16/05/2011 by admin.

A new and long-awaited movie by Terence Malick has been launched at the Cannes film festival. It’s called The Tree of Life and stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. It’s one of the most talked about films at the festival. A short trailer features mysterious cosmic images alongside scenes from 1950’s Texas in America. It offers amazing imagery of the dawn of time and explores ideas and questions about our place in the world.

We’re intriqued by the movie as the Tree of Life is a key part of our story. The Tree of Life is evident in a number of religions throughout the world, including in Nordic myth where the tree is called Yggdrasil. Essentially, what we (humanity) give through our deeds influences our destiny. The timing is key as we’re busy robbing oursleves of all the natural beauty in the world. Here’s the trailer:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLPe0fHuZsc

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q67 Have you ever decorated a tree?, Q16 Have you ever had a psychic experience?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q.8 Do you crave a better life? | No Comments »

07/02/2011 by admin.

“What so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last gleaming”, sang Christina Aguilera at the opening of the Super Bowl in Texas.  Lost in the moment she fluffed one of the lines from the US national anthem.  She ought to have sung, “O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming,” from the Star Spangled banner but belted out, “What so proudly we watched at the twighlight’s last gleaming.”  It’s really strange as she’s sung the anthem many times in public since the age of seven and never messed up yet.

So why now? As Christina is a supported of Defenders of Wildlife, we may have the answer. Remember this is the Whittenbury Watch and one of the most poignant scenes which inspired the Watch is at the start of our environmental novel. It takes place at “twilight’s last gleaming” when Mother Nature symbolically challenges the industrial world to clean up is act.

Maybe the force behind The Haymakers Survey prompted Christina to sing, “What so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last gleaming,” to hunderds of millions in the most influential country on Earth and the tune “Yankee doodle”, features time and again, including in Charles Lamb’s journal.  Whilst Sarah played at her own form of super bowls to show that we’re playing with Nature. It’s now or never folks for humanity on planet Earth…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgxA3Aus8jY

Oh , The Green Bay Packers scored a historic win ove the Pittsburgh Steelers… need we say more?

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, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q16 Have you ever had a psychic experience?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q.9 Do you feel in control of your life? | No Comments »

23/11/2010 by admin.

The opening scenes from our novel includes the flight of a white bird over the head of Ben Whittingbury. It happened just after he made his pledge to be Nature’s Champion and before his errie mystical encounter with the Lady in Grey.

In Christian faith the dove represents the Holy Spirit. Its also thought of as a symbol of love and peace. Curiously a white dove has befriended Rebekah Horsfield a 13 year old teenager from Surrey. Rebekah came across the bird last week sitting on the pavement. She approached it and it chose to fly up and sit on her shoulder. It now keeps close to her side and the pair are becoming inseparable. Rebekah has named the bird Snowy! Snowy sits on top of the computer when Rebekah is on the internet. She thinks Snowy might be a magician’s pet.

Meanwhile Bobby Haas a photographer has taken a remarkable arial photograph in Yucatan Mexico of hundreds of flamingos gathered to form the image of a bird. Mr Haas described the shot as the Holy Grail of photography. He said,”The reaction has been remarkable. Some people have said it is divine intervention and proof there is a God.”

Remember we’re counting on you to have faith, live in harmony and peace with Mother Nature and love this planet Earth.

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q78 Do you want to be part of the picture?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q65 Have you ever wished you could fly?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

22/11/2010 by admin.

This weekend the eight remaining contestants in the X-Factor performed songs by the legendary Beatles. After a short message from Sir Paul Mccartney we witnessed performances of “Imagine, Yesterday, Come Together, Help, Something, Let It Be, All You Need Is Love.” Given the significance of The Beatles and the X-Factor the combination amuses us as it could almost be a covert message to show the need to help Mother Nature through love - which is the whole point of our project.  

We shouldn’t of course forget a quirky melody by Wagner of “Hey Jude, Hippy Hippy Shake and Get Back.” Wagner has not been without his critics, which comes as no surprise since two years ago Malachi our Messenger warned us in light hearted fashion about Wagner and his Ring Cycle linked to Nordic myth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0PpTPvbr-4

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

13/10/2010 by admin.

On 22 September New York photographer Jay Fine braved a storm to catch on camera a lightening strike on the Statue of Liberty. His amazing photo has caught the imagination of the world. He waited 40 years to get the image.

We’re intrigued for two reasons. First the image was captured on the autumn equinox - a date so significant in our story - see opening sample.  Second, a Statute of Liberty like figure features in Charles Lamb’s journal as Mother Nature standing as if in protest or distress with the beacon lit as a warning or siren. See page [to follow].

It’s a fabulous intriquing coincidence.

Posted in Q78 Do you want to be part of the picture?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

13/10/2010 by admin.

‘Mision cumplida Chile’ was the sign held up by the rescue workers after they returned 33 trapped miners to the surface. ‘ means in English ‘Mission accomplished Chile!’

The world watched in joyful awe and wonder amid suspense and jubiliance the miners returned to life to be greeted by loved ones. Each had their own stories to tell and reacted in their own personal way to being rescued.  The miners survived underground for a record 68 to 69 days.  As one story put it the miners claimed, “A deep religious faith powered this rescue; miners, rescuers and families alike believe their prayers were answered.”  The Chilean president declared the rescue a miracle.

Our previous item on the event captured the links with The Haymakers Survey - essentially about living in a cave and the biblical conclusion ‘ out of the depths I cried unto the’.  There are some other coincidences…

The second miner to be rescued brought rocks to the surface as momentoes: our novel refers to the magical stones and the biblical reference ‘I tell you with these stones I can raise children’.

Whilst another miner asked when he got to the surface, ”how the’s dog?’” we wonder if this was in reality a testament to Malachi -our messenger.  

It leads us to conclude that the whole episode is a message to humanity - that we can achieve great things together against all odds and that there’s a task to be done - to take proper care of this fragile Earth!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGecqHnN2gQ

Posted in Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q69 Do you put off to tomorrow what you could do today?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Q57 Have you ever spied on anyone?, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q29 Could you live without machines?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q32 Are you afraid of the dark?, Q33 Do you believe in life after death?, Q50 Do you miss someone you love?, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

16/08/2010 by admin.

In our novel Lucy Ebbs, Mother Nature personified, alerts us to the wonder of the albino in demonstrating the wonder of diversity on planet Earth. Since the Watch began we’ve seen many examples of albinos in nature, but none as dramatic as Migaloo the hunchback whale.

The unique and majestic creature has been filmed professionally for the very first time.  The only albino whale of its kind in the world, Migaloo was filmed close to Green Island off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  Reef Magic Cruise’s owner Tim North said “It was a breathtaking sight that made your hair stand up on the back of your neck.” The idea to film Migaloo was to help show how precious he is and to help protect him. We whole heartedly agree.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QisofzOVwK8

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q48 Have you ever played solitaire?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

04/08/2010 by admin.

On 1 August we launched online the second novel in The Haymakers Survey trilogy. It’s called ‘Uncle John’s Notebook - Earth Story’. http://watchthehaymakerssurvey.co.uk/ 

We’re tickled by a curious coincidence. On the same day a rare solar storm occured.

The event was witnessed by astronomers worldwide. A huge flare burst out above a sunspot the size of the Earth.  The explosion caused a coronal mass ejection aimed directly at this planet. Experts said the CME would hit the Earth around 3 and 4 August sparking spectacular displays of the aurora.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_4HVKrzsbs

Dr Lucie Green of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory has been following the flare-ups. She said, “What wonderful fireworks the Sun has been producing”.  Maybe Mother Nature is celebrating the launch of the online serialisation of our second novel?

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q23 Do you believe all the laws of physics?, Q22 Do you love our Earth? | No Comments »

12/07/2010 by admin.

Mother Nature has claimed the World Cup!

Well at least Paul the Octopus has been awarded a replica version of the football world cup after he successfully predicted the winners of eight matches - seven involving Germany and the final itself.   He does so by choosing between two clear plastic boxes each with the flag of competing nations. The odds of completing this remarkable feat were less than 0.5%!  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/10603065.stm 

The psychic cephalopod was born in Weymouth, Dorset England but now entertains the world from the Sea Life centre in Oberhausen, Germany.  Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage and home to the biggest shopping mall in Germany! The octupus’ name derives from the title of a poem by the German children’s writer Boy Lornsen Der Tintenfisch Paul Oktopus. 

We’re intriqued by Paul’s exploits as this extract from page 19 of our novel says:

‘Q7: Have you ever dreamed of being a champion? As a fan of football or soccer as its known in America, Ben did. He used the dream of lifting the world cup to admiring crowd. Hey, here’s the thing, if Ben - no if all of us - work together and turn around global warming  or at least its impact we’ll win that cup. Look around you - the World cup is everywhere and its ours for the taking!”

Is it also coincidence that Britain and the United States have experienced a heatwave throughout the period of the tournament? Paul also happens to share the same name as Sir Paul McCartney the lead singer of The Beatles. Now that the Octupus has retired some are calling for him to be released into the sea. We featured ‘The Octupus’ Garden’ in our posting of 18 May. Time for a reprise…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CvE7mIq8YQ&feature=related

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q16 Have you ever had a psychic experience?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

02/07/2010 by admin.

Is Mother Nature sounding the alarm? Make your own mind up from these 3 recent examples… 

First - a sperm whale has been sighted off the coast of Devon. Its an unlikely visitor to the UK as it usually found in the Atlantic Ocean. Its the first time a sperm whale has been seen in the area since records began back in 1840.

Whilst a rare massive superpod of some 1,000 short-beak common dolphins has been sighted by thrilled wildelife watchers off the Isle of Skye near Scotland.  Dolphins are among the most intelligent animals on Earth and sometimes come together to protect humans from danger.

It follows the sighting in mid June of a vulture perched on the roof of a Bridgend house in South Wales. The giant bird of prey is a native of Africa or America and may well have escaped from a falconery. The bird was caught on camera by local photographer Mr Keenor who said “It was a bit of shock but the bird seemed quite at home even though it maybe thousands of miles away from its usual haunts.”

Let’s explore these examples further. The appearance of a sperm whale could be symbolic of the challenge of managing human population growth (page 117) and there’s mention in our novel about Moby Dick and the obsessive revenge mentality of Captain Aheb with a sperm whale who bit of his leg.  In Moby Dick the author uses symbolism and metaphor to explore a number of complex themes - just like our novel.  The book initially received mixed reviews - much like The Haymakers Survey but is now widely acclaimed as one of the greatest novels in English literature.

The sight of the dolphins off Skye is equally intriquing. In Charles Lamb’s journal he speculates that Captain Richard Lewin feared lost at sea may yet have survived through the help of dolphins! Skye as a location is interesting - given the Rose cloud seen in the sky by Charles as a sign to cherish and love nature. Skye is also an anagram of KEYS and the hidden message in our tale evolves around a key.

It’s not our business to scare monger but the presence of a vulture is ominous. Page 64 of our novel recalls how Julia witnessed the sight of a bird of prey - an implied vulture - hovering overhead when she meets ‘Mother Nature’ in a dream.  A dream in which she is warned that we hold the future of our planet in our hands.

Posted in Q65 Have you ever wished you could fly?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q51a How many people does it take to fill up the Earth?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q57 Have you ever spied on anyone?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q16 Have you ever had a psychic experience?, Q17 Can you speak another language?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »