The Sea or Staring at the Sun

by

God is the sea in which the human being is a drop
Gott ist das Meer, der Mensch ist ein Tropfen darin

Sayyid Naqvi, Sufi

Porthleven Beach, Cornwall, winter 2018

If you look at this picture what comes to your mind? Our dear Master remembered spontaneously “brothers, up towards the sun and freedom“, a free adaption of this famous workers’ song by L.P. Radin. But forget about this ’68 generation’s fuss. We Bookfayries are following the zeitgeist. But if you think about it, our dear Master is not that wrong because the sea is associated with a longing for freedom and independence. Goethe praises in “Faust II” the liberating sea and Lord Byron and Hemingway saw the sea as the last free realm on our planet. Our beloved Dina sees in her photograph staring at the sun which symbolises being at peace with your own mortality, overcoming the dread of death.
Oh dear, we Fab Four couldn’t agree with our heading. Is this post mainly about the sun or the sea? 

Wenn ihr dieses Bild betrachtet, was fällt euch dazu ein? Masterchen summte spontan “Brüder zur Sonne, zur Freiheit“, die Nachdichtung des Arbeiterlieds Смело, товарищи, в ногу!, von L. P. Radin. Aber lassen wir das Alt-Achtundsechsiger-Gehabe ruhen. Wir Buchfeen gehen mit der Zeit. Jedoch findet ihr nicht auch, ganz Unrecht hat Masterchen nicht, denn das Meer steht für Sehnsucht nach Freiheit und Unabhängigkeit. Goethe lobt im „Faust II“, das den Geist befeiende Meer, Lord Byron und Hemingway sahen das Meer als letzten freien Ort der Welt an. Der lieben Dina fiel zu ihrem Bild der Blick in die Sonne ein, der Tod und Glück zugleich ausdrückt.
Wir Fab Four hatten heiße Auseinandersetzungen, ob es in diesem Bild hauptsächlich um die Sonne oder das Meer geht.

Since ancient times the sea is compared with a capricious woman who became the aim of male conquest. In our fairy-school, we learned that during the Middle Ages the sea was synonymous with danger, during Renaissance the sea was seen as the place of adventure and trade, during Romantic it became the fascinating wild and today one sails the sea profit-seeking as Robinson Crusoe did. 

Seit der Antike wird das Meer mit einem launenhaften Weib verglichen, das zum Ziel männlichen Eroberungsdrangs wird. In der Feenschule lernten wir, dass im Mittelalter das Meer die Gefahr symbolisierte, in der Renaissance wurde es zum Medium des Abenteuers und Handels, in der Romantik wurde es zum faszinierend Wilden und heute befährt man das Meer wie schon einst Robinson Crusoe aus Gewinnsucht.

For us the sea symbolises change. Especially today as the sea’s chemical compounds change hundred times faster than in the last 20 million years. Can life cope with such fast changes?
Or is the sea a happy setting of a leisure-oriented society for you, though before it was feared as a dangerous place of monsters like the evil beast of the Apocalypses or the hostile being from Schätzing’s novel “The Swarm“. The modern tourist is fascinated by the sensuality of the sea, by its aphrodisiac effect. Well, and for C.G. Jung it was a symbol of the Great Mother.

Wir meinen, das Meer symbolisiert Veränderung und das speziell heute, da sich die Chemie der Meere hundertmal schneller verändert als je zuvor in 20 Millionen Jahren. Da wird die Frage nach Anpassung des Lebens auf so schnelle Veränderung aufgeworfen. Oder ist für euch das Meer zu einer Glückskulisse der Freizeitgesellschaft geworden? Allerdings wurde es lange Zeit zuvor als gefährlicher Ort der Ungeheuer angesehen wie das gehörnte Tier der Apokalypse, das dem Meer entstieg, genauso wie in Schätzings Roman „Der Schwarm“ das Menschenfeindliche im Meer angesiedelt wird. Für den Touristen steht jedoch, die Sinnlichkeit des Meers im Vordergrund. Es gilt als Aphrodisiakum und zugleich symbolisiert es nach C.G. Jung die Große Mutter.

Oh dear, so many ideas. And what do you think?
With lots of finest fairy dust from the hungry sea 

Huch, so viele Ideen zum Meer und was meint ihr?
Mit viel Feenstaub vom rauen Meer

🧚‍♀️ Siri 🙂 und  🧚‍♀️ Selma 🙂



.

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

 

 

237 thoughts

  1. Going to the ocean feels like my soul is coming home and the only place it finds absolute peace and equilibrium… an incredible opening photo by Hanna and it’s as if I’m being absorbed into the waves and carried out!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Annika,
      thank you very much for liking Dina’s photography. Especially Siri and Selma love this picture, although they are still struggling if it is about the sun or the sea. Actually, we don’t mind and try to pacify them saying it’s about both – and isn’t it?
      It was already known in classical Greek that being at the sea is healing. Well, at least for us it has this effect of coming home as you write.
      We wish you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 3 people

  2. My dear friends,
    who does mind sun or sea – both start with a S and are three letter words 😉
    What a great picture! I love the light and the harmony of colours. And the text made me think, a great text, indeed.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Your friend
    Per Magnus

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Our dear friend from the High Arctic,
      great that the two words `sea’ and ‘sun’ are so similar. In German, they are both feminines as well.
      We are happy that you like our post which came a bit late, but here it is!
      With lots of love from the rough sea
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

    • Dear Sally,
      thanks a lot for liking Dina’s photography 🙂 🙂
      We love the sea showing nature’s power and symbolising freedom.
      Wishing you a great week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

    • The ocean is life – indeed! The bright and the dark side of life as we experience it here on the North Norfolk coast and saw it even more so on the Cornish coast.
      Thanks and a happy week 🙂
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

  6. Sun, sea, and sand brings to mind also salty scent on the breezes and the sounds of the waves. Altogether relaxing and refreshing, reminding us that life doesn’t stay still, it’s slways moving and changing.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • With its constant moving and flowing the sea is the great teacher. We always get a lot of inspirations on the beach when the mind is flowing freely inspired by the tides and waves.
      Thanks and cheers.
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

    • … about the sea only?
      Well, my dear Selma, I see it as a picture of the sea as well. BUT as every great photograph, it’s multidimensional.
      Love & kisses
      Your Master Kb
      By the way, I like the text very much you wrote together with your sister! 🙂

      Like

    • My dear Siri,
      is it about the sun only? Well, nearly every picture has more than one theme, hasn’t it?
      You and your sister are both right and wrong at the same time. It’s for my reckoning both – sea and sun.
      Kisses and hugs
      your Master Kb 🙂

      Like

    • Liebe Susanne,
      gaaaaanz liebe Grüße zurück von der heute rauen See bei güldenem Sonnenschein, sooo fein 🙂
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭
      Danke fürs Kommentieren

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Freedom, danger, adventure, life, death, healing, peace – and so much more! No wonder we love and fear the sea, and that some claim it as our primal home. Gorgeous image of Porthleven Beach, Hanne!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Peter,
      thank you so much 🙂
      We suppose that polarity you mention makes the sea attractive. It’s never boring as polarity causes a tension that’s basic for all life.
      Wishing you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Sandy,
      we are so happy that you like Dina’s photography. We love your phrase “marriage of sun and sea”, of fire and water …
      Wishing you an easy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hi, dear Pete,
      have you such a glorious weather as well?
      This is Dina’s first Cornwall-photo. It was taken when the sea was quite rough, high waves under a clear sun. – By the way, this sun here is real, not a digital photoshop-sun.
      Thank you very much for liking our words, well, we nicked some ideas from our Master’s “Dictionary of Symbols”.
      We send you lots of love and wishing you a wonderful week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Hello Cley Folks – it’s a lovely photo, I am enjoying the novelty of seeing a blue sky, and that bright shining object in it, of which I have only the dimmest of memories. Some days, I think of the sea & the sky as totally distinct, while other days, I think of commonalities, all the moisture in the sky, and all the oxygen and other gases in the sea. And other days still, another nor’easter blows into this town, and sea and sky seem to have joined forces. Together, they are very much NOT
    an aphrodisiac, and their sole purpose in the grand cosmic scheme of things, seems to be to send cold water down the back of my neck!
    Then, when sky and sea have sent me indoors for dry clothing and hot tea, I have the great pleasure of reading your posts, so evidently there is indeed a Plan and a higher purpose in all of this. 🙂 I always look forward to your posts, a nice mental day at the shoreline, cheers.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Robert,
      we really, really like your commentary, GREAT!
      Today we have quite a rough sea under a sunny sky. It’s freezing cold but we love it – well, for a short while only. We knew this already from our time in the Arctic, be careful when the sun is luring you outside. You will freeze stiff, but it’s great this marriage of water and fire and it seems that the cold water is winning in the North. But later in the year, the sun will take over, but this lacks the drama then.
      Now we are looking at the sun and the sea from inside a cosy warm room and write about it happily. Such wimps we are 😉
      Wishing you a GREAT week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  16. I think the sea and the sky are the perfect combination…right after mountains and the sky. 🙂 My heart is complete in the mountains, but I do love the ocean and the sound of waves (or water in a stream in the mountains or elsewhere.) All are sublime.

    Happy Monday!

    janet

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thanks a lot, dear Janet 🙂 🙂
      We only know the dramatic meeting of mountains and the sea from the fjords of Norway and Greenland. Here on the North Norfolk coast as in Cornwall we love the vast sky, that nothing is disturbing your view. The visibility is 16 km right now and sometimes even more than 20 km. That’s freedom for us. Well, we know, you have this on a mountaintop as well, but, oh dear, first you have to climb.
      Wishing you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

  17. This is such a beautiful capture of the sea. And the light, the sun. Love the colours. Usually, ‘the sea’ is used as a symbol in literature to represent life and its hardships. For me, the sea, with its daunting width and depth, simply stands for life itself. It may be quite calm, but it become raging and even deadly in an instant, with the waves representing the sudden obstacles life throws our way.
    What I find to be the most important parallellism between the sea and life in general is the unpredictability of both. A sudden change in weather brings upon giant waves that make it impossible to swim forward, and the only solution is to go back to shore, much like a sudden obstacle in life makes it impossible to move forward and the only solution is to go back a few steps. “The old man and the sea” may be the most famous novel that uses the sea as a central symbol for life itself. The point of course is to not give up, and keep going, even if ultimately it doesn’t give you what you worked so hard to achieve.
    Sending you warm greetings from cold Stockholm,
    Annalena

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Annalena,
      in the history of symbolism, the sea was often used as a symbol of life as it is always moving like a living being. We use to project this polarity on it as the origin of life and the cause of many deaths. This polarity per se is signifying life. Therefore people like to read nautical literature. We have in our house a room full of shelves with nautical literature. If one reads about the adventures at sea one will understand the human psyche. By the way, our favourite is Melville’s “Moby Dick”. That’s about not giving up.
      You have studied nautical literature a lot and know much more about it than we do. So we better finish here and sending you kind regards
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

  18. When I look at Dina’s photo I can feel the wind and smell the salt air and what I see is layers and layers of satin bedsheets under coverlets layered with goose-down duvets; all fluttering and snapping in the ocean breeze. In short, this photo fires my senses and imagination.

    Thanks for sharing it with us,
    Ω

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  19. Sun, Sea, Selma, Siri – all begin with S, all are beautiful.
    I was down at Porthleven last week, but failed to capture the sea (and sun) quite like Dina has done. I shall have to try better…
    Have a lovely week fab four, from a very cold and shivery Cornwall xx

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Jude,
      thank you sooo much! Especially Siri and Selma love your commentary and send lots of finest fairy dust.
      Well, the weather will surely change soon. We have it cold, sunny and quite a breeze.
      We wish you a wonderful week as well. Keep warm!
      With lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Hej er 4FF!
    Vor mir liegt, nur am Beginn ein wenig angelesen das neue Buch von Slavoj Zitzek “Disparitäten”. Er beginnt mit einigen von Euren Implikationen zum Meer und steigt in seine Untersuchung ein mit just der C.G.Jung Metapher ” Grosse Mutter”, der das Ungeheuer – der postmoderne Kapitalismus – in Form einer Riesenkrake, entsteigt. Bin mal gespannt wie es weiter geht.
    Über Hannes Meer scheint die Sonne so reich. Und nichts Beunruhigendes kann ich entdecken. Danke für dies wunderbare Foto. Herzliche Grüsse aus der nordöstlichen Strömung, die einem den Atem nimmt und hoffentlich bald milde wird Ruth
    ps Neben Zitzek liegt “Die Geschichte der Bienen” von Maja Kunde. Allein die Buchgestaltung ist schon viel ansprechender als das Andere.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Liebe Ruth,
      wir fanden “Die Geschichte der Bienen” ein wunderbares Buch. Zitzek “Disparitäten” kennen wir leider nicht. Jungs Große Mutter ist ja sowohl die fruchtbare als auch die furchtbare Mutter und die Riesenkrake als Metapher für den postmodernen Kapitalismus ist wohl gewählt.
      Wir freuen uns, dass dir Dinas Fotografie gefällt. Wir wählten gemeinsam dieses Bild wegen seiner Dynamik und Farbharmonien aus.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom heute sehr rauen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  21. So many interesting ideas that only a master piece of a picture can elicit! Without thinking of all the other ideas expressed in this fascinating post any less, I like Dina’s ‘being at peace with your own mortality’ best. The need to come to terms with our brief stay on earth highlights the urgency to be of service to our fellow human beings while there is still time.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Peter,
      thank you very much for your wise commentary 🙂 🙂
      A picture can trigger a lot of ideas as good pictures are multidimensional; you can read them on many different levels. It’s the sum of all these levels that produce a higher meaning. Thanks for liking Dina’s photography.
      We hope that you are well again and wish you a wonderful week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    • Thank you, Klausbernd and the Fab of Four for your good wishes! I am gradually improving and beginning to taste some food again. Preliminary results indicate that the cancer in my neck has been destroyed. Thanks again, my dear friends!

      Liked by 1 person

  23. Dear Fab Four, I very much like Dina’s interpretation of staring at the sun. I know she has read Irvin Yalom’s “Staring at the sun” and so did I when she recommended the book to me. I’d like to have my ashes scattered over the sea. Did you know that you can be buried in a coffin at sea? I read about burial at sea other day and thought it was quite amazing.
    Hoping for spring temperatures when reach spring equinox. To be honest, I’m so fed up with the snow now.
    Klem
    Hjerter Xx

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Tanja,
      we decided not to walk to the beach but writing about the sea because of having too much wind and low temperatures here.
      Thank you very much for liking Dina’s photography 🙂
      Have a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  28. Bookfayries,
    Once again you have me sitting here pondering how I really feel about your subject at hand.
    To me, the sea has always been a woman. One who can hold you and nurture you. But once angered – she can turn and become your worst enemy. A woman of stalwart character that one must respect or she’ll destroy you.
    Thank you all for a wonderful post.
    GP Cox

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Oh dear, what a pity that Dina didn’t capture those pirate ships and these seducing mermaids. Well, mermaids can’t be photographed because they are visible for the eyes of the chosen ones only and pirates hate it being photographed. Sorry!
      Nevertheless, you like Dina’s photography. Thank you!
      Have a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  30. Vielen Dank für das wunderschöne Bild. Ich liebe das Meer und verbinde damit Freiheit und wilde Schönheit. In Cornwall war ich auch schon mal und die Strände von Newquay haben es mir besonders angetan. LG, Susanne

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Guten Abend, liebe Susanne,
      in Newquay sind wir auch schon öfters wegen der feinen Strände gewesen. Dina’s Foto ist in der Nähe von Penzance aufgenommen worden. An dem Tag ging die See besonders hoch, was wir lieben – naja, wenn wir nicht gerade auf einem Boot sind.
      Danke, dass dir das Bild gefällt.
      Mit herzlichen Grüßen vom rauen Meer (wir wohnen an der Küste Nord Norfolks)
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  32. And I think of the poet John Masefield and lines memorized as a youngster:

    I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
    Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
    And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
    And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

    Beautiful photo and thoughts. –Curt

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • “…I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
      To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
      And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
      And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over. .”
      I relish the chance to quote these wonderful words again, in commentary on your inspiring blog and its eloquent followers. Moving words of special meaning to me, as to many others.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good morning, dear Curt,
      thanks a lot for Masefield’s poem we didn’t know. He mentions everything of the sea we love. Yes, the wild and clear call that can’t be denied …
      We make it to the beach now following this call. It’s warm and sunny here, the feeling of spring in the air.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • I told Simon that I memorized that poem back in the 3rd or 4th grade and it has been with me ever since.
      A foot of snow is predicted for Connecticut where we are now. And it is supposed to be snowing in Oregon when we get back there on Friday. Where or where is the spring? Glad to hear that you guys are experience bit of good weather after the ‘Beast from the East!’ –Curt

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much, dear Simon,
      lovely these words! We can well understand that these wonderful words are moving you; they moved us as well.
      Have a wonderful week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  33. She will always fascinate us because of all those things she represents. No two days are the same because of that constant change within her. I think we stroll the beaches because we never know what surprises she will gift us along her shores or dancing in her waves. The only other thing that did that for us was our ‘Mothers’ so it is no wonder we look at her with much love and hope ❤ 😀

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Mark,
      we are fascinated by the constant constant change. As we live next to the sea we are at the beach quite often and it’s always different. After big tides even the shoreline as changed. And every time Siri and Selma find some treasures on the beach.
      Thanks for mentioning this parallel between sea and mothers that immediately made sense for us.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • I couldn’t imagine living away from her as I also live by her waves. She always speaks a different tongue on any given day, teasing me to venture further into her waters and explore her meaning. She even sends dolphins to me to vent their breath on silent nights so that I know she is there, caressing my dreams as any mother would ❤
      May she also tease the thoughts of The Fab Four of Cley as you each wade through her journey ❤ 😀

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Mark,
      there are many seals on our coast. They are inspiring our dreams and writing. At daytime we love the sound of the terns and seagulls.
      Our sea is talkative as well, sometimes furious and then softly luring us in with sweet tongues liking at our feet.
      Thank you very much for your great wish ❤
      With love from the sunny sea ❤
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  34. It is a beautiful picture. I love the sea for its huge and unmeasurable expanse, its noise and its energy. I think you have captured its greatness and energy in this photo. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Cathy,
      thank you so much for liking Dina’s photography 🙂
      It’s not that easy to catch the power of the sea in a photograph. Pictures of the sea quite often diminish her power.
      Have a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Ganz, ganz herzlichen Dank, lieber Mick. Das ist ja ein feiner Kommentar, der uns sogleich gute Laune machte 🙂
      Sayyid Naqvi war ein Sufi Mystiker. Wir lieben Sufi-Literatur wie die Gedichte Rumis, die Texte Attars und den blumigen Stil Nizamis. Das ist Literatur fürs Herz.
      Mach’s gut, liebe Grüße
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  39. I see the Sun and the Sea, but feel the beginning of a Journey. A sensation of waiting for the ship to arrive and take me off to a foreign land.

    It reminds me of the quote “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore” – Andre Gide

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Vicki,
      thanks a lot for this Andre Gide quote (by the way, Andre Gide’s and our dear Master share the same birthday).
      Indeed, the sea produces always a longing for other shores one can’t see.
      We wish you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  42. Beautiful photo…. for me personally, I saw the sea first. It reminds me of a saying “the divine ocean of love and mercy”. For me, the sea is compassion, fluidity, letting go.
    Thanks for the questions and the post! Have a beautiful week. ~Blessings, Debbie

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Debbie,
      Dina as a photographer was more taken by that low sun and photographing into it. Well, she is an artist working with light. We, Siri, Selma and Klausbernd saw the sea first and are fascinated by the power of the sea. But the magic of the picture is the polarity of fire (the sun) and water, we think.
      With lots of love and thank you very much
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago in the South of England. There one can find really beautiful beaches.
      Thanks for commenting and have a wonderful week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  44. I see the Sea wholeheartedly. For me, the Sea symbolizes life itself! With it’s ups and downs, rough times and calm times, it is a continuous force of nature. Great pic Dina with lot’s thoughts up for discussion. Have a great week Fab Four. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much for liking our post.
      We love the discussions on our blog and always learn answering the comments.
      Wishing you an easy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Derrick,
      thank you very much for this fine poem – and it’s so well read! It expresses exactly what we love about the sea.
      Have a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  48. Das Meer – für einen Binnenländler der Inbegriff der Freiheit. Da fällt mir die deutsche Lyrikerin Anke Maggauer-Kirsche ein: “Ein Meer hört immer irgendwo auf, aber da fängt es auch wieder an. Ich grüsse euch herzlich. Ernst

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Lieber Ernst,
      toll, diese Worte vo Anke Maggauer-Kirsche. Wir mussten schmunzeln.
      Und da wir hier gerade bei den Gedichten sind, hier ein witziges von Heinrich Heine
      “Ein Fräulein stand am Meere
      Es seufzte lang und bang
      Es rührte sie so sehre
      Der Sonnenuntergang.
      Mein Fräulein sein sie munter
      Es ist ein altes Stück
      Dahinten geht sie unter
      Und kommt von vorn zurück.”
      (Ich hoffe, dass ich es richtig erinnert habe)
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom heute sonnigen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  49. Das Meer, ein Sehnsuchtsort der heutigen Menschen, was aber noch gar nicht so lange währt, wie ich einmal gelesen habe, es begann irgendwann in den frühen 1900er Jahren. Bis dahin ist das Meer immer auch Herausforderung gewesen, für die Menschen, die an und von ihm gelebt haben, ja, durchaus auch ein Ungeheuer, das Männer und ihre Schiffe verschlang und traurige Fischerwitwen an Land zurückließ.
    Für mich ist es Symbol für den ewigen Wandel, fürs Vor und Zurück, dafür, dass kein Augenblick dem anderen gleicht, wo wäre es sichtbarer, als am Meer?! Und ich habe großen Respekt vor seiner Kraft und Gewalt, gehe am liebsten mit nackten Füßen an seinen Wellenkämmen entlang, klettere gerne über Felsen und sitze gerne und schaue und schaue…
    herzliche Grüße an euch Vier, Ulli

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Liebe Ulli,
      es waren die Romantiker, allen voran Caspar Davd Friederich, die das Meer romantisierten. Die gefährliche Seite des Meeres drückt Storm in “Der Schimmelreiter” aus (seit seiner Schulzeit liebt Masterchen diese Novelle). Vor der Romantik wurde fast nur die gefährliche und totbringende Seite des Meers betrachtet. Es war, wie alte Karten zeigen, der Ort der Ungeheuer und wie bei Edgar A. Poe der zermalmenden Strudel, außerdem konnte man an seinem Ende ins Nichts fallen.
      Wir sind ja alle von der Romantik geprägt und so lieben wir das Meer, zu dem wir gleich gehen, um Karneole zu sammeln.
      Mit lieben Grüßen
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  50. The first comment really captures it for me. Despite the potential danger and fury of the sea, I am truly at peace when I am by the ocean. In an ideal world, I would live close enough to walk to the ocean, but not close enough to be flooded during a bad storm.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Laurie,
      actually, we live like this. We have 15 min. walk through the marshes to the open sea but our house is high enough that it isn’t in danger to get flooded. It’s very peaceful living here and it’s a pity that we don’t walk every day to the sea. But now we are off to the beach as the sun is shining and there is hardly any wind.
      Thanks a lot and have a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    • Indeed, we love living in Cley next the Sea at the North Norfolk coast. It’s idyllic, a bit out of this post-modern world. But Maine is great too, isn’t it? We love Maine and Vermont. For us, it seemed quite rural like in Good Old Europe.
      With lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 3 people

  51. Sehr feines Foto wieder!
    Was mir zum Meer einfällt?
    Zunächst mal was populärwissenschaftliches: Das Meer ist der einzige Lebensraum, der nicht von Insekten erobert wurde.
    Dann: Meer = Große Müllkippe. 2050 soll es mehr Plastik darin geben wie Fische.

    Mein Vater testete mit einem Gefährten im Krieg aus, ob sie in Italien über eine Meeeresenge fliegen konnten. Sie konnten nicht, denn die Strömung führte vom Ufer weg. Nur mit Mühe und Härte kämpfte sich mein Vater zurück zum Ufer. Sein Freund war dabei völlig konsterniert.

    Das Spazierengehen am Meer war schon immer eine seelische Wohltat für mich. Dazu passt ein jüngstes Erlebnis: Wir machten eine einwöchige Nordzypernreise und kamen durch ein Wunder wieder zu einem Hotel, wo wir 7 Jahre zuvor schon mal waren. Ich mußte mit meiner Frau dann unbedingt spätnachmittags, nach dem Gruppenausflug, noch den Strand besuchen und ihn erneut spüren dürfen.

    Gruß
    Gerhard

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Lieber Gerhard,
      herzlichen Dank für deinen ausführlichen Kommentar 🙂 🙂
      Wir sind Ignoranten. Ehrlich gesagt ist uns gar nicht aufgefallen, dass das Meer der einzige Lebensraum ist, der nicht von Insekten erobert wurde.
      Ja, die Winde und Strömungen am Meer sind schon etwas Besonderes. Wir haben großen Respekt vor diesen Naturgewalten, wenn wir mit unseem kleinen Boot hinausfahren, und wir schwimmen selten und dann nur ganz vorsichtig im Meer, das Ufer immer in Sicht. Wir lieben wie du Strandspaziergänge, bei denen Siri und Selma stets emsig nach Schätzen suchen. Man kann hier Karneole und selten auch Jet finden neben ausgetrockneten Seesternen und Sandwürmern.
      Liebe Grüße vom sonnigen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Sue and Dave,
      we were shocked as well about the pollution when visiting SE Asia.
      Here the Norfolk Wildlife Trust as well as the National Trust run a lot of outings and courses for raising an ecological awareness. And what we think is very important they do a lot for children and families.
      Thanks for answering.
      Lots of love from the little village near the big sea
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Davy,
      nature looks more graphic and it’s mostly wilder – especially the sea – in winter. We love going out into nature during the winter.
      Thanks for liking Dina’s photography 🙂
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  54. I could lose myself in this photo, I looked at it for a long time. Then I read your thought-provoking words and I had to think about an article I read last weekend. One particular question stayed with me; would you be willing to live this past year again and again for all eternity? I’m hesitant to say yes. And yet it inspires me question my arrangements and make amendments. Thank you for another inspiring post, you fabulous lot.
    Sarah Xx

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Good evening, dear Sarah,
      what an interesting question. Would we like to live the last year again and again? It’s similar to the film about the groundhog day, isn’t it?
      Well, we could live on and on like we did last year and we suppose on one hand we wouldn’t mind, on the other hand, we are not sure if we would get bored after a while. There is always this idea one has to learn and progress. But isn’t there more to life than being a school? “Wise people don’t need new thrills and don’t need the pressure of getting better and better!” is Siris 🙂 idea. Maybe it wise to live your life in the way you did before – well if you feel it was fine. Always going for something new is being hooked on the capitalist thinking of our consumer society. Never something new is kind of revolutionary in our society but at the same time it seems to us unnatural because we learned from the sea that life is changing all the time. We really can’t decide, on one hand, we would like to live last year again, on the other hand, we are curious what the future will bring. You know we love adventures too. Goethe says in “Faust” if you want to hold the moment then you will lose your soul to the devil.
      Well, what an interesting question. We suppose it’s this kind of question that makes you think. It’s more important to think about than to find an answer – or is that the easy way out?
      Anyway, thanks a lot for asking this question. We will go on contemplating …
      With lots of love from
      The Fab Four of Cley ❤ ❤ ❤

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Sarah and my dear Master
      I browsed in Master’s book collection and found there Ouspensky’s “Strange Life of Ivan Osokin”. Osokin lives his life for many years and then he gets the chance to live it again but with the knowledge, he got from his first life. You wouldn’t believe it but actually, nothing changes, meaning he makes the same mistakes again. I wouldn’t mind living the last year again, even with all the mistakes I made in the year before. Did I make any mistakes?
      Nietzsche had a theory of eternal recurrence, I suppose this theory inspired Ouspensky. But following Nietzsche’s idea, everything will recur anyway.
      Oh dear, shall I believe this? Help!
      With my finest fairy dust
      Siri 🙂 the clever Bookfayrie

      Liked by 1 person

    • My darling Siri ❤
      wow, you are really clever! I am impressed.
      Actually, your comment makes me ask the question if learning is an illusion most of the time. And relating it to our blog post, does the sea learn? It changes all the time but does she learn?
      I have no idea, sorry.
      With lots of love xxx
      Klausbernd 🚶‍♂️

      Like

    • Dear Sarah, Siri and Klausbernd,
      what a clever exchange here! I remember happily when Klausbernd and I read this novel by Ouspensky in our Gurdjieff group. I can’t remember why but I didn’t like this novel. I found it rather defeatist concerning learning.
      But to your question, if the sea (and nature) is learning. I suppose it does. Isn’t adaption a kind of learning?
      With lots of love to you all
      your friend Per Magnus xxx

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Per Magnus,
      funny you mention our time in this famous Gurdjieff group. I always had my problems with the writings of Ouspensky.
      Anyway, could we say that life is learning? Or better: we project the aspect of learning of everything.
      I need more time to think about it.
      Love from the cold sea
      Klausbernd

      Like

    • Indeed, this photo was taken a couple of weeks ago, in the midst of winter. We love winter and especially the winter light.
      Thank you and all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  56. My dear friends,
    first of all, what a great picture! Dear Dina, you are getting better and better with every picture you publish. Congratulations!👌
    For me, the sea is a shapeshifting being, she is changing every moment. That’s fascinating but frightening as well. There is no still point. Even here in the High Arctic, the frozen sea is always moving. Of course, life is movement but doesn’t a fullfilling life need a rest?
    OK, this post raises so many questions. GREAT!👍
    Lots of love
    Per Magnus

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Our dear friend Per Magnus,
      the longer we think about the sea and this post and the more comments we answer the more questions arise. We suppose that makes this topic interesting. It has much more dimensions than we thought about when publishing it. Thank you very much for your commentaries.
      Stillness and movement – we suppose they need each other and the ideal is a balance. Even the sea is sometimes quite calm.
      With lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley xxx

      Like

  57. I’m in the sea=change camp. That’s what it generally conjures up for me, and in this photo, the emphasis I see is the last bit of waves coming ashore, foaming, brilliant in the sun, but always moving and quick to change direction. It’s funny that many of us feel calmed if we go to the sea, but it’s not a calm place. Maybe that’s because it’s a good reflection of our own constantly changing emotional tone, and that is inherently reassuring. Have a good week everyone!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Bluebrightly,
      of course, with `blue’ in your name you have to love the sea 😉
      It’s a paradox that the seaside actually isn’t a calm place nevertheless it calms one down. We agree it’s a perfect reflection of our own constantly changing emotional tone. Subconsciously we identify and so we feel one with nature.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good afternoon, dear Tina,
      actually, the sea is not that often calm, at least not in our area. But even the wild sea calms one down because we are confronted with real nature. To experience nature is always healing and calming, we suppose.
      Thanks and all the best from the sunny sea
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

  59. …I pine for the ocean… (also, I have The Cure stuck in my head. 🙂 Not that it ever goes very far, as it’s one of my favourite bands. “Staring at the sea/Staring at the sand…Staring at the sky/Staring at the sun)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • The sea, as water in general, has always a seductive effect. Therefore those beings of the waters like mermaids, the Sirens as well as the Lorelei want to lure sailors into the waters.
      Thank you very much for your commentary.
      With love
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

  61. This is a stunning and evocative photograph that invites an extended period of quiet contemplation and meditation. It encapsulayes the unrelenting rhythm of life and the constantly changing moods of nature.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Louis,
      thank you very much for your kind words 🙂 🙏🙏
      For us, sea and meditating go very well together. Sitting on the beach and just watching the waters come and go has a very calming effect, even our speedy Bookfayries like it.
      We wish you a great weekend, sunshine and joy
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

    • Vielen Dank, liebe Pia, für deine lieben Worte.
      Wir sind gerade emsig dabei, ein großes Essen für heute Abend vorzubereiten. Wir bekommen liebe Gäste, worauf wir uns schon sehr freuen.
      Auch dir wünschen wir ein höchst angenehmes und gemütliches Wochenende
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  64. So many thoughts in the comments! All I can add is that, from my perspective, both sun and sea are necessary. The sun warms the body, while the ceaseless comings and goings of the sea’s waves wash the mind clearn of ordinary cares and concerns. What could be better? It seems to me that the Dina’s photo is powerful precisely because it captures both: the warmth, and the washing of the waves.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Lieber Achim,
      dein Blogbeitrag erinnert uns ja an Iris Murdochs “The Sea, the Sea”, übrigens war dies das erste Buch, das wir von ihr lasen. So eine Schande mit ihrer Alzheimer Krankheit.
      Wir genießen gerade das wunderschöne Frühlingswetter.
      Mit lieben Grüßen und frohe Ostern
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Oh dear, lieber Achim,
      jetzt bei unserem Besuch deines Blogs sehen wir gerade, dass du den Roman von Iris Murdoch gleich als ersten zitierst. Sorry, wir besuchten dich erst nach unserem Kommentar digital. Du erwähnst alle Bücher, die wir auch über das Meer lasen. Und da du doch auch ein Buchfreak bist, können wir dir auch ein paar Bücher über die See empfehlen:
      Jonanathan RABAN “The Oxford Book of The Sea” – das ist eine Anthologie und Fundgrube für Gedanken zum Meer
      Peter FREUCHEN “Peter Freuchen’s Book of the Seven Seas” – ein Klassiker aus den 50er Jahren
      Klaus HYMPENDAHL “Sünde auf See” – sozusagen ein Geheimtipp; ein Buch, das wir mit Schmunzeln lasen
      Wir haben in unserem Kaminzimmer 5 Meter Bücher über die See in Romanen in unserer nautischen Ecke. Es sind erstaunlich viele Romane von der See inspiriert worden. Die See und Autoren scheinen sich zu lieben, was unser Masterchen nur bestätigen kann.
      Dann mach’s ‘mal gut.
      Herzliche Grüße
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

  66. Lieber Klausbernd,

    ich habe damals tatsächlich “Das Meer, das Meer” von Iris gelesen. Inspiration, zum großen Teil. Habe auch das deutsche Cover des Buches im Beitrag eingeblendet.
    Iris’ Schicksal hat mich sehr berührt. Sicherlich hast du den Film “Iris” gesehen, mit Kate Winslet als junge Iris, und Judi Dench als ältere.

    Liebe Grüße aus Freiburg

    Achim

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Ja, den Film sahen wir auch. Er hat uns sehr berührt.
      Hast du auch so ein super Wetter? Wir erfreuen uns an Wetter vom Feinsten.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom Meer zu den Bächle
      The Fab Four of Cley, mächtig im Garten wühlend

      Like

    • Dear Jacqui,
      without doubt there is a wanderlust (what a beautiful word from the German Romantics) and maybe there exists a seefahrtlust (a desire to sail the seas) as well. The sea connected people as well as it was a border.
      Thanks and wishing you happy Easter
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

    • Lieber Achim,
      wir halten dir die Daumen and keep our fingers crossed, dass du bald feines Wetter haben wirst 🙂
      Halte dich wacker, liebe Grüße
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Dear Lady Fi,
      the call of the sea, yes, we hear it quite clearly, although our little boat is still resting in our garden.
      Thank you very much for liking Dina’s photography.
      We wish you a happy Easter holiday
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • The sea can be calming but also quite frightening. Mostly we walk to the beach when the weather is nice and then looking at the sea is very meditative. But when the big waves are coming in it’s rather exciting.
      Thanks for commenting 🙂 🙂
      Wishing you happy Easter
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  71. Könnte euch höchstens passend zu der Stimmung…was meint ihr in welcher Tonart schwingt dieses Bild…..meinen selbst erfundenen Dauerohrwum vorsingen:
    I had it all, I tasted all wines…I tried ev´ry littel piece that life could offer me….lalalala….usw. dann gehts es so weiter:
    But there´s one thing left, I could not achieve, I could not make you see what love is all about….
    Naja, es wird kein Hit, geht mir nur so im Kopf herum
    Jetzt muss ich zum Steuerbüro, hole den Ordner 2017 nochmal ab, damit ich meine Kilometerliste schummeln kann…
    Ich wünsche euch ein schönes Osterfest!

    Das Universum hilft gerade sehr, dass manche hier ganz schön ins Staunen kommen und eine Ahnung bekommen, what love is all about, Synchronisationen, dass es nur so kracht- I livelove it!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Hi, liebe Pia,
      welche Synchronizität, ich war auch gerade bei meiner Steuerberaterin, da in UK das Steuerjahr am 5. April endet – keine Ahnung warum.
      Das Wetter war heute vom Feinsten, und wir sind jetzt richtig auf Ostern eingestellt. Freunde von uns haben Kinder, für die wir Einiges zum verstecken kauften.
      Dann mach’s `mal gut, frohe Osterferien und alles Liebe
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

    • Ja so etwas, alter Verwalter, I am confused!
      Hoffe, Ihr habt alle bunten Eierchen gut versteckt und die Kinder hatten ihre pure Freude beim Suchen!!
      Angenehme Woche und herzliche Grüße

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hi, liebe Pia,
      Verwalter finde ich ja gut, aber ‘alter’ … 😉 😉
      Wir finden noch immer noch Ostereier im Garten und die Eichhörnchen erst recht.
      Heute haben wir einen Kräutergarten angelegt und jetzt wird gechilled.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      Klausbernd und der Rest der Meschpoke
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Eddie,
      indeed, we come from and go to sea in the end. The sea is life and death and that makes it so fascinating for us.
      With lots of love from the little village next the big sea
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

  74. You capture both sun and sea beautifully in your opening photo. There is something magical about the sea, nothing puts me more at ease yet in the same stroke fills me with electricity and wonder ~ it is as if there is an endless romance between man & sea, always a mystery. Wonderful to come back and dive into your post after so long away. Cheers to you all this coming weekend.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Dalo,
      welcome back to our blog! 🙂 🙂 Thank you very much for liking Dina’s photography.
      Actually, we went to Cornwall for seeing high waves, what we actually did. We are fascinated by the sea in real and in literature. The sea was always separating and connecting, it’s life and death. We suppose it’s this polarity that makes it so fascinating. Until the time of Romanticism, it’s danger was mostly seen. This changed with the invention of modern tourism. The place of deadly dangers changed into the place for relaxation.
      The travels of Ulysses and Sindbad as the Flying Dutchman were symbols of the dark side of the sea, whereas Goethe praises the sea as it’s setting our mind free.
      We wish you a great holiday, cheers and take care
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

    • Liebe Ulla,
      ja, das ist schon toll mit all diesen Kommentaren 🙂 🙂 Habe herzlichen Dank, dass auch dir Dinas Foto gut gefällt.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Indah,
      thanks a lot for liking Dina’s photography.
      We are living at the sea and we love it 🙂 🙂
      Wishing you a great week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

  79. hello dina its dennis the vizsla dog hay hmm aparently too of my dadas songs ar wun kalld the sea and another kalld staring at the sun and now he feels like he shud be singing wun of them and he kannot deeside wich!!! hay dada heer is sum advice dont sing ennything yoo ar not verry gud at it!!! ok bye

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Hi, Dennis Vizsla dog
      we should never do anything we are not good at it – well, if we don’t need to.
      All the best to you
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Like

    • Thank you very much for commenting 🙂 🙂
      We live next to the sea and love walking along the coast regularly.
      Great that you like Dina’s photography.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      💃🚶‍♂️👭

      Liked by 1 person

  82. The sea can be gentle blue, a calm mirror of the blue sky above…
    OR
    It can rise up into huge raging waves that can drown you in one crashing blow.
    We had a sailboat back in the 1970s and 80s, and we sailed around the Hawaiian islands.
    I love the sea and fear it all at the same time.
    It commands respect at all times, and is capable of changing moods very quickly!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Der Mary,
      Dina was a great sailor as well sailing accross the Atlantic several times. She lived more or less on the boat for years. She loved it until she had to be rescued by helicopter from enormous waves breaking the boat.
      As all the folks living next to the sea we know about the joy and dangers of the sea. We agree, it’s frightening how quickly she changes her moods. Therefore we always give her a good drop of red wine when leaving the harbour.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley

      Like

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