure of a key northern highway for two hours. The chief of traffic police for Thessaloniaka said that ‘millions’ of the amphibians covered the tarmac. There was a ‘carpet’ of frogs.  Authorities chose to close the road after three cars nearly sped off it.

The amazing spectacle was caught on camera - see video below.  The most favoured explanation is that the frogs merely left a nearby lake in search of food. Others have speculated that they were feeling in anticipation of an earthquake. Our take is perhaps more insightful. 

First our novel includes (page 171) the fable of the frog that stayed in the jar of water as it gradually warmed until he boiled alive - it’s an anology for humans being reluctant to change behaviour until crisis occurs, which from an ecological perspective will be far too late. 

Second in his journal Charles Lamb describes the gathering of ‘The Haymakers’ as a grand Salon (page 279) a coming together of great minds to ponder the consequences of population growth and the industrial revolution on planet Earth.  Fascinating since the original name for Thessalonika was Salonika.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/10167636.stm

Third the monuments of ThesSALONika are a recognised UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site was chosen in 1988 for cultural reasons the criteria for which can include “to represent a masterpiece in human creative genius.”  Maybe the message is deeper - another message from Mother Nature about preserving our natural heritage - planet Earth and its great and glorious diversity.  As we say ‘Its not that easy being green’.

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

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

16/03/2010 by admin.

‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ are the opening words from arguably one of the most popular poems in the world.  Commonly known as ‘Daffodils’ or ‘The Daffodils’ the poem is usually considered William Wordsworth’s most famous work.  William is one of the romantic writers to feature in our novel and such is our admiration for his work that we chose to adapt his poem as our entry for the Copehagen climate change conference video competition (see end).  Perhaps it was aired at some point during the proceedings but there is a subsequent curiosity of which we wish to tell.

The inconclusive outcomes from the conference were a disappointment to many whilst the subsequent coldest winter in 30 years coupled with the debate on the validity of climate change data has left the issue side-lined in many people’s mind.  But we wonder - here we are in mid-March and the question is ‘Where are all the daffodils?’ 

In recent years warmer winters have meant that the much loved flower has been in bloom in January or early February. Not this year and at the same time snowdrops can still be seen at an incredibly late date.

In response visitors to the Lake District in Cumbria, which inspired William’s poem, have been urged to report the appearance of daffodils on Twitter.  Cumbrian tourist expert Eric Robson said ‘its almost unheard of to have no daffodils in the Lake District by mid-March.  The project’s been called ‘Daff Watch’ and is perhaps an inspired attempt to encourage visitors to an area usually playing host to golden daffodils.

We think there’s a subtle message here - the daffodils are very late and the snowdrops linger well passed their usual end!  Given the significance of Mr Wordsworth in our story is this Mother Nature’s way of protesting to humanity in stark terms that the hour is late for action to preserve the natural world? Indeed the late presence of the Snowdrops appears to reaffirm this as in our novel they feature strongly as Yggdrasil’s friend - a sign that there is still hope to turn things around at this late hour. 

We do not mean to preach but there’s no need to apologise for being passionate about something. There are also many that expect us to fail but we believe it is our common duty to act today to save our tomorrow.  Industry continues to expand apace to feed a seemingly ceaseless hunger for economic growth as the human population soars ever upwards - this as the natural world is stripped away and many species are on the edge of extinction.  Time to revisit our video…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRF8EAgIgK8

Posted in Q66 Do you have a favourite flower?, Q72 Are you a good time keeper?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously? | No Comments »

05/03/2010 by admin.

Today is World Book Day and as if by magic a few people have asked me when the sequel might be ready - which is nice and reassuring. If I’m honest it’s a little way off just yet but in the meantime I’ve been prompted by several subscribers to honour the day in some way as the book’s all about helping to preserve our fragile world.

Well I put my thinking cap on and realised that in Charles Lamb’s journal Lucy Ebbs (Mother Nature personified) refers to the Earth moving (page number to follow) which is odd as the recent Earthquake’s we’ve seen all seem linked to The Haymakers Survey.  Elsewhere on our Watch we’ve already mentioned the devastating Haiti quake (sounds like Hayti).  Whilst the quake in Chile on 27 February was so powerful at 8.8 on the Richter scale that a NASA scientist has reported that the quake has literally knocked the Earth’s axis and shortened the length of each Earth day by 1.26 microseconds - uncanny that it should happen in Chile given the references to the Arctic in the novel, but more significantly we have two references in the book to the Axis Mundi - on which all things turn! (page refs to follow).

If that’s not sufficient to feed our curiousity - we have the Eureka moment. On January 9 2010 there was a quake of 6.5m in the Pacific ocean with an epicentre 33 miles west of the nearest major city of Eureka. No significant damage was reported but the amusing thing is that when the Blakesware Set gathered and thought up the Haymakers Survey questions when Malthus cried ‘Eureka’ in celebration (page 345 and on the Journal sample on the main site).

We speculate -is planet Earth protecsting against our behaviour? Our live to work, work to earn, earn to consume life style that is so stressful to many, futile and belittling to our species and threatens to destory the delicate eco-system of life on Earth. Behaviour which some argue undermines what humanity is really about. Mmm it make me wonder… let’s show our true colours… they are beautiful like the rainbow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbZDjnWtK1A

Posted in Q72 Are you a good time keeper?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q23 Do you believe all the laws of physics?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »