Moving On ~ draft

You must have thought I had disappeared off the face of the Earth, but here I am, feeling very guilty for having deserted you for so long. So much has happened since I last wrote; but sadly we have only had a scattering of circles this year.

An early crop circle arrived on 22 June, just below the Hackpen chalk White Horse. This is an area in which we have had several wonderful crop circles over the years. It is one of the footholds of the Knights Templar.

We are told that ‘The Knights Templar were a powerful medieval military-religious order founded around 1119 to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land, becoming a significant military force during the Crusades. They accumulated vast wealth and land through donations and sophisticated financial management but fell from grace due to their wealth, power, and alleged heresy. In 1307, French King Philip IV had the Templars arrested, tortured, and forced to confess to false charges, ultimately leading to their official suppression in 1312.

The Knights Templar no longer exist in their original form, having been disbanded in the 14th century. However, modern organizations and groups, such as the Masonic Knights Templar, carry on their legacy by supporting Christian faith, engaging in charitable work, and promoting chivalric ideals, with the Portuguese being a potential historical link to the original order.’

Returning to the crop circle, it lay in barley in the field below the chalk White Horse, a simple but most welcome one. Sadly the farmer harvested it out within 24 hours.

Hackpen Hill White Horse, near Winterbourne Bassett, Wiltshire – Copyright © Lucy Pringle

This whole area is one of special interest; it has a unique atmosphere or quality to it. It is called the Hackpen Ridge Way and, from a distance, you can locate it easily by the three enormous trees equidistant from each other, standing proudly against the skyline.

James Hussey and his family have farmed along these fields for several generations, and many have been the wondrous circles which have graced his land. There is a place where one can park at the top of Hackpen Hill, and one can feel the presence of one’s ancestors as soon as you get out of the car. As you walk along the farm track, you will come to a little wood on your left.

One year I took a group of Australians who did not mind if there were no circles; what they really wanted was to feel the energy of the places where circles had appeared regularly. On our way to the fields, we passed this little wood. To fully appreciate the energy, you have to visit it yourself. They were so enchanted by its special spirit, they felt they could have stayed there forever, and I had the greatest difficulty in moving them on to our next special place! We ended the tour in the last chamber of the ancient West Kennet Long Barrow, dating back to some 3650 BC. It consists of five chambers; the final and largest of the chambers had the unique quality of special and wonderful sound effects. This was the final destination of interest, especially as they had brought their crystal singing bowls with them. The music that came from their bowls in that very special place was completely magical, and we forgot the cares and worries that normally beset our lives and lost ourselves, listening with rapt attention to the heavenly music.

Moving on to this summer, an interesting circle was discovered further west than ever before, near Lyme Regis —

The name dates back to King Edward I, who granted the town a royal charter in 1284. Part of the name is after the River Lyn, which flows through the town. This royal designation was in return for the town’s promise to build warships and collect taxes, and was later confirmed by Queen Elizabeth I in 1591.

Ware Farm Manor, near Lyme Regis, Devon. 28th June. 170 feet (51.8 m) diameter. Wheat. This crop circle features central rings, surrounded by twelve overlapping crescent shapes arranged in a precise circular pattern, resembling interlocking petals or gears – Copyright © Nick Bull 2025 Stonehenge Dronescapes Photography

Several photographers took images and I love this one.

Copyright © 2025 Hugh Newman megalithomania.co.uk

Next came a large, symmetrical crop circle featuring the Triple Moon symbol, with two outward-facing crescent moons flanking a central full moon circle that contains a bold five-pointed star (pentagram). The design has small circular motifs at each end. 12th July 2025 ‘The triple moon symbol, often associated with feminine energy, represents the Triple Goddess in Wiccan and pagan traditions. It embodies the three phases of a woman’s life: Maiden, Mother, and Crone, which also correspond to the waxing, full, and waning phases of the moon. This symbol is used to honour the cyclical nature of life, femininity, and intuition.’

Copyright © Nick Bull 2025 Stonehenge Dronescapes Photography

Beech Clump, near Ludwell, Wiltshire – Copyright © 2025 Hugh Newman megalithomania.co.uk

Beech Clump, near Ludwell, Wiltshire – Copyright © 2025 Hugh Newman megalithomania.co.uk

Not to be forgotten was a circle sent from Germany.

Frieding, near Andechs, Bavaria, Germany. A central circular motif resembling the head of a mace, bordered by a Greek ‘key’ design. Wheat. c.250 feet (76 m) 20th July 2025 – Copyright © Toni Bartl

First Tour

Both my tours were well overbooked, and if I take tours next year, those people who missed out this year will be notified.

By the time they were taking place, sadly there were no circles available. However, it turned out to have been one of the happiest and most instructive of any tours I have had the privilege of taking. It was a perfect day and we all met, as usual, at the Silbury Hill car park. As in other years, we got into as few cars as possible and parked in Avebury car park. From there, we walked to the main street where we were meeting Maria Wheatley, who took us round the stones enthralling us with her in-depth knowledge and understanding of the area and illustrating her talk with diagrams and photographs; she enchanted us with the magic of Avebury. I recommended bringing dowsing rods (these can easily be made from a pair of metal coat hangers). “For nearly 30 years, author and researcher, Maria Wheatley, has researched megalithic sites across the world. Maria is a second-generation dowser and geomancer who is the UK’s leading authority on the geodetic earth energies, ley lines and grid lines.

She has lectured worldwide and has shown the British Dowsers and other dowsing societies how to locate and find geodetic earth energies. Maria has worked alongside experts such as Rodney Hale to prove the existence of earth energies and how the stones can transmit electromagnetic energies.

Maria was the first independent researcher to track down and photograph the elongated (long-skulled) people of Stonehenge. Her exciting new finds regarding the long-lost people associated with the ancient monuments will soon be published in her forthcoming book, which will be a world first.

Maria has tracked down a unique priestesshood of Europe, the Bronze Age King or Priest that once ruled Avebury Henge, the Neolithic Queen of Stonehenge and has unearthed new finds that show us how and why certain monuments were constructed and used.”

Maria Wheatley image – Copyright © Sonya Julia

Maria Wheatley and group – Copyright © Sonya Julia

Our Group

Measuring the bands of energy

Maria is a true professional, and we were all hanging on her every word and eagerly looking at the written details and pictures she had brought with her to illustrate her talk. The detailed years’ history of Avebury and the explanation of the different energies of the various stones — and how this can be measured. Sometimes this energy can reveal itself in different bands moving up from the base of the stones. We could test these bands of subtle energy moving up the stones, as the rods reversed at the different levels. In addition, we were shown the different healing areas of several stones.

After this special and uplifting experience, we had an enjoyable lunch at the Honey Street Café. When visiting the Honey Street complex of shops, there is another excitement, which is a ‘must’; it is the magnificent Crop Circle Exhibition, the soul and brainchild of Monique Klinkenberg. This is an experience not to be missed, as not only does it tell the history of the crop circles, but has the most extensive display of dazzling crop circle photographs to be found anywhere. Several years ago, Maria was captivated by the circles to such an extent that she sold her thriving business in the Netherlands and set up this amazing exhibition. Make sure you add it to your itinerary.

Tearing my group away, we next visited the famous and ancient West Kennett Long Barrow before gathering everyone’s cars from the Silbury Hill car park.

We made our way to the Stonehenge Visitors Centre, where I met several additional people who were not on the first part of the tour. We visited the most excellent exhibition before getting on the coach and making our way to the stones. As we drew closer, the stones appeared to be growing in size — nearer and nearer. As soon as the coach drew up, everyone rushed out. It is a very short walk from the coach to the stones and, as you approach them, you find you are not only marvelling at their size but feeling their energy as you get closer and closer to the giant megaliths.

Stonehenge – Copyright © Sonya Julia

Stonehenge – Copyright © Sonya Julia

Stonehenge – Copyright © Sonya Julia

Over the years, I have taken many people to the stones, with several people having extraordinarily wonderful past-life experiences. This year, the weather was perfect and the stones seemed to be surrounded in a special ethereal light. We had an excellent guide, giving us an interesting and intriguing insight into our surroundings.

I am going to show you an amazing picture taken by Paul Stilwell of one of my group, Sonya Julia.

I was quite taken aback when I saw it, as it seemed to be all part of what many of us were experiencing.

Sonya Young – Copyright © Paul Stilwell

To many people, the above picture may carry different meanings, and I received one (below) from a friend, David Olliff. I would love to hear what it may mean to you.

“Seeing the picture of your friend standing between two sarsen columns with the sun streaming through the gap, I was struck by the vivid purple coloured sphere perfectly positioned on the lintel. I have a tendency towards a kabbalistic interpretation of signs. For me, the colour and position of the sphere perfectly represented Yesod. Yesod, meaning Foundation, is the ninth sephirah on the Tree of Life. It is usually represented with the colour purple or violet. Each sephirah on the Tree of Life represents an aspect of the divine made manifest. There are ten of them, and they are often thought of as divine lights. Yesod is just one stage of creative manifestation prior to the physical kingdom. On the Tree of Life, Yesod is positioned between the twin pillars of divine Mercy and divine Strength. These are the pillars of Solomon’s Temple. For me, the purple sphere on the lintel above your friend’s head reveals the metaphysical structures which support creation. Just like the sarsens of Stonehenge seeming like a scaffold, holding up the entire cosmos.”

It was the end to a very happy day, and I had so many wonderful emails afterwards.

Second Tour

My second tour did not have an auspicious start, weather-wise. It was raining and continued raining and raining until just after lunch. Maria Wheatley had kindly agreed to take this second tour again. As before, we met Maria at 10.30. Maria is quite amazing and gallantly took us round, somehow adapting her talk with endless fascinating information despite the weather. ‘Did we want to continue?’ she asked, with rain dripping off her hood. So intrigued was everyone that, to a person, everyone said, ‘Yes, please continue.’ We were completely absorbed in everything she said and eagerly looking at all the illustrations and pictures which she had cleverly protected in plastic sleeves to keep them safe. She has a lovely sense of humour and, despite being thoroughly soaked, we all loved every moment.

I wrote to her afterwards, as she had been truly magnificent; there are very few people who would have continued, unfazed and undaunted, with such tremendously fascinating information and good humour. Again, we hung on each new insight she shared, eagerly anticipating what might come next. What a professional.

I do really hope she might have some idea of what an invaluable contribution she made today.

As before, we went to lunch and warmed up at the Honey Street Café, followed by a visit to Monique’s wondrous exhibition. Instead of an evening visit to Stonehenge, there was the option of flying over the sacred area — Avebury Stone Complex, Silbury Hill, West Kennett Long Barrow — and also any nearby circles. There were the remains of an old circle which had been harvested, but it still showed up visibly and clearly. To the best of my knowledge; this is the first time in the history of the phenomenon that we did not have a crop circle in August.

I am hoping to take either one, or possibly two, tours next year. I will confirm that in the New Year.

As in previous years, highly specialised advanced clinical physiologist Paul Gerry again kindly agreed to conduct our annual scientific tests into the temporary relief of Parkinson’s disease and Essential Tremor.

I have received the results from the 6th July tests, but I would like further clarification on certain points. I will send the report in my next general letter.

Pam Gregory

Stone the Crow

Both of my 2025 tours are now fully booked.

Stone the Crow

This is just a very short letter to bring you up to date with what is happening in the fields. Very little to date, I fear.

On the morning of the 8th of June, the circle below was found at Falkner’s Circle, near Avebury, in barley.

Falkner's Circle, near Avebury, Wiltshire – 8th June 2025
Barley, 110 feet (33.5 m) diameter

Falkner's Circle, near Avebury, Wiltshire – 8th June 2025
Barley, 110 feet (33.5 m) diameter

It has been suggested that the circle may resemble Falkner’s Circle itself. Falkner’s Circle is a mystery, relating to a number of stones that once made up the circle, and the area in which the crop circle appeared.

We are told by Wikipedia that:

‘Falkner's Circle was a stone circle near the village of Avebury in the south-western English county of Wiltshire. Built from twelve sarsen megaliths, it measured about 37 metres (121 ft) in diameter, although only one of these stones remains standing.’

‘The ring was part of a tradition of stone circle construction that spread throughout much of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, over a period between 3300 and 900 BCE. The purpose of such monuments is unknown, although archaeologists speculate that the stones represented supernatural entities for the circle's builders.

Positioned in a dry valley, the circle was erected at the southern end of a field that contained a range of natural sarsens. It is possible that the megaliths were erected very close to where they were naturally found. The site had previously seen human activity in the Mesolithic period and may have been symbolically meaningful to local communities long before the circle was created. The ring was located close to other Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age monuments, such as the West Kennet Avenue and Avebury stone circle, although its precise relationship to these is unclear. Extensive flint knapping took place at the site during the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age.

Archaeological evidence indicates that in the Iron Age, a hearth was placed on the site, and in the post-medieval period a number of the stones were toppled and destroyed through burning. Most of the stones in the circle were lying prone on the ground by the seventeenth century, which might explain why it was left undiscovered by antiquarians exploring the area in that period, like John Aubrey and William Stukeley. The earliest known report of the site came from a Mr. Falkner, who discovered it in 1840 while riding in the area. Due to the intensification of agriculture, all the prone stones were removed—thus destroying the circle—in either the late nineteenth or twentieth century. The site was excavated in 2002 in an archaeological project led by Mark Gillings and Joshua Pollard.’

Just as Falkner’s Circle was destroyed, stone by stone, over the years, it makes one wonder how much of our ancient archaeology and history has been lost in the interests of modern farming. Also, since the entirety of the stone circle no longer exists, I wonder whether it once contained important solar alignments, as found at sites such as West Kennet Long Barrow.

Prof. Jonathan Paul De Vierville, PhD, MSSW, LCSW, LPC, Professor Emeritus: History/Interdisciplinary Studies, Alamo Colleges, writes:

‘I really liked the Avebury Falkner’s Circle formation and was sad to learn that it was cut out so fast.

There is a lot of hidden Sacred Geometry in the formation, but it is clearly a circular introverted and extroverted dynamic motion and play on a Circular Divination of Ten… or what is classically known as the Holy Tetractys, as taught in ancient times by Pythagoras.

atTENtion / inTENtion / reTENtion!

Thanks for the GREAT ARTFUL DRAWINGS… so what is going on inside you as you are in the PROCESS of DRAWING these CC INFORMATIONAL FORCE FIELD FORMS, especially when you SEE THROUGH THE FORMS to the DEEPER Meaningful Symbolic Significance?

Good Question… is/was Falkner’s Circle a Stone Circle or is/wasn’t it?

Of 10 or 12 Sarsen Stones?

Or a place for post-Medieval stone-breaking?

And now since cut, it’s just a Memory!?

Regardless, it’s a Memorialized Location with symbolic significance and memorable Circular Meaning!

Also, Nicholas Kollerstrom (born 1946), an English historian of science, has commented on the number ten:

‘Clearly, all ten outer circles have their centres on the same circle.

Lines joining the centres of the five big circles touch the smaller ones tangentially.

’The tenfold 'star' at the centre turns out to be part of a twenty-fold design, doing a sort of dance in between the outer tenfold design. It certainly defines the circle at the centre!

The mystery remains! Hopefully, in my next letter, I will be able to send you more information about what is happening in the fields.

My annual Scientific Research Day is on the 6th of July, and highly specialised advanced clinical physiologist Paul Gerry has again kindly agreed to conduct annual scientific tests into the temporary relief of Parkinson’s disease and Essential Tremor. I will be sending you the results in due course.

Old and New

My son and I spent a wonderful day last week visiting an ancient church at Warnford, Hampshire. As it is situated in the privately owned Warnford Park, it is open on Sundays for church services; otherwise, special permission is needed to visit it. The person to whom I spoke asked my name and, when I told him, he was thrilled and said he had read all four of my books! Result—instant permission to visit! As the crop circle phenomenon is such a controversial subject, the result might easily have gone the other way!

To have the church and ruins to ourselves was very special. It was a glorious early summer’s day, and our whole beings were filled with the peace and serenity surrounding us—so far from the bustle of everyday life.

Dating mainly from the 1190s, Warnford Church, the Church of Our Lady, has an earlier tower and Saxon roots. The first church on the site may have been built by St Wilfrid in the 680s. It is known locally as the "Snowdrop Church" due to the abundance of snowdrops that blanket the grounds in spring.

The Snowdrop Church

Deep in the woodlands of the Meon Valley, the Church of Our Lady of Warnford stands in peaceful isolation. This is hallowed ground where God has been worshipped continuously for thirteen hundred years. The church serves a scattered parish of farms and cottages, for there is no real village centre of Warnford.

We are also told:

A single-vessel church with no architectural division between nave and chancel, but with a wide span. Assertive west tower with big Romanesque strip-buttresses on the corners, of three stories, with Romanesque round-headed windows in the top two stages, and two circular windows at the top of the third stage. No sculpture on the tower except roll mouldings between the stories and around the windows. (The east face of the tower and the whole parapet is of brick, with an attractively cogged lower frieze.) Two inscriptions help date the fabric of the building and are likely also Romanesque in themselves. The font is also of the 12th century, but heavily mutilated.

Two ancient stone tablets, written in Latin, lay claim to the founding of this church by Wilfrid during his time in the Meon Valley. The people of Warnford believe that Wilfrid made his headquarters here, although the source of the claim has not been found. In any case, Adam de Port, the Lord of the Manor who lived in Warnford 500 years after Wilfrid, respected the link with the saint and rebuilt the church in stone in 1190.

The Meonwara—a tribe of Anglo-Saxon Britain—had probably chosen this site, a clearing in the woods beside the River Meon. It’s easy to imagine their settlement today. However, these grounds have undergone substantial changes over the centuries. Don’t miss the ruins of St John’s House, behind the church, built in 1210 by the St John family, who had married into the de Ports. This is a very rare example of a 13th-century hall, unique in the south of England and described in the church leaflet.

The flat ground to the left of the bridge as you approach was the site of an Elizabethan mansion built to replace the old hall, which first became a barn and then a ‘scenic ruin’ when the estate was landscaped by Capability Brown around 1760. At this time, the Meon was expanded into the lake we can see today, and the old riverside road from Alton to Gosport was diverted to the line of the present A32.

Pilgrim’s Prayer Panel

Adam de Port built this church and left these inscriptions:

‘Brethren, bless in your prayers the founders young and old of this temple; Wulfric who founded it; good Adam restored it’ (porch).

‘May the race signed with the Cross (i.e. Christians) from the rising of the sun bless Adam de Port by whom I have been thus restored’ (north wall - outside).

It was difficult to tear ourselves away for the booking we had made at The Shoe Inn nearby. Close it may have been, but we got thoroughly lost! However, driving down the ancient, narrow drovers’ lanes with their high banks on either side was a joy in itself.

Eventually, we arrived at our destination and had an excellent lunch, finishing by taking our coffee outside to sit overlooking the River Meon. Brown trout were swimming lazily among the floating reeds as the river idled along. The River Meon is one of our special and unique chalk rivers, which has the rare quality of maintaining a temperature of 57 degrees, summer and winter, regardless of the weather. The name “Meon” is thought to be of Celtic origin, potentially linked to the meaning “swift.”


New Circles

Moving on from the past to the present, we have had an interesting circle appear at The Gallops, near Sutton Veny, Wiltshire. Let us hope that 2025 may be a year to be remembered for the number and design—designs that will teach us more about ourselves and the world in which we live.

STOP PRESS…

Culliford Tree Barrow, Dorset 19 May 2025 © Billy Breen.

c. 150feet (46m) over all. Barley


My tour on the 24th July has been fully booked. If you would like to be contacted in the event of a cancellation, please contact Lucy  and ask to be added to her list.

There are still a few spaces places for the tour on the 31st July with the optional extra of flying over the crop circles and the ancient sacred landscape including the historic Avebury Stone Complex and Silbury Hill.

Celebrations and History

 

On 8th May, many countries in the Western world will be celebrating the 80th anniversary of VE Day—Victory in Europe. The surrender came into force at 23:01 that day in 1945.

However, despite the conflict being over in Europe, the war continued to wage in the Far East and Pacific, with many troops redeployed to fight in the East instead of coming home. The end of the war in Japan came a few months later, in August, after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

On Thursday, 8th May, at 12:19, a procession of about 1,000 UK service personnel from the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British Army and the Royal Air Force will start at Parliament Square, finishing at the Queen Victoria Memorial. This will be followed by a flypast featuring the Red Arrows and 23 current and historic aircraft over The Mall and Buckingham Palace at 13:45.

Ukrainian troops from war-torn Ukraine will also be taking part in the UK's military procession. Major Pavlo, an officer of the Ukrainian marching contingent, said: 'The participation of Ukrainian service personnel in the VE Day parade in London symbolises our strength, courage and resilience. It is a recognition that Ukraine and its heroes stand at the forefront of the fight for freedom and peace in the world.

There will also be a church service to mark VE Day. A special service of thanksgiving is planned for Thursday, 8th May, at Westminster Abbey, with the King and Queen in attendance.

It will be a service of thankfulness and commemoration for the thousands of men and women who fought and gave their lives fighting for the freedom we experience today— children and civilians who got caught up in the theatre of war. Nor must we forget the many horses, the dogs that carried messages, and the carrier pigeons who performed selfless acts of immense courage and bravery.

A moment to reflect and give thanks for the peace that so many sacrificed their lives for during the Second World War.

In addition, churches across the country will also be holding services to mark the occasion, and many will ring their bells at 6:30 pm on 8th May.

On the day the war officially ended in 1945, the country erupted in a euphoric celebration. Spontaneous street parties broke out across the land, with dancing and singing that carried on through the night and into the following morning. Even Princess Elizabeth—our late Queen Elizabeth II—and Princess Margaret slipped out to join the jubilant crowds gathered along The Mall outside Buckingham Palace.

It marked the end of years of hardship. Every evening, blackout curtains were drawn tight, and the rules were so strict that if even the smallest chink of light escaped, a knock at the door would follow with a stern reminder to take more care. Food and basic goods were scarce. In sharp contrast to today's throwaway culture, people saved every scrap of string and wore their shoes until they nearly fell apart. Rationing was imposed on almost everything—food, clothing, fabrics—with some households receiving no more than one egg a week.

So when peace was finally declared, the sense of relief and joy was overwhelming—and most symbolic of all, the lights came on again.

Yet despite the war’s end, rationing lingered for nearly a decade. Restrictions continued on various items, and it wasn’t until midnight on 4th July 1954 that rationing in the UK officially ended. Meat was the final item to be de-rationed, bringing to a close 14 years of careful counting and constrained living.

The Tower of London is hosting a display of 30,000 ceramic red poppies in recognition of all those who fell during World War II. The poppy has long represented peace and sacrifice.

The Tower has had a long, varied and fascinating history - from serving as a royal residence to being the first London zoo - but it is most commonly known as a prison where many beheadings took place. Initially parts of the Tower of London (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London) - including The White Tower — were built in 1087, but the building as a whole was begun in late 1066.

We are told that “…the Tower of London will be illuminated as part of a special remembrance display called 'Poppy Fields at the Tower'. This sound and light installation, running from 8th to 16th November 2024, will feature moving images reflecting on World War One and Two. The display will include falling poppy petals, silhouettes of soldiers, and images from the Tower's archives.”


Turning to other matters, a circle in oilseed rape was found at Wimborne Minster, near Poole, Dorset. Reported 11th April 2025.

Photo: Crop Circle Access/Geometry, Circles and Landart

Whilst many people will have been enjoying the sun over recent days and weeks, the farmers have said the dry weather is affecting their crops. The Berkshire Post reported:

“The lack of recent rainfall has meant some crops are not sprouting in drier ground, and there is no forecasted rain in some areas for several days. For Colin Rayner, from Stubbings Farm in Maidenhead, spring barley planted weeks ago has 'hardly germinated', which has left him hoping for rain at the weekend.

An expert from the University of Reading said the seasonal weather patterns on which farmers rely 'have clearly changed a lot' over recent years.

'We had a very wet winter,' Mr Rayner told BBC Radio Berkshire. 'I think we had 90 days of rain virtually from November to the end of February. At the end of February, it decided to stop raining.”

Let us hope that the situation changes and provides the farmers with sufficient rain to grow their crops without any more worry.

I am a great optimist, and the rains will come.

Where has the Time Gone?

Where Has the Time Gone?

I realise with horror that I have not written to you for so long—not since the end of February. The truth is that nothing new of great interest has happened. It seems at times as though the world as we once knew it is reshaping itself. It is a time when the best course of action seems to be that of an observer, keeping one's own values rather than getting caught up in the maelstrom all around.

I have just been walking around my garden, and the growth of everything seems to be an example of how to continue thriving and not be drawn into something beyond our control; nature is showing us the way forward.

Regarding time, we are often told to be in the present. In fact, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote:

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That is why they call it the present.”

However, the Mayans have a completely different concept of time. Their fascinating belief is that there is no such thing as the present—it simply does not exist. They recognise the past, which is in front of them, because they know all about it and can thus see it. The future is behind them because they cannot see it. It is still to come, and they don’t know what it will bring. Once the future arrives, they know about it, and then they can see it—it is before them and immediately becomes the past.

It brings us to the realisation that as a human race, we may all see things in different ways. What may be right for one person does not necessarily hold true for another.


I came across several inspirational quotations:

“But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.”
— Khalil Gibran

Desmond Tutu, the South African Anglican cleric who in 1984 received the Nobel Prize for Peace for his role in the opposition to apartheid, wrote:

“God's dream is that you and I and all of us will realise that we are family, that we are made for togetherness, for goodness, and for compassion.”
— Desmond Tutu

He also said:

“If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.”
— Desmond Tutu


We have been having quite exceptionally warm weather, and the spring flowers are bursting into bloom. The snowdrops and primroses are giving way to azaleas. (I have one in my garden that was here when I moved in over 30 years ago. Each year, I wonder if it will survive the winter, and yet again this spring, its buds are about to burst into flower.)

Also, the Amelanchier lamarckii has almost overnight turned into a sea of blossoms. How blessed we are.

I have just read that Michael Morpurgo—author of some truly special books—has a new release. He is high on my list of favourite authors. He has a way with words that few authors possess. A couple of his books, War Horse and Private Peaceful, are written with such sensitivity; his words pierced my heart.

The reason for mentioning him now is that his latest book, Spring, has just been released—appropriately enough, at this time of year—and I cannot wait to read it.

However, as you can imagine, this warm weather is not for everyone. The poor farmers are tearing their hair out, as spring is the time when crops such as barley and early wheat should be well established. At the moment, they are barely a few inches high—not yet enough to leave anything beyond a temporary imprint. This is the crucial growing period of the year.

We are told that insufficient rainfall directly affects soil moisture levels, leading to stunted growth and lower crop yields. Many crops require a specific amount of water to thrive, and without adequate rainfall, they may fail to mature. But don’t despair crop circle lovers as nature has a way of healing itself and soon the fields may be rippling with lush growth. I have seen this happen before.

However, to add to the farmers’ concerns, for the first time, inheritance tax is being levied against those whose estates—when they die—are valued above a certain threshold. Given that the value of agricultural land has risen considerably, many farmers—already struggling—may no longer be able to pass their farms on to the next generation. Instead, they may have to sell the land in order to pay the inheritance tax. Many have worked the same land for several hundred years, passing it down through generations.

Maybe this is a good moment to say how grateful we are to the farmers who allow us onto their land to enter the crop circles. Although it may seem hard, we need to understand that it is their land and livelihood. Sadly, many times people have damaged crops, and it is for that reason that some farmers have closed their fields to visitors.

Crop Circle Tours

Please remember to book your place/s; as already mentioned this probably the last year I will be taking will be taking the tours. Sadly I only have a limited number of places available. I have met so many wonderful people for all over the world; it been such a pleasure and privilege for me.

Oliver’s Castle, Nr Devizes, Wiltshire. 15 April 2007

A Subtle Change


Quite apart from a strong feeling of global changes afoot that have been growing in me for some time, it is interesting to note how this sense of change also seems to be running through the various schools of religious teachings, I have very little to report. I thought I would send you one of the stories I wrote about a friend*. It is taken from my book The Energies of Crop Circles: The Science and Power of a Mysterious Intelligence (available on my website).

To my great surprise, I found that I was already talking about a subtle change of energy, evident in the crop circle phenomenon, back in 2011. Our world is in a constant state of movement, but this movement can sometimes lead to greater and more urgent upheaval. Were the crop circles the harbingers of a more noticeable change on a global level?

We seem to forget that the Earth is a living, breathing life force, far more sensitive and in tune with the cosmos than we will ever be. As evidenced by scientist, environmentalist, and futurist James Lovelock, his Gaia hypothesis suggests that “the Earth is a self-regulating system, like a giant organism.”

Maybe it could be argued that the circles were subtle precursors, bringing new and sometimes challenging energies to those listeners to whom they spoke. They opened windows of understanding and delved into new areas of learning, leapfrogging us from metaphysics, geometry, and music to theology, art, symbolism, and encoded messages. Above all, these messages came from the heart, reminding us that we are small players in a far greater cog.

“A Subtle Change – June 2011 - from the Energies of Crop Circles

There seems to be a subtle change of energy in the crop circle arena that I have been detecting over the past few years. It is hard to put one’s finger on this elusive element, ebbing and flowing as it does in all directions.

On a more fundamental level, I get the feeling that for many people, a crop circle visit has become a "must-do" item on their list of experiences. It is hard to judge how many find this a rewarding experience. Were they seeking something specific? How many will return, or was it just a one-off?

Certainly, as we entered 2011, I believed this would be a transformative year in the crop circle theatre, just as life-changing events were happening all over the planet. Focusing on the final good that will emerge from these events is of the essence.

On a microcosmic scale, the 1987 hurricane in England cut through great swathes of our landscape, destroying age-old trees and forests. While it brought despair, the startling new growth that followed transformed our landscape with unforeseen benefits and beauty.

“A Jet Taxiing in My Head”

Health reports were fewer in 2011 than in previous years, but the quality of some was outstanding. The first formation of significance appeared overnight on 17th June in Hampshire, at Cow Drove Hill, above the picturesque village of King’s Somborne. Villager Keith Hibbige, the first to enter the formation, kindly alerted me.

Cowdrove Hill, King’s Somborne, Hampshire

Of primary significance was the fact that it had been raining that night. Yet, despite the muddy field, there was no trace of mud on the fallen crop, as revealed by Keith’s excellent images (sadly mislaid at present). When walking along a muddy tramline, one inevitably collects soil on the soles of one’s shoes, and this would translate into clear signs of mud on the fallen crop.

Having flown over the formation, I visited it a few days later. Keith was kindly waiting for me. Before my arrival, he had sent me some strange reports. He initially visited the formation for just 20 minutes on the morning of Saturday, 18th June. Whilst inside, he felt disoriented. Then, driving home afterward, he noticed his brain was focusing on anything circular, such as 30 mph signs.

“That afternoon, my head and face felt a burning sensation,” he reported. Indeed, his wife remarked on the redness of his face and neck. He also shared: “I’ve never had headaches, but I felt nauseous, and the tinnitus I had became so overpowering that by Monday, it felt like a jet taxiing in my head. This went back to normal after a few days.”

The following day (Sunday), he also suffered “the most violent diarrhoea, which lasted until the afternoon. The visions of circles were with me until Monday morning. Whilst inside the formation, I experienced a loss of direction and confusion.”

He went on to say, “I have been in several circles before but had no aftereffects such as these.”

Keith was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 but is now in remission. He is on a number of medications.

It has been suggested that Keith could have been suffering from “histamine dumping.” The most common symptoms of histamine intolerance include migraine headaches, gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhoea, flushing, hives, and eczema. Histamine, a chemical mainly present in mast cells, is released during an allergic reaction. It affects two types of receptors, H1 and H2, causing swelling and redness. The airways narrow in the lungs, which can lead to breathing difficulties. Additionally, acid production in the gut may result in diarrhoea, and there can be a degree of itchiness.

She Could Stand on One Leg

Accompanied by Christina Thistlethwayte, I visited the formation on the morning of 20th June, having received the farmer’s permission. Christina, who was suffering from Polymyalgia rheumatica — a debilitating inflammatory muscular condition — had been reluctant to come as she found walking difficult and painful. I eventually persuaded her by saying it would be a lovely drive, even if she didn’t go into the circle.

Keith Hibbige was there to meet us, and we all walked into the circle, Christina going slowly with her walking stick. There were several people already in the circle, and as always, I fell into conversation with them while examining the lay of the crop.

I knew it was too long after the event to make any firm physical diagnosis, but I had Keith’s photographs, which were proof enough for me. We must have been in the circle for quite some time when I suddenly looked up and noticed the sky was getting dark and threatening. Having spotted a nice pub in the village, we decided to head back to the car.

As Christina was getting in, she turned to me and said, “I’ve got to tell you that all the pain has gone.” I was amazed. But, remembering past occasions, I mentioned that it was unlikely to be permanent and, if it continued for 36 hours, she would be doing well.

After a good lunch, I dropped Christina home. Just as I was about to drive away, she suddenly stood on one leg and raised her knee to just below her chin. She then repeated the action with her other leg. I couldn’t believe my eyes. On returning home, I tried it myself.

I suggest you all try it too. I am fit, playing tennis and walking regularly, and I found it easy. But I realized that not everyone could do this, especially someone suffering from the cripplingly painful polymyalgia rheumatica!

The following morning, when I went to my car, I found Christina’s walking stick. Knowing she had a much-dreaded funeral in London that day, which involved a ten-minute walk from the church to the reception afterward (something Christina had said was impossible for her), I rushed to return it, only to find, to my horror, that she had already left.

I telephoned her that evening. She told me she had found her walking stick upon returning home. When I asked her how on earth she had managed, she gaily replied, “Oh, I was absolutely fine, and it was more than a ten-minute walk to the reception!” She was still free of all pain.

This continued for 96 hours before the pain returned. This is just one of many temporary healing effects that have happened over the years.”

We had a curious storm this morning. All of a sudden is was a black as night with swirling wind and the loud noise of hail. it was all quite ferocious! It went as quickly as it came thank goodness.

The Tumble Dryer Effect

For quite some time, I have felt as though the Universe has sped up quite noticeably and that we are being swept along as though we are being tossed around in a tumble dryer. Sudden, unexpected events—globally as well as personally—are taking us by surprise, knocking us back. There comes a point when this has to stop for our own well-being and to deal with our daily obligations. So how do we set about it?

On a global level, when we realize that we are not really part of it personally but just an observer, we can begin to readjust ourselves and start to concentrate on our own lives and the lives and needs of other people. In a word, distance yourself, and if you can, move forward projecting normalcy, calm, and positivity. More and more people now refuse to read a newspaper or listen to the news. We cannot ignore it completely, nor should we. Burying our heads in the sand does not help anyone.

However, on a personal level, this is not so easy, but at such times, we may not realize that help is often at hand—and from unexpected quarters. The rest of the world has not stopped; it is continuing with its daily tasks, and we too can play our individual, useful parts in so many different ways. I am a great optimist. I feel, in a way, that I am on an obstacle course and have to experience all sorts of difficulties before I reach the finish. Try not to lose heart on the way, and indeed, help can appear out of the blue and in so many different and unexpected ways.

The Seven-Planet Alignment
I am showing you various images of this unique planetary alignment below. As we focus on this event, our minds are set in motion to consider further implications.

Not one, not two, but seven planets are due to line up in the night sky later this week in a relatively rare planetary parade—for the last time until 2040—with some of the planets visible to the naked eye.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14437797/Rare-planetary-parade-night-sky.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14437797/Rare-planetary-parade-night-sky.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14437797/Rare-planetary-parade-night-sky.html
I asked David Olliff, a friend and polymath, to express this remarkable event in his own terms; he kindly sent me the following:

“I have enjoyed some backyard astronomy over the years, so it was intriguing to see the seven-planet alignment this week. Mercury will join Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in splendid alignment on February 28th, something that won’t happen again until 2040. It’s easy to forget, of course, that there is one more planet that must be part of this alignment if it is going to mean anything from our point of view: our own planet, Earth.

“However well-versed we are in Copernican cosmology, we still have a tendency to see our own position as the center of everything, as though we are a fixed point and everything revolves around us. It’s natural, of course, and not something to feel bad about. Our solar system isn’t geocentric, no matter how much it seems that way; our lives are not egocentric, no matter how much we would like them to be.

“An alignment like this is a matter of profound beauty. Planets, silently tracing their course through space—they do not, it turns out, move through nothing. There is no ‘nothing.’ Instead, they move through darkness without form, sailing perhaps as gentle ships through a sea that knows nothing of waves. When we sense such profound beauty, it often comes to us with that feeling I think of as ‘the trace.’ It is that remnant, that moment when all that may be said is silent, that sense that the universe is trying to tell us something.

“All that the trace can say is that there is something yet unsaid. All that the trace can show is that the trace is there to be found. How then should we respond to the sacred trace at times of wonder like these?

“Sense the trace and feel it through your whole self. Take the time to notice it. Remember it. Let the trace radiate and amplify within and through you. It is possible not just to witness the sacred trace in the beauty of things in the world around you; you are not a fixed point witnessing a world arrange itself before you. You are not merely in this universe or of this universe—you are this universe. You need not quest for the trace if you choose to live as and be the trace. In this way, when the planets align themselves, you may place yourself in alignment with the planets.”

We are at the beginning of March, and the shackles of winter have officially fallen away as we enter meteorological spring! What a gloriously liberating feeling. Begone, icy fingers of winter!

In the UK, the fields are still brown, with few signs of green appearing as yet. However, as we have been blessed with several days of hot sun, this all may change in the blink of an eye—so remains the same question we always ask: What does this year hold for us? Will there be early delights, heralds of more wonders to come? Who knows?!

Oliver’s Castle, near Devizes, Wiltshire. 15 April 2007

A Heat Wave

There is little doubt that winter has arrived. As I write I can look outside and see the frost on the bushes and grass gleaming like jewels in the pale watery sunlight.

The birds are flocking to the feeders hanging outside. Sometimes several land at once as the feeders have several places where seeds are available. There are seldom any squabbles but the tits seem to rule the roost. I have had as many as six goldfinches all at the same time. I also have several members of the tit family, Blue tits. Coal tits, great tits and very occasionally a family of long tailed tits who always fly in a family group, swoop down and arrive for just a moment before flying off again. They are very hard to photograph as they are in and out like a flash. On the other hand the finches like to take their time! Occasionally a nuthatch arrives; they are one of the neatest birds with beige waistcoats. Robins have learnt how to perch and are also regular visitors.

I was told an interesting story recently from someone flying his fully charged drone over a circle which appeared in between Bramdean and Petersfield late last summer. He launched his drone over the circle but watched with dismay as it slowly discharged and fell to the ground. Worse was to follow as the normally fail safe GPS failed and he was unable to locate it, search as he may. However the following day he did find it lying in a tramline close to the circle; it was damaged and looked as though a tractor might have driven over part of it. This is by no means the first story of electrical equipment being drained. One pilot even found all his instruments failed to show. That was the last time he ever flew over a crop circle.

Bramdean 2023

Maybe the worst case to date, was one that I wrote up in my Pitkin book (it is out of print but is still available on my web site, Crop Circles published by Pitkin) about research immunologist Dr Roger Taylor and his computer. A circle appeared at Alton Priors in 2001. This circle had a certain spot where two independent camera crews, one a Norwegian, found all their equipment fail for the very first time ever. Also a young man had his one and only new film reel itself backwards into its case without taking a single picture. He was close to where I was standing at the time and his language was fairly ripe!

Despite being warned Dr Taylor placed his laptop computer in the danger area. He was concerned about his computer and wanted to monitor a separate battery. To this end, a chartered electrical engineer adapted a hand-held computer to record at 15 second intervals. All was quiet until around 16.20 hours, when a significant voltage spike occurred, lasting about six minutes. All seemed well with his laptop in the circle but on leaving the circle, his laptop became useless to the point where it was necessary to replace the system board at considerable cost.

Alton Priors 2001

As I sure you are aware, this has been a frustratingly meagre year for the circles and due to the fact that there was not a circle available in which to conduct our annual scientific tests into the temporary relief of Parkinson’s disease and Essential Tremor, we decided to conduct our tests using two of Avebury’s giant megaliths. The stones just like the Stonehenge stones and other stone circles of the British Isles such as Abor Low in Derbyshire, Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire, Calanais Standing stones on the Isle of Lewis, often called the Stonehenge of the North and the other 12 stone circles found in the rest of Great Britain, have their own individual energy. Avebury expert and internationally recognised dowser Maria Wheatley kindly agreed to join us as a guinea pig. She chose which two megaliths to use. (Maria has kindly agreed to take one of my tour groups round Avebury stone circles next year).

Maria told us that some of the stones were recumbent and when raised, metal was used in order to keep them upright, whereas others needed to be raised and so were buried in concrete. Several however are natural stones free of any additional substance.

As usual, highly specialised advanced clinical physiologist Paul Gerry kindly gave his time to conduct tests, first in the Avebury Social and Sport club using the MM (Mind Mirror). We then went into the southern inner circle quadrant of the Avebury Stone circle complex and Maria and I sat side by side, close to a natural stone. The peace of the surroundings was almost tangible until we both simultaneously felt a sudden wave of heat encompassing us, lasting a few seconds. Neither Paul Gerry or Essential Tremor sufferer Tina Martin felt anything despite being close by. It seemed to be emanating from the stone behind us. This showed up as “ A notable gamma/delta flare in both Lucy and Maria’s recordings around 3:40.”)

After a brief pause we moved over the second megalith which in order to right it had been set in concrete.

Paul Gerry compared and later analysed the three identical tests. He further sent them for additional analysis to Judith Pennington in the USA, the recognised expert of the MM technique. Despite her heavy workload she kindly sent her reading of the tests. Paul Gerry’s overall analysis is at the end.

Scientific Research Results

AVEBURY STONE CIRCLE 21st JULY 2024

 

This year there were no crop circles nearby so instead we decided to record the brainwave frequencies of Lucy Pringle cropcirclephotographs.co.uk and Maria Wheatley www.mariawheatley.uk simultaneously using the Viliistus equipment which includes the wonderful and unique Mind Mirror, as well as numerous frequency and amplitude analysis tools.

It was a great opportunity to have the two internationally famous experts in their own established fields being recorded together at Avebury to observe the effects of the stones. They had their Electroencephalographic recordings first made away from the stone circle - first photo - then twice more, close to two different stones.

Photo 1 (a) Photo 2 (b) Photo 3 (c)

Each session involves simply a recording whilst they sat with their eyes closed and relaxed.

The data collected was complex and therefore I felt I needed someone who was more familiar with the data and an expert in its interpretation. I was extremely fortunate that on asking Judith Pennington, the world authority on EEG and the Awakened Mind, agreed to analyse the data. She is the founder and director of the Institute for the Awakened Mind (IAM), which is an international consortium of consciousness trainers using the Mind Mirror EEG to guide people to the unlimited power and potential within them - www.judithpennington.com

She is the co-developer and driving force behind the Vilistus Mind Mirror 6, a unique and scientifically proven fast-track to meditation and consciousness development with an at-home self-training program for individuals, professionals, and researchers.

She provided an in depth analysis of the brainwaves for which am most grateful and deeply in debt.

LUCY PRINGLE

In the first photo - (a) above - she showed a left-brain dominance of the gamma frequencies, suggesting at least partly due to stress.

Then at (b), below, the gamma was quietened immensely – The high gamma coherence and upturned delta frequency band suggested she was in touch with her unconscious delta mind with information flowing upwards across the alpha bridge - the information being from her own unconsciousness or the stone.

At the second stone (c), she seems to have attuned to something on her left and her hemispheres are become more balanced. It seems she has tapped into something at this second stone, where there is a gamma increase. What exactly this was is impossible to tell.

Notice in the graph below how the gamma has a strong increase at 1:05 that then triggers a delta increase with another at 9:05.

This is when she connects with the stone, similar to that observed by Isobelle Cade as Maxwell Cade’s conclusion about measuring brainwaves at crop circles (see www.mindmirrorportal.com/biography-of-max-cade/ for his details).

MARIA WHEATLEY

The first recording of her was inside a building so there was the presence of some electrical interference from proximity to mains cables. The MM Summary graph and Composite Displays for each hemisphere show that her brainwaves are very symmetrical.

Her gamma seems real - except for the 50Hz electrical interference in the Spectral Summaries below. Note the horizontal yellow line which is caused by being inside a room close to a mains cable. That artefact is responsible for a good bit of her gamma, as you can see in the 49Hz bar below in the MM graph.

b)

The Spectral Summaries below show that there was no sEMG artifact beside the stone, so these gamma readings are reliable - meaning, without being amplified in the 50Hz bar by electrical or sound wave noise. The Signal Quality windows (not shown below) show perfect signal quality, without any breaks. She was very still, except for four movement spikes shown in the sEMG Artifact.

Amplitude windows, the latter two of which correlate to delta spikes in the Composite Display at 5:34 and 6:18 minutes.

The delta spike in the Composite Display at 5:34 actually preceded the sEMG spike at 5:43, so something might have happened, internally or externally, that sent out her delta and caused her to startle, and in fact, that delta was not a spike as much as a surge lasting from 5:34 to 5:50 minutes. The last delta and sEMG spike occurred simultaneously. She was noticeably more left-brained in this recording.

At c) Her Signal Quality was perfect, and there was no 50Hz noise see the Spectral Summaries. But the sEMG Artifact Amplitude and Spectral Summary windows show twitchy movements which show up as gamma spikes or flares in the Composite Display. So either she twitched or flared gamma, or she had gamma spikes that show up in the sEMG as movement. It’s impossible to tell which. But there are 10 of these sEMG/gamma spikes,

Basically, Maria’s averaged brainwave pattern was much the same in all three recordings. The only other difference was a left-brain dominance during b) and a right-brain dominance during c)

It is very interesting that comparing Lucy’s and Maria’s recordings at 3:40 minutes there a significant gamma/delta flare. One can only imagine what happened then!

This report offers fascinating insights into the EEG recordings of Lucy Pringle and Maria Wheatley at Avebury Stone Circle. By comparing brainwave activity across various locations within and outside the stone circle, it seems that the ancient site may have influenced their neurological responses in distinct and unexpected ways. Judith Pennington’s in-depth analysis further reveals intricate shifts in brainwave coherence, delta, and gamma activity patterns - highlighting possible interactions between the environment, consciousness, and brain states.

Here's a summary of the key findings:

Lucy Pringle:

  • Away from the stones (a): Displayed left-brain gamma dominance, possibly indicative of stress or heightened cognitive activity.
  • Near Stone (b): Experienced reduced gamma activity with high coherence, suggesting deeper, unconscious engagement through the delta band.
  • Near Stone (c): Demonstrated increased hemispheric balance and a significant gamma rise at distinct times, potentially indicating a connection or attunement to the stones.

Maria Wheatley:

  • Inside a building (first session): Recorded symmetrical brainwaves but had a 50Hz interference likely from nearby electrical sources.
  • Near Stone (b): Gamma readings were reliable, and she showed left-brain dominance, with distinct delta activity noted as well.
  • Near Stone (c): Showed right-brain dominance, with frequent gamma spikes or sEMG artifacts, suggesting either physical or gamma-related responses.

Noteworthy Observations:

A notable gamma/delta flare in both Lucy and Maria’s recordings around 3:40 minutes may point to an external stimulus or shared response at this moment.

The findings raise questions about the potential impacts of ancient stones on brainwave patterns and consciousness.

This intriguing blend of EEG technology, ancient sites, and consciousness research presents numerous possibilities for future investigation into environmental influences on brain activity and altered states of consciousness.

 

So there are many interesting and noteworthy features that beg for further research.

Just to show depth electrodes are needed to record gamma in a PD. Subject https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC50157

 

Paul Gerry

Clinical Scientist (Neurophysiology).

The Clocks go Back

It is an annual occurrence in the UK that our clocks go back at 2 a.m. on the morning of the last Sunday in October, marking the end of summer and the start of winter, as we switch from British Summer Time (BST) to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Fortunately, this change lasts for only five months of the 12-month year.

The idea of changing the clocks in Britain was first proposed by William Willett, a builder, in his pamphlet titled The Waste of Daylight in 1902. Willett, an avid horse rider, came up with the idea one early summer morning while out riding. He noticed a great many drawn curtains, indicating people were still asleep despite the daylight.Although his suggestion was not adopted at the time, it eventually came to fruition. Interestingly, Willett’s great-great-grandson is Chris Martin, the singer of Coldplay.

As reported by North Wales Live, “As the UK approaches the winter solstice, sunrises occur later, and daily sunlight decreases. In December, the sun will rise as late as 8:06 a.m., and most of the month will see London experiencing fewer than eight hours of daylight.

Greenwich Mean Time was the default legal time used in Britain before Daylight Saving Time was introduced in 1916. The Summer Time Act of 1916 stated that from spring to autumn, legal time would be an hour ahead of GMT. The act was adopted during the First World War when the country needed to make use of as much daylight as possible to conserve coal. When the clocks go back, the country returns to the default time zone established in 1880.

In recent days, we have been experiencing unusually warm weather for this time of year – halcyon days. When someone remarked that they had never heard the word "halcyon" used before, I decided to do a little research. It is described as “denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful.” There are many other definitions, all positive.

Of Greek origin, the word "halcyon" comes from a story in Greek mythology about the halcyon bird, the kingfisher, which had the power to calm the rough ocean waves every December so she could nest. Like those calm waters, "halcyon" has come to mean a sense of peace or tranquillity.

The picture below is one of the side images in my 2025 calendar.

Kingfisher © Sue Crow

With more positive thoughts running through my mind, I have been marvelling at the magnificence of nature and the wonders it can produce. This has been a blessed time, with nature at its most spectacular – a time when the heavens have been displaying an array of the most wonderful examples of impressionist art.

© Sonya Julia

© Sonya Julia

Not only are the skies showcasing their wonders, but the earth has its own palette of colours, too. We are witnessing a magical display, a kaleidoscope of colours, as the leaves put on their finest – reds, oranges, yellows, browns, and silvers. As I was walking this week, an acer tree caught my eye and provided me with its abundance of reds and purples.

Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki' Tree (Japanese Maple)

It might surprise you to know that the pictures were all taken of the same tree, and the variation in colours was due to the change in light as I moved my position.

I have been meaning to visit Warnford Church in Hampshire with my sister, Amanda. It was supposed to be her birthday treat back in September, but sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned! I feel sure we will get there very soon, and then I will be able to tell you all about it. The church is ancient, dating mainly from the 1190s, with an earlier tower and Saxon roots.