25/09/2008 by admin.

There’s no cause for a-Lamb, but there’s blue sheep roaming the fields of Tyneside! The blue sheep are the result of a farmer putting blue dye on them so he could check whether mating had taken place. Only trouble was that the rams chose to fight amongst themselves, spreading the dye over their bodies in the process.

All very quaint yet the curiosity for us is that in his diary the colour blue was especially precious between Charles Lamb and Lucy Ebbs! Time to celebrate with some animation …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C81NxEQW01U

And a song…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ejP-KZ_tk8

Meanwhile, further South, the former Beatles singer, Sir Paul McCartney has performed in concert in Israel.  The concert comes 43 years after The Beatles were banned from playing in the country for fear of corrupting the nation’s youth.   During his visit he went to Bethlehem. Outside of the Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, Sir Paul said, “All we need is peace.” 

What’s remarkable about the visit is that in our tale, Caleb Hitch tells of the curious triangle surrrounding Keeper’s Cottage, with its lines leading east towards Stonehenge, north towards Royston Cave and south towards the Holy Land in Israel - which we suspected was too far to count, but clearly not!  The curious link between our story and The Beatles rolls on.  Here he is performing at the concert singing the Long and Winding Road!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS58AOGpLCQ&feature=related

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Star Question - what happened to the blue ribbon?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q73 Do you like nursery ryhmes?, Q66 Do you have a favourite flower?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q.9 Do you feel in control of your life? | No Comments »

10/07/2008 by admin.

Liverpool, The Beatles’ home city, held its first ever Beatles day today.  As if in celebration, two significant items of Beatles related memorobilia achieved remarkable sums at a rock and pop auction at Christies in London.

Top of the Pops was the hand-painted drumskin used on the front cover of the world famous 967 album Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.  It sold for over £540,000, well in excess of the £150,000 pre-sale estimate.  The drum was designed by Sir Peter Blake. It’s regarded as arguably the most iconic image associated with The Beatles and the album cover is the most famous of all time, capturing the spirit of the Sixities. Ringo Starr summed the album with the words, “It was flower power coming into its fullest. It was love and peace…”

A close second were John Lennon’s hand written lyrics for the iconic ‘Give Peace a Chance’ which became an anthem for peace campaigners.  The lyrics reached over £420,000 - more than double the pre-sale figure.  They were written in black felt pen on a piece of white-card.  John gave the lyrics to Gail Renard a 16 year-old girl who dodged tight security at a hotel in New York to request an interview for her college magazine.

It goes without saying how significant the Lonely Hearts Club Band is to our story, and there’s flower power, of course, and Charles Lamb spoke of securing a peace between humanity and nature - no more exploitation of our world’s precious resources! Here’s the lyrics below…

As if to drum home the point, researchers say that one third of the world’s coral species are under serious threat due to pollution, coastal development, over-fishing and climate change.  These are the stark findings from the first ever global survey of its kind. The figure is alarming and the wider consequences frightening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBgh_YmY4lU&feature=related

Posted in Q66 Do you have a favourite flower?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | 1 Comment »

11/04/2008 by admin.

Jonas recently discovered this amazing video from Thailand of an elephant called Hong painting her ’self-portrait’. On a first viewing we were speechless.  take a look…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LHoyB81LnE

We just had to find out more about the elephant involved. Whilst doing so it became clear to us that although there are many elephants listed on the site below who have been trained to use a paint-brush, none come anywhere near this beautiful animal.  Curious that an animal renowned for ’never forgetting’ should paint itself holding a flower! Is this Mother Nature’s way of alerting us of the need to show her more respect? We think it is.

http://www.elephantart.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=69

Posted in Q66 Do you have a favourite flower?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q42 Do you enjoy drawing?, Q17 Can you speak another language?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »

14/02/2008 by admin.

Another example of an animal with unusual heart-shaped markings! This time it’s a piglet born just days before Valentine’s Day. Breeder Eric Freeman was amazed at the shape when the Gloucestershire Old Spot emerged into the world.  The 75 year old farmer has never seen anything like it before.  We wonder what the piglets on Noblin Green farm would have made of such a newborn? Here’s some pictures…

Perhaps our greatest love should be for Mother Nature?

Meanwhile, across town - well Brussels to be precise, HRH Prince Charles has demanded urgent action to stop the Climate Doomsday Clock, which was currently getting ever closer to midnight. Charles claimed the world was sleepwalking into catastrophe.  Hang on now, didn’t Charles Lamb sleepwalk when being introduced to the ‘bigger picture’ ? 

The Prince said, “Climate change presents such a threat that, uniquely in history, it will surely require the effort of every nation and every person to find and implement a solution before it is too late.”  He also recalled his shock at hearing predictions that the north polar ice cap could disappear in just seven years.  He said: “We are simply not reacting quickly enough. We cannot be anything less than courageous and revolutionary in our approach.”

A woman known as AJ is startling scientists because of her incredible memory.  The 42 year old Californian can recall trivial detail from every day of her life. She can recall the day of the week, major news events, and usually what the weather was that day, in what she describes as a “running movie that never stops”.  She can even remember the date’who shot J.R was shown on TV.

Only about 4% of the world’s oceans remain undamaged by human activity, according to the first detailed global map of human impacts on the seas.  A study in Science journal says climate change, fishing, pollution and other human factors have exacted a heavy toll on almost half of the marine waters.  Only remote icy areas near the poles are relatively pristine, but they face threats as ice sheets melt, they warn.  The authors say the data is a “wake-up call”

Posted in Q66 Do you have a favourite flower?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q22 Do you love our Earth? FREE CHRISTMAS PRIZE DRAW!, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

14/12/2007 by admin.

Scientists in the USA have calculated that Artic summers may be free of ice as early as 2013 - just 6 years from now.  This is much sooner than previously forecast, after summer melting in 2007 set new records.  This, as 3,000 metric tons of oil have accidentally spilled into the North Sea during the loading of a tanker, the Navion Britannica, off the coast of Norway.  isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?

An amazing story may be unfolding! The wife of a window washer who miraculously survived a terrible accident involving a 47 story plunge - that’s 550 feet - says, he has started to move his arms and legs.  Drs say the man should absolutely have died! his survival was impossible. The building was on E. 66th Street.  The survivors name was Alcides Moreno. An anagram of which is ONE DO MIRACLES!  Alcides remains in a critical condition but there are signs of hope!

Posted in Q66 Do you have a favourite flower?, Q62a Is life logical?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst? | No Comments »