10/01/2012 by admin.

As the New year begins to unfold its of interest to us that two movies have been grabbing the headlines - War Horse and the Iron Lady.

We’re amused since our environmental project is all about finding the right balance between industrial growth (otherwise known as Gross Domestic Product) and defending Mother Nature. This is symbolised in the opening scene of our novel when an unknown figure is galloping on a horse to save Mother Nature from unbridled exploitation and destruction by humanity with a ghostly Lady in Grey (who represents industry - an Iron Lady) mournful at setting humanity on a precarious path. Its a struggle that continues today and everyday, perhaps these movies are a timely reminder of the need for humanity to progress ethically and morally? Here’s the trailers…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7lf9HgFAwQ 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDiCFY2zsfc

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q47 Do you know your history?, Q10 Have you ever seen a ghost?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q13 Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

29/10/2011 by admin.

This year’s X Factor talent contest apears cursed. 

The calamaties have come thick and fast:

• Claims by contestants that the X-Factor mansion is haunted.
• Goldie, one of the final 16 contestants, pulled out prior to the first show and had to be replaced by Sami Brooks
• In a sing-off, Sami’s mentor Louis Walsh decided to keep Kitty and Sami should leave the show. Sami then suggested Louis should be pensioned off!
• Complaints from viewers about the unreasonable number of adverts between performances
• Ratings have crashed - 2 million less than in 2010 
• Accusations and rumours of bulling amongst some contestants
• The girls’ band Rythmics had to change their name because it clashed with a children’s charity - they’re now called Little Mix
• Due to his faith Ashley Baptiste, member of The Risk, decided being in a boy band wasn’t for him and choose to leave the show. He’s been replaced by Ashford Campbell one of the members of NuVibe, with some arguing about the legality of this as NuVibe were voted off a couple of weeks ago.  
• The ‘Hex’ has even spread to the judging panel - with arguments breaking out with Kelly Rowland missing this weekend’s show due a ‘throat infection.’

Perhaps the Hex Factor is because humanity is falling to demonstrate to the Earth’s creator that we have what it takes to be its guardian. Our novel anticipated this - see the free opening sequel. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YPdeFknh34

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q.8 Do you crave a better life?, Q10 Have you ever seen a ghost?, Q18 Do you let your heart rule your head?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

13/10/2011 by admin.

David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye has announced his retirement from professional boxing. The former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion has decided to call it quits on his 31st birthday.  We’ve featured his brilliant successes on this Watch and are really sad to see him go. Bill Richmond, the uncrowned ‘Haymaker’ boxer to feature in Charles Lamb’s journal would have been so proud of your achievements. We also respect his decision to leave when still in perfect physical and mental health. He had always planned to go on his 31st birthday. A great time keeper as well as a brilliant boxer.

The boxer’s authorised biography, ‘Making Haye’ will be published on 27 October. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO8tfsVy-mY

Posted in Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q72 Are you a good time keeper?, Q13 Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

06/10/2011 by admin.

X-Factor has come to Hertfordshire with the 16 finalists for the 2011 singing contest being housed in a luxury £6m mansion at Hertford Heath, Hobby Horse Wood, East Hertfordshire.  The contestents will stay in the mansion rented by ITV for the duration of the contest.

The hugely popular show attracts millions of viewers each weekend. We wish the contestents every success and look forward to watching the shows, especially as our novel based in East Hertfordshire asks the telling question of whether humanity has the X-Factor? Do we have what it takes to care for this planet or should we be voted off? The difference is that for us and the animals we share Earth with they’ll be no phone vote, texting or judges decisions. Mother Nature will make the decision on whether we stay or go. How exciting.

And, in a telling twist the contestents claim the mansion is haunted, even though its brand new. Strange occurances have been keeping them awake at night. Spooky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5CGy3obdoU

Posted in Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q.8 Do you crave a better life?, Q10 Have you ever seen a ghost?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

28/08/2011 by admin.

Yohan Blake has unexpectedly won the 100m final at the 2011 World Athletics Championship.  The Jamacian raced to victory after the defending champion Bolt caused a real shock after being disqualified after an obvious false start.  The triple world record holder and Olympic champion clearly jumped the gun to everyone’s surprise.  

We’ve run several features about the magnificent Usain Bolt and his record breaking exploits because we viewed these as a clear indication of the need for humanity to act with all speed to protect the natural world.  We were sorry to see him disqualified. However, let’s take a closer look at YOHAN BLAKE. 

An anagram is HAY ON BLAKE!  Which is very curious as the mystical artist William Blake had so much to say about the spiritual nature behind The Haymakers Survey.  It was revealed in Charles Lamb’s journal. Is this a game player?

Posted in Q72 Are you a good time keeper?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q16 Have you ever had a psychic experience?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »

23/08/2011 by admin.

Earthquakes are rare in the Eastern part of the United States. How interesting then that a 5.8 magnitude quake has struck the US state of Virginia. The epicentre was in Louisa County close to Richmond. The quake was felt in about 12 US states and damaged national monuments in Washington DC. Thankfully though the quake caused more alarm than damage or serious injury.

The Eastern states of America play a very significant part in our novel and in Charles Lamb’s journal. We’re especially struck that the quke occured close to Richmond because of the part played by Bill Richmond - uncrowned boxing champion from the 1820s - in the compiling of The Haymaker’s Survey by the Blakesware Set. Charles Lamb’s journal tellls how Bill was dubbed the Haymaker by the Duke of Wellington.

Marvellous - what will Mother Nature do next to show the deep magic of The Haymaker’s Survey?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZxNkS0w5g8&feature=related

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q23 Do you believe all the laws of physics?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

18/08/2011 by admin.

A British teenager, Horatio Chapple, has been killed by a raging polar bear on the island of Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Arctic. The animal also injured four other explorers in an attack on their campsite before being shot dead by the expedition’s team leader.  It was a horrific incident and we are deeply sorry to hear of the loss of a promising Eton student.

Horatio Chapple’s parents have paid tribute to their “fearless” son and have compared him to his namesake Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson who fought of a polar bear on the same island. In a remarkable and strange quirk of fate our novel includes a postcard image of the painting ‘Nelson and the Bear’ by Richard Westall.  The painting captured a young Horatio Nelson engaging a huge polar bear off an ice floe in Spitsbergen! The image was included by a mystery doner to illustrate the conflict between humanity’s pursuit of progress and growth against the need to care for our planet and Mother Nature’s creatures.  

It’s also curious that a post-mortem has revealed that the bear may have been suffering from severe toothache - several of its teeth were very badly damaged which means the bear would have been in serious pain and changed the behaviour of the bear. Why is this curious? Well in our novel having speculated on the plight of the polar bear, Sarah loses a tooth and Ben Whittenbury anticipates the arrival of the tooth fairy. Art imitating life!

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q.2 Are you an art lover?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

22/03/2011 by admin.

Knut, the world’s most famous polar bear, has died at just 4 years of age. 

 Rejected by his mother he was put in an incubator and raised by humans from a cub at Berlin Zoo. His story captured the imagination of an adoring public and was adopted by many as an icon on tackling climate change.  Polar bears can live for up to 30 years in the wild. 

His premature death from brain damage has provoked renewed debate about the ethics of keeping large animals in zoos.  Comments on the BBC website are wide ranging including, human arrogance in interfering with nature’s course, our sentimentality in relating to wild creatures, the role of status species in zoo’s as ambassadors for their breathen in the wild, and the importance of not judging nature by human standards. 

Whatever your view Knut’s short life should be cherished - we loved the polar bear champion. Maybe his early death is another signal that we need to act quickly to address the threats to the natural world.

Posted in Q48 Have you ever played solitaire?, Q50 Do you miss someone you love?, Q33 Do you believe in life after death?, Q24 Do you get enough time to yourself?, Q18 Do you let your heart rule your head?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | 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 »

24/02/2011 by admin.

The Haymakers Survey uses art as a medium to help inspire love for Nature. Well. there’s an award winning museum and art gallery in Sandhurst, Gloucestershire which is the world’s first dedicated to art inspired by Nature.  Aside from the aesthetic and cultural appeal of what it has to offer we’re drawn to it today because of magical events in neighbouring Quedgeley.

The village of Quedgeley has close connections with the RAF. Its official name was No 7 Maintenance Unit, RAF Quedgeley with the motto, Omnibus Ubique Servimus which means, “We Serve All, Everywhere”.  Interesting…

The Haymakers Survey tells how if you put a frog in a jar of water and slowly heat it the frog will die as it fails to react in time to the threat that eventually brings its demise. It’s a parable often used to highlight the threat to humanity presented by global warming.  Is it just coincidence then that Donna Hunt discovered a tropical tree frog amongst strawberries purchased from her local Tesco store in Quedgeley? She found it at the bottom of her fridge and thought at first it was a mouldy strawberry. Is this rare event so close to the home of Nature in Art a clear message that humanity needs to ‘cool down’ the Earth by reducing its CO2 emmissions and moving away from our dependency on oil?

We’re not the story tellers - Mother Nature is. Is it weird or what?

http://nature-in-art.org.uk/

Maybe the frog arrived with a message from the creator…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4o8TeqKhgY&feature=related

Posted in Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q53 Do you prefer to keep warm?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »