On the Root to Recovery

by

The heath was burning. Admittedly, compared to other fires in southern Europe, Australia and North America, it was only a small, narrowly confined fire. Nevertheless, the gorse was ablaze.
When we went with Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma two days after the hot flames had been extinguished, it still smelled so bad that our dear Bookfayries quickly retreated into the car, holding their noses.

Auf der Heide brannte es. Freilich im Vergleich zu anderen Bränden im südlicheren Europa, Australien und Nordamerika war es nur ein kleiner, eng begrenzter Brand. Immerhin brannte der Stechginster lichterloh. Als wir mit Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma zwei Tage nach dem gelöschten Brand voyeuristisch gucken fuhren, roch es noch so, dass unsere Buchfeen sich die Nase zuhaltend flugs ins Auto zurückzogen.

Salthouse Heath 2 days after the big fire

It burned during the summer drought on Salthouse Heath. To the right of the road loomed the black charred skeletons of gorse.
“This is exactly how I imagine the land of Mordor to be,” whispered Siri :-), while Dina pinched her finger sore photographing.

Es brannte während der sommerlichen Trockenheit auf Salthouse Heath. Rechts von der Straße drohten schwarz verkohlte Skelette des Stechginsters.
“So stelle ich mir das Land Mordor vor“, flüsterte Siri :-), während Dina sich den Finger wund knipste.

The smell!

Two weeks later on the next visit, our dear Bookfayries brought pegs for their noses, colour-coordinated with their T-shirts, which was, however, unnecessary. Completely amazed, we saw how nature reclaimed this Waste Land in no time at all. It just seemed as if the black ash acted as fertiliser for the ferns, which sprouted cheerfully and offered a graceful contrast to the scorched earth.
As we were talking about how nature is fortunately not so easily subdued, a young deer came running across the small country road as ordered, which we found almost too kitschy.

Beim nächsten Besuch zwei Wochen später brachten unsere Buchfeen Wäscheklammern für ihre Nasen mit, farblich zu ihren T-Shirts passend, was jedoch ganz und gar unnötig war. Völlig erstaunt sahen wir, wie die Natur sich dieses Waste Land in Windeseile zurückeroberte. Es schien gerade so, als ob die schwarze Asche als Dünger für die Farne wirkte, die munter sprießten und einen anmutigen Kontrast zur verbrannten Erde boten.
Als wir darüber sprachen, dass die Natur glücklicher Weise nicht so leicht unterzukriegen ist, kam wie bestellt, ein junges Reh über die kleine Landstraße gelaufen, was wir fast schon zu kitschig fanden.

On Salthouse Heath, the British doctor and homeopath Edward Bach once collected the Bach flowers for his type of homeopathic therapy. According to him, the Bach flower Gorse gives strength in even seemingly hopeless situations. Here the burnt gorse seems to have given strength to nature. – And for the romantics, as long as the gorse is in bloom, one should kiss according to English folklore. Up on the heath, there is always a gorse bush in bloom.

Auf Salthouse Heath hatte Edward Bach u.a. einst die Bachblüten für seine Art der homöopathischen Therapie gesammelt. Die Bachblüte Gorse (Stechginster) gibt ihm zufolge Kraft in selbst aussichtslos erscheinenden Situationen. Hier scheint der verbrannte Stechginster der Natur Kraft gegeben zu haben. – Und noch etwas für die Romantiker, solange der Stechginster blüht, soll man sich englischer Folklore gemäß küssen. Oben auf der Heide blüht immer ein Stechginsterbusch.

In the past, our dear Master told us, the heath was burnt down every summer, partly to put the gorse in its place and partly because the ashes fertilises the land. However, this was done at the expense of the smaller animals, which, like the snakes and lizards, could not escape. That is why human kindling was stopped years ago. It was the first time that the heath burned again above the sea, where people had been moving and settling since the Bronze Age.

Früher, so erzählte uns Masterchen, brannte man jeden Sommer die Heide ab, einesteils um den Stechginster in die Schranken zu weisen und zum anderen, weil die Asche das Land dünkt. Allerdings das geschah auf Kosten der kleineren Tiere, die wie die Schlangen und Echsen nicht fliehen konnten. Deswegen wurde das menschliche Zündeln vor Jahren eingestellt. Dies war das erste Mal wieder, dass die Heide oberhalb des Meeres brannte, dort wo seit der Bronzezeit Menschen entlangzogen und siedelten.

Now the drought is over. The rain filled our water butts and man and nature breathe a sigh of relief together. From today’s rainy coast warm greetings

Jetzt ist es mit der Trockenheit vorbei, es regnete, dass unsere Wassertonnen gefüllt sind und Mensch und Natur gemeinsam aufatmen. Von der heute regnerischen Küste herzliche Grüße

The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

.

© Text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers and Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea, 2022

115 thoughts

  4. Einerseits erschreckend die Bilder – insbesondere die ersten beiden. Andererseits aber auch Mut und Hoffnung geben, dass sich (zumindest) die Natur verhältnismäßig schnell von so einen lokalen Event erholen kann.
    Viele Grüße und ein schönes Wochenende

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Ganz herzlichen Dank, liebe Hermine.
      Wir waren echt erstaunt, wie schnell sich die Natur erholt. Das hatten wir nicht erwartet. Nach dem Regen jetzt, ist alles wieder derart grün, dass das Verbrannte gar nicht mehr ins Auge fällt.
      Liebe Grüße. Wir wünschen dir ein tolles Wochenende
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  5. My dear friends,
    what a remarkable title! I have made a note and will mention it to my students on Monday. I love Salthouse Heath, have been there with you many times and have wandered in the footsteps of Edward Bach, all the way to Cromer where he lived.

    Wonderful photography, Dina. It’s uplifting to see how nature can recover. Thank you for sharing and also a huge thank you for the parcel with Susan Hill’s captivating books. I’m well into “Howards End is on the landing” and find it unputdownable.
    Kram,
    Annalena x

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dearest Annalena,
      we are quite often walking up on the heath. We like that you are mostly on own up there. Hiking the way to Sheringham and Cromer you get breathtaking views of the sea.
      We love Susan Hill’s books, especially “Howard’s End is on the Landing” and “Jacob’s Room is full of Books”. We got to know her because we do this book corner in our church. She donated most of her library to us as she goes smaller. You know, a lot of writers living here, she is the most famous of them all.
      With lots and lots of love ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
      KRAM 🤗🤗🤗🤗
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  6. There are some plants in Australia which need fire to continue to grow and propagate. So it might be a good thing sometimes. A whole forest or too big a fire is still not great. It is worrying when fire spreads quickly and eats every thing in its path.
    We are also happy to have our waterbuds filled up again as we really struggled with watering . We saved every drop.
    Autumn is coming and that is good too; it will be beautiful ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Ute,
      we ran out of water this summer as well although we can save about 1000 ltr. But it was so dry, hot and sunny that we had to water twice a day quite often. We saved the water from our baths but was not enough (oh dear, we bath not enough 😉 ) Siri 🙂 told us that she saw a dirty car. It was written in the dirt: I save water.
      We read that too that some plants needs such fires for propagating.
      Now the weather is fine here on the coast. Temperatures are moderate again and fortunately we had lots of rain during the last week.
      We love autumn too. It’s the season we love best.
      Thanks for commenting.
      Wishing you a relaxing weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. It is wonderful to see nature reclaim land from devastating fires. Just a shame for the poor slower animals that cannot escape the flames.
    Excellent combination of words and wonderful photos, as always.
    Love from Beetley, Pete and Ollie. X

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Pete,
      nature is a great survivor. The fire seems to help as well as it destroys. It’s a bit like the medieval concept of purgatory.
      Thank you very much for your kind words, we very much appreciate.
      With love ❤ from the sunny and breezy sea to you and Ollie
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Such beautiful photography! I wonder if the wildfires may have been caused by lightning.

    At the wildlife refuge I often go to, they conducted controlled burning to remove some unwanted plants and weeds. Afterwards, it looked terrible, mostly black. However, within the same year the refuge looked green again, with only a few burn marks here and there. Now, nobody can tell there was a fire there.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • We suppose you are right. In such relatively remote areas it’s the lightning starting fire. Salthouse Heath is prone to catch lightning as it is a hill next to the sea.
      We are amazed how quick nature takes over again.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Dear mermaid,
      thank you very much 🙏 🙏
      Risen from the ashes is quite a theme in mythology. In a way Grimm’s fairy tale Cinderella can be read allegorical as nature wins in the end.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Dearest friends,
    I really like your post.
    Fortunately you were not in danger that the fire would reach your beautiful home.
    As you wrote before that new life rises from the ashes is an old topic of myths and fairy tales. But whom I am telling this? You know much better.
    Dear Dina your pictures are excellent – like always. I am a great admirer of your photography. I can well understand that magazines and papers print your pictures.
    Black ashes remind me on the area of the Beerenberg on Jan Mayen. You have been there.
    We’ll phone on one of the next evenings
    LOVE
    Per Magnus

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Our dear friend Per Magnus,
      the area at the foot of the Beerenberg was an amazing field of thick black ashes where the famous weather station had been. We were very happy that we had the chance to visit Jan Mayen and Bear Island, both places hardly ever visited. Unfortunately that has changed.
      Thanks for liking Dina’s photography.
      Cley and Salthouse were never in danger that the fire would reach the houses. There were many fire brigades immediately on the scene keeping the fire small.
      Have a happy weekend.
      Do have the beginning of what we would call winter now?
      Lots of love
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hi, liebe Brigitte,
      dass es der Heide guttut, das wussten wir nicht. Aber es sieht so aus.
      Das frische Grün gegen die schwarze Farbe kommt echt gut.
      Liebe Grüße vom Meer und vielen Dank
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  15. A marvelous post as always Fab Four – and Hanne’s images are wonderful. It gives us hope that nature, despite our best efforts, may continue to thrive. It would be nice if we would give her a bit of help though, wouldn’t it?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much, dear Tina 🙏 🙏
      Nature is a survivor. To help her or even better not to cause damage first would be very welcome. Here on the heath she will cope without any help. As we just learned from Brigitte, burning down is good for a heath and the gorse.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Auch in Australien wird das kontrollierte Abbrennen von Buschgebieten immer noch in einigen Gegenden gemacht. Es dient der Brandvorbeugung und dem intensiveren Wachstum einiger Pflanzen. Leider konnte das die verheerenden Brände im letzten Jahr nicht verhindern.
    Liebe Grüße,
    Elvira

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Danke, liebe Elvira, für deinen Hinweis. Zum Glück war unser Brand nur ein Brändchen.
      Mit lieben Grüßen von der sonnigen, jedoch herbstlichen Küste
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Fab Four of Cley,
    How wonderful to see Nature repair – it would do so well without humans, I believe.
    Thank you, Dina, for the excellent photography!
    Take care of yourselves and have a fantastic weekend!
    GP

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  18. Excellent images from Hanne, and yes, Nature will always recover. Long after we are gone, she will thrive. When I was a child, my grandmother used to burn last year’s dry grass to make the new grow. Most people did in those days. But as you say, not so good for the little creatures living there.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Ann-Christine,
      great that you like Dina’s pictures. Thank you!
      Our dear Master remembers that in his youth German farmers burned their fields after the harvest in autumn. Here on Salthouse Heath lightning has caused the fire.
      All the best, keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Leya,
      Great that you like Dina’s pictures. Our dear Master remembers that German farmers used to burn their field in his youth after the harvest in autumn. He remembers it because he was fascinated that looking at the sun behind the smoke the sun was red. That was the beginning of his interest in light and colour.
      Thanks 🙏 🙏 Wishing you all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Anne,
      we always have our little Rescue Remedy bottle with us at home and when we are travelling. We didn’t know that there exists Rescue Sleep as well.
      Dr Bach was a fashionable doctor in Cromer when Cromer was an in-place for summer holidays. Arthur Conan Doyle and many other celebrities as well as the nobility used to spend the summer there. Bach could afford spending a lot of time collecting the flowers and doing his research about the effects of his remedies (and nosodes). Later he moved to Oxfordshire where the Bach Centre is nowadays.
      Thank you very much.
      Keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  20. It’s a process we’ve watched with amazement here too, Klaus. Really love those blackened tree roots in ‘smell’. I’ve seen controlled burns on the York Moors in the past. Didn’t realise that had been discontinued.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Jo,
      it’s great to watch the power of nature.
      Here, the burning of the Heath was discontinued many years ago because of the little animals that can’t escape. We don’t know how it is on the York Moors but we suppose that they stopped it there as well.
      Thanks for commenting.
      All the best, keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  21. I’m lucky to ilve among prairies that often experience prescribed burns, as do certain areas in the forests of east Texas. I once documented a two months’ long recovery process on one of those parcels, and it was a wonderful experience. Even the ashes held treasures, and watching the regeneration was quite something. Dina’s photos capture it beautifully. One of the things I love most about those burns is that it’s not always possible to predict what will come back. In one instance, an entire quarter section that had been grasses and woody growth turned into the most amazing display of spider lilies I’ve ever seen. I’d never seen a single lily in that place, but after the fire they stretched away as far as the eye could see.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Linda,
      thank you very much for your report of the effect of burning in your area. We are quite curious now what will grow on the heath in a couple of weeks.
      Keep healthy and happy
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Your photos really bring it home. I’ve been through 2 large fires that required evacuation. Coming back, it’s like seeing a parched distant planet. I also learned years ago that the large Ponderosa Pines as well as many other conifers require fire to open their seeds. It’s hard to see the devastation but there is joy in seeing it come back to life. I never take water for granted. I save the water it takes to get to the warm for showers and dishes and put that on our trees outside the apartments. I wait till no one can see me doing it. Seems like I am alone in this here.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Oh dear, you experienced real fires. In comparison our fire was rather like a bonfire. Fortunately this fire was not dangerous because there are no houses on this part of Salthouse Heath and several fire brigades were immediately at the scene.
      We collect water here as well as quite often we don’t have any rain between Eastern and the end of October. We need this water for our gardens. We don’t have much trees here as we are living next to the sea.
      Thanks and all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  27. The opening photo of the root coming to life again is so beautiful ~ brilliant as this is the way of nature (of our forests, plants, and humans too). The past decade of wildfires, especially those in the USA around the areas I grew up, is a sad thing to witness but your post also shows the hope/strength in nature. Also, I have to say that your life is made more special with your two Bookfayries; their astute observations and reactions always bring a smile, especially when I enjoy Siri’s comment: “This is exactly how I imagine the land of Mordor to be.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Randall
      Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma are sending their love with golden fairy dust ✨💫🌟💫✨
      As we wrote before, our fire was like a little camp fire in comparison to those fires in the USA. There were several fire brigades immediately on the scene and fortunately there was never any danger for people and their houses.
      Our beloved Bookfayries make our life interesting and happy. They make us laugh 😂 😂 quite often. Proudly we are amazed how clever they are.
      All the best and thanks for your comment
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  28. 🙂 Tolle Fotos! Eure Geschichte weckt Kindheitserinnerungen…
    Ich habe als Kind mal einen Brand in der Heide in Niedersachsen erlebt. Da haben tagelang Mann und Maus (und natürlich sämtliche Frauen!) Feuer geschlagen, Wasser ausgeschüttet und geholfen, dass der Brand nicht komplett ausartet. Ich habe mich damals sehr gefürchtet. Sehr, sehr lange hat man die verbrannte Landschaft gerochen und ich habe heute noch diesen ganz besonderen, Furcht erregenden Geruch in der Nase, der mich immer an die Naturgewalt Feuer erinnert.
    Zum Glück haben sich Fauna und Flora dann wieder durchgesetzt und kräftig angefangen zu blühen.
    Schönes Wochenende und liebe Grüße
    Claudia 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Liebe Claudia,
      na, da war das ja bei uns sehr harmlos. Es war nie richtig gefährlich. Innerhalb eines Tages war der Brad gelöscht. Allerdings wenn man die Flammen und den Rauch sah, konnte man schon Angst bekommen.
      Toll, dass dir Dinas Fotografie gefällt. Vielen Dank 🙏 🙏
      Es ist erstaunlich, wie es zunehmend grüner wird, jedes Mal wenn wir über Salthouse Heath fahren, um bei Lidl deutsche Lebensmittel einzukaufen (Masterchen liebt Weizenbier und Schwarzwälder Schinken). Lidl steht hier hoch im Kurs.
      Mit lieben lieben Grüßen vom stürmischen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  29. Schoen, lieber Klausbernd, dass dieses Feuer nur raeumlich eng begrenzt war und dass sich so sehr schnell wieder frisches Gruen zeigt. Die Natur erweist sich – manchmal jedenfalls – als sehr resilient.
    Hier bei uns hatten wir Anfang August ein Wald- und Grasfeuer, das ca. 6 Quadratkilometer Wald vernichtet hat. Es war nur knapp 6 Meilen von unserem Haus weg, aber wir hatten keine Angst. Es liegt genug unbewaldetes Gelaende dazwischen. Zum Glueck gab es keinen Personenschaden: alle Leute sind rechtzeitig evakuiert worden. Und es sind auch keine Haeuser abgebrannt. Wir waren noch nicht dort, um zu sehen, wie es jetzt aussieht. Immer noch ziemlich schwarz, vermute ich mal. Und nach meiner Erfahrung wird es durchaus laenger – ein paar Jahre – dauern, bis es dort wieder richtig gruent.
    Liebe Gruesse,
    Pit

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Lieber Pit,
      zumindest in unserer Klimazone grünt es nach Feuer wieder schnell, wovon auch andere hier berichten. Wir nehmen an, es hängt von der Klimazone ab, wie schnell sich die Natur erholt. Es regnete zwei Tage nach dem Feuer, was sicherlich hier half.
      6 Quadratkilometer Wald abgebrannt, das ist schon sehr viel. Zum Glück ward ihr nicht bedroht.
      Mit lieben Grüßen von der heute regnerischen Küste
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Lieber Klausbernd,
      hier, in unserer (semi)ariden Klimazone, ist das natuerlich anders. Hier dauert es nach solchen Waldbraenden mehrere Jahre, bis es wieder gruent. Aber es tut es. Die Natur ist schon widerstandsfaehig.
      Liebe Gruesse,
      Pit

      Liked by 1 person

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Vera,
      habe herzlichen Dank fürs Kommentieren.
      Zum Glück ist die Natur eine Überlebenskünstlerin.
      Mit lieben ❤ Grüßen
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Hi, liebe Kristallina,
      in der Tat, das sollte ein hoffnungsvoller Bericht sein. Wir sind der (naiven?) Ansicht, dass alles letztlich gut wird.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hey Jude
      they are cute our beloved Bookfayries, aren’t they?
      Thank you very much for liking Dina’s photos 🙏 🙏
      Wishing you a wonderful week. We hope you are well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  35. I tried to send a comment but it didn’t come through so I will try again:

    Hi Klausbernd, Vancouver had a few days of smoke about a week ago that originated from interior fires. A reminder that what happens in one location impacts other areas. I just discovered the book “Finding the Mother Tree” by Suzanne Simard. I think you may know of this book. We have been in transit, traveling Via Rail and happened to sit with someone who was in the middle of the book. With her recommendation, I logged into my on-line Vancouver Public Library and placed a hold on Find the Mother Tree. It will be 18 weeks before it will come to me, a testament to the profound message that is held within the pages. I was reminded of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Treebeard. Here is a short video.

    “Simard writes – in inspiring, illuminating, and accessible ways – how trees, living side by side for hundreds of years, have evolved, how they perceive one another, learn and adapt their behaviors, recognize neighbors, and remember the past; how they have agency about the future; elicit warnings and mount defenses, compete and cooperate with one another with sophistication, characteristics ascribed to human intelligence, traits that are the essence of civil societies – and at the center of it all, the Mother Trees: the mysterious, powerful forces that connect and sustain the others that surround them.”
    https://suzannesimard.com

    Sending hugs and lots of love to my dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dearest Rebecca,
      for some mysterious reasons we found your comment in our spam file. Sorry
      Thank you very much for your comment with this video. Seven years ago the German forester Peter Wohlleben wrote several books about the same topic. The book was then on all the important lists of bestselling books in Germany. One of his books “The Hidden Life of Trees” is translated into English.
      We suppose it’s important to see trees differently and Suzanne Simard and Peter Wohlleben helped us to change our perspective on trees.
      Thanks to making us again aware how important trees are in our life and what we can learn from those beings.
      With big hugs and lots of love ❤ ❤
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
      P.S. By the way I had a problem with commenting on your blog as well. I got an email about a comment on your blog but I couldn't find this comment on your blog. Nevertheless I answered.

      Liked by 1 person

  36. Hui!
    Diese Fotos sind ja mega!

    Also ich kaufe bei Bauer König und dann nur noch Kleinigkeiten bei Lidl…

    Ich sende euch herzliche Grüße

    Der Farn wuchert im Odenwald…

    Es hat ja auch kräftig geregnet!!!

    All shall be well…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Liebe Pia,
      Lidl hat in England eine völlig andere Reputation als in Deutschland. Du weißt ja, in England ist alles klassenmäßig unterschieden, auch die Supermärkte. Wer etwas auf sich hält, kauft die leckeren Sachen bei Waitrose und Salz, Milch etc, eben den täglichen Bedarf, bei Lidl. Lidl ist hier sehr beliebt. Es war auch lange Zeit für uns die einzige Möglichkeit Schwarzbrot, Schwarzwälder Schinken, Weizenbier und deutsche Salami zu kaufen.
      Danke, dass dir Dina’s Fotos gut gefallen.
      Mit ganz lieben Grüßen von uns allen
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  37. HI Klausbernd, I am sorry to know your heath also burned during the recent drought. Our park sometimes burns at the end of winter. The fires are often deliberately set by local people who believe the same as the ancient Brits did about the renewal of the grass. It is a bit silly in the city where there are no cows, but it is an old belief and hard to stamp out. I do not like it when the park burns, the black ash blows every where for ages after. I am so glad your drought has ended. We have yet to get rain and it has been 4 months since the last rain in May.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  39. It’s good to see a positive post about wildfires – Dina, your photos are outstanding! There’s a section of forest near here than burned less than ten years ago. The huge Douglas fir trees were fine because their bark is very thick. Firefighters arrived so the fire didn’t burn for a very long time. But the smaller plants suffered. Now it’s interesting to walk through there and see the new green plants against the black, charred bark of the older trees. We have to learn to live with fire!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Lynn,
      the same happened here as well, the bigger trees survived the smaller plants didn’t. Here it was mostly the dry gorse that burned down. As gorse is very invading we actually are quite happy that some of the gorse burned otherwise it takes over the nature on the heath.
      We used to live which such fires. Then the controlled burning stopped and now we have to live with uncontrolled burning. But it’s not such a problem as there are no houses on the heath or near it. We suppose it’s different at yours and then there is more material at yours that can catch fire.
      Thanks for commenting.
      Wishing you a happy day
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • That’s right, the situation in much of the west is worse because there’s more to burn, there is extreme drought, the forests aren’t being managed well, and too many people build close to forests. Where we live, only the summer is dry, the rest of the year is wet. Wildfires are rare but sometimes the smoke from wildfires many miles away drifts over us. I hope our understanding of the problems and the will to do something about them won’t be outrun by the problems we’ve made.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Lynn,
      the landscape is managed quite well here either by organisations like the Norfolk Wildlife Trust or by the big estates. In comparison to other European areas it’s quite dry here but usually there is enough rain in autumn and winter – unfortunately hardly any snow.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ganz herzlichen Dank, liebe Martina.
      Da geben wir dir völlig recht, Mensch und Natur sollten in Harmonie zusammenleben.
      Mit herzlichen Grüßen vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Jennie,
      thank you very much for liking our post.
      We read that some trees need a forest fire. There are quite few forests here at our coast. In our case the gorse was burning and this was good as the gorse is taking over and it has to be reduced.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • It’s fascinating that some trees need a forest fire to break their seeds and reproduce. Burning forests selectively is a good thing, the gorse is a case in point. Happy weekend!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Cathy,
      you are right, the fires on the heath were always to be seen quite well from the coast road coming from Morston driving to Sheringham. We remember that it burned on several places at our coast in 1975.
      Thank you very much for commenting.
      Have a happy week to come
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 :-).

      Liked by 1 person

  43. Tolle Bilder zu diesem Naturgeschehen, liebe Dina!
    Schon nach der enorm langen Trockenheit hier, war ich erstaunt, wie schnell es wieder grünte.
    Dass Asche Dünger ist, glaube ich. Ebenso Lava, die den Boden fruchtbar macht. Beispielsweise hier bei uns der Kaiserstuhl.

    Liebe Grüße,
    Syntaxia

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Liebe Syntaxia,
      habe herzlichen Dank fürs Kommentieren.
      Ja, diese Asche ist wunderbarer Dünger. Da wir nun hier in die Regenzeit eintreten, wirkt das auch besonders wachstumsfördernd, erst Feuer dann Wasser.
      Als Kind fuhr Masterchen mit seinen Eltern zum Kaiserstuhl, um dort Wein einzukaufen. Er kann sich deswegen relativ gut daran erinnern, da er eine halbe Weinschorle beim Winzer trinken durfte. Sein erster alkoholischer Drink und auch nicht sein letzter 😉
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  44. Es sieht so aus, als könnte ich, nach einigen Fehlversuchen, wieder kommentieren. (Unsere Tochter hat das mit ein paar Klicks ermöglicht.)

    Ist es nicht wunderbar, wie schnell sich die Natur von Brandschäden erholt und mit frischer Kraft “ins Kraut schiesst”!
    Die schönen Fotos zeigen diesen Prozess eindrücklich auf.
    Herzlichen Dank dafür und einen schönen Sonntagabendgruss,
    Brigitte

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Liebe Brigitte,
      gratuliere, es hat geklappt. Herzlichen Dank für deinen Kommentar.
      Ja, es macht schon Freude zu sehen, wie alles mit frischer Kraft ins Kraut schießt. Welch schöner Ausdruck, den wir lange nicht mehr gehört oder gelesen haben.
      Wir wünschen dir eine wunderschöne Woche.
      Mit lieben Grüßen
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  45. Siri, Selma, gestern hat es bei uns in der Wallfahrtskirche, aus noch ungeklärten Gründen, gebrannt. Wisst ihr da was? Was sagen denn die Feuerfeen, oder gibt´s die gar nicht? Jetzt ist die Maria ganz verkohlt…

    Bäume sind unglaublich toll!

    Ganz herzliche Grüße von eurem Pialein

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Liebes Pialein,
      klar doch, es gibt die Feuerfeen, die ja auch bei unserem Brand auf der Heide gezündelt haben. Da war ihnen dieses stachelige Ginsterzeugs zu piekig, sagten sie uns. Bei euch geht ihnen das christliche Getue auf die Neven und diese Maria, die jungfräulich gebar, finden sie völlig lächerlich. So geschwärzt wie die schwarzen Madonnen gefällt sie ihnen schon viel besser.
      Das alles raunten sie uns, Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma, zu.
      Von uns herzallerliebste Grüße und ein tolles Wochenende
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ja, liebe Feen, da ist Einiges schief gegangen…
      Ich wasche jetzt Wäsche, solange der Strom noch fließt…später würde ich die Wäsche einfach raus in den Regen hängen?

      Übrigens war das eigentliche “Aschenputtel” bei unseren Aufführungen immer krank…es musste ganz schön improvisiert werden.
      Die Tauben waren herrlich! Haben einfach gemacht, was sie wollten…Choreografie hin oder her…ich bin gerade noch mal so drum herum gekommen das Aschenputtel zu spielen….

      In der Gnadenkapelle scheint ja noch alles in Ordnung zu sein, da kann man die Schwarze Madonna besuchen (der Kirchgarten mit Kapelle war früher mein Kinderspielplatz…notgedrungen…andere Geschichte…) Aber da hängt immer noch so einer herum, grauenhaft finde ich das…kein schöner Anblick.

      Da schaue ich lieber nochmal Hannes Fotos vom erstarkenden Grün an!!! Und atme tief durch…draußen im Wald….

      Ein supertolles langes Wochenende auch für Euch!!!!!!!

      Liebdrücker vom Pialein

      Ich lese dann auch nochmal das Buch von Konsalik…

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dir auch gaaaanz liebe ❤ Grüße von uns.
      Wir waren heute im Wald, um Fliegenpilze zu suchen und zu fotografieren. Huch, das war gar nicht so einfach. Zuerst fanden wir alle mögliche Pilze, aber keine Fliegenpilze, jedoch gen Ende fanden wir gleich vier.
      Ja, das Aschenputtel, erst demütig und sich dann aus der Asche erheben gleich dem Phönix.
      Mach's gut, hab's fein
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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