28/09/2009 by admin.

During a performance of A Steady Rain on Broadway, Hollywood tough-guy actors Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig were called into action to respond to a member of the audience who had left his mobile phone on.  At first the X-men and 007 stars kept in character but as the ringing continued they lost patience and told the person to respond, “Do you want to get that?” The audience erupts in cheers but the ringing persists so Jackman pleads, “C’mon just turn it off.”

Our Sarah liked this very much. It reminded her of Charles Lamb’s report in his journal (The Ball of Blue in a Sea of Black -pages 429-436) of how they used Sarah’s mobile to issue a warning to humanity to try to prevent a globally warmed Earth.  She believes its a test because of the X-factor question in our opening material. Do we have what it takes to respond to the call? Don’t close your eyes - this is your life!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPl4040-Dgo

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Q59 Do you like surprises?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

03/07/2009 by admin.

We’ve previously commented on the sad death of Michael Jackson, the ‘King of Pop’ and how the star linked with our story.  Well given the reference Sara made to Neverland and the ghost seen by Ben and recorded in Charles Lamb’s journal, we were curious about the mounting speculation about a ghostly shadowed figure seen during a CNN tour of the popstar’s former residence. 

There may well be a logical explanation but it makes for fascinating viewing….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Am67-Sew7k&feature=related

Posted in Q62a Is life logical?, Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Q59 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.6 Do you believe in fairy tales?, Q10 Have you ever seen a ghost?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »

26/04/2009 by admin.

We have three further examples of animal magic each linked to our story!

Smiley Spider

Scientists have been marvelling at the markings on a harmless tiny spider that lives in the Hawaii rainforest.  The spider’s scientific name is Theradion Grallator but its appearance is no laughing matter since it faces the threat of extinction.  Experts believe the spider may have developed the markings to confuse predators.  Whatever the reason, its another example of the ‘Smiley Face’ mentioned in our story as part of the curious unfolding mystery that is ‘The Haymakers Survey’.

Lamb Sextuplets

Whilst closer to home,  a sheep has astounded farm workers in Northumberland by giving birth to six lambs.  The sextuplets were borm to a pedigree Lleyn ewe at Crookham Westfield farm at Cornhill on Tweed.  The newborns were discovered on 3 April by Mark Richardson - who was surprised as had never seen so many lambs born to one ewe.  The last record on sextuplets was in 1996.  So Mr Lamb we see you’re at it again? Another remarkable natural event linked to our furry friends.

Albino Buffalo

Yet another example of an albino in nature (search in right hand column below for details).  An albino buffalo has been seen in Hellsgate National Park in Kenya - a first for the country. It has a light brown coat but there are concerns for the animal’s safety as it will be more noticeable to predators.  Some local communities consider the calf’s appearance as a bad omen, but the senior park warden said, ‘It’s a great day for nature and animal lovers.”

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q59 Do you like surprises?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

07/01/2009 by admin.

During our watch we’ve seen examples in Nature of delightful markings on animals each linked in some way to our tale, such as heart shapes.  Now we find a Smiley Cephalopod - a squid with wonderful markings etched on his skin pigmentation. The specimen below was collected by the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium where director Mike Schaat managed to capture it on film.

Readers of our novel will know of the role of a smiley face in helping to spread our message and Ben’s wish to restore a pig farm to former glory - interesting!

RUNAWAY HORSE AT THE MOVIES

An escaped farm horse shocked film-goers when it ran through the automatic doors of Cineworld in Boldon, Sunderland, England. A witness said the horse, one of three to escape from a local farm, was scared by a little girl blowing a raspberry outside of the complex. The animal ran straight for the cinema entrance and took a brief tour of the foyer and a corridor, startling and surprising those inside.  Fortunately, the horse quickly fled and was soon recaptured. Nobody was hurt.  Tim Hamlyn a spokesperson for Cineworld said, “It’s certainly the first time I’ve heard of this happening and I’ve worked in cinemas for six years.”  Perhaps it wanted to see the mati-neigh!

Interesting from our perspective given the role of the runaway horse at sunset on the autumn equinox close to the start of our tale (see Novel extract).  After all, the bizarre incident occurred in Sunderland. Perhaps Mother Nature wants the movie makers to sit up and take notice of our little adventure?

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q78 Do you want to be part of the picture?, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q59 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q17 Can you speak another language? | No Comments »

04/06/2008 by admin.

As we mark the 41st anniversary of the celebrated The Beatles, Sgt Pepper album, an endangered elephant beetle named Billy has become a member of the lonely hearts club band.  Billy, who is about the size of a hamster, was discovered by fruit importers in London after a 3,000 mile stowaway journey from Costa Rica.  The beetle is being cared for by Linton Zoo in Cambridgeshire, but is now exhibiting mating signals. The zoo has issued an SOS for a mate - but time is running our for our fine specimen, as the endangered breed normally lives just 4 months. All he needs is love!

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/DisplayArticle.asp?id=319776

Meanwhile, there’s been a heated debate on the BBC’s Apprentice programme about the use of the apostrophe.  In a challenge centred on greetings cards, the contestents on Sir Alan Sugar’s show struggled on where the apostrophe should go in National Singles’ Day.  There was a three hour debate on the subject, which led to a phone call to the British Library.  See the video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L9J2B4y4Fg

Interesting all this given Caleb’s views [footnote 15] about triviality and how it can stand in the way of genuine progress.

Posted in Q59 Do you like surprises?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q48 Have you ever played solitaire?, Q46 Do you value a good education? | No Comments »

26/04/2008 by admin.

Our readers will know that Sarah deeply admired the young diarist, Anne Frank, and that our account includes a couple of postcards inserted by the Curator’s Assistant.

Well, a teacher from Holland has discovered a postcard signed by Anne Frank. Paul van den Heuvel found the card inside a box whilst going through some books in his father’s antiques shop.  The Anne Frank museum has authenticated the card. A spokeswoman said,”We have seen similar cards sent by Anne and this one fits within the series,. This is an original written by Anne and we don’t have much of that.”

Anne sent the postcard to her friend Sanne Ledeman in December 1937 when Anne was staying with her grandmother during a visit to Germany’s Aachen.  It shows a Christmas bell and clover and the words “Viel Glueck im neuen Jahr,” or “Much Luck in the New Year” and was signed Anne Frank.

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q80a Do you keep a diary?, Q59 Do you like surprises?, Q47 Do you know your history?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

05/04/2008 by admin.

It’s been more than 20 years since Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” topped the charts, but it is once again proving popular thanks to  to the phenomenon known as “RickRolling.

It began around March 2007, when bloggers and online social networkers started casually linking to the song’s video via YouTube. RickRolling was a psych-out for readers who would click on tantalizing hyperlinks, only to fall prey to a young Astley’s blonde bouffant and lively dance moves.  On April Fools’ Day, YouTube RickRolled users by linking to the video on all of its home-page features. The video was viewed 6.6 million times in one day!

So, what’s this got to do with ‘The Haymakers Survey?” Well, Caleb Hitch always thought the popstar was called Rick Ashley an anagram of which is HAY SICKLER and the lyrics from the song so capture Charles’ feelings for Lucy.  Fear not Mother Nature - We’re Never Gonna Give You Up! Here’s the link. Be warned, some of the comments contain foul language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU

Posted in Q59 Do you like surprises?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q56 Do you believe rules are there to be broken?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q18 Do you let your heart rule your head? | No Comments »

25/03/2008 by admin.

An 18th century masterpiece long presumed destroyed has been found languishing in the corner of an English country house! In the turmoil of the French Revolution, the picture disappeared. The whereabout of the French artist Jean-Antione Watteau’s La Surprise has since been a mystery.  

The original was only known about because of a 19th century copy in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace.  Watteau was one of the most brilliant painters of his time.  The work is due to go to auction and is expected to fetch £5m. It will be exhibited by Christie’s in London from July 5 - 8, which includes Earth Day.  We really do enjoy surprises!  Maybe Uncle John Plumer had something to do with this?

A University of Cambridge academic claims that Walt Disney animated films, such as Bambi, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty have played an important role in educating the public about the environment.  In his book, The Idea of Nature in Disney Animation, Dr Whitely argues that the films’ cute animals have systematically encouraged generations of children to ally themselves with the natural world and protect it.  ‘For decades, Disney films have been enabling children to explore how they feel about the natural world… and tell us more about the environment and the way we relate to it than we tend to accept.’  We do love a happy ending!

The results of a Name Experiment conducted by Professor Wiseman of Hertfordshire University, will be announced today at the Edinburgh International Science Festival.  Nearly 7,000 people took part in an online surveyMr Wiseman asked visitors to a website to imagine that they were about to walk into a room and meet 10 women and 10 men. They were given a list of male and female first names and asked to identify which they thought were the most successful, attractive and lucky. Strong voting trends emerged, with James (13%) and Elizabeth (11.6%) being seen as the most successful, compared to Brian (1.8%) and Lisa (1.8%). The “luckiest” names were Jack (15.5%), Lucy (12%) and Katie (11.8%), whereas people named Helen (1.57%) and John (2.31%) were seen as far less fortunate.

Posted in Q59 Do you like surprises?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q.6 Do you believe in fairy tales?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »

09/03/2008 by admin.

It’s been a weekend of shocks in the English FA Cup with the underdogs triumphant against the big boys! Against all the odds, Portsmouth beat Manchester United on their own ground; then Barnsley from the championship defeated Chelsea; and Cardiff from the same division beat Middlesborough from the Premiership. The remaining game same West Bromich Albion, also from the Championship reach the last four.  This remarkable set of results means that for the first time in 100 years only one club from the top flight is represented in the semi-finals of the oldest cup competition in the world!

Posted in Q59 Do you like surprises?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q.6 Do you believe in fairy tales? | No Comments »

03/03/2008 by admin.

The first-ever pictures of an avalanche on Mars have been captured by NASA’s orbiting HiRISE camera. Clouds of dust reveal active landslides at the base of a towering slope. “It really surprised me,” HiRISE team member Ingrid Daubar Spitale, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, said in a press release. “It’s great to see something so dynamic on Mars. A lot of what we see there hasn’t changed for millions of years.”  So Mars is still mobile, perhaps that explains why we can see a heart shape in the dust cloud! Try rotating the picture anti-clockwise and look about the centre of the image - there’s the heart on a slight tilt to the right. 

Posted in Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q59 Do you like surprises?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »