07/09/2009 by admin.

LORD MAY ‘GOD HELP US’ 

Lord May, president of the British Association of Science, has suggested that the world [humanity] may have to turn to God to save itself from climate change. On the eve of the association’s national conference, the government’s former chief scientist warned that no country was prepared to take the lead on the issues and a supernatural ’punisher’ was needed to ensure the rules of co-operation were not broken. 

He said that in the past a belief in a god, or gods, that punish the unrighteous may have been part of the mechanism of evolution that maintains co-operation in a dog-eat-dog world. He also believes religious leaders should be doing more to persuade people to combat climate change.

Well our project is designed to help show a deeper magic to creation - be it through God, the Earth Spirit or some other force - through the many examples on this Watch, including…

EASTER ISLAND: HATS OFF

Archaeologists believe they have solved one ancient mystery surrounding the famous Easter Island statues - the source of their giant red hats!

Researchers, Dr Colin Richards and Dr Sue Hamilton from the University of Manchester and University College London, think the hats were rolled down from an ancient volcano.  They came to the conclusion based on a series of clues on the island. Each hat, weighing several tonnes, was carved from volcanic rock. They were placed on the heads of the famous statues all around the coast of the island.  The researchers are joint directors of the “Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Landscapes of Construction Project”. They will be working on the island over the next five years.

We find the timing of the research and its early findings fascinating, especially as a ceremonial adze (axe head) was found in pristine condition next to the hats.  

Precisely how and why the hats were attached is unknown but the comparisions with the mystical top-hat figure at the heart of our story are striking. Its also intriguing that the axe head was discovered beside the monuments given that Charles Lamb’s journal records how Capt Lewin bought one back to Britain following his transatlantic tour and how he inadvertantly caught Charles’ hand with it at ‘The Haymakers Survey’.

The significance of the links is that Easter Island is infamous for the destruction of the eco-system through one of the worst cases of deforestation ever, potentially to help provide sustenance for an ever increasing population. There’s a clear lesson here, especially given the mysterious man in the top hat who seems to be orchestrating every in our tale.

Posted in Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q51a How many people does it take to fill up the Earth?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q47 Do you know your history?, Q17 Can you speak another language?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | 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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

12/04/2009 by admin.

“Be proud of your faith!” These were the words of Archbishop Vincent Nichols the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church spoken on a day of hope and renewal for Christians the world over.  His Easter message was especially interesting to Julia given Lucy Ebbs’ words to her through dreams recorded in our novel (eg see page 65), ”I need to tell you - you hold the key.  You must never break faith Julia. Can you promise me that?”

How curious then that the new archbishop said, “Be proud of your faith and don’t be afraid to live by it and act on it and be as deeply as rooted as you can in that faith and as open to the world as you can. We all need to take a bit more time to live life a bit more deeply, with a bit more reflection, a bit more spirit. We are so rushed.”

Readers of our novel will be familiar with the importance of the word, “rush” as part of an anagram key to the central message within it.  Perhaps its worth reminding ourselves of what happened in Julia’s dream immediately after she’d heard Lucy speak. Here’s the extract: “Julia looked at her cupped palms. Rotating within it was a tiny Earth - she literally had the whole world in her hands.”  

What does it all mean? Let’s have some music….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmd83LIADnE

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q24 Do you get enough time to yourself?, Q22 Do you love our Earth? | No Comments »

26/03/2009 by admin.

Love is one of the key three themes embedded in our novel. But today we ask is there a cure for a broken heart?

 OR   ?

Why? The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has urged a radical change of heart in order to prevent runaway climate change. He said humanity should turn away from the selfishness and greed that leads it to ignore the interdependence with the natural world.  He warned that God would not guarentee a ‘happy ending’, saying, “God’s faithfulness stands, assuring us that even in the most appalling disaster love will not let us go - but it will not be a safety net that guarantees a happy ending in this world.”

Without a change of heart, Dr Williams warned, the world faced a number of “doomsday scenarios” including the “ultimate tragedy” of humanity gradually “choked, drowned, or starved by its own stupidity.” The poorest and most vulnerable and our children and grandchildren would pay the heaviest price for climate change, he added.

Given the spiritual nature running through our story and the curious numerous examples of coincidences we’ve witnessed since we began our Watch, we are moved to ask once more are we being warned by an unseen force of the need to act and do so now? Let us heed the final words in our book… in the footnotes, ‘Out of the depths I have cried unto the‘. You decide!

For now we ask, if Mother Nature could sing might she plead…

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

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst? | No Comments »

15/01/2009 by admin.

The world has been marvelling at the miracle of US Airways Airus A320 which crash landed into the Hudson River after a flock of geese caused engine failure just 3 minutes after take off from La Gaurdia airport, New York. All 155 people on board survived whilst the experienced pilot - Captain Sullenberger -has been hailed as a hero for his prompt action and expert flying skills.   It’s the first time in 45 years that an airliner has crashed into water without loss of life - a truely remarkable escape for everyone on board. 

By a strange coincidence on the day when Mother Nature was responsible for bringing down an airplane the British government approved a 3rd runway at London’s Heathrow. 

Despite the rhetoric behind the decision, its ecological madness which will also lead to the demolition of the village of Sipson. 

Baa-humbug! At least there are some determined campaigners, including some celebrities, who have purchased some land in the proposed development area, which may hold things up for a while.

Any wonder that Mother Nature should intervene with kindness in an attempt to warn us to stop!  Even the Captain’s name fits - Sullenberger.  A warning about the hidden berg that we may, unwittingly, be on a collision course to strike. And, oddly, the plane hit the water just a couple of minutes before 3.33 New York time.

Time to celebrate a hero with the help of our X factor friends…

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HiwwOttHuv0&feature=related

Posted in Q56 Do you believe rules are there to be broken?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q29 Could you live without machines?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

04/01/2009 by admin.

A base jumper is lucky to be alive after his parachute failed while leaping from Melbourne’s EJ WHITTEN BRIDGE. 

Miraculously, the daredevil fell 100ft and survived only picking up injuries to his feet and ankles.   The paramedic at the scene said the man was ‘lucky to be alive’.  All very curious as this miracle occured at a place almost custom made to report a miracle under the Whittenbury Watch!  Are you a believer yet?

As for the bridge itself, its named after the Australian Football legend Ted Whitten. An extraordinary talent with superb all round skills, capable of kicking supremely well with both legs.  He was regarded as the greatest natural talent of his era in the 1950’s and 1960’s and bestowed with the title of Mr Football.

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

21/12/2008 by admin.

Our readers will be aware of the significance of the X Factor poser in our narration. Well, the saga continues for the winner of this year’s contest Alexandra Burke now tops the pop tree with her powerful cover version of the song, Hallelujah.  The version has two fewer verses than the original and includes a key change.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=wAaw6VWpk4A

Alexandra’s closely followed in the charts by a more sombre but much acclaimed version by Jeff Buckley, first released in 1984.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ

It;s the first time in 51 years that the same song has occupied the top two positions in the UK pop charts - and the first time ever at Christmas.

A remarkable trinity of the song’s presence in the Top 40 is completed by Leonard Cohen’s original version, released in 1984.

We wonder whether the trilogy represents Art, Love and Nature?  Is it a call to arms from God - afterall the Hebrew meaning of the word Hallelujah is a request for a congreation to join in praise (of a divine force’s influence on The Haymaker’s Survey)?

FACE IN THE CLOUDS

Our novel recalls how Caleb Hitch reminded Ben Whittenbury of the likelihood of an encounter with supernatural forces on the Winter Solstice - the shortest day - in the run up to his ghostly encounter with Queen Caroline that fateful night in 2006.  How strange that 3 years later we should unwittingly capture a strange face in the clouds at sunset on this Winter Solstice?  Its almost as though Mother Nature was trying to provide some evidence for the doubting public of the credibility of this project.  Here take a look at the video which we’ve produced…

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=U4WouBKSCm8&feature=channel_page

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q33 Do you believe in life after death?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »