16/03/2009 by admin.

HRH Prince Charles, our revered ambassador for the preservation of the Amazon rainforest has journeyed to the region to witness the dramatic impact of deforestation and seek solutions for preserving it.  The Prince of Wales made clear that he was visiting to ‘listen and learn’ and not present solutions to local people and politicians. 

Charles’ joy at seeing the beauty and sheer size of the forest first hand was tinged with sadness that some 15% of the Brazilian Amazon had been subject to deforestation with illegal logging gangs a growing problem.  An area the size of London has been lost in the last 3 months. Maybe the demise somehow led the Prince to a spontaneous waltz with some local tribes people.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPN-L2KfNN4

Was he unwittingly replicating the scene in our story where Mother Nature uses dance - Julia and Ben in a hypnotic Waltz - to illustrate the plight of our natural world? We’ll let you be the judge of that - but remember Malachi our messenger refered to the Prince of Wales’ feathers and the words ‘Ich Dien’ German for ‘I serve’.

A lesson for us all? Did not the Prince recently warn that the world has less than 100 months to save the planet from irreversible damage? The clock is ticking!

Posted in Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q21 Have you ever hugged a tree?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

19/01/2009 by admin.

The number of foggy, misty and hazy days is diminishing across Europe, say scientists.   Since the 1970s, European temeperatures have risen by 0.5 degree Celsius per decade.  As the mists fade, they point to legislation that has helped clear up the continent’s air as a possile cause.  Fewer fogs, mists and haze mean more of the Sun’s energy has been reaching the surface, contriuting to a rise in temperatures.

Its an interesting perspective given the mysterious experiences in ’The Day of the Long Lingering Fog’ recording in our tale and in Charles Lamb’s journal.  It was a day in which Julia inadvertently found herself back in the 1800s witnessing for herself the arrival of Yggdrasil, The Tree of Life, under the watchful eye of Mother Nature.

Posted in Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q57 Have you ever spied on anyone?, Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts? | 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 »

08/09/2008 by admin.

Artists in Caracas, Venezuela, have used the living human body as a canvas. Amongst the exhibits was Nature Personified, which is very curious given Charles Lamb’s perception of Lucy Ebbs in his journal.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7602547.stm

The exhibition coincided with a £3 trillion rescue package by the US Government for the American lending company, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  “What does this have to do with the environment?”, you may well ask.  Well, in our story did not Fanny plead to Ben for help, quote, “Please, I implore you, we have been waiting for so long.”  Is this life imitating art?  In some ways, the company’s logo resembles Keeper’s Cottage.

Posted in Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q78 Do you want to be part of the picture?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q61 Have you ever worn fancy dress?, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »

24/07/2008 by admin.

A woman from West Yorkshire has revealed how her £1.2million Lotto win followed a good omen from her deceased father involving mysterious white bird feathers.  Mrs Crossland found a white feather on her doorstep after his death two years ago and saw it as a gift from him.  Just days before her emotional jackpot win, showers of them began appearing in her garden.  The origin of the feathers is a mystery. “My win must have been fate,” added Mrs Crossland, who won with her father’s cherished number line a day after her 44th birthday.   

This is most curious given the role played by a white feather in our story! Has ‘The Haymakers Survey’ hit the jackpot - an ecological message for all humankind?

Meanwhile in Japan, Ichero a 42 year old chimpanzee, climbed on to the roof of his enclosure to cool down during a heatwave.  Zoo staff tried to coax him down and at one point he grabbed a tranquilizer gun.  Following on the heels of the Trafalgar Square sleep-in, was the chimp trying to issue a wake-up call to humanity? After all, we share 95% of our genes with a chimpanzee. Here’s the video…

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f9e_1216810602

Posted in Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q33 Do you believe in life after death?, Q.5 Do you believe in fate? | No Comments »

12/06/2008 by admin.

The unicorn has always been a creature of mythology. Well, in a nature preserve in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Rome, visitors are amazed to see fantasy become reality. Okay, the animal is a deer with a single horn at the centre of its head.   Experts say, single horn deer are rare, but one with a horn exactly in the centre seems almost unique.  Take a look:

This is yet another ’Haymakers’ curiosity given that, when discussing the lion head statue, Captain Lewin told Charles Lamb,”it was either a lion or a unicorn, but the lion beat the unicorn all around the town.”  Most odd!

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q.6 Do you believe in fairy tales? | No Comments »

06/02/2008 by admin.

The Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who is credited with introducing the Beatles and other stars to ancient Hindu meditation methods, has died, aged 93. 

He introduced the Transcendental Meditation movement to the West in 1959, with the intention of creating individual peace and enlightenment.  “Don’t fight darkness. Bring the light, and darkness will disappear,” the Maharishi said in an interview in 2006, repeating one of his own mantras.  The roots of the Maharishi’s life remain shrouded in mystery. He said himself that “monks are not expected to speak about themselves; the message is important, not the person.”  Here’s what he had to say about meeting the Beatles…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7230000/newsid_7230200/7230223.stm?

This is the incredible X-ray that unlocked the mystery of what happened to a key ‘lost’ by Chris Foster a key a computer student on a drunken night out.  He apparently swallowed the key whilst drunk because he didnt want to go home from a party.  Still, as the photo insert shows, Chris safely recovered the key and has it in hand! Please don’t try this at home.

A  rubbish dump twice the size of the United States has been discovered floating in the Pacific Ocean. The vast expanse of debris, made up of plastic junk including footballs, kayaks, Lego blocks and carrier bags, is kept together by swirling underwater currents. It stretches from 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan. the rubbish could double in size over the next decade if consumers do not cut back on their use of plastics. More than a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals die every year as a result of plastic rubbish.  Syringes, cigarette lighters and toothbrushes have all been found inside the stomachs of dead seabirds. The rubbish can also be dangerous for humans, because tiny plastic pellets in the sea can attract man-made chemicals which then enter the food chain.

Posted in Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q69 Do you put off to tomorrow what you could do today?, Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Q56 Do you believe rules are there to be broken?, Q55 Do you believe in truth?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

29/01/2008 by admin.

The South-East of England is to get its very own ‘Angel of the South’ to mark the opening of the new Eurostar terminal at Ebbsfleet in Kent. The sculpture - which will be as high as Nelson’s Column - will be designed by an artist selected from one of a shortlist of five including the Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger (of bear costume fame).   The sculpture is set to be the bodest commission since the ‘Angel of the North’ was built 10 years ago.  The statue, below, was made from steel, so symbolic of the industrial revolution.

The ‘Angel of the South’ is due to be finished by 2010.  It will be built on a hilltop to celebrate the new station and development of the Ebbsfleet Valley, where it will be visible from rail, road and air.  Given the location, perhaps they ought to model it on the woman at the heart of the Haymakers and call it Lucy!  At this time of climate chaos, what better symbol to adopt than an icon for Mother Nature personified, complete with blue ribbon and the words, “Now is the time for action!” Mr Wallinger, are you up for the challenge?

Robert and James Lewis are set to become the first set of identical twins to win international caps in for Wales in senior rugby. They will line up for the Welsh against England in the IRB Sevens World Championships taking place in Wellington, New Zealand.  The youngsters currently play for Ebbw Vale in the Principality Premiership.

Their opponents will surely being seeing double!  If only Ben Whittenbury and Captain Richard Lewin could see you now.

A 2,000 feet-wide asteriod has flashed passed the Earth, missing it by just 333,000 miles, which in space terms is no distance at all, as it was just outside of the moon’s orbit.  The asteriod was called TU24.  There was no chance of impact, but it was still a close call for our home.

Posted in Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Star Question - what happened to the blue ribbon?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q13 Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »

17/09/2007 by admin.

More monkey business - remember the escaped orangutan and the motorbike; well another monkey - this time a Simian from India caused mayhem when it forced the closure of the VIP lounge at New Dehli Airport.  The departure lounge was partly closed for up to an hour.

So - is nature trying to tell us something about our use of fossil fuels?

Posted in Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q56 Do you believe rules are there to be broken?, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest? | No Comments »

23/07/2007 by admin.

Julia took a trip into London today and picked up a free morning newspaper. Reporting on the floods, it carried the headline, “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” It alarmed her, of course, given the dreams she had. The line comes from Samuel Coleridge’s, Rime of the Ancient Mariner. It’s the point where the Albatross begins to be avenged. Question 68 

On a lighter note, R&B sensation Rihanna’s massive hit Umbrella has become the longest running No.1 single for more than a decade. Question 40 refers.

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument? | No Comments »