Praising an English Hill

by

Do you think about bread when you see this view?
Denkt Ihr an Brot bei diesem Bild?

Nikon D800, handheld, no filter, 70mm, 1/40sec  f/2.8,  ISO 1000

We suppose you have seen this famous view before. Does it remind you of the Hovis bread ad? Now we could lengthy complain about this much too soft and too white English bread, but Siri and Selma forbade us just this because it is off-topic, and so we obeyed. The Hovis ad from the 1970s with the lad pushing his bike full of bread up this cobbled hill before freely racing downhill was just voted as Britain’s most favourite TV-ad of all times (that’s quite radically stated, isn’t it?).

Loblied auf einen englischen Hügel
Wenn Ihr keine Engländer seid, wird Euch diese Sicht nicht gleich ‘Brot‘ assoziieren lassen. Aber Engländer erinnert sie direkt an eine ältere Werbung für Hovis Brot. Jetzt könnten wir uns ellenlang über das fürchterliche englische Weichweißbrot auslassen, aber Siri und Selma meinten kategorisch, das gehöre nicht zum Thema und so halten wir uns lieber zurück. Diese Werbung aus den 70igern für Hovis Brot mit dem Jungen, der mühsam sein Fahrrad beladen mit Brot diesen Hügel hinaufschiebt, bevor er befreit ihn hinuntersaust, wurde erst neulich als beliebteste englische Fernsehwerbung aller Zeiten – welch kühner Anspruch – gewählt.

‘What makes this view so typically English?‘ asked Siri. We suppose it’s the old cottages like taken from a fairy tale and especially this thatched cottage which could easily be a Hobbit’s home, and also this cobbled road that our dear Master didn’t dare to drive up with our much liked Volvo. And not to forget these rolling hills in the background which are much praised in English poetry.

‘Was macht diese Sicht denn so typisch Englisch?‘, fragte Siri. Wir glauben, es sind die alten Häuser, die wie aus einem Märchenbuch entnommen anmuten, dazu kommt noch das rietgedeckte Haus, das Bilbo Beutlins Heim sein könnte. Diese Art Kopfsteinpflaster, das sich Masterchen sich nicht traute, mit unserem geliebten Volvo zu befahren, trägt noch zu diesem Eindruck bei. Und dann diese ‘rolling hills’, die Merry Old England so anmutig erscheinen lassen.

Surely you have already recognized the Gold Hill alias Hovis Hill in Shaftesbury/Dorset. We even made a detour on our trip to Cornwall to pay our visit to this famous hill. It’s a movie star in film and TV and it poses in nearly every English travelling guide. It adorns chocolate boxes and you find these cottages on the cover of Rowling’s ‘The Casual Vacancy‘, a novel we found worth reading despite critical reviews. ‘It can’t always be Potter!‘ Selma commented. To enhance the romantic of this hill we thought of photographing it at the blue hour. We waited shivering on the drafty top for the waning light in which Dina wanted to immortalize this hill.
What do you think, did she succeed?

Ihr seht hier den Gold Hill in Shaftesbury/Dorset, der auch Hovis Hill genannt wird. Immerhin machten wir extra für ihn einen Umweg auf unserer Reise nach Cornwall. Dieser Hügel ist nämlich eine Berühmtheit, quasi ein Medienstar, da er außer in der Werbung auch in Filmen, TV Progrrammen und fast jedem Buch über England in Szene gesetzt wurde. Ebenfalls ziert er Schokoladenschachteln wie auch den Umschlag von Rowlings Buch ‘Ein plötzlicher Todesfall‘, das wir trotz kritischer Rezensionen lesenswert fanden. ‘Es muss doch nicht immer Potter sein!’, war Selmas Kommentar. Um die Romantik dieses Hügels noch zu steigern, hatten wir uns ausgedacht, ihn in der Dämmerung zu fotografieren. Bibbernd warteten wir an dieser zugigen Ecke, bis das Licht schwand und Dina beschloss, auf ihre Weise diesen Hügel zu verewigen. Was meint Ihr denn, ist es ihr gelungen?

With kind regards
Mit herzlichen Grüßen von
The Fab Four of Cley

.

© Text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers and Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea, 2018

 

 

 

 

325 thoughts

  2. Fabulous photo, as always! All this info about Hovis Hill, and hovis bread (which is yummy) and the advertising, is new to me. I live so far away from this area that I might as well be on the moon, so it was very interesting to read about. I love the photo, but as quaint as the houses are, I wouldn’t want to live on this street. Can you imagine trying to bring your car up that hill (or down) in the snow? Or even on a cold rainy day? I don’t imagine that the houses are very warm in the winter either. BUT, they look wonderful.

    Liked by 8 people

    Reply

    • Guten Tag, liebe Maren,
      danke, dass dir Dinas Fotografie gut gefällt. Die Stimmung war märchenhaft an diesem kalten Januarabend.
      Wir wünschen dir ein entspanntes Wochenende
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

    • That’s really a challenge going up there. This lad from the original advertisement did it again 40 years later but with an electric bike.
      Have a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Chocolate box prettiness I spy! Hovis made good on its claim if that bread boy could deliver baskets laden with bread up the hill, every day all the way. I loved watching the ad. There’s nostalgia in spades there and in your frame. Cheers.

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply

    • Dear Dippy-Dotty Girl,
      thank you very much for your commentary.
      Siri and Selma said seeing this hill: “What a poor boy!” As we wrote in an answer before this man did it again 40 years later but with an electric bike.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Dina,
      we love your gravatar! We are book lovers as well.
      Thanks a lot for liking Dina’s photography. Indeed, it is the warmth that so appealing.
      Wishing you a relaxed weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  14. No, I don’t think about bread when I see this lovely hill. The view is breathtaking and you did very well, Dina! I’m not sure if Hovis bread is available in Sweden. It would be hard for a white loaf to gain fame on the other side of the channel. The Dutch, Germans and the Scandinavian countries all prefer more substantial bread.
    I haven’t read J.K.Rowling’s “The Casual Vacancy”, but I’ll put it on my list. 🙂 Will call you on Saturday, have to rush now.
    Kram, Annalena x

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

    • I’m sure you’ll like the book, Annalena!
      I’m in Stockholm around Easter, if you are there, do you think we could meet for a coffee?
      Best regards,
      Sarah

      Liked by 4 people

    • Dear Annalena,
      this English bread has no change on the Scandinavian and continental European market. We think one can’t eat it. This soft white bread was sponsored by the landowners first because eating it you don’t have to interrupt your work that often for visiting the loo. Interesting isn’t it?!
      We are in most of the Saturday and looking forward talking to you.
      With lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Fab Four of Cley,
    Hello this fine day.
    I do believe you know for a fact that Dina caught the magic and beauty of it all, the blue hour was perfect – most certainly – in all its glory!!
    I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
    GP Cox

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear GP Cox,
      thank you very much for your kind words again and for liking Dina’s photography. We had to suffer in the cold until this picture was taken – but we are tough (sometimes).
      We wish you a wonderful weekend as well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

    • Liebe Uschi, lieber Herbert,
      was steht dem denn im Wege? Ihr seid herzlich eingeladen.
      Vielen Dank für euren Kommentar und genießt das Wochenende
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Mark,
      you are absolutely right, even running up and down with Dina’s photo equipment was a challenge.
      Well, Dina rested for quite a while before taking this shot.
      Wishing you a great weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Jet,
      thanks for liking Dina’s photography 🙂 🙂
      We enjoyed it there as well – although it was draughty and freezing cold.
      Happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Brenda,
      you wouldn’t believe it, yesterday night I dreamed of Orcs. Well, I pictured myself as a quite sucessful Orc-fighter. Oh dear, to picture oneself as a hero – very unheroic …
      Have a happy Sunday
      Klausbernd

      Liked by 1 person

    • Perhaps the recent rash of superhero movies is something your subconscious needs to process, how it relates to how you see yourself. I think it’s a dark direction, the sidelining of stories about human relationships and groups in favor of superhero narratives.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Brenda,
      of course, it’s always very hard to see yourself analytically. Actually, I don’t watch neither super-hero films nor do I read such books. But I know about this genre. If I relate it to myself I don’t see it as contact with a dark side or my dark side. It is dark only in this respect that it is repressed. I would interpret it as my animus, the archetype of the warrior. Isn’t it helpful to make contact with this side – especially as a man?
      I suppose contact with such ‘dark’ powers are important for growing and leading a creative life. Nietzsche wrote that life is tension, we need a certain polarity to be alive. To be relaxed in the here and now makes one stupid, at least in the long run. And I suppose this is the message of that dream for me.
      Thanks for making me think about my dream. And isn’t it quite often so that deeper understanding evolves from contradicting. Therefore your impulse was very helpful.
      With lots of love and a big thank you
      Klausbernd

      Liked by 1 person

    • Klausbernd, any dose of thinking is medicine for our minds, grown passive from watching screens. The superhero trope is something I worry about as a mom, trying to raise kids with defenses against subversive cultural messaging. It’s important not to be too earnest, though. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Sherry,
      yes, this place is iconic and photographed quite often. Therefore we needed a new approach which was photographing the hill at the blue hour with lamplight.
      Thanks and have a great weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Jo,
      Dina loves photographing at the blue hour.
      We agree we are afraid that these cottages are not easy to heat and keep warm.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

  30. Looking at the amazing photo above, It is apparent to anyone with eyes to see that Dina has worked her magic again. And the lovely book fairies, I suppose, used their fairy dust to clear the street for the photo. Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Peter,
      you are right Siri and Selma were busy to put up their “Road Closed” signs. We can tell you they were cursing all the time because they had to run up and down to get their sigs put up. But they were very successful and got a hot chocolate for their efforts and lots of chocolates.
      All the best to you. Have a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

  32. It is a perfect photo, and I was very pleased to see the technical details added for information too.
    I used to love that Hovis ad, and I have been to the location in the past, long before it was known for Hovis.
    As an aside, I also detest sliced bread, white or brown. I always buy whole Granary loaves, and slice them thick, with my trusty bread-knife. 🙂
    Worth the diversion on the way to Cornwall, for such a wonderful image.
    Love from Beetley, Pete and Ollie. X

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

    • Dear Pete,
      Dina was soooo happy reading your kind commentary. Thank you very much!
      We bake our own bread with spelt, rye and sourdough and cut it with our big bread-knife. But now we have somebody baking a decent sourdough bread in Cley. He sells it in the delicatessen here.
      With lots of love to Beetley
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      By the way, we had a flood alert in Cley for this morning. Fortunately, we were safe – just.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Pete,
      fortunately we are 7 meters above the highest flood level that has ever been here. But the Coast road at the visitor centre and Salthouse always gets flooded at such spring tides.
      With lots of love from sunny Cley
      Klausbernd

      Liked by 2 people

  35. It is a fabulous photo, captured perfectly and so quintessentially English with those cottages huddled together, propping each other up no doubt. As for the Hovis bread, At the time of the advert (which was supposed to be in the grimy industrial north, so I am surprised they didn’t use the cobbled hill in Haworth) the bread was actually wholemeal and a lot more palatable than the white sliced loaves made today. In fact I loved Hovis thickly spread with butter and jam for my tea as a child.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Jude,
      we didn’t know that Hovis produced a wholemeal bread right in the beginning. Thanks for this info. We have a problem with the softness of English bread. We always think it should have stayed longer in the oven. We bake our own bread.
      Thank you so much for liking Dina’s photography so it was worth our suffering.
      With lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Jude,
      as someone in Cley started to bake decent bread we buy bread sometimes as well. On the other hand we experiment right now with a sourdough to produce a bread with a special crust. As we understand that has to do with folding the dough.
      Lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks a lot, dear Nancy 🙂 🙂
      Actually, we never had Hovis bread neither. Just seeing it and feeling its softness turned us off. We bake our own bread.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Hedy,
      wow, this street was steep! Poor lad who had to go uphill delivering the bread.
      All the best and thank you very much for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

  41. I lived in england in the 70s so I can remember the Hovis ad very well. The photo is that ad! Lovely! However I do not agree that Hovis is too “soft” and too “white”. I remember it being brownish and rather dense. HaHa! Oh well!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Anne,
      our idea of a good bread is rather formed by Scandinavian and German bread. First of all, one should not be able to press it together and a really good bread should be made of spelt, rye, sourdough and water and nothing else. It shouldn’t contain any chemicals. So we bake our own bread.
      Thanks for your commentary and wishing you a great weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, I did know that Scandinavian breads are quite different and more substantial and certainly not squishy! If you bake your own bread it will be delicious I’m sure and light years away from processed and squishy bread. And best wishes for the weekend to you too.

      Liked by 1 person

  44. Great photo. It makes me want to take pictures. I take pictures, photographers take photos. I think the English who live in these houses have hobbits living in their bodies and minds, they only give the outward appearance of being ‘normal’ English people. It’s best, I think, that we do not reveal their secret existence. Sort of like bookfayries. 😉

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear John,
      your kind commentary made us smile 🙂 🙂 Thanks a lot!
      We like your differentiation between pictures and photographs. We agree, there is a quite a difference.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

  47. Sheer magic! And so beautifully captured by Dina too.
    I believe I missed this scene and village in the 1970s travelling days, which is such a shame as it would have been worth a view at either end of the day.
    It’s well worth a movie or chocolate box cover.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much for your commentary and the link.
      Do you use a bread maker for your bread? We do it by hand and have not experience with bread makers, but now we’ll study this link.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

    • Yes I use that exact one, twice a week. Never bought any yucky bread since I got it. Very easy to use, set it up with ingredients and off it goes, the house fills up with lovely bready smells, and when it’s finished the loaf of bread is gorgeous!

      Liked by 2 people

    • Guten Tag, liebe Ulli,
      habe herzlichen Dank für deinen freundlichen Kommentar. Huch, da waren so viele Fotos nötig, um es genau richtig hin zu bekommen. Und Danke dir, dass dir unsere Post insgesamt gefällt.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom sonnigen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

    • Auch wir sind immer wieder überrascht, was Merry Old England alles zu bieten hat.
      Wir waren gerade im rauen Cornwall, wo es uns auch sehr gut gefiel.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom sonnigen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

  54. Wonderful shot and it is, as you say, a wonderful and classic view. The amusing thing about the ads (obviously, I’ve only seen the repeats) is that they gave the impression of being in the frozen north of England, not dreamy Dorset. Hovis produce a wonderful malted granary loaf, by the way… 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for your commentary 🙂 🙂
      As we wrote before we like more a substantial bread that’s much harder and can’t be pressed together. For us, this bread is too soft.
      Wishing you a relaxing weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  57. Dorset is wonderful and you have captured it so very well, Dina. Great that you are all so supportive when Dina wants to go a special location! 🙂
    This photo is much nicer than the brownish cover of our picture book of the UK, “The British Isles”.
    I used to love that advert. The music, the voice, the boy with a bike and then houses along the steep, cobbled hill. Aaaah. I actually used to like Hovis bread at that time. Today I never buy my bread in a supermarket. There are so many good bakeries out there offering real good stuff.
    Wishing you a great weekend,
    Sarah x

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Sarah,
      Dina is very happy that you like her photograph of Gold Hill 🙂
      We have this book “The British Isles” as well and always thought we can produce a much better photograph of Gold Hill than this brownish cover picture.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  58. My dear friends, this is overwhelmingly beautiful. I feel like walking into the photo, so nice and cosy. Well done, all of you. Don’t know anything about the advert and Hovis bread, but good coffee and good bread are essential for my wellbeing. 🙂

    “If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.”

    –Robert Browning

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Per Magnus,
      what a great Browning quote! Thank you and thanks as well for commenting.
      Good coffee and good bread are essential for our wellbeing too.
      With lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

    • Siri and Selma agree 100% with you. They had to run up and down that Gold Hill to place their “Road Closed” signs there and were absolutely nacked afterwards.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

  61. She, indeed, did succeed! (Should I say “as always”?) Gorgeous image with a hint of mystery and a big dose of romance – as we would say in Swedish “rena rama turistreklamen” 😀

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Tiny,
      we are happy that you like Dina’s photography 🙂 🙂 We had to smile about “rena rama turistreklamen” – Dina should sell this picture to the tourist board.
      All the best to you and thanks a lot
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 2 people

  62. This is a great photo and typifies most of what is England. All that is missing is The Queen freewheeling down the hill on the Hovis Bread Bike. With her crown on, of course.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Liebe Peggy,
      schön wieder von dir zu hören.
      Wir fanden das auch sehr toll. Auf unserer Reise nach Cornwall sahen wir viel Schönes, das England zu bieten hat. Aber darüber wird wohl demnächst geblogged. Oh dear, wir sind so viel on the road, dass wir gar nicht mit dem Bloggen nachkommen.
      Mach’s gut, hab’s schön und herzlichen Dank fürs Kommentieen
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Auch dir, lieber Ernst, herzliche Grüße vom wilden Meer. Wir hatten gestern Flutwarnung. Zum Glück ging alles gut. Uns betrifft das auch nicht so sehr, da wir 7 Meter über je gemessenen höchsten Flutlevel wohnen.
      Also mach’s gut, alles Liebe
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  66. But of course she did! And I so enjoyed hearing how famous this little part of England is. I really did not know. And now it is even more famous – because of Dina’s photos in the blogosphere!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  67. I’ve never seen this hill, and never have heard of Hovis bread, but that didn’t keep me from admiring the photo, or thinking suddenly that I would like some good bread: which is to say, homemade. When I was very young, we couldn’t get the “new and improved” white bread in the stores. Instead, commercial bakeries sent trucks around on a schedule, like a milkman, and we bought from their trucks. Still, my grandmother reserved the white bread for children’s snacks and sandwiches. For meals, we had Limpa, and with coffee the sweet cardamom braids. Sometimes, she made saffron buns. Looking at Dina’s evocative photo, I can smell the woodsmoke, and the baking bread.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Linda,
      thank you so much for your informative commentary. Saffron Buns, that sounds very yummy.
      When our dear Master was a child in Germany he can remember that the milkman came around with a horse-drawn waggon. He rang a bell and people were running to him with their milk cans he filled pumping the milk from his barrel.
      Now we bake our own bread and experiment with baking a sourdough bread with a fine crust. We love crusty bread and there is always a fight who is getting the end bits.
      We are back home now in North Norfolk. In comparison to Cornwall, the sea is quite calm here although we had a flood warning for last night.
      Wishing you a relaxing weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  68. Stunning photograph, just perfect. How I hate the steep hills of England, I have stayed in too many places like that, you have to be super fit to prance up and down those damn hills! I don’t bake, but love any kind of really crusty, hard to carve bread!xxx

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Snowbird,
      we can imagine that running up and down such steep hill is a nuisance, especially with bags of shopping. Maybe it keeps you fit?
      We love crusty bread as well and we love the bread when it is a little bit older and harder too.
      Thanks and have a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cey

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hi Valerie,
      isn’t it amazing how much the taste and idea of good bread differ from nation to nation? We are brought up with Scandinavian and German bread with a hard crust and which you cannot press together, a kind of much harder bread made of rye, spelt and sourdough. We didn’t know that Hovis produced a brown wholemeal bread. We never bought bread in England, we bake our own bread. But since last week somebody started to bake a tasty rye sourdough bread in our village, the disadvantage it’s sold out immediately.
      All the best and thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  73. Praise! Praise! Praise! Great Picture!!!Mein Senf zu diesem Großeskinoblogbeitrag: Ja sog a moil, werd jetzat des Brrrod wi an Börger schmecke tua?!
    Dier Ohrwurm: “Ja mir san mit´m Radl da” von den Hot Dogs…es war einmal, als ich bayerisch lernte als Kind…host mi???
    …
    Alles Liebe von Pia, peng…
    doch, wir backen jetzt selbst, immer, es ist alles horrible, was man in unserem Essen versteckt!!!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Hi, liebe Pia,
      jetzt sind wir gerade wieder zu Hause angekommen und fühlen uns pudelwohl.
      Prima, dass dir Dinas Foto so gut gefällt.
      Ja, Brot und England – das ist ein Tema für sich, wie sich auch hier in den Kommentare zeigt. Wir backen ebenfalls selbst und es ist doch eine meditative Beschäftigung, die wir gerne tun.
      Schönes Wochenende und alles Gute und Liebe
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ok, als Mutter muss ich sagen: Kinderarbeit ist verboten! Und, diese rasante Fahrt über das Kopfsteinplaster scheint mir nicht ungefährlich…
      Brotbacken dauert gar nicht lange und man kann es immer nebenher erledigen, oder?
      Aber vielleicht ist es auch zu spät, Weizen ist auch nicht mehr der, der er war…
      Man könnte Dinkelbrot backen oder mehr Roggen dazu mischen…
      Übrigens ist echt viel Salz in den vom Bäcker gebackenen Broten, damit es den Leuten schmeckt, sagte mir Dani, die Bäckerstochter vor ein paar Jahren.
      Zu viel Brot ist auch nicht gut, sagt mein Bruder, zuviele Kohlehydrate, er muss es wissen, schließlich ist er Iron Man….
      Ohhh, es schneit!

      Liked by 3 people

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Pia,
      wir wissen gar nicht, ob das Kinderarbeit war. Der Knabe mit dem Rad, glauben wir, war 13 Jahre alt, als er für diese enorm erfogreiche Werbung posierte. Er wurde übrigens später Feuerwehrmann.
      Wir backen eine Mischung von Dinkel, Roggen und Sauerteig. Allerdings benutzen wir auch ein klein wenig feines Weizenmehl, dass alles besser zusammenhält.
      Dass dem kommerziell gebackenen Brot zu viel Salz beigemischt, kann man echt schmecken, finden wir. Allerdings mischen wir auch ein klein wenig Salz bei, da es uns sonst zu lasch schmeckt.
      Dann mach’s ‘mal gut. Noch einen gemütlichen Sonntag wünschen
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  75. Like many of the cottages you have shown in your recent posts these are delightful to look at from the outside but must be exceedingly dark cramped and uncomfortable on the inside. Nor would I enjoy having to contend with that hill every time I opened my front door. (Not at all like Norfolk!) But the photograph is excellent. The soft lighting and the warm glow of the street lights evoke memories of a past age.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Louis,
      we absolutely agree with you, we wouldn’t like living in such a cottage neither. And this hill, o dear, Siri and Selma were fed up with running up and down this hill placing their “Road Closed” signs and carrying Dina’s photo equipment up the hill. You are right, Norfolk is much easier in this respect.
      Thank you very much for liking Dina’s photography! 🙂 🙂 It took Dina quite some pictures to catch this special mood.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  76. This row of apparently tumbledown cottages represents wonderfully my picture ‘Ye Olde England’. How well you captured it, Dina! Each house has its own personality, yet is part of a communal whole. Such townscapes convey a security, comfort and good neighbourliness wholly absent from hard-edged modern design. I sincerely hope they will last forever. And I hope the four of you will never stop blogging, we want to see more! 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear John,
      we promise, great Bookfayrie promise, that we will not stop blogging in the near future and that we are going on looking and photographing places we see as typical English (or Scottish or Welsh). And our dear Master likes to write about it with his sometimes critical pen.
      ‘Community’ and ‘warmth’ were our associations there as well. But we are not at all such naive fairies to see community only positive. It’s social control as too.
      All the best, have a great weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Caroline,
      we are very happy that you like Dina’s photography 🙂 🙂 Thank you!
      You haven’t missed something. This bread is industrially produced soft bread and we suppose not without certain chemicals.
      When we lived in Canada (in Montreal for 4 years) we always bought great bread from a Polish bakery, handmade sourdough bread with a great crust.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  78. Die Tageszeit der Dämmerung liebe ich – in diesem Foto kommt sie wunderbar zur Geltung. Und weil das Foto so großartig ist, habe ich es mir für eine zeitlang als Bildschirmhintergrund genommen. DANKE!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Liebe Wildgans,
      übrigens flog gerade ein großer Schwarm Wildgänse über unser Haus wie in dieser Jareszeit jeden Abend.
      Das ist eine Auszeichnung, dass du Dinas Bild als Bildschirmschoner benutzt hast. Herzlichen Dank. Dina fühlt sich SEHR geehrt!
      Wir wünschen dir noch einen wunderbaen Abend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Steve,
      thanks for this link. We looked at it before we got there because we didn’t know this Hovis advertisement as we have no TV and didn’t live in England in the 1970s.
      All the best wishing you
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  81. Ich sage mal, das Foto ist perfekt gelungen. Das Bild kommt wie ein Gemälde daher. Mir gefällt es ausgesprochen gut. Dina, Du hattest das richtige Auge, nicht nur für diesen Hügel, sondern auch für das richtige Licht 🙂
    Liebe Grüße von der Silberdistel

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, our dear friend Rebecca,
      we have the feeling that too much light makes a picture boring. It’s like blue sky and sunshine is quite boring. For a moody or dramatic picture, it needs clouds and broken or fading light. Therefore Dina loves photographing at the blue hour.
      We send big hugs over the big waters to Vancouver
      XXX
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  84. LOL Fab 4 – those of us here in the US read your bread comment in the opening and thought “now WHY would anyone think of bread with this beautiful photo?” And then of course you explained it! The photos are wonderful as the the tiny British town. We simply don’t have such places in the US. Thanks you clueing us in!!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Tina,
      we have quite some market towns and villages like this in ‘Merry Old England’ and on the continent like in Germany as well (there is the so-called ‘Romantic Road’ leading from one medieval town to the next). But we found quite idyllic in places in Maine as well – actually, we think that Maine is the nicest place to be in the US (we lived in Maine and Vermont for quite a while and travelled through nearly all states of the US).
      We love to share our experiences travelling around England and Scotland.
      With lots of love from Cley next the Sea
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  85. Dear friends, what a glorious setting and wonderful photo! Good to read that Siri and Selma still have the sign “road closed”! Humans, bikes and cars would be dreadfully unpleasant in this scene.
    The ancient cobbles, the old cottages and the stunning vista down the hill and across the countryside are just picture perfect. No wonder this is such a beloved place.
    Hope you had a great time in Cornwall.
    KLEM Hjerter ❤

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Hjerter,
      we had a GREAT time in Cornwall. We enjoyed the rough sea with huge waves, the cliffs and old mines and especially the TATE gallery in St. Ives.
      With lots of love xxx
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  86. Halli, hallo, wunderschönes Bild und toller Blog. Wir sind durch Zufall auf euch gestoßen und bleiben gleich mal hier. Herzliche Grüße aus dem Lehrercafe aus Deutschland☕😊, LG Ela

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Liebe Ela,
      das ist ja toll, dass du uns gefunden hast. Wir hoffen, dass dir unser Blog gefällt. Wir sind nordisch und literarisch ausgerichtet, aber nicht nur.
      Wir wünschen dir ein gemütliches Kaffeetrinken.
      Mit lieben Grüßen von der Küste Nord Norfolks
      The Fab Four of Cley
      das sind Dina, Klausbernd und unsere Buchfeen Siri und Selma

      Liked by 1 person

    • Alexa und ich lieben den Norden mit allen Ländern, die dazu gehören. Letztes Jahr waren wir in Kopenhagen, einfach nur schön. Aus London kommen wir gerade zurück, unsere heimliche Lieblingsstadt. Wir reisen gern gen Norden, Stockholm mit seinem Schärengarten soll das nächste Reiseziel werden.
      Wir sind zwei Lehrerinnen aus dem nördlichen Rheinland-Pfalz und haben gelesen, dass Dina sehr oft in Bonn wohnt. Entzückend. Dann stöbern wir mal weiter auf eurem zauberhaften Blog, der uns echt beeindruckt. Und die Zahl eurer Follower, meine Güte, super🤓, LG Ela☕

      Liked by 3 people

    • Guten Tag, liebe Ela,
      da freuen wir uns, dass euch der Norden auch so gefällt. Auf Stockholm und den Schärengarten könnt ihr euch schon SEHR freuen. Wir finden, dass Stockholm eine der schönsten Städte Europas ist. Besonders unser Masterchen weilte oft und länger in Stockholm und verliebte sich völlig in Gamla Stan, die Altstadt, dort. Was uns dort auch immer sehr faszinierte, ist das Moderna Muset auf Skepsholmen, das verblüffende (philosophische) Kunst präsentiert.
      Übrigens, wenn ihr an moderner Architektur interessiert seid, sind auch Oslo und Helsinki interessant, wobei ein Aufenthalt in Oslo mindestens zwei Vermögen kostet 😉
      Dass wir so viele Follower haben, liegt teilweise daran, dass wir durchgehend zweisprachig und manchmal dreisprachig bloggen.
      Habe herzlichen Dank für deine liebe Antwort.
      Dann wünschen wir euch gnädige Schüler und gut gelaunte Kollegen 😉
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  88. So enticing, this photo. I particularly like the marker inclusion for the border on the right hand side of the photo as layered perspective. Great work.
    The only way I might associate bread with this gorgeous scene is the ‘rise’ from the bottom of the hill to the top, haha!
    No smoke in any chimney – during what season is this taken? Or perhaps they are no longer used and are just beautiful artifacts of another time?

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Thanks a lot for your commentary. Well spottet with the missing smoke. The picture was taken about a fortnight ago when it was a bit chilly, about 4 C. with a cold wind. We light a fire at those temperatures. Probably you are right, maybe these chimneys are just beautiful artifacts or the people there are quite tough, at least tougher than we are.
      Wishing you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear David,
      well, we would say it’s the Mecca of lovers of industrially produced bread 😉
      With lots of love and thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Dear Shazza,
      even we, in relatively flat Norfolk order our shopping quite often online (because we don’t like shopping). You are right living on such a steep hill shopping online must be a great help.
      Thanks and all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  93. hello dina its dennis the vizsla dog hay hmm i do not think i hav seen this bread ad!!! but my dada sez it luks like that wood be a nice hill to coast down on his bicycle!!! wich apparently has shok absorbers becuz it luks a little bumpy otherwise!!! ok bye

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Hi, dear Dennis,
      we can tell you going down this hill is very bumpy. We wouldn’t like to do it on a bike, even in a car it’s not comfy. But, of course, it’s fast!
      Wishing you week with many juicy bones
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Dear Jacqui,
      thank you so much for your kind words 🙂 🙂 You made Dina’s day, now she is happily ironing with a big smile on her face 🙂
      And thanks a lot for providing the link to this ad.
      All the best to you. Wishing you a wonderful week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hallo, lieber Achim,
      prima, dieser kleine Film! 🙂 Siri und Selma konnten gar aufhören zu kichern 🙂 🙂 Herzlichen Dank!
      Wir wünschen dir eine angenehme Woche.
      Liebe Grüße vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer, wo es heute sogar ein wenig schneite
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  97. Oh my gosh, such an amazing image. Wow. Every stone seems to be perfectly placed, and the curve of the street suggests centuries of people (and carts?) passing through. How challenging it would be to have to climb that hill every evening after working outside the village. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Theresa,
      it’s an amazing view, indeed! Being there is like a time travel back in time.
      Going up and down this steep hill is quite a challenge but it will surely keep you fit. Siri and Selma were complaining running up and down for placing their “Road Closed” signs on both ends of Gold Hill and carrying Dina’s photo gear up and down the hill.
      Thanks for commenting and wishing you a wonderful week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 2 people

  98. Such a beautiful scen and master of photography. Always great quality
    And yes, I think about buying (or making) fresh bread from the local bakery.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Mohammad,
      thank you very much 🙂 🙂 Great that you like Dina’s photography 🙂
      We bake our own bread. But there is good bread around in Sweden, we suppose (not so much in England).
      Have a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good afternoon, dear Anja,
      yes, we do and we love it! But, of course, we always try to visit especially beautiful places. England, Wales and Scotland are full of them.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  104. Having the ‘perfect’ lighting becomes evident certainly after the photo is taken. This one has that.
    It’s almost dreamy, like it could be coming out of the computer. The things you have to do…
    Wonderful post dear friends

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Our dear friend Eddie,
      thank you very much for your kind words 🙂 🙂
      The lighting produces this special mood, indeed! We had to wait until it was right for quite a while.
      With lots of love and best wishes for a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  105. Gütiger Himmel, ein neues Wort: Saxonisch…was bedeutet das? Googelte und googelte, aber fand nichts Gescheites…
    Außerdem habe ich einen Onkel Edgar, der auch sehr tolle Fotos macht…als KInd wunderte ich mich über diesen Namen. Man konnte sich immer freuen, wenn er dabei war, denn er hielt die Ereigenisse fotografisch fest.
    Eine Cousine väterlicherseits heißt Silvia, die Tochter von Anna Daniel aus Toronto.
    Naja, kann ich noch ein wenig rätseln beim Hausputz.

    Bemerkenswert wie clever Werbepsychologen sind…richtig durchtrieben!
    Money und Monkey, ein k ändert alles…
    Ok, schönes Wochenende!!!

    Habe von Delfinen geträumt, KInder schwammen in einem Therapie-Becken..naja, kommt halt mal vor…..

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Liebe Pia,
      ich finde Werbetexter bewundernswert kreativ in ihrem Umgang mit Sprache. Sie beherrschen wie die klassisch römischen Redner alle rhetorischen Figuren rauf uns runter und damit spielen sie munter 😉
      Naja, der Delphin kann doch geradezu als das Symbol der New Age Bewegung gesehen werden, die die Natur idealisierte wie wir heute das gezeigte Bild und die vorgeblich ‘gute, alte Zeit’.
      Mit lieben Grüßen aus Cley, wo wir gerade ein neues Brotrezept ausprobieren. Aufregend!
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Yes, vollkommen ruhig, so wie die schönen Klavierpassagen aus “The Sicilian Defence”…heute bin ich müde, die ganze Nacht schaute ich ein Video nach dem anderen von Judy Garland…
      Lorna und Liza…
      Wir haben zu Fasching wieder einen Musical-Workshop mit Ekaterina, es macht große Freude, wir hauen die Konsonanten heraus und werfen uns dabei flauschige weiße Bälle zu, u.a.
      Jetzt esse ich erst mal ein Brot, mit ganz dick Quark und Marmelade!!!
      Gestern sangen wir und tanzten wir zu “Get Happy” , heute “Cheek to Cheek”
      Es kommen aber nur ein paar Erwachsene, der KInderworkshop fiel aus, wahrscheinlich sitzen sie lieber vor der Glotze, wir werden das ändern, wir haben ein Werbe-Video gedreht!!!
      Hellau, Ahoi, Alaaf, macht et jut!

      …ich hoffe, dass die schönen weißen Bälle im Werbefilm gut rüber kommen und die KInder sehen, wie viel Freude das Singen lernen machen kann….

      Liked by 1 person

    • Liebe Pia,
      weiterhin viel Spaß beim Tanzen mit deinen Tanzmäuschen 🙂 🙂
      Hier wird Karneval im Sommer gefeiert, völlig daneben! Immerhin mit Verkleiden aber ohne Tanzmarichen. What a pity!
      Dann mach’s ‘mal gut und halte dich wacker.
      Liebe Grüße vom sonnigen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  107. I’m sorry you froze, Dina but it was worth it! The yellow lights against the blue-gray stone are magic. I’m not familiar with the place so I’m glad you filled us in a bit. Certainly a classic English look; I’m glad the cobbles have been preserved, too. In New York there are just a very few streets left with them, and they’re wonderful. Have a good week! Here’s to more travel adventures!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Bluebrightly,
      great that you like Dina’s picture 🙂 🙂
      It would be a great sledge run in winter. Fun for all the kids, not so funny for the people living there.
      Thanks and have a happy day
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  109. Pingback: Blogbummel Februar 2018 – buchpost

    • Dear Denise,
      thank you so much for liking Dina’s photography. We waited for quite some time for this special light – shivering in the cold. But photography is about patience, isn’t it?
      Have a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Thanks a lot, dear Marylou.
      The blue touch makes it so peaceful. The ‘blue hour’ is the time for calming down.
      We wish you a wonderful easy week
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

  117. Sometimes you have to take all of it to make a nice picture and Dina has certainly managed to make a great beautiful picture of this typically English picturesque and poetic view and landscape! She is a great photographer! I know that black sourdough bread mainly because of our travels in Germany and Austria, but for me it is not delicious. I like to eat brown bread, but no sourdough bread. That is of course also a matter of flavors and tastes are different 🙂 Have a nice evening …
    With kind regards, Heidi

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Heidi,
      thank you very much for liking Dina’s photography.
      The sourdough bread … We love it and especially if it is a couple of days old. That makes it a little bit harder. Now we found out that we can buy black sourdough bread even here. We don’t eat this white soft bread, Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma say that they cannot eat it. Anyway, we are brought up eating real bread and we love it.
      Wishing you a relaxing evening too
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Unbelievable what an unwanted crap is offered in the net.
      Master writing – what’s that? And this in seven days. We can only laugh out loud …

      Like

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