Holy Shit

by

Walking not far from our house, Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma came running quite excitedly with a dead dung beetle they had found. Our Bookfayries knew this big beetle was seen as holy and is better known as a scarab. The common name ‘dung beetle’ shows that it is rather a symbol of disgust in our culture today. Freud would see this as a typical case of anal fixation.

Auf unserem heutigen Spaziergang kamen Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma ganz aufgeregt mit einem vollständigen toten Mistkäfer angerannt, der, wie unsere beiden Buchfeen wussten, auch heiliger Pillendreher genannt wird oder auch als Scarabäus wohl bekannt ist. Der Name Mistkäfer zeigt, dass er in unserem Kulturbereich eher als Ekelsymbol auftritt, was Freud auf eine kollektive Analfixierung zurückgeführt hätte.

All images are taken with the Fujifilm X-T4 and processed in LR, PS and Topaz Lab Studio 2

Isn’t it disgusting that this beetle only eats faeces? It loves shit which the scarab turns into a ball to transport it more easily. It really puts up with something as such a ball can be as big as 250 times its body mass. It rolls this ball with its hind legs going backwards to an underground place where it and especially its larvae feed on that faeces. No wonder that this coprophagous behaviour produces disgust.

Es ist schon ekelhaft, dass sich dieser große Käfer einzig von Dung ernährt (Koprophagie). Diesen dreht er zu einer Kugel, um ihn leichter transportieren zu können. Dabei mutet er sich einiges zu. Solch eine Kugel kann bis zu das 250fache seiner Masse betragen. Die Kugel rollt er mit seinen Hinterbeinen rückwärts gehend zu einem unterirdischen Nest, wo er sich selbst und seine Larven damit ernährt. Kein Wunder, dass er als Kotfresser Ekel hervorruft.

Siri and Selma’s little scarab was pitch black so we added some arty colours with Topaz Studio 2. Al Remix has a great variety of filters to experiment with.

The scarab was considered as totally different in ancient Egypt and ancient Greek and Rome. It symbolised there the way of the sun and stood for procreation and renewal. Therefore it was a holy beetle (scarabaeus sacer). In Heliopolis (ancient Egypt city) the scarab stood for the rising sun. Siri 🙂 found that Plutarch asserted that there exist male scarabs only. It’s giving his semen into this dung ball which then produces the larvae. The polymath and alchemist Athanasius Kircher compared Jesus with this beetle he saw as the base for the philosopher’s stone in the 17th c. The dung beetle escapes being pulverised today because it’s protected and the alchemists have died out anyway.

Ganz anders verhielt es sich im alten Ägypten und der Antike, wo er als ein Symbol des Laufs der Sonne und somit für Zeugung und Erneuerung betrachtet wurde. Deswegen wurde er auch heiliger Pillendreher genannt. Er ist das uns einzig bekannte Tier, das schon vom Namen her geheiligt wurde. In Heliopolis symbolisierte er die aufgehende Sonne. Siri 🙂 fand heraus, dass Plutarch davon ausging, dass Skarabäen stets männlich seien. Er würde, so schreibt Plutarch, seinen Samen in die Kugel geben, die er vor sich her rollt, was ein Bild für den Lauf der Sonne sei. Der Universalgelehrte und Alchemist Athanasius Kircher verglich im 17. Jh. Jesus mit diesem Käfer und sah ihn als Grundlage für die Herstellung des Steins der Weisen an. Heute entgeht er der Pulverisierung, da Scarabäen unter Naturschutz stehen und die Alchimisten eh ausgestorben sind.

The scary of the scarab that is often connected with disgust inspired Edgar Allan Poe to write one of the first kind of detective stories “The Gold-Bug” (1843). There it’s suspected that the bite of this bug makes people crazy. But the main story is about seeking and finding the famous treasure of the notorious pirate Captain Kidd.

Das Unheimliche des Scarabäus, das stets dem Ekel innewohnt, inspirierte Edgar Allan Poe zu einer der ersten Detektivgeschichten der Literaturgeschichte “Der Goldkäfer” (1843). Dort wird sogar vermutet, dass der Biss dieses Käfer einen Mensch verrückt werden lassen kann. Aber eigentlich geht es hier um das Suchen und Finden des Schatzes des berüchtigten Piraten Käpten Kidd.

The scarab was seen as a holy being in ancient times but today it’s degenerated to a fashion accessory. This already started in ancient Greek when scarab amulettes became quite fashionable rather for decoration than for protection. Later scarab rings were used for sealing documents and as tattoos.

War der Scarabäus noch in den alten Kulturen Ägyptens und in der Antike heilig, so verkam er wie so manches Heilige zum Modeasseccoire. Das begann bereits in der Antike, wo Scarabäusamulette weniger wegen des Schutzes als für den Schmuck ihres Trägers benutzt wurden und nicht nur das, Scarabäusringe wurde auch zum Versiegeln von Dokumenten benutzt.

No wonder Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma were fascinated by their found scarab. For more than 5000 years the scarab radiates a special attraction. Maybe it’s the contradiction of eating shit and being holy that still forms its aura. Or is it the alchemist in us hoping to transform shit into something noble? What do you think?

Kein Wunder, dass Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma so von ihrem Scarabäusfund fasziniert waren. Seit mindestens 5000 Jahren übt der Scarabäus eine spezielle Anziehung aus, wie nur wenige Symbole. Vielleicht ist es der Widerspruch von Kotfressen und Heiligkeit, der noch heute beim Anblick dieses Käfers mitschwingt oder ist es der innere Alchimist, der hofft, Scheiße in Gold bzw. etwas Edles zu verwandeln – oder was meint ihr?

Dung Beetle’s perform a vital role on Africa’s Serengeti Plains. Here they are practising Kung Fu to keep the opponents away:
Mistkäfer beim Praktizieren von Kung Fu auf den Serengeti Ebenen Afrikas, um Gegenspieler fernzuhalten:

 

Keep well, happy and stay cool on the hottest day of this year so far
Haltet euch gesund und fröhlich. Herzliche Grüße vom bislang heißesten Tag dieses Jahres
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

 

© Text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers and Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea, 2020

 

 

161 thoughts

  1. British Dung Beetles do not roll the dung like their cousins in Africa. They live inside the manure piles instead. When I was young, my grandfater stored horse dung for fertilising his roses, and that was the only time I ever saw them. 🙂
    Love from a very hot Beetley, Pete and Ollie. X

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Pete,
      thanks a lot for your infos. It was the first time we saw a dung beetle in England and we never saw such a dung beetle in England life – but we did in Germany.
      It’s the female dung beetle who deposits her eggs in the dung. She dies afterwards. The larvae live and grow of this dung. We suppose that’s the case in England as well. The problem is that there exist about 5000 different species of dung beetles.
      Here it’s very hot as well. It’s fine in the house but outside it’s like in a desert.
      Stay cool 😉 and thanks for your comment
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  2. A philosophical duality of life, dear Klaus! And a mindful allegory of the present life, our economical system. You might be holy but you will have to make a dirty job to survive. 🙂
    With most cooling wishes,
    Have a nice day!
    Maria 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Maria,
      wow, it’s hot today. The hottest day so far this year. It’s fine in the house but nearly unbearable outside.
      “You might be holy but you will have to make a dirty job to survive”, indeed! Well said, we like it 🙂 🙂 We had the vague feeling that this scarab is a kind of metaphor for our life – not only during this pandemic.
      We hope you’ll stay cool 😉
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Derrick,
      to find a title is not that easy. We often think about it for days. This title came when we had a drink in our conservatory. When our dear Master was a professional author he had specialists at his publishers for finding the ideal titles for his books. Nowadays he likes finding titles for our blog posts.
      Thanks and all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much for liking Dina’s pictures. It’s amazing how this processing can change a picture and quite often it looks more like a drawing or a painting than photography.
      All the best, keep cool, happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much, dear Marielou.
      We had to research quite a bit about these dung beetles.
      Wishing you a great weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Hi, dear Khaya,
      yes, we found it interesting too. It was the first time we saw such a dung beetle in England.
      Thank you for liking Dina’s photography and post-production 🙂
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Fab Four of Cley,
    Glad to hear my friends are still well and happy. And only you could create a post about a dung eating beetle and make it interesting!! Way to go.
    Things here are still running the course as usual. Can’t wait to see what else this year has in store for so many of us!
    Stay safe.
    GP Cox

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Our dear friend GP Cox,
      well, we immediately found this contradiction of holy and shit quite interesting. It’s a kind of metaphor as Maria (second comment here) wrote: “You might be holy but you will have to make a dirty job to survive.” We think you as a specialist for the war in SE Asia will agree immediately.
      We just have a heatwave here, temperatures a bit more than 35 degrees C – may be quite normal at yours but extraordinary for us.
      It’s quite strange here now, partly and carefully we go back to normal but with an obligation to wear masks and keep a distance. It seems to work. Well, it worked in Germany and other countries which were very strict with all the lockdown and after-lockdown regulations. We feel safe.
      You stay safe as well. Take care and stay healthy and happy
      With love from the hot coast of Norfolk
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • We can well understand you. But you wouldn’t believe it, this week we had the same temperatures as you have and yesterday the thermometer even rose to a little bit above 35 C.
      Do you ever have snow in South Florida?
      Love from the sunny coast of North Norfolk
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • One or two days every winter it’s snowing here but the snow immediately melts away. Only about every third or fourth year everything is covered for a week. We miss the real snow here. Therefore we go regularly to Welsh or Scottish mountains in January and February.

      Liked by 1 person

    • We keep our fingers crossed that you will see lots and lots of snow soon. Maybe in the mountains? And that you will see snow falling. Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma love watching falling snow.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear GP Cox,
      we were worried about you as we heard about the latest cyclone hitting the coast of America. Were you affected at all in the south of Florida?
      Sending the warmest fairy dust of all times from my sister Selma and myself.
      Stay safe❣️ 🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻

      Liked by 4 people

    • Siri & Selma,
      I thank you for your concern, but a wind from our SW kept the storm far enough off-shore that we got very little. We actually had far more rain the following day with a usual Florida summer thunderstorm! 🙄
      Stay safe little ones! 😷😷
      GP Cox

      Liked by 2 people

  10. I haven’t seen dung beetles here but we do get yellow dung flies / golden dung flies (Scathophaga stercoraria). The adult fly is mainly carnivorous and catches smaller insects, though also eats nectar. As the name suggests, this fly lays its eggs mainly on cowpats and the larvae feed on the dung. When we first moved here we had some inside the house and at first thought they were wasps. Apparently they do not bite or sting. I like the transformation of the photos. Keep cool Fab Four! Warm here too but not as excessive as you are experiencing and our house is quite cool inside. 🥵

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Jude,
      fortunately, it’s quite cool in our house as well. But going outside it’s a feeling we only knew from southern Italy. Our thermometers show just a bit above 30 C. So we have a great time inside.
      Siri 🙂 told us about an experiment in which dung eating insects were divided into two groups. One group was fed with dung, the other without. This group that was dung-deprived didn’t grow and got health problems, the dung eating insects were fine. Dung seems to be very nutritious.
      Dina likes her post-production tools. And isn’t it amazing that some of the photographs don’t look like photographs at all, rather like drawings or paintings?
      Thanks and keep cool 😉
      With lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  11. The computer-added colors serve to sanitize the dung beetle for people in the Western European cultural tradition. The colors make the insect look like an iridescent scarab beetle.

    The Greek Heliopolis, literally ‘sun city,’ was dedicated to the sun as a god. In the United States, Sun City is the name of several communities for old people. There’s one in Texas about 60km north of downtown Austin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_City_Texas

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Hi, dear Steve,
      we didn’t know that there are Sun Cities in the US. Heliopolis, as one of the biggest cities in ancient Egypt, was one of the centres of power. Sun City sounds to our ears a bit stupid. Why not Heliopolis? Everybody learned at school that ‘helios’ is sun and ‘polis’ city. Thanks for the link.
      It was Dina’s aim to make this dung beetle look like an iridescent scarab sacer.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Steve,
      I absolutely agree with you. When I went to school I had 9 years of Latin and one year of old Greek. I needed that for studying at the university. This is history in Germany, you are right. Schools were committed to Humboldt’s educational ideas in my time. This has changed in Germany. Oh dear, I am outing myself as conservative to judge this as a downfall. By the way, ‘high-class education’ in the UK still follows these ideas. Well, see Boris Johnson and his Eton education …
      I just wanted to express that ‘Heliopolis’ sounds much more appealing to my ears as Sun City, but I am not a native speaker.
      Dina and Selma 🙂 were very upset reading my answer to your commentary they found it arrogant. Sorry about this – mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
      Thanks and wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • I find no arrogance in your answer, only a sense of loss for something good that is no more. I may have told you the story about my experience in Lisbon in 1966. I was part of an internationally mixed group of students studying Portuguese in summer school. We were just learning Portuguese, so the lingua franca among us was English, which all the German students knew well. I remember telling one of the Germans that I’d visited Montreal, in Quebec. I then went on to explain that Montreal is on an island in the St. Lawrence River. The German looked at me like he couldn’t understand why I’d bothered to say something so obvious, which he assumed everyone would know.

      Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Steve,
      you are right, it is the sense of something good that has gone. About 50 years ago a good education was open for nearly everybody. Now a decent education is only affordable for those with well-off parents. This is reality here in England for long time but it slowly comes in Germany and other European countries as well, maybe with the exception of the Scandinavian countries.
      Love
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Fantastic photos, I love the look of an electrical aura around this fabled creature. A great example of a really successful public relations campaign, transforming a lowly dung beetle into a little deity – – I always gravitate toward the Egyptian exhibits in museums, and couldn’t count the number of scarab amulets I’ve seen. It must’ve been quite a cottage industry, cranking out these carvings, and not always in soapstone, etc. sometimes in materials like amethyst, which have to be quite difficult to carve.
    Yes, many of us find metaphors and allegories in this creature’s lifestyle, but farmers and gardeners were/are less squeamish and fastidious about using all sorts of organic fertilizers, and just admire these sensible little creatures, merrily we roll along. Thanks for a very clever and interesting post, and excellent photos! Hope things cool off for you, we’re having a nice break and only 24C today., cheers, RPT

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Robert,
      we always find Egyptian artefacts very attractive too. Paintings of people and carvings of scarabs are looking for our eyes slightly abstract and minimalistic. We like this. We read, there was this industry carving scarabs in stone or producing them for jewellery.
      You write “many of us find metaphors and allegories in this creature’s lifestyle”. If you see that this started in ancient Egypt about 5000 years ago one could speak of an archetype. And those dung beetles are found on every continent except Antarctica because there is not enough dung.
      Indeed, we have a heatwave here with temperatures above 35 degrees C. That means for us staying in our house which is quite cool with 23 degrees C. Yes, we hope for an end of this hot weather. It’s forecasted to end in the middle of next week.
      Thanks for your comment. Keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  13. My dears friends, I love to watch how dedicated and passionate Dina is with her photography. This editing transforms the dung beetle like RPT writes above. I didn’t quite know what to expect when I read the title, I certainly was not prepared to encounter a dung beetle as holy shit! 🙂 In Norwegian the beetle is called tordivel and dates back to the norse god Tor.
    According to Jacob Grimm and his Deutsche Mythologie, let me quote;
    Norwegian tordivel, this ‘tor’ may have the same force it has in torsdag, hence servant of the god, which was afterwards exchanged for dyfvel = diefvul, devil. Afzelius assures us, that the torbagge was sacred to Thor, that in Norrland his larva is called mulloxe (earth-ox, the Swiss donnerpuppe?, and that he who finds a dung-beetle lying on his back unable to help himself, and sets him on his legs again, is believed by the Norrlanders to have atoned for seven sins thereby. Reason good enough for me always to be kind to all creatures great and small. 🙂
    Arctic Norway is sunny and warm 21° at present and we are enjoying a late summer day as we are expecting a drop back 10° tomorrow.

    Stay well and keep cool,my dear Fab Four Friends.
    Klem
    Per Magnus x

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Per Magnus,
      thank you so much for mentioning the connection of the dung beetle to Tor and how this old-Nordic god was turned into the devil by the competing Christian ideology.
      You write “to be kind to all creature big and small”. I can tell you a funny story concerning this. I have a friend who is a dedicated Buddhist, he even learned Tibetan and was the translator for the Dalai Lama years ago. You end a classic Buddhist meditation with the mantra “may all beings be happy”. He changed this by saying “may all beings be happy except the mosquitoes”.
      It’s extremely hot here, too hot to leave the house. It’s like in southern Italy. By the middle of next week, it will get cooler, at least this is forecasted. Arctic Norway with 21° – wow, that like North Norfolk with 36° right now.
      Keep cool our dear friend, stay healthy and happy
      KLEM
      xxxx
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
      Unfortunately, we don’t have Jacob Grimm’s “Deutsche Mythologie” in our library – a shame!

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Fun post. I’ve watched a few dung beetles push their poop. Always interesting. Imagine how excited their kids must be to see it arrive. I wonder if they are like baby birds being fed. I also wonder whether a regurgitated worm or a pile of poop would make a better meal. 🙂 Fortunately, I don’t have to find out. One other note. Have you seen the Mummy movie series where scarab beetles ‘get under your skin’ so to speak and do all sorts of horrible things. Hope all is well. Stay safe. –Curt

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Oh dear, dear Curt, readings about the scarab beetles going under the skin makes us shiver. No, we haven’t seen the Mummy movie series. But now, when Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma read your comment they want to see it. They love this thrill.
      Poop seems to be very nourishing. Without their poop-meals, these beetles will die.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Do you know that rabbits eat their pellets after they have dropped them on the ground. It’s necessary for digestion! The Mummy movies also include a generous dollop of humor. Doubt any were up to Oscar quality but they were fun. –Curt

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks, dear Curt. We didn’t know that the rabbits eat pellets as well. Thanks for telling us.
      We have to search the net for the Mummy movies. Especially Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma are eager to see them.
      Wishing you a geat day. We’ll go now to a exhibition of big works of Amish Kapoor in the park of a Norfolk country house.
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • I may watch one of the movies tonight! We are wandering along on our 7-10,000 mile exploration of the US during the coronavirus in our small 22 foot RV. Presently we are in the Western town of Casper Wyoming following the Oregon Trail that the wagon trains followed. Being careful, we spend a lot of time in the RV. Enjoy Kapoor and his massive, mirror sculptures. –Curt

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good morning, dear Curt,
      that sounds great going around with your RV. But be careful, stay away from people.
      We wish you happy travelling.
      The big mirror of Anish Kapoor shows the world in a funny way because on one side it’s concave and the other it’s convex. There were a lot of children with parents and grandparents. They seemed to like Kapoor’s art very much and had a lot of fun there.
      Thanks and easy travelling
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  17. Well that is a fascinating look at the history and the day to day life of the dung beetle. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in action. It seems like they are part of nature’s clean up crew. Everyone has a job to do.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Sue,
      indeed, they are the cleaning crew and very effective in doing their job.
      The task of the female dung beetle is to lay her eggs into the dung. Having done this she dies. The larvae feed on dung then and in the end becoming these quite big beetles.
      You are right, everyone has a job to do.
      Keep well.
      Thanks and all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  18. I’m glad I finished my breakfast before I read this post and viewed the video. Very interesting, but I couldn’t help screwing up my face in disgust. Yes, yes, I know it’s natural, and it’s necessary, and they do a good job, but after they deal with all these thousands of pounds of “shit” we are now left with gazillions of dung beetles. Who will eat “them”? Some bird who has no gourmet palate, I suppose.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Anneli,
      good question ‘who eats this dung beetles?’
      Selma 🙂 googled it. She found out mostly flies and some birds feed on them. Flies? Maybe they feed on the larvae?
      Anyway, let’s stop this revolting eating behaviour.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • You too.
      We’ll have friends around tonight and just got a bench and a table out under one of our apple trees. The rest of the garden is much too hot. Actually, for quite a while it’s much too hot for us and we miss the rain. What boring weather, sunshine every day and we thought we have nicely changing weather in England. Maybe we have to go back to Scandinavia, but it was quite hot there in the last years as well. One can’t escape global warming.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    • I think we have escaped global warming here in western Canada for much of the time. We may get a bit of a hot spell for a week or so but generally it has been coolish. Now I know where all the heat has gone. It’s over your way! (And in the interior of the [our] continent.)

      Liked by 2 people

    • Liebe Ursel, lieber Herbert,
      habt herzlichen Dank. Toll, dass euch Dina’s Fotos gefallen.
      Hier ist es auch hot as hot can be.
      Ganz liebe Grüße nach Frankfurt
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  21. My dear Fab Four of Cley,
    the dung beetle is really cool – do you know that a Swedish led research team has claimed an “Ig Nobel” prize, a Harvard University award which celebrates quirky discoveries, for revealing that dung beetles can find their way home in the dark by looking at the Milky Way? The annual award ceremony celebrates research discoveries that make people laugh and then think. Winners travel to the ceremony in Boston at their own expense with the Swedish success story coming from the University of Lund.
    The dung beetle has a brain the size of rice, but it’s a very cool creature indeed, have a look:

    Kram Annalena x

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Thank you so much, our dear friend, for your comment with this video, we really like. Do you know what our cheeky Selma said after having seen this video? “In this hot weather we should sit under a heap of shit” – well …
      Wishing you a great time
      KRAM
      XXXX
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  22. These are amazing creatures and amusing to watch in their rolling quest. We heard an interesting story about dung beetles being exported from South Africa to Australia to help with the removal of dung as part of a fly control program. The first batches of beetles were all carefully cleaned and sanitised and – once put in the field, they all died. There are colonies of parasites living on the beetles to keep them clean and healthy. With all our disinfecting these days – one wonders how much more damage than good is done inadvertently.
    With greetings from a wintry Cape Town.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much for your info. We are sure that we disinfect too much nowadays (before Corona, during Corona times it makes sense). When Dina and our Master were children people said: “dirt is cleaning your tummy”. We are getting more and more a sterile society. Too clean is deadly as your story shows.
      All the best, have a great weekend, stay well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  24. I’m amazed at the changes you made to the original photograph. In fact, I was more delighted and interested in that process than in the story of the dung beetle.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Mari
      we can well understand this. The different effects produced by the post-production are amazing. Sometimes the photo looks like a painting, sometimes like a drawing etc. There are so many possibilities of changing a given picture.
      Thanks for commenting.
      Enjoy the weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  25. I understand completely why Siri and Selma were excited – I share their enthusiasm. Siri and Selma have always been ahead of the rest of us on what matters most in life. This is an excellent post and a wonderful discussion. How we view the “lowly” dung beetle going forward will change. Dung beetles may have become a symbol of disgust in our culture because of what they do, but we are learning to rethink the way we understand nature, the world around us, and how we must celebrate all creatures that walk this world. Dung beetles bring an both ecological balance and economic advantage. According to what I have read, their behaviours are remarkable – their mating and nesting instincts are usually only seen in birds and mammals. They are the amazing recyclers – something that humanity has yet to embrace. Dina – your photographs are treasures. You continue to inspire me. Sending much love and many hugs to my dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Our dear friend Clanmother Rebecca,
      thank you so much for your kind comment 🙂 🙂 Especially Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma love it. They asked us already twice “have you read our dear friends comment?” You made them VERY proud 🙂 🙂
      Indeed, the dung beetles are effective recyclers transporting the dung underground to roots of the plants. We quite often oversee the work of small beings like these beetles and all the other insects. It took us quite a while until we understood the important work of these little beings. Now they are a protected species and slowly people understand what important role insects play in nature. We absolutely agree, we have to rethink how we look at nature, we can’t go on using chemical fertilizer and killing those beetles doing perfect fertilizing work f.e.
      This is the topic of Maja Lunde`s “The History of the Bees” – a novel we really liked to read.
      We send you lots of love and always love to read your comments. That’s great communication, isn’t it? We not only love it we need it. With big hugs from the other side of our world
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Siri and Selma are pure joy, Klausbernd. They understand how much our world needs their special fairy dust. We are experiencing an unprecedented disruption, which is alerting us to the challenges we face with climate change. I agree – now that we a becoming more aware of our responsibility to nature, we can make progress. Sometimes it feels like our actions are too small to make a difference – but we must persevere. Exciting news! I found “The History of Bees” by Maja Lunde. Thank you for the introduction – looking forward to the read, especially how the author brings together three time periods. I always learn something new when I stop by for a visit. Hugs and love the my dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you very much, dear Rebecca.
      Maja Lunde is a Norwegian author and her book was an unforeseen seller in Scandinavia and then in all European countries. I think she combines the three time periods pretty well. It seems to be a kind of fashion in modern literature to work with different ages. The “Outlander” does it f.e. and became a bestseller and filmed. These plot-designs teach the reader a wider historical dimension.
      Have fun reading Maja Lunde, a book Dina didn’t like as much as our Master and Siri :-).
      With big HUGs from us
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Clanmother Rebecca,
      could you possibly adopt us and let us be a distant part of your clan? We could provide fairy dust ✨💫🌟✨ for smooth transmission. We see great possibilities in expanding our fairy vision under your wings, you recognise talent when you see one, sorry two 🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻
      We are thrilled with your compliment, we don’t think anyone has mentioned Master or Dina being ahead of the rest.
      Sending you hugs and kisses and big heaps of fairy dust,
      yours truly in the name of Nature First,
      Siri and Selma 🌿🧚🏻‍♀️🍀🧚🏻

      Liked by 3 people

    • Dearest Siri and Selma, You have been my “go-to” for fairy dust over the years. I remember the fairy dust you gave the Budd clan when we visited a few years ago. So yes yes yes – come and be a part of our distant family. Your fairy dust is special for it comes with a great understanding of humanity and the need that we all have for belonging in an uncertain world. And best of all, fairy dust defies the laws of physics, overcoming time and location, traveling oceans and continents. Your heaps of fairy dust came at just the right time today. Much love, Siri and Selma. Thank you for your amazing care and kindness.

      Liked by 3 people

    • Oh dear, now the battery is flat of our McFairy tablet. Therefore we are allowed to use our Master’s notebook.
      We feel sooooo honored by being part of the Budd-family. Thank you VERY very much.
      The proud Bookfayries sending you finest fairy dust
      💫⚡️✨⚡️💫
      Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dearest Siri and Selma! Your fairy dust has been a godsend to us. We are still under a dense cloud of smoke. And now, we have an infestation of moths not seen for 20 years. It is almost apocalyptic. When a moth accidentally finds his/her way into our home, we carefully help him/her to find the way outside. It has been fun to watch their movements. Sending much love with are gratitude for your beautiful fairy dust. Hugs and more hugs. Form the Budd Family!!

      Like

  26. Amazing! And such a useful beetle! Who needs dung left just lying around? I think that vultures are useful birds that are not given the respect they deserve. Thanks for showing me the history and importance of this marvelous beetle.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Anne,
      we quite often have a blind eye for the important work that insects are doing in nature. That’s mankind’s hubris to think we can control everything in nature with manmade solutions like chemicals. That led us to lose up to 80% of all the insects in central Europe. Without insects like the dung beetle, we will not survive.
      Thanks a lot for commenting.
      We wish you a marvellous weekend, keep well and happy
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  27. What a great job these beetles do. I have a beautiful alabaster scarab on my kitchen shelf which we brought back from Egypt. It was interesting to find that their scarab-faced god represents the rising of the morning sun. Love your images.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • The idea of this representation comes from rolling the dung balls. The dung ball represented the sun and the transport of the ball was seen as the way of the sun across the sky. On the other hand, those dung beetles use to start rolling in the late afternoons and evenings and not in the mornings. Seen it like this, they would rather symbolise the setting sun.
      Thank you very much for commenting.
      Keep well and enjoy the weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • We don’t know if the absence of iridescent colours is due to this kind of dung beetle – and there are thousands of different kinds of dung beetles – or if dead beetles lose it. We saw pictures of scarabs with iridescent colours that Dina inspired to this kind of post-production of her pictures.
      Thanks for commenting and wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Ulli,
      das war das erste Mal, dass wir solch einen Mistkäfer hier fanden. Sie sind hier wohl eher selten.
      An der Küste Norfolks haben wir seit Wochen sonniges Sommerwetter, gestern war es viel zu heiß für uns, so dass wir unser Haus erst am Abend verließen. Wir drücken dir ganz fest die Daumen, dass du deinen ganzen Urlaub ein tolles Sommergefühl haben wirst.
      Wir sind noch nie in Niederbayern gewesen, kennen es nur von dem Film “Jagdszenen in Niederbayern”.
      Mit herzlichen Grüßen vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Wir sind hier bei Verwandten in einem kleinen Dorf nähe Dingolfing. Die Einheimischen reden etwas fremdartig und unverständlich, ansonsten aber sehr nett, keine niederbayerischen Jagdszenen bis jetzt. 😎

      Liked by 1 person

    • Na, dann hoffen wir, dass es so bleibt.
      Bei uns machen gerade mehr Leute Urlaub, als wir es gewöhnt sind und auch andere Schichten, die wegen des Preisniveaus glücklicher Weise sonst nicht zu uns kommen. Für deutsche Verhältnisse ist aber das Tourismusaufkommen eher als niedrig zu betrachten. Es ist immer noch leicht am Strand und im Land Plätze zu finden, wo man völlig alleine ist. Kein Mensch weit und breit.
      Dann wünschen wir euch weiterhin einen rundum schönen Urlaub
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  31. The little dung beetle is a brilliant natural fertilizer and we threaten their existence with our chemical fertilizer, how weird is that!
    I’m seriously concerned with the effect of the chemical fertilizers, especially the hidden effects. Everyone sees the green deserts where wildlife cannot live, but the effect on the soil and our waters are not so obvious. The rapid growth of the dead zones is alarming. I live in a rural part and our rivers are full plankton as a result of the fertilizers seeping into the groundwater. Yes, we need more dung beetles, please!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear John,
      we absolutely agree with you! We blogged about green deserts about 4 years ago https://fabfourblog.com/?s=Green+deserts
      We noticed how our little creeks are getting greener and greener because of this plankton growth. All these nitrates used in fertilizers kill not only the dung beetle but are responsible for the mass murder of all insects we need so much to survive.
      Thank you very much for your comment
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  32. Holy shit, they must be one of our planet’s coolest creepy crawlies!! Aaaawwesome dung beetle facts. These cool critters may be small, but in relation to its size the dung beetle must be the world’s strongest insect – I looked it up and… fell over! it’s the world’s strongest animal!!
    When moving balls of dung, a roller can pull a whopping 1,141 times its own body weight – that’s the same as a human dragging six full double-decker busses along a road! Holy shit!
    That was just for fun, guys. Hope you are fine and doing well. Keep cool.
    Sarah x

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Sarah,
      holy shit, what a great comment! We loved reading it.
      Thanks for asking, we are fine and doing well but cannot keep cool as it is too warm outside 😉
      Keep healthy and happy
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Greta,
      thank you very much 🙏 🙏
      All these pictures look more like a painting or drawing than like a photography. We love this kind of alienation that shows the typicall, the essence so to speak.
      Keep well and all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  35. Very interesting, I have never seen one in Europe. Your pictures in different colours make it rather lovely. I like you attached video and the perfect sound effects for the fight. 🙂 They are rather amazing shit animals, rolling such huge balls of shit. Thanks for some fun education. Keep cool and stay safe! Ute x

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Ute
      Thank you very much for your kind words 🙂
      We saw these dung beetles several times in Germany but it was the first time we saw one in England.
      We are quite lucky as the sea fret was blown into our village making it not only much cooler but making everything looking very magical. That will be burned by the sun in one or two hours and it will be hot again.
      We hope that you are fine. Stay cool, healthy and happy
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Liebe Almuth,
      da hast du völlig recht. Die Mistkäfer erfüllen eine höchst sinnvolle Aufgabe.
      Prima, dass dir Dinas Fotoserie gefällt. Vielen Dank.
      Liebe Grüße, bleibe gesund und munter
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Wird gemacht!
      Aber, liebe Almuth, du wirst es kaum glauben, heute Abend werden wir wie jede Woche unsere Sauna anheizen und das ‘Sonderschwitzen’ genießen.
      Liebe Grüße
      XXXX
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Danke, liebe Almuth.
      Ich las gerade bei deinem Gravatar, dass du dort das Grün lobst. Vom mir wurde gerade ein längerer Artikel über die Farbe Grün veröffentlicht in einem Themenheft zur Farbe Grün. Grün ist eine der am meisten abgelehnten Farben. Z.B. Kandinsky und einige Bauhauskünstler fanden es langweilig (> Das Geistige in der Kunst, 1910) und Bert Brecht konnte gar nichts mit Grün anfangen, wie uns Max Frisch in seinen Tagebüchern berichtete. Der deutsche Dichter Wilhelm Müller schreibt im frühen 19. Jh “Ach Grün, du böse Farbe du”.
      Das liegt u.a. scherlich daran, dass es erst im 19. Jh. möglich war ein stabiles und zugleich leuchtendes Grün herzustellen (Chromdioxidgrün).
      Das nur so nebenbei als Anmerkung zur Farbe Grün.
      Alles Gute, mach’s gut
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  38. Spannend, muus ich nochmal in Ruhe lesen.

    Zum Gewicht des dungs. Aus der Physik weiss ich, dass mit der abnehmenden grösse stärkeres Gewicht möglich ist. Hj schlichting hat bzgl. Wassertropfen, die auf ein winziges Insekt fallen, kürzlich in seinem wp- blog berichtet.

    Dung wird von vielen Insekten geschätzt, auch feine bläulinge sind darunter. Not disgusting at all. 😃

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Lieber Gerhard,
      für die Symbolik ist von Bedeutung, wie kollektiv etwas betrachtet wird und keineswegs wie es ist. Sicherlich ist das Leben der Mistkäferlarvenleben im Dung für diese wie im Schlaraffenland, aber die Menschen finden alles, was mit Scheiße verbunden ist, normaler Weise ‘disgusting’. Das siehst du auch an einigen Kommentaren zu dieser Post. Die Mistkäfer nutzen auch clever die isolierende Eigenschaft von Dung aus. Allerdings scheinen sie nur Dung von Pflanzenfressern zu lieben.
      Wir wünschen eine angenehme Woche
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
      P.S.: Heißt das, dass mit abnehmender Größe das spezifische Gewicht zunimmt?

      Liked by 2 people

    • Habe herzlichen Dank für den Link. Jetzt habe ich erst verstanden, was du meinst. Klar, je geringer der Widerstand je größeres Gewicht kann ausgehalten werden.
      Spannend mit den Käfern im Frosch.
      Mit herzlichen Grüßen vom Meer
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  39. I did not know that the dung beetle and the scarab were the same creature. Maybe I should have surmised. The secular and the sacred. The profane and the holy. Despite modern aims to decorate religion–to make it pretty–the ancients might have done better to see two sides of the coin of perception and belief. The example of Jesus is apt. He was killed upon a garbage hill while being mocked. In Christian understanding, then, he rose in majesty and glory. It all relates.

    Thank you for this study and especially for the artwork of the images. This would make a fine public exhibit, images and words, followed by discussion.

    I hope all of you are really well.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Indeed, the two sides of the coin make the scarab interesting and a symbol for life in every aspect. Interesting what you write about the story of the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection. Now we understand why the alchemist Athanasius Kircher sees the dung beetle like Jesus.
      Thank you very much for your interesting commentary.
      Wishing you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  41. You’ve enlightened me with this post. Thanks for all the info and pictures — I now feel as if I have a better grip of this bug, especially the modern version. At the University of Tennessee (and maybe at many more universities), membership in the Scarabbean society, a secret society, is an honor. I wonder how many know what this gold bug really eats!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning,
      we didn’t know about the Scarabbean Society. Thanks for mention it. Strange that this society tries to kind of revive ancient Egyptian culture.
      We hope that its members do need to ear shit 😉
      Wishing you a happy day
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  42. Being someone who has recently ran out with a bucket and spade after a horse has left a parcel, I think this little beetle is being good at recycling – mine intended for the vegetable garden. A beautiful little creature and an equally beautiful and thoughtful post.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Bella Bee
      thank you very much for your comment.
      Unfortunately, these dung beetles seem to be quite rare here. We have none in our garden.
      Wishing you a wonderful day. Stay well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  43. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on the scarab/dung beetle, Klausbernd. I don’t think I have seen a scarab beetle before but I will continue to look for one. I love Dina’s beautiful beetle images!
    I hope you are all keeping well on the North Norfolk Coast 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Clare,
      it was the first time we saw a dung beetle in our surroundings. We suppose they are quite rare here. When we lived in Germany we saw them sometimes. The best time is obviously in the evening when they start rolling their dung ball to their underground nest. But they don’t roll these balls in England, well, they are different because they are British 😉
      Thank you for liking Dina’s photography.
      We are all well, working a lot in our garden and sometimes walk to the beach. There are many tourists around so we decided to stay most of the time at home.
      Are you also well? We very much hope so and sending lots of love to Suffolk
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you, Klausbernd. I am very well and am pleased to say I have recently come out of shielding. We have a few visitors on holiday near us, too which makes everywhere so crowded.
      best wishes, Clare 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  44. Bei Langenscheidt steht als Übersetzung: heilig, geheiligt, anbetungswürdig, fromm, tugendhaft…
    Darüber meditiere ich ein wenig, nicht zu viel!
    Und dann meditiere ich noch über die harmonische Form der Scheißkugel.
    “Der Erdborer, der ausmistet, aus der Familie der Scarabaeodiea”. Aha.
    Schon interessant, wie er sich orientiert und nicht von seiner Tätigkeit abbringen lässt. Klar, ohne Shit ist er weg…
    Das kann doch unmöglich lecker sein!?
    Ich meditiere noch etwas über das Amulett-Thema, und gerade habe ich entdeckt, dass es eine Neuverfilmung von “Der dunkle Kristall” in 2019 gab…holy shit…
    Wir waren gestern auf dem Laufband und dann in der Sauna.

    Das ist ein großartiger Denkanstoß mit extraordinary Bildern.
    Great!
    Muss mich jetzt lösen, in meinem Kopf wird sonst zu viel gestreamt, ich komme dann zu nichts. Das Tagewerk…
    Garten braucht Wasser.

    Getrockneter Mist brennt ja gut, seht ihr, das streamt zu viel. Ich gehe gießen…

    Flatterige Grüße von der Tanzfee zu den Buchfeen und dem Rest der Gang!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Mist, da stimmt was nicht. Scarabaeoidea.
      Habe die Lesebrille im Odenwald vergessen. Jetzt kann ich nicht hinfahren, weil der Clio von Renault zurückgerufen wurde. Die Elektronik der Servolenkung funktioniert nicht gut. Falls jemand Renault fährt…die müssen erst mal die Teile bestellen und das kann dauern…
      Übrigens habe ich im Gemüsebeet und unter den Lavasteinen ein Vlies verlegt. Da hat man echt nicht so viel Arbeit mit den “Unkräutern”, hoffe, das schadet den kleinen Krabbeltieren nicht!?

      Liked by 2 people

    • Liebe Pia Tanzfee,
      die Kugel ist die naheliegende Form, wenn man etwas relativ Schweres transportieren möchte. Mit Rollen geht’s am Leichtesten.
      Alte heilige Symbole bieten sich seit eh für Amulette an. Es ist wahrscheinlich weniger wichtig, was das Amulett darstellt, als dass der Träger an seine Kraft glaubt.
      Toll, dass dir Dinas Bilder gefallen.
      Wir werden gleich in den Garten verschwinden zum meditativen Unkrautzupfen und Kantenschneiden.
      Ganz liebe Grüße von uns
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Nee, liebe Pia, so ein Vlies, glauben wir, stört die Krabbeltiere nicht.
      Wusstest du übrigens, dass die Käfer das häufigste Lebewesen auf unserem Planeten sind? Siri 🙂 las uns das gerade aus einem Biologiebuch vor. 25% aller bekannten Lebesformen sind Käfer, 30% aller Tiere und 40% aller Insekten. Bislang kann man 400.000 Käferarten unterscheiden. Das fand Siri 🙂 in einem hervorragenden Biologiebuch von Simon Barnes “Ten Million Aliens. A Journey through the Entire Animal Kingdom” (2014).
      Halte dich gesund und munter
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good morning, dear Julie,
      indeed, these dung beetles are very helpful by getting the dung cleared away and bring it to the root of the plants. That stops an invasion of flies. Therefore they were exported to Australia.
      Thanks for commenting.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  47. Your title is brilliant, and I learned something…I didn’t know anything about scarabs other than the connection to Egypt, jewelry, etc. I didn’t know about dung beetles either – I must have read about them long ago and forgotten everything I read – what would Freud say to that? 😉 In any case, thanks for the reintroduction. It’s been quite a diversion – like you say, they’re fascinating for their life cycle and for the symbolism. Apparently, we have a scarab beetle in Washington that has hair, called the little bear beetle – it’s kind of cute! Dina’s last photograph is my favorite. Have a great weekend!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Lynn,
      we hardly have any dung beetles here. It was the first time that Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma found one, we never saw one before.
      There are so much different kinds of dung beetles but they all look more or less alike. Your hairy beetle looks really cute. We had look at a picture of it.
      Dina played a lot with her new post-production programme. Actually, the reason we blogged about the scarab beetle was to present these pictures. We once learned in our biology lessons about this beetle but we had all this forgotten too and it was fun to learn it again with our dear Bookfayries.
      Wishing you a great weekend as well and thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  48. Guten Morgen, ihr Lieben,
    ich habe nicht alle 147 Kommentare gelesen, so weiß ich nicht, ob vor mir schon jemanden eingefallen ist, dass der Mistkäfer Kurt im Zeichentrickfilm Biene Maja für meine Generation noch ein Begriff ist. Ich habe diese Serie als Kind sehr gerne gesehen und so viel über Insekten gelernt.
    Es ist schon interessant wie unterschiedlich verschiedene Völker die Dinge wahrnehmen, ach! wenn es sich doch “nur” um Mistkäfer handeln würde.
    Einen schönen Wochenbeginn von Susanne

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Susanne,
      habe herzlichen Dank für deinen Kommentar. Leider, leider ist die Biene Maja völlig an mir vorbeigegangen. Sie wurde auch von keinem vor dir hier erwähnt.
      Ich finde das ein spannendes Thema, wie unterschiedlich verschiedene Völker Dinge wahrnehmen. Als ich die Rechte für mein Lexikon der Symbole nach Russland, China und selbst in die USA vertkaufte, saß ich oft Wochen mit der entsprechenen Lektorin zusammen, um die Bedetungen für den jeweiligen Kulturbereich anzupassen. Das war fast so viel Arbeit, wie ein Neuschreiben.
      Auch dir einen wunderbaren Wochenbeginn
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Das klingt sehr interessant, Klausbernd. Es war bestimmt sehr bereichernd, die Symbolik von Russland, China und der USA kennenzulernen. Ich liege gerade in einem Sonnenstuhl und beantworte mit dem iPad auf dem Schoß meine Kommentare. Es ist schön, zwischendurch den Blick gleiten zu lassen und auf den Blumen verweilen zu lassen.
      Liebe Grüße nach Cley von Susanne

      Liked by 1 person

    • Liebe Susanne,
      puh, was haben wir heute geschwitzt, wie in der Sauna. Es fehlte nur der Aufguss. Es war nicht gerade der günstigste Tag, um Bücher zu schleppen. Jetzt erholen wir uns erst einmal im kühlen Haus. Dina bereitet einen Podcast über ihre Fotografie vor, der in Kanada (Vancouver) produziert wird. Masterchen wird danach in einem Podcast als Farbspezialist vorgestellt. Ansonsten machen wir es uns zu Hause gemütlich. Bei der Hitze, etwas über 30 Grad C, kann man es eigentlich nur im Drink im Liegestuhl aushalten. Wir machen es dir nach und meditieren auf die Blumen.
      Mit ganz lieben Grüßen vom warmen Meer so sehr
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lieber Klausbernd,
      hier in Berlin sind die Temperaturen zum Glück auf 21 Grad heruntergegangen, was meinem Kreislauf nicht gefällt. Aber das wird schon wieder. Micha und ich gehen jetzt zur Stabi, meine kleineren Zeichnungen für die Broschüre scannen zu lassen. Ich war seit Anfang des Jahres nicht mehr in der Stabi und freue mich auf die Atmosphäre des Gebäudes. 🙂
      Liebe Grüße senden wir euch vier aus Berlin von Susanne und Micha

      Liked by 1 person

    • Liebe Susanne,
      hier ist es jetzt auch kühler geworden, und wir haben einen mächtigen Sturm seit gestern Nachmittag. Wir lieben solche Stürme, die den Herbst ankündigen. Unsere Wiese ist übersät mit Äpfeln, die massenweise vom Baum fielen. Da wird’s wohl viel Apfelkompott mit Ingwer geben, eine Lieblingsspeise von Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma.
      Masterchen wird heute einen gemütlichen Lesetag haben.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom mächtig stürmischen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dann wünsche ich euch allen einen guten Appetit. Wir hatten heute zum Mittag Kartoffeln mit Quark und Heringen. Lecker! Das hatten wir lange nicht.
      Einen schönen Nachmittag zum stürmischen Meer von Susanne und Micha

      Liked by 1 person

    • Liebe Susanne,
      das mögen wir auch gerne, besonders Masterchen, und wir hatten es gerade letzte Woche. Allerdings wir kennen das nur ohne Quark, nur Heringe, Dillsauce und neue Kartoffeln – LECKER! Mit Quark werden wir die Tage versuchen, denn wir haben noch einige eingelegte Heringe.
      Hier ist das Wetter unbeständig geworden. So soll’s auch bis Mitte nächster Woche bleiben und dann soll der Sommer wieder zurückkommen.
      Habt’s fein, liebe Grüße
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  49. Pingback: Tagebucheintrag 16. und 17.. August 2020 – Bla, Bla, Bla – Zeichnung von Susanne Haun | Susanne Haun

  50. Liebe Susanne,
    herzlichen Dank für unsere Erwähnung & Verlinkung 🙏 🙏 🙏 👍
    Der Mistkäfer Kurt bedankt sich und schimmert vor Stolz in allen Regenbogenfarben.
    Liebe Grüße vom sonnigen Meer
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  51. I just found that the Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen wrote a tale “The Dungbeetle”. It’s a funny fairy tale that made us laugh out loud.
    All the best, keep well
    Klausbernd
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Like

    Reply

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