WETLAND

by

If we are asked why we are living here on the North Norfolk coast, we have a problem finding a quick answer. Now we read it in Graham Swift’s novel “Waterland“:
„Fairy-tale words; fairy-tale advice. But we lived in a fairy-tale place […] Far away from the wild world.“

Manch einer fragt, warum wir gerade hier wohnen. Oft drucksten wir herum mit der Antwort, aber endlich fanden wir sie in Graham Swifts Roman „Waterland“:
„Fairy-tale words; fairy-tale advice. But we lived in a fairy-tale place […] Far away from the wild world.“

Why is it a fairy-tale land? Because it’s the ever-changing land without constant borders between water and land, between nature and culture, everything flows. This is the magic edge between the huge sea and those tiny coastal villages of North Norfolk.

Warum es ein Märchenland ist, fragt Ihr. Weil hier alles fließt an der ständig sich ändernden Grenze von Wasser und Land, von Natur und Gesellschaft, am magischen Landstrich zwischen der riesigen See und den kleinen Küstendörfern.


We live next to silty marshes which are visited regularly by the curious waters of the dark drainage ditches. Of course we know that water is ancient, much older than land, and that it’s dangerous.

Wir wohnen am Rande schlammiger Marschen. Regelmäßig werden sie vom neugierigen Wasser besucht. Wir wissen, dass Wasser weitaus älter als Land ist, dass es bedrohlich ist.


That’s where we clump in our green fairy-wellies picking the tasty samphire. It’s where the light is broken by the spray of the somersaulting waves and where the sea presents us starfish and seashells as well as lugworm for bait. And don’t you like looking over the endless sea? The mighty sea sets our mind free, so free …

Aber hat es nicht etwas Heiteres, wenn sich die Wellen munter am Land brechen, dort, wo wir mit unseren Stiefelchen im Matsch herumstapfen, um leckeren Seespargel zu sammeln, wenn das Licht durch die Gischt purzelbaumschlagender Wellen zu fröhlichen Regenbogen gebrochen wird und das Wasser uns Seesterne und Muschel schenkt? Wir lieben den Anblick sturmerregter Wellen, die sich dem Sand der Dünen hingeben. Und wer liebt es nicht, grenzenloses Meer vom Strandkorb aus zu schauen. Das freie Meer befreit den Geist, da weiß man, was Besinnen heißt.

Do you know the angst mixed with desire to give yourself to the waves?
Driving up North with Dina and our Master, we always have to fight feeling depressed. We cross the plain Fens, the land under sea-level forced from the water. We are sure this place drives you crazy. We switch on the radio and drive as fast as possible to leave the monotonous waterland behind. Here the border between water and land turns depressing. But this dark atmosphere inspired many writers. They used the elemental force of water, the source and possible end of mankind, as a vital metaphor like in the eerily beautiful novella “The Rider on the White Horse” by Theodor Storm or in Jeremy Page’s “Salt“ and in “Waterland“. “At the Edge“, how Clement Scott called our coast, the meeting of water and land is happy as we live on the foot of rolling hills where diversification pleases the eye.

Kennt Ihr nicht die Angst und Lust, sich den Wellen des Meeres anzuvertrauen?
Und immer beschleicht uns dieses dunkel depressive Gefühl, wenn wir mit Dina und Masterchen gen Norden fahrend, das dem Meer abgerungene, tellerflache Land der Fens durchqueren. Wir meinen, dies ist ein Ort, um verrückt zu werden. Sofort stellen wir das Radio an und versuchen, so schnell wie möglich dieses eintönige Land zu durchfahren. Die fröhliche Grenze von Wasser und Land verwandelt sich ins Bedrückende. Es scheint, dass viele Schreiberlinge gerade davon fasziniert waren. Für sie ist häufig die elementare Kraft des Wassers des Menschen Verderben wie in der schaurigschönen Novelle „Der Schimmelreiter“ von Theodor Storm oder in Jeremy Pages „Salt“ und in „Waterland“. Bei uns zu Hause ist diese Grenzerfahrung von Wasser und Land heiter, denn wir leben in einer flachhügeligen Gegend, in der die Abwechslung dem Auge lieblich schmeichelt.

We love the old maps showing magical beast and fantastic beings living in the sea.
The ancient sea produces magic but is inspiring and may mean death as well. The constant fight of the marshes against the water seems to open certain people for seeing a fairy-tale world of mermaids and other companions of Neptune and fairies (like us).

Erinnert Ihr Euch an alte Karten, auf denen magische Wesen das Meer beleben?
Das uralte Meer ist der Grund zaubrischer Wesen, die den Menschen inspirieren, aber auch den Untergang bringen. Der ständige Kampf der Marschen mit dem Wasser öffnet den Menschen zur märchenhaften Welt der Nixen, Feen und anderen Genossen von Neptuns Gesellschaft.

Culture develops near water, water stimulates the mind – at least seen from the safe land. And isn’t a matter of perspective if we see the meeting of water and land as war or play? 

Kultur entstand am Wasser, Wasser inspiriert – zumindest von der Sicherheit des Landes aus betrachtet. Und kommt es nicht auf die Perspektive an, ob man das Treffen von Land und Wasser als Krieg oder als Spiel sieht?

Finest Fairy-dust from
Viel Feenhauch von

Siri and Selma, the clever Bookfayries of the Wetland, a Waterland that sometimes turns into Dryland.

.

© Text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers and Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea, 2017

Follow Dina- Hanne Siebers on Instagram!

322 thoughts

    • Well, this is what we are writing about: The landscape of North Norfolk and then further north the different landscape of the Fens. This Waterland or wetland is the whole coast of East Anglia. But, of course, the novel “Waterland” is set in the Fens – although Graham Swift only shortly visited the Fens.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 4 people

    • Hi Simon,
      actually every country with a coast has its waterland. And this waterland, whereever it is, imspired authors to stories of madness. See f.e. “Der Schimmelreiter”.
      Fairy dust from
      Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma, Bookfayries

      Liked by 4 people

    • The fens are completely different – it is neither water nor land. It is not coast; coast has boundaries, fen doesn’t, it’s a nothingness and it survives entirely on borrowed time, empty, featureless, the closest thing to nothing. I lived up there for a while.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Totally agree. Many coast lines are quite definitive with rocks, cliffs or man-made barriers. The Norfolk coastline as noted here gets reclaimed by the North Sea on a tidal basis, and the tidal high – low is quite dramatic. People have been out on the marshes and not heeded the obvious incoming tide and have been isolated on a small grass “island” until that too is overcome and the end result is, sadly, often drowning. The speed of the incoming tide has to be respected as it will soon prohibit any chance of wading back. That area can be truly beautiful… and truly deadly if not respected.

      Liked by 4 people

    • The Fens as well as the North Norfolk coast have no clear definition of their coastline. It’s changing constantly, especially after big floods. Parts gain land and parts are loosing land. In our area we have the problem of silting, boating is getting harder every year.
      You are absulotely right it’s quite dangerous in the marshes if you don’t know the tides.

      Liked by 3 people

    • We just found a quote from a book we are just reading (Jeremy Page “The Collector of Lost Things”):
      “The estuaries in Suffolk and Norfolk, reflecting a morning sky as pure blue as a goshawk’s egg. […] No other place than East Anglia – where the land is held in a cradle of tides swinging back and forth – can give such a feeling of ballance, such equilibrium.”
      Nicely written, isn’t it!
      Have a happy day
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  5. Liebe Dina lieber Klausbernd,
    was für wunderschöne Bilder liebe Dina und Masterchen hat die stimmigen Worte dazu gefunden! Es ist immer wieder schön einen neuen Beitrag Eures tollen Blocks zu sehen und zu lesen. Für mich als Fotofgrafen beeindrucken nciht nur dieses Mal insbesondere die superschönen Fotos von dir, liebe Dina. Great Pictures, würde ich bei Instagram posten. Lassts Euch weiter gut gehen und genießt den Frühling, der sich schneibar nach ein paar winterlichen Tagen auch hier am Rande des Schwarzwaldes wieder durchzusetzen versucht. Konrad

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Guten Tag, lieber Konrad,
      das freut uns sehr, dass dir unser Blog gefällt, zumal du doch selbst solch ein toller Fotograf bist. Und unsere liebe Dina hast du dazu gebracht, gleich bei Instagram ihre Anmeldung zu aktivieren.
      Hier scheint inzwischen wieder die Sonne 🙂 unsere Wassertonnen sind voll, die Blümchen zufrieden, so ist alles vom Feinsten.
      Mit gaaaanz lieben Grüße auch an Astrid
      The Fab Four of Cley xxx

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Dear FabFour,
    I Love places, where earth meets water and the connecting of the elements, their play. These magic places show the neverending cycle of life in a special way. You are connected with your place in the way, you want to learn from it…
    Thank you for your wonderful post!
    I send you warm greetings from the cold and windy Teutoburger Wald in Germany,
    Yours Karfunkelfee, Stefanie✨

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Von den Buchfeen zur Waldfee die liebsten Grüße und ganz viel güldnen Feenstaub.
      Weißt du, was unsere beiden Gegenden verbindet? Es ist die Geschichte der widerständigen Bewohner. Was bei uns die Piraten waren, war bei dir der anti-römische Widerstand der Germanen.
      Wir wünschen ein tolles Wochenende
      Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma, die cleveren Buchfeen

      Liked by 3 people

    • Hi, dear Stefanie Karfunkelfee,
      well, it seems to be that borders between two qualities, like different elements, are interesting and reviving. It’s opposite to monotony which is a symbol of boredom and death.
      Warm greeting from the sunny sea again (after some grim days of cold and rainy weather)
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you, dear Anneli! 🙂 🙂
      You are absolutely right, it’s very important for the wildlife to protect these wetlands. In our lane used to live Sinom Aspinell who was one the fighters for a systems of wetland areas for birds.
      Happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • There was a time when it was considered okay to bring truckloads of gravel to fill in a marsh and turn it into dry land for building houses. Glad that isn’t the case anymore (at least not in most cases).

      Liked by 3 people

  14. This is a magical place, and you’ve captured it so beautifully in your photos. In a hard choice, I’d always go for mountains rather than plains – but how lucky we are that we have a choice. I think perhaps that connecting with either the sea and mountains frees our minds in similar ways.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Margaret
      thank you very much for kind commentary.
      We love the mountains as well. But of course we love mountains next the sea best 🙂 🙂 like Olympus in Greece (we climbed) and some of the Scottish and Welsh mountains. We absolutely agree that mountains as well as the sea free your mind.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Liebe Pia,
      dazu fällt mir gerade eine Gedichtzeile von mir ein, well, das ist Eichendorff-Masterchen:
      “Es war als hätt das Wasser
      Die Erde still geküsst
      Dass sie in Gischtes Schimmer
      Von ihm nun träumem müsst”
      Liebe Grüße aus dem jetzt wieder sonnigen Cley nach Regen und Kälte
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Ach, ihr Lieben, ich bin mal wieder vollkommen bezaubert von der Tiefe und Weite, die euch umgibt – und jetzt auch mich am Bildschirm! Die Bilder sind einfach magisch – in dem ersten laufe ich Gefahr mich zu verlieren, so überirdisch schön ist es mit seinen verschiedenen spiegelnden Ebenen – und dazu die wunderbaren Texte, die von der Liebe zum Wasser sprechen, aber auch von dem Respekt, den einer verspürt, der seine Gewalt gut kennt.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Guten Tag, liebe Maren,
      wir laufen ja auch immer Gefahr, uns in dieser Landschaft zu verlieren. “Aber nur wer sich verliert, der gewinnt sich”, O-Ton Masterchen.
      Und du als Wasseranwohnerin weißt es ja, wie gefährlich die hungrige See sein kann. Das hat Theodor Storm gekommt in seinem letzten Werk verdichtet, von dem wir zu unserem Bedauern sehen, dass wir es nicht mehr in unserer Bibliothek haben (es gibt den Text zwar im Netz, aber das finden wir völlig unromantisch, ihn dort zu lesen). Wir finden, “Der Schimmelreiter” gehört in jede Bibliothek. Übrigens wurde der Roman erst fast hundert Jahre nach seinem Erscheinen ins Englische – eigentlich ins Amerikanische – übersetzt.
      Mit liebe Grüße und herzlichen Dank
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  19. So wunderschöne Bilder !
    Ohne Wasser kein Leben, am Wasser sein bedeutet Ruhe, Entspannung, Abschalten vom Alltag. Könnte nicht ohne sein 🙂 Bin froh, dass zumindest der Rhein mit seinen kleinen Kanälen in unmittelbarer Nähe sind, aber mindestens 1 x im Jahr muss es das Meer sein ! 🙂 Es ruft einfach…

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Da hast du wohl Recht: Ohne Wasser kein Leben, kein Austausch der Kulturen und Vieles mehr …
      Wir waren in der Ausstellung “Der Rhein” in der Bonner Kunsthalle Ende letzten Jahres, die erst richtig deutlich machte, welch kulturelle und politische Bedeutung dieser “deutsche Strom” hatte und im Grunde auch noch hat. Uns hat diese Ausstellung sehr gut gefallen. Siri und Selma wollten sie gar nicht verlassen (vielleicht auch, weil es draußen regnete 😉 ).
      Wir brauchen auch das Meer, sind aber froh, dass es im gebührenden Abstand von unserem Haus am Land nagt.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom sonnigen Meer und grüß uns Vater Rhein
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  24. Dear Hanne and Klausbernd and sweetest lovely Bookfayries
    What a great article with such beautiful pictures. I suppose the whole of East Anglia is such a wetland. Years ago I have read Graham Swift’s “Waterland” and I was really much taken by this novel. Later I saw the film. A horrible adaption of the book and not even filmed in the Fenlands.
    In Swift’s “Waterland” as well as in “Salt” (I just followed your recommendation and read it, THANK YOU) and in “Der Schimmelreiter” this borderland of water and earth seem to produce a certain crazyness in people. Maybe human beings need stability and cannot stand a ever-changing landscape? Or every nation has its places on which madness is projected. In the Scandinavian literature it seems to be the barren grounds high up in the North.
    With lots of love from Stockholm xxxxx
    Annalena

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much, our dear friend,
      we Bookfayries suppose that this has to do with the ambivalent character of water as the bringer of life and death.
      Lots of finest fairy dust from your dear friends
      Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma

      Liked by 3 people

    • Good afternoon, dear Annalena,
      actually we think human beings need safty and stability for feeling well. But on the other hand they need change not for not congealing and die of rigidity. It’s this ballance between safty and change that makes life, we suppose. And this is a kind of archetypal theme in literature.
      We send you lots and lots love to beautiful Stockholm, wishing you a GREAT weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley xxxx

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Siri Bookfayrie
      maybe it has to do with antagonism like water and land. Craziness has to do how to deal with antagonisms and tensions they produce.
      With hugs and kisses
      xxxx #### oooo
      Klausbernd

      Liked by 1 person

  25. I like the part of this county where the reclaimed land meets the sea, and to imagine when the sea was much closer than it is now. But I don’t find it at all depressing or boring. The Fenlands are very different. Man-made, endless rows of flat fields and ditches. At least they provide an uninterrupted view of the ‘big skies’. As always, lovely images illustrating thoughtful prose.
    Love from Beetley, Pete and Ollie. X

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Pete,
      we find the difference between the North-Norfolk coast and the Fens interesting. Both areas where land and sea meet but so different. And it’s significant how this two landscapes influence our mood. Too much sky in Fens, isn’t it?! Like in “Asterix and Obelix” you are getting afraid of the sky falling down on your head 😉
      Thanks a lot for commenting 🙂 🙂
      With lots of love and wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Maria
      an idea from the us Bookfayries: attraction always needs certain feeling of danger – without danger no attraction!
      With lots of finest fairy dust
      Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma, the clever Bookfayries

      Liked by 3 people

    • My sweet dear friends Siri and Selma
      what a clever idea: wthout danger no attraction. I never thought about it, but yiu are right. Attraction needs a certain amount of tension, as actually life needs a certain amount of tension as well. I suppose it’s all a matter of the dose rate.
      With lots of love to you two
      Per Magnus
      Greetingsto Dina and Klausbernd as well xxxx

      Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Maria
      As our clever Bookfayries wrote already: attraction needs danger. Without danger everything is boring.
      You are right such a landscape draws energy but gives a lot of energy as well.
      Thank you and wishing you a GREAT weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  27. Love the photos, as usual, Dina. You only just keep getting better. I can understand and appreciate your feelings about water. I remember as a child enjoying the smell of salt in the air, learning to swim and then surf. Through it all, you need to have a respect for the power of water and the appreciation of every creature held in it’s world. Thank you for bringing your own feelings to us.
    GP Cox

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear GP Cox
      thank you very much for liking Dina’s pics 🙂
      Interesting about water is its ambivalence as giver of life and destroyer. This tension makes it attractive and it’s reflected in the opposition of water and land, nature and culture, chaos and safty. Our feelings towards the sea are very ambivalent – although we love the sea, well, writing this from our safe home far enough away from sea not to be in danger of the hungry waves, we are frightened of it as well.
      Wishing you a GREAT weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 3 people

  29. I still have vivid memories of an incoming tide swirling through the marshes as the sea slowly reclaimed the land. On a bright day it was fascinating to me and quite memorizing. On a murky evening of fast diminishing light, it was positively menacing. A wonderful part of England. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  32. A very nice narrative with equally nice photos. You do a wonderful job of describing all the various emotions elicited by the varying landscapes. I especially like the beauty and serenity of the last photo.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  33. Excellent photos, excellent writing. I have never lived near the ocean, and find my reactions to beaches and coastal wetlands to be complicated and unpredictable, not always positive. So I’m glad you included a mention of the dark side of the littoral, too, as I’ve often found the monotony and artificiality of the fens and polders to be depressing, a place where the “salt has lost its savor,” while natural salt marshes are generally fascinating, and staggeringly productive in their own way.
    To a landlubber like me, this borderland often seems like a “no-man’s-land” but also fascinating, I can understand of bit of why you find it magical and other-worldly.
    They are all good, but I particularly liked the eerie second photo. All the best to you! RPT

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Robert,
      actually you are right for a landlubber and even for people loving the sea the salt marshes are a dangereous no-man’s-land with all its hidden channels, creeks and ditches, with the rising and falling water. You always need to know the tides otherwise you are lost.
      The Fens and polders are different, they are monotonous, but always in danger as they are situated under sea level. Salt has lost its savour there, indeed!
      It wasn’t before the age of Romanticism that water and especially the sea was seen in a positive way. Before water was the element of dangers one should avoid. But the tourist industry tried hard to build on this romantic but one-dimensional romantic view of water – and succeeded.
      Thanks for your clever commentary.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  35. Hallo ihr Lieben,

    das sind ja wieder wunderschöne Bilder. Da bekommt man Fernweh. Zum Glück geht es Ende nächster Woche an die Ostsee … 🙂 Ihr wohnt wirklich in einer herrlichen Gegend.

    LG, Susanne

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Liebe Susanne,
      wir wünschen dir einen wunderschönen Urlaub am weiten, wilden Meer.
      Bei uns ist es wie im Friesenlied:
      “Wo de Nordseewellen trecken an de Strand, Wor de geelen Blöme bleuhn int gröne Land, |: Wor de Möwen schrieen gell int Stormgebrus, Dor is mine Heimat, dor bür ick to Hus” – bei uns schlagen die Nordseewellen an den Strand. Wir lieben aber auch die Ostsee sehr.
      Also mach’s gut! 🙂 🙂
      Eine schöne Reise wünschen dir
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 3 people

  37. Wie immer sind eure Fotografien einfach nur atemberaubend und wunderschön!! Habt vielen, lieben Dank für diesen herrlichen Einblick in diese Ecke der Welt! Alles Liebe euch vieren! Habt ein wundervolles Wochenende! Sarah 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dank dir, liebe Sarah 🙂 🙂
      es ist wirklich schön hier, was wir selbst nach über 30 Jahren noch immer finden.
      Auch dir wünschen wir ein wunderschönes Wochenende und Danke fürs Kommentieren
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 3 people

    • Hi, dear Achim,
      thanks a lot for your kind words 🙂 we really appreciate 🙂
      We love the North Norfolk coast and find the Fens interesting. As you like good literature we can recommend “Waterland” by Graham Swift – but avoid the film. It’s rubbish and not even filmed in the Fens but in the US. A good sense of our coast gives “Salt” set exactly where we live and well written.
      With warm greetings from the wetlands
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  42. Having come by boat to Canada and having experienced the danger of the sea, I can appreciate all the more the danger of water whether out on the ocean or near it, which you described so well. The accompanying photos of the murky waters of the wetland and the wave crashing onto the pebble-strewn shore give testimony to the eerie feeling you created with your amazing post. Many greetings from Canada to the Fab Four of Cley!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Hi, dear Peter,
      I came to Canada by boat as well and in the years I lived in Montreal I used once a year the boat from Montreal to Bremerhaven and back. As that was usually during the times of autumn and winter gails they taught me respect of the sea. Fortunately we living just above a level now which was never touched by floods. And going out with my tiny boat I am always very careful.
      Thank you for liking our mail 🙂 🙂
      With warm greetings from the cold sea and have a happy weekend
      Klausbernd
      Greeting from the rest of our gang 😉

      Liked by 2 people

    • The very same to all of you.
      Please bring my regards to Hanne. After seeing her last pictures I deleted half of mine 😀
      Wish you joy next time you are driving through the stunning wetland!

      Liked by 2 people

    • STOP – Please undo this last action, Hanna! You have always been a role model for me. And you always will. ❤ I'd love to do some photographing together with you one day. 🙂
      Ha en god helg! x

      Liked by 1 person

    • It’s already done and what a relief it was 🙂 I find that ‘selecting’ among my pictures are the hardest part of it all.
      Your post was an inspiration, Hanne ❤
      I would like to go to England sometime. I got the Northern Part on my mind, breathtaking mountains and views ❤

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Hanna
      we will go to northern Scotland next week, the Orkneys and the north coast of Scotland. We will blog about it, well, only if it produces no stress.
      We have never been so far north in Scotland before. The problem is the weather there but we hope for the best.
      Have a happy day
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • That makes my heart sigh in despair! Scotland is my top priority on my bucket list. I hope the weather will show itself from its very best side.
      Wish you all outstanding experiences on that journey.
      Hanna

      Liked by 3 people

    • Good afternoon, dear Brian,
      we have great gardens of the big houses in Norfolk. We love the walled garden of Felbrigg very much. Spectacular are those two old hedges of Blickling, a kind of fairy-tale-castle (Jacobean). Mannigton is famous for its rose gardens. These are those special gardens just round the corner from where we are living.
      We hope you have had a great time in Norfolk.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Good afternoon, dear Jeff
      thanks for liking our post. This battle was mostly fought with the help of the Dutch here as they had the knowledge and there were and still are close connections to the Netherlands.
      All the best and enjoy the weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good afternoon, dear Jo,
      thank you for liking Dina’s pictures 🙂 Well, as you know, it’s a fairy-tale-country here.;-)
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend as well
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  53. Guten Morgen, ihr lieben vier,
    schöne Fotos! Ich mag das Meer genauso.
    Zur Zeit arbeite ich jedoch an einem Referat über die Flora, Mutter der Blumen. Das Gemälde, was ich dabei betrachte, ist “The realm of Flora”, Im Reich der Flora von Poussin. Ein interessantes Gemälde, das Teile der Metamorphen Orvids bildlich darstellt. Viel Zeit habe ich nicht für das Referat, schon am Donnerstag ist der Termin, an dem ich es halte.
    Deshalb überlasse ich euch jetzt eurem schönen Garten mit den Fasanen und wünsche euch einen schönen sonnigen Samstag,
    liebe Grüße von Susanne

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Guten Abend, liebe Susanne,
      was für ein schönes Thema. Ich las gerade kürzlich einige Bücher, die die Geschichte der Liebe zu den Blumen zum Thema haben. Besonders Siri und Selma lieben ihre Blümchen. Sie haben jetzt einige Tulpenbeete angelegt und teilweise Tulpen um unsere Obstbäume gepflanzt.
      Guten Gelingen wünschen wir dir für deine Arbeit.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom sonnigen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Guten Morgen, lieber Klausbernd,
      Tulpen sind besonders schöne Blumen, auch hier in Berlin blühen überall die Beete. Es gibt einige Übersetzungen der Metamorphosen, wie gut oder schlecht die sind, das weiss ich nicht. Hier ist auf youtube eine deutsche Hörbuchfassung zu finden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KguhtSwJ750 Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob diese mir gefällt. aber immerhin, vielleicht werde ich bei meinem Referat eine Strophe (Absatz, Reim?) vorspielen oder ich lese einfach selber die entsprechenden Textstellen vor. Nun werde ich erstmal unser Sonntagsfrühstück vorbereiten, die erste Tasse Kaffee ist getrunken und ich freue mich auf ein Ei 🙂
      Liebe Grüße auch von Micha, Susanne

      Liked by 3 people

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Susanne
      Wir hatten gerade unser Frühstücksei, die Sonne scheint und gleich werden wir wohl in unseren Garten verschwinden.
      Danke für den Hinweis auf die Übersetzungen der “Metamorphosen”.
      Na dann weiterhin viel Spaß mit Flora – die Margarine, die sich hier England mit dem Spruch “powered by nature” verkauft 😉
      Hab eine angenehme Woche
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Guten Morgen, ihr lieben vier,

      ich habe mein Referat der Flora fertig und werde es heute halten. Drückt mal die Daumen, dass meine Bildpräsentation gut zu meinen Worten synchronisiert ist 🙂
      Ich habe mich über den Vergleich der Flora mit Margarine amüsiert. Aber Margarine ist pflanzlich und wie schon der Werbespruch deklamiert: powered by nature – es passt also.
      Ich habe Hanne eine WhatsApp mit Bildern von Zeichnungen gesendet, die für einen Tausch gegen ein Foto ihres Stilllebens in Frage kommen. Ich hoffe, die Nachricht ist angekommen.
      Nun muss ich schnell durchs Bad huschen, die Uni beginnt heute um 10:15 Uhr……
      Ich wünsche euch einen schönen Tag, hier regnet und regnet und regnet es…..
      Liebe Grüße von Susanne

      Liked by 2 people

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Susanne,
      nachdem ich gerade hier wählen war, damit die richtigen politischen Kräfte gestärkt werden, jetzt zu dir. Wir drücken unserer lieben Freundin gaaaanz fest Daumen und Flügelchen, dass ihre Flora-Arbeit viel Anerkennung bekommt. Siri und Selma sitzen auf ihrem Regalbrett und weben hoch geheimen Feenzauber für dich.
      Es ist schon erschreckend, wie Göttinnen und Helden von Flora bis Ajax für die heutige Werbung ausgenutzt werden. Da wissen wir nicht so recht, ob wir darüber weinen oder lachen sollen. Das Heldische und Göttliche wird atemberaubend trivialisiert, was wir typisch für unsere Gesellschaft finden, in der alles wie im Populismus zum Trivialen vorkommt. Poussins “The Triumph of Flora” wird für die Masse der Konsumenten durchs Werbebild ersetzt …
      Hab einen schönen Tag 🙂 Wir werden unser Auto waschen
      The Fab Four of Cley
      Zu eurem Bildaustausch wird sich Dina noch melden.

      Liked by 3 people

    • Lieber Klausbernd,
      das Flora Referat ist sehr gut gelaufen. Nun werde ich im Anschluss noch eine Hausarbeit dazu schreiben. Es müssen so ca. 25 Seiten reiner Text werden. Dazu kommen Bilder, Abbildungs- und Literaturverzeichnis. Ich freue mich auf das Formulieren, die Flora gefällt mir und mir fällt auch viel dazu ein.
      Ich finde es schön, dass du auch in England wählen gehen kannst. Hast du die doppelte Staatsangehörigkeit? Oder darf man in England auch wählen, wenn man schon so lange wie du dort lebst?
      Wir kommen gerade von einem langen Spaziergang durch Schöneberg zurück. An der S-Bahn ist ein Parkentstanden und man kann vom Priesterweg bis zum Südkreuz Fahrrad fahren und skaten und eben auch spazieren gehen.
      Ich wünsche euch vier einen schönen Sonntag Abend, liebe Grüße auch von Micha, Susanne

      Liked by 3 people

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Susanne,
      das können wir uns gut vorstellen, dass Flora ein feines Thema für dich ist. Das würde uns auch gefallen.
      Masterchen darf in England wählen, da er hier wohnt und Grund und Boden besitzt, allerdings nur bei den Kommunalwahlen.
      Wir wünschen dir und Micha eine wunderschöne Woche
      The Fab Four of Cley
      Wir werden Ende der Woche für etwa einen Monat nach Nord-Schottland fahren. So ist diese Woche von Reisevorbereitungen bestimmt. Außerdem haben wir jetzt eine Art Hausmeister und Gärtner, der im Annexe wohnt und hier alles schön hält. Den müssen wir auch noch einweisen. Huch, eine busy busy Woche steht uns bevor und geht’s ab in den Norden, worauf wir uns schon SEHR feuen.
      Liebe Grüße ❤
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lieber Klausberd und liebe Hanne und natürlich auch ihr lieben Feen, ich wünsche euch viel Spaß in Schottland, das ist ja ein aufregendes Reiseziel.
      Ich sende die Stilllebenzeichnung nichtsdestotrotz los, euer “Hausmeister/Gärtner” wird das Paket sicher entgegennehmen.
      Gleich möchte ich Annie Lennox weiter betrachten und zeichnen. Eine fantastische Stimme, hat sie!
      Liebe Grüße von Susanne

      Liked by 2 people

    • Vielen Dank, liebe Susanne 🙂 🙂
      Wir sind gerade in Eile, da genau vor unserer Abfahrt liebe Gäste aus Vancouver kommen. Aber das werden wir schon alles schaffen.
      Mit gaaanz lieben Grüßen
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good evening, dear Thorsaurus,
      thank you so much for liking Dina’s pictures and thanks for mentioning The Doors. Especially our dear Master liked The Doors very much. He was a Jim Morrison Fan in his youth. This line of his lyrics makes the point – he was a clever guy, wasn’t he. Did you know that he translated parts of Freuds work into English?
      Cheers and enjoy the weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  55. Mein erster Implus – als ich den Artikel sah – war: “Das sieht aus, wie das deutsche Wattenmeer.” Gut der Kies ist englisch, aber alles andere könnte darauf hindeuten. Und als ich dann den Tag ‘Schimmelreiter’ sah, wurde für mich einiges klarer zu den Begriffen ‘Heimat’ und ‘Zuhause’. Ein guter Artikel und klasse Bilder dazu 🙂 LG an die fab 4. mick

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Hallo, lieber Mick,
      da hast du Recht, es gibt einige Ähnlichkeiten mit dem deutschen Wattenmeer, aber es fehlen hier die Warften. Wie haben keine Halligen.
      Das freut uns, dass dir unsere Post gefällt. “Der Schimmelreiter”, Storms Spätwerk, hat uns sehr berührt.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom Watt
      The Fab Four of Cley 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  57. I don’t think of these watery worlds as being at war or at play: at least, not solely those. The rhythms and the constant interplay between water and land, or between salt water and fresh, is the life-blood of this coast. People think of swamps as dreadful places — dark and foreboding — and yet they are only forests that rejoice in their seasonal flooding. The marshes and wetlands can be smelly and rank, and yet they are the nurseries for the plants and sea creatures that depend on them. My own special island, Galveston, lives between a gulf and a bay, and while it certainly is true that both have caused enormous damage during hurricanes, it’s also true that these quite separate worlds reach out and touch one another on the land.

    The photos are delightfully evocative. Sandy beaches and sandals have their own delights to offer, but mud flats and boots can bring equal satisfaction!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • We have here both the salt marshes with those mud flats and vast sandy beaches. People always fought against sea, in the Fens more than at the North Norfolk coast. The tried to protect their land and win land from the sea with the help of the Dutch.
      Nevertheless you are right, these wetlands are very important for the wildlife. They are a special habitat that is under protection at our coast.
      Thanks for commenting Dina’s pictures that kindly 🙂
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good morning, dear Chloris,
      what a nice Gravatar you have 🙂
      Thanks for liking our post 🙂 🙂
      We are very happy to live here!
      Wishing you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  64. What glorious photography! I hadn’t realised that Norfolk was so beautiful. I always thought it was just flat but how wrong I was…
    Best wishes from Wales, which is wet in a different way (water falls from the sky) 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Good morning,
      a lot of people think that Norfolk is flat like the Fens. But especially around our part of the North Norfolk coast it’s quite hilly.
      Thanks and warm greetings to Wales
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  65. Beautiful pictures and love your descriptions. I think we all need to get away from the place where we live every once in a while. If, for no other reason than to appreciate what we have left behind.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • We absolutely agree. We have to leave our places for seeing their beauty and appreciate it.
      Thanks for liking our post 🙂 🙂
      Wishing you a great week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good morning, dear Frank,
      we are so happy that you like Dina’s photos 🙂 🙂 Thank you very much!
      All the best from the Norfolk coast to Canada
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Annette 🙂
      habe herzlichen Dank für dein Lob, das uns sehr gefreut hat!
      Mit den besten Wünschen für eine harmonische Woche
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  72. “The tow went by, dragging the river in creases behind it, like a trailed skirt.”
    – Jonathan Raban, Old Glory
    Well written, isn’t it? Thank you so much for all your inspiring posts and also for presenting Jonathan Raban to me. The marshland of North Norfolk does not have this depressing effect on me, but entering Fen Wicken and the landscape further North during my studies in Cambridge with DIna, I began to feel a clammy East Anglian melancholy entering my soul.
    Superb post, Fab Four!
    Klem, Hjerter ❤

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much, dear Hjerter 🙂
      we love Jonathan Raban. Klausbernd together with Siri is just reading his Arctic novel “The Collector of All Things”. Both are taken by the novel as well.
      The Fens just north of our coast allways feel depressing but the novel “Waterland” about the Fenlands is great. It transports very well this dark mood of the monotonous land with slow flowing rivers.
      All the best to you
      KLEM ❤
      The Fab Four of Cley
      XXX

      Liked by 1 person

  73. All I can say is ‘simply inspiring photography’! I used to live in the fens and many people were rather negative about, saying it was all flat and boring. I found it inspiring. Amazing sunsets, huge swathes of dark earth, or acres of yellow rapeseed. Beauty comes in many forms!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  75. I have gotten used to living inland, but I remember when I was younger, I couldn’t live anywhere but water. Of course, that cost more than my budget, but it didn’t matter. That watery white noise–had to have it.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Jacqui
      we feel like you, it’s very special living next to water.
      With lots of love and have a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Dear Jacqui,
      we were lucky coming here at a time when houses were affordable. Today prices are over the top. We couldn’t afford to buy here neither.
      Fairy dust
      Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma, the clever Bookfayries

      Liked by 2 people

  77. Lovely pictures, Dina! I can very well understand how water inspires culture…the danger and the allure of it. And yes, your surroundings are definitely marker ‘fairy land’ 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Sebald was very controversial in his little town Wertach/Allgäu as he wrote about the former Fascists there. It took a while until they dedicated a museum to him. But now there is even a public footpath dedicated to him.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 3 people

    • Reminds me a bit of DH Lawrence in his home town of Eastwood … until relatively recently he was known there as ‘Dirty Bertie’ (his middle name was Herbert) and regarded as a traitor because he made fiction from real lives.

      Liked by 3 people

    • Exactly the same.
      He became acknowledged by Susan Sonntag first and then literary studies about his works appeared in Germany in the nineties. He broke a taboo by attacking the writer Alfred Andersch because of his staying in Germany during the fascist times.

      Liked by 2 people

  80. Gorgeous photographs, Hanne. I remember reading Waterland many years ago – I enjoyed it very much. Outsiders often get the Fens and Norfolk confused, although as you know, Norfolk only has a relatively small area of Fen in the far west of the county. I agree that it is a difficult landscape to love. To me it always seems like the land of lost causes. Warm best wishes from your friends in Norwich, Laurence and Jackie.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Hi, our dear friends,
      we liked reading “Waterland” very much. It’s funny we read it far away from the Fens, years ago when we climbed Mount Olympus. Well, one couldn’t think of a more different surrounding. But even there we were transported to the Fens reading his novel.
      We don’t have that much fenland here but lots of silt and maybe it’s all about that silt that builds and destroyes.
      Siri and our dear Master are just reading “The Collector of Lost Things” (by that Norfolk boy Jeremy Page). Siri likes these sentences there: “You can tell when you’ve shaken hands with a Norfolkman, because he has carrots growing under his fingernails. And he may try to plant potatoes in your pockets!” She couldn’t stop laughing quoting it.
      “Land of lost causes” fits very well for the Fens, indeed!
      Maybe we’ll write a blog about how literature influences our perception of a landscape one day. Novels as well as travel guides, of course. But there you are the specialist. It’s obvivious concerning Thule and the Arctic or El Derado but we suppose that noves like “Waterland” and “Salt” do influence our perception as well – and your travelling guides 😉
      Sending you lots of love and hoping that we will see each other when we are back from our big tour through Scotland at the middle of June.
      All the best to you and Jackie
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  85. My dear friends,
    CONGRATULATIONS!
    You really deserved all these followers! It’s a brilliant blog you are running. Thank you very much. I always like to read your posts with great pictures and interesting texts.
    Go on blogging
    Love ❤ xxx
    Annalena from Stockholm 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  86. The incredible Majesty of what these images portray have me wishing I was free to jump on the next plane to see this land for myself. The Beauty, the Wild, and the Waves all beckon me especially the water. I LOVE the water which gives me such a soul quenching drink as I step away from the mad hatter’s world. The Silence as well that your images speak beckon me. It’s been too long for me since I’ve stepped into water and Silence having just pouring rain and cold here. Bless you for this post that swept me away into Bliss, a Bliss I could not live without. I’ll be back for more, that I can tell you, to drink thirstily from that which you show me. THANK YOU! Amy ❤

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Amy, good morning 🙂 🙂
      thank you VERY much for kind commentary which made us speechless. We very much enjoyed your words 🙂
      We love the element of water very much as well although it has its frightening aspects. We will post another blog about water in the near future, at least it’s planned by Siri and Selma.
      Wishing you a happy day
      Love ❤
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 3 people

    • You are so very kind about my comment. Bless you! I really love the element of water. I was told I was “part fish” when I was a kid because I just was in water so much swimming. 😀

      Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Laura,
      well, everthing has two sides to it. Without that there would be no tension, it would be boring.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  89. I have always loved your posts Dina et al but this is by far my favorite. Perhaps it’s because your marsh and sea are so very similar to ours and yet on the other side of the world. Or perhaps it’s the beautiful text surrounding the amazing photographs. In any case, bravo for a beautiful post.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Tina,
      thank you so much for your kind commentary 🙂 🙂
      Probably the marshes are similar all over the world, at least in similar climatic zones. The silt is international 😉
      With lots of love and wishing you a great weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  91. Lovely post. Beautiful and poetic! We have lived by the water in several states, here in the USA. Its rise and fall, and rhythmic waves are inspiring and dangerous. Your marshland is rich with life, beauty, and change.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Judy
      WOW! Thank you very much for your kind commentary! 🙂 Dina is VERY happy about it, you made her day.
      Wishing you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  98. Heute muss ich an “Die Schutzbefohlenen” von Elfriede Jelinek, 2014 Nationaltheater Mannheim denken und Gilgamesch, Pfalzbau Theater…spannend!
    Oje, kritisch muss angemerkt werden, dass es zwar Einführungsveranstaltungen gab, aber – die Vortragenden leierten dermaßen ihre Texte herunter…
    Das ist so schade; dass man beim Tanz nichts versteht, kann ich nachvollziehen, aber beim gesprochenen Wort hätte man doch Zeit!
    Naja, dann muss man Zeit opfern und seine Dummheit…wer will das schon…
    Hmm…
    Wer würde jetzt mein Opfer der Dummheit annehmen, ich überlege mal…

    Eine schöne Woche euch!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Pia,
      ja, die Sprache ist bei öffentlichen Veranstaltungen und mehr noch bei Kino-und TV-Filmen oft gar nicht zu verstehen. Die Darsteller bzw. Vortragenden haben keine Sprachkultur mehr. Früher gab’s beim Germanistik-Studium den Kurs Sprecherziehung, heute steht Sprecherziehung nur noch bei Politikern auf dem Plan, da die ja verstanden werden wollen. Aber, wie heißt es bei G.B. Shaw richtig: “Die Sprache macht den Menschen, die Herkunft macht es nicht”. Gepflegte Sprache ist ein Zeichen der Macht und der Bildung – immer noch, oder heute mehr denn je.
      Wir bereiten diese Woche unsere Reise up North vor und am Ende der Woche geht’s dann los 🙂 🙂
      Auch dir wünschen wir eine rundum schöne Woche
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much for your kind words.
      Yes, we will go on blogging as we like combining pictures with text. We are trying to produce a theory how to combine pictures and text in a way that makes more sense than picture only or text only.
      Have a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • How can we communicate? What a question …
      On one hand a picture can tell a lie more than thousand words and words can manipulate as well. But maybe we get a new quality beyond this by combining pictures and words in a reflected way. That’s actually what the communication of this blog is all about.
      Well, we try hard to communicate …
      All the best and thank you
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  101. Pingback: Blogbummel April/Mai 2017 – buchpost

  102. Vielen herzlichen Dank, Liebe Buchpost, für den Link zu Wetland! 🙂 Darüber haben wir uns riesig gefreut. Wir machen uns auf den Weg nach Schottland mit einem großen Lächeln. 😀 Tschüß!
    The Fab Four of Cley, Dina

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear James
      thank you so much for your kind words.
      Well, we try to find our own language combining pictures and words to a new quality beyond picture only and text only. In our last blog “StillLife II” we were inspired by some comments to start to express in which direction we want to go. But we are just at the beginning to really understand where we are going and what our own language as Fab Four could be.
      Indeed we have a great weekend because it’s the beginning of our holiday. We are going up North to the Orkneys and the north coast of Scotland 🙂 🙂
      Wishing you a great weekend as well
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • We just took the ferry from the Outer Hebrides to Ullapool and going further north. We are enjoying the north of Scotland very much. Great 👍
      Lots of love and thanks
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  104. Stunning photography! Such atmospheric images. They give me chills! I have read Waterlands and Graham Swift is one of my favourite writers, but you have inspired me to go back and read it again. It has been a while. Thank you for the inspiration 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Victor
      thank you very much for liking Dina’s photography 🙂 🙂
      We can’t imagine to live away from a big water – that means that we would need our car to go to the beach.
      With greetings from the tiny village next the big sea
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.