What to Blog About? (part II)

by

“Could you please have a think about what we could blog about?”
Dina: “What about my early morning visit to the hares? Or my first Dartford Warbler building a nest?”
Goodness me! We really are never spared anything.
What on earth are you supposed to blog about when you haven’t experienced anything spectacular?
No exhibitions. No trips. No dramatic life crises. Not even a scandalous cake recipe. Just everyday life. And books, of course. Even that’s getting complicated.

„Könntet ihr euch bitte mal Gedanken darüber machen, worüber wir bloggen könnten?“
Du meine Güte! Uns bleibt wirklich nichts erspart.
Worüber soll man bloggen, wenn man nichts Spektakuläres erlebt hat?
Keine Ausstellung. Keine Reise. Keine dramatische Lebenskrise. Nicht einmal ein skandalöses Kuchenrezept. Nur Alltag. Und natürlich Bücher. Selbst das wird kompliziert.

This is a busy time of the year for all birds. To find a local male Dartford Warbler with nesting material made Dina jump with joy.

There lies “The Gaze” by Elif Shafak on the table. We love Shafak. We really do. But this time, we’re looking into the book – and the book is looking back at us. We get the feeling that we just don’t understand it. We don’t usually admit this to ourselves, but what the heck?
And then there’s that monumental novel, ‘Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell’, Susanna Clarke’s debut work running to over a thousand pages. Over a thousand pages! Charming, eccentric magicians of the Learned Society of Magicians populate the opening. There are vast libraries, but no magic practised for decades. We’re on page 50, only fifty! We find the text highly entertaining and carry on reading about the magicians’ eccentricities.
In doing so, we feel a bit caught out: we’ve read a lot, collected a lot, piled up a lot – but where is our own magic? Lots of theory, no practice. What are we actually doing with everything we’ve read? Are we just using it to decorate our shelves?

Da liegt ‘The Gaze‘ von Elif Shafak auf dem Tisch. Wir lieben Shafak. Wirklich. Aber diesmal schauen wir in das Buch – und das Buch schaut zurück. Wir haben das Gefühl, dass wir es einfach nicht verstehen. Eigentlich gestehen wir uns das nicht zu, aber was soll’s?
Und dann ist da noch dieses Monument von einem Roman ‘Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell‘, das über tausend Seiten lange Erstlingswerk von Susanna Clarke. Über tausend Seiten! Liebenswerte exzentrische Magiere der Gelehrten Gesellschaft der Magiere bevölkern den Anfang. Da gibt es riesige Bibliotheken, aber jahrzehntelang keine praktizierte Magie.
Wir sind auf Seite 50, erst fünfzig! Wir finden den Text höchst unterhaltsam und lesen weiter über die Skurrilitäten der Magiere.
Dabei fühlen wir uns ein bisschen ertappt: Wir haben viel gelesen, viel gesammelt, viel gestapelt – aber wo bleibt die eigene Magie? Viel Theorie, keine Praxis. Was machen wir eigentlich mit all dem Gelesenen? Dekorieren wir damit nur unsere Regale?

What we brought home from the English Distillery.

But wait! We weren’t just sitting amidst piles of books, lost in our own thoughts. We were also at a whisky distillery. Yes, you read that right: whisky is distilled in Norfolk. And not just any whisky. Kb, who fancies himself a “whisky connoisseur”, was particularly taken with the smoky whisky.
“First quite normal,” he said with the eye of a connoisseur, “and then the smoke comes in and it becomes downright magical.”
“Like Aladdin’s lamp?” asks Selma. 
“Perhaps we should blog about whisky?” suggests Siri. “From peat smoke to text analysis – sensory boundary experiences in Norfolk.”

Aber halt! Wir saßen nicht nur zwischen Bücherstapeln und dachten munter vor uns hin. Wir waren auch in einer Whisky-Brennerei. Ja, richtig gelesen: In Norfolk wird Whisky gebrannt. Und nicht irgendeiner. Kb, der meint, sich „mit Whisky auszukennen“, war besonders vom rauchigen Whisky begeistert.
„Erst ganz normal“, sagte er mit Kennerblick, „und dann kommt der Rauch und es wird geradezu zauberhaft.“
“So wie bei Aladin Lampe?” fragt Selma.
“Vielleicht sollten wir über Whisky bloggen?” meint Siri. „Vom Torfrauch zur Textanalyse – sensorische Grenzerfahrungen in Norfolk.“

Great Drams on the desk.

Otherwise, we’ve been doing a lot of gardening in this lovely weather. We’ve been pulling weeds, trimming the edges of the beds and cutting back dead growth. As city dwellers, we had a rather romanticised idea of what gardening was all about. Now we know that gardening isn’t just about planting flowers. Although Siri and Selma keep bringing flowers home from the neighbours. It’s just like with books: we’ll soon have no room left for new plants.

Ansonsten haben wir bei dem schönen Wetter viel im Garten gearbeitet. Wir zupften Unkraut, stachen die Kanten der Beete ab und schnitten Vertrocknetes ab. Als Großstädter hatten wir eine romantisch verklärte Vorstellung vom Gärtnern. Nun wissen wir, dass Gärtnern nicht nur das Pflanzen von Blümchen ist. Obwohl Siri und Selma immer wieder Blumen von unseren Nachbarn mitbringen. Da ist es wie mit den Büchern: Wir haben bald gar keinen Platz mehr für neue Gewächse.

Whilst Siri and Kb are thinking about what to blog about, Selma and Dina get up before the sun to visit the hares.

And we’re still trying to think of what we could blog about.
Warm regards from the cold sea

Und jetzt überlegen wir uns immer noch, worüber wir denn bloggen könnten.
Mit lieben Grüßen vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer

The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂



© text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers & Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea, 2026

71 thoughts

  2. Is that the distillery near East Harling? We took some friends there over 10 years ago. They both like whisky, and enjoyed the visit and the various products they purchased. I had to stay outside with Ollie at the time, and walk him around the grounds. But we had a pleasant afternoon there. As always your photos are wonderful, and perfectly accompany the interesting text.

    Love from Beetley, Pete. X

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Indeed, dear Pit, it is.

      Their Whisky is great, and their Whisky Beer also. After we had one in their restaurant, we bought a box of it.
      Thank you very much for liking Dina’s photos.

      Happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
      xxxx

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Such a wonderful collection of beautiful photos, especially the one with Hare! Absolutely love it. Your first paragraph made me realise that a meaningful life is constructed from small, everyday moments rather than grand, rare events. I’ll admit that sometimes I chase big milestones, but I think that the true magic of existence is found in the ordinary. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you, dear Aiva 🙏 🙏
      We love the small events of our everyday life. It’s maybe a question of age. When we were young, we travelled far and exotic, we had big parties people talked about and a fast car. Now we don’t need that anymore, we are happy with these little things we blogged about.
      Thanks for your kind words
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Terry

      Thank you 🙏 🙏

      We’ll celebrate tonight. We have several special bottles for celebrations only.

      We wish you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Taking photos of birds and hares, reading interesting books, visiting a distillery, and gardening are all wonderful things to blog about. The joy is in the ordinary things of life. xo

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  8. You never strike me as being short of ideas for posts, bein very adept at describing everyday events in a most interesting way! The image the hare is marvellous, and the whisky selection looks excellent!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  10. A great read, with some wonderful photos! Sorry but I can’t abide whiskey, more a red wine drinker, currently a nice Merlot from Australia! (I really wish I could find some hares to photograph. Lucky you!).

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Derar Ashley

      Kb is a beer drinker and whisky goes well with beer but not so much with wine. Dina is the wine drinker of the Fab Four.

      The problem with photographing hares is that you see them usually very early in the morning. They are night active. Dina goes up for getting such pictures at spring time between 4h and 5h (when Kb and Siri are dreaming).

      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  11. What a wonderful photo of a Dartford warbler! And a long way from Dartford too, although I have seen them on Dunwich Heath in Suffolk. Never in Norfolk, though. The notion of English whisky seems a bit counter-intuitive given that this amber ‘water of life’ is often referred to as ‘Scotch’ in common parlance. There again, I believe that many award winning whiskies actually come from Japan these days. I have tried quite hard to like whisky over the years but, truth be told, I am still not really a convert. It’s probably my liver speaking up to protect me. Greetings from the Times-approved Norwich.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Laurence

      Yes, we just got a Japanese whisky from a friend. Kb was quite skeptical but it tastes marvellous.

      Hanne-Dina is vedry proud to get that shot of the Dartfort Warbler. The birdwatchers here were very excited to see a Dartford Warbler in Norfolk. It’s really rare.

      Gratulation that Norwich was chosen as the most wanted city people would like to live in the UK. Well, Norwich is a fine city!

      Greetings from the sea
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  12. Aren’t we lucky to have such First World Problems? But with your cameras to hand, anything, simply anything you choose to blog about is fine by me. Hares, for instance , with a side-helping of books?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thanks, dear Margaret

      We are indeed very lucky with our tiny First World Problems. We should be grateful every day for living here.

      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Ihr Lieben in Cley, eigentlich sind eure Beiträge und die tollen Bilder immer berreichernd für mich, worüber ihr auch berichtet, aber vielleicht schreibt ihr einfach einmal über Dinge, die ihr im Leben gerne getan hättet es jedoch, trotz aller Anstrengungen, nicht geschafft habt! Herzlichen Dank und cari saluti Martina

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  14. Ihr Lieben auf eurer schönen Insel seid einfach toll, und ich musste beim lesen, vor allem auch wegen der vorherigen Frage, gerade sehr schmunzeln!😀
    Eigentlich mache ich es schon immer, einfach nur schreiben und bloggen wonach es mir gerade ist und was mich bewegt. Was meinem empfinden nych auch sehr viel schöner ist, als vorgegebene Projekte mitzumachen.

    Sehr schöne Bilder zum interessanten Bericht, liebe Grüße und macht bitte weiter so. 🤗🌸🌼

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Ja, liebe Hanne, diese Aufmunterung tut uns gut. Wir dernken oft, warum tun wir das alles. Im Grunde, zumindest materiell, bringt es uns nichts. Auf der anderen Seite haben wir genug Zeit, es zu tun.

      Habe ganz herzlichen Dank für deine lieben Worte.
      Wir geben uns meist ein Thema zu dem Kb mit Siri etwas schreiben und zu dem Hanne-Dina und Selma feine Bilder präsentieren können. Übrigens hat das bei Kb eine lange Geschichte. Als Student spezialisierte er sich u.a. auf illuminierter Handschriften. Allerdings hingen dabei Text und Bild nur äußerst locker zusammen.

      Mit lieben Grüßen von der heute regnerischen Küste
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  17. Lovely photos by Hanné, especially the warbler, great light and composition and sharpp as a tack, great work.
    Oh and the whisky, very posh, the cupboard here holds a bottle of Balmuir, £17.95 in Lidl 🤣 Phil has never really liked single malts, but he knows his blends! 😁 Fab post FF!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Fraggle

      There exists great blends. But Kb likes smoky single malts.
      How is this Balmuir from Lidl? More like a lowland whisky?

      Thanks for liking Hanne-Dina’s pictures.

      Keep well and happy
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ah I don’t drink Whisky Klaus, but Phil says it’s one of the best blends he’s had – I think it comes from the Whyte & Mackay people and they’re in Glasgow. That’s pretty lowland I think! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Gosh that hare and warbler are so life like, I feel as though I could reach out and touch them. Such clarity, such textures. Hanne is a brilliant wildlife photographer. My husband was a single malt whisky drinker, it is odd not to have any in the house any more, but I don’t share his love of it.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you, dear Jude, for your kind comment.

      Hanne wins one wildlife competition after another. Great that you like her photography.

      Wishing you an easy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • One always finds something to blog about, but it should be enjoyable for both the sender and the recipient.

      Thanks
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  22. Oh, at times it can be challenging to move to action, to put fingers to keyboard and thoughts to screen. Thomas Edison commented that genius was one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration. A friend who teaches writing courses borrows the quotation and says that writing is one percent inspiration etc. It does not always flow. However, you have found the perfect lubricant, even if it is English and. let’s face it, the best whiskey is made in Ireland! A long day in the garden allows the mind to work on ideas and the whiskey allows them to flow.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Paddy

      It’s strange, as an author, I never had the problem of not knowing what to write about. I only know this from blogging. Maybe being an author was my profession, whereas blogging is just a hobby.

      I drink Irish whiskey as well. As I like peaty single malt, I always end up drinking Scottish whisky.

      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Well, dear Richard, our garden is never manicured, but we like it. We keep it so that it pleases us.

      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  26. KB, Every so often you write a post that coincides with timing in my life. I asked myself; didn’t I once write a post about nothing? And sure enough, I did, back in 2018. I was surprised to find that much of the post was about the agonies of trying to write my second book – and guess what? It was published last week! It was so interesting for me to look back and read about the different ways I was trying to bring the story to life.

    I suspect if you drop to the comments, you might be interested in those of Agnes Ashe. She no longer blogs herself, and I miss her insight and intelligence. A Post about Nothing | GWEN WILSON The Reluctant Retiree

    Ultimately, “Louisa” IS a novel (subtitled an Historical Novel), written in the first person as the character of Louisa tells her story. The reader must decide if she is a reliable narrator.

    I hope readers will find the cover as striking as Dina’s splendid photographs.

    And I’m a bit partial to the cocktail they call the Rusty Nail – Scotch Whiskey mixed with Drambuie. I’m guessing you would consider mixing anything into the pure whisky anathema? x Gwen

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Congratulations, dear Gwendoline, on having your book finished. We keep our fingers crossed that it will sell well.

      When I was writing my books, I never had problems with the writing. I saw it as a job. I started daily at 10:30h and finished 16:30h, I just did it as one does office work. That suited me. But I think every writer has his or her own routine. In between, I had days of conferences with my agents, my publisher and my editor. In a way, I had no time worrying about what to write.

      Good luck with your second book
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  27. I’ve never got into the wonderful world of whiskey. I grew up in wine country and was soon seduced by shirazes, cab savs, ports and muscats. I’m not sure if I’m ready to give another alcoholic beverage a go and risk being seduced 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear John

      I always noticed that wine drinkers don’t have an affinity for whisky. Whisky goes better with beer. Both drinks are made from grain.

      Thanks and wishing you an easy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  29. Dear friends,
    your post was a delightful start to my weekend, I’m still chuckling.
    “Lots of reading and theory and no magic”. Well, having a reason to get up in the morning is wonderful motivator and a creator of magic. Looking at the beautiful hare a word came to my mind, ikigai. It’s often referred to a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being” or “a reason to get up in the morning”, and is a profound driver for personal fulfilment and motivation. This purpose acts as a daily motivator, fostering discipline and energy, often leading to a cycle where purpose fuels action, which in turn feeds more motivation. I’m so happy for Dina-Hanne and Selma that they have reached this level. Anyone who started with yoga, pilates, running will have experienced the same.

    I’m reading a most interesting, highly awarded book by the Norwegian author Asne Seierstad, “Unpeace”, Russia from the inside.
    Kram
    Annalena xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Annalena

      Thanks for recommending this book ‘Unpeace’ by Asne Seierstad. We’ll surely have a look at it. Kb travelled in Russia of the 70s, but that was a differenr Russia. It was still Sowjetunion time.

      What makes us get up in the morning? What makes us blog? I, Kb, get up in the morning because I have always done it, and one does it. Oh dear, what a conventional answer and behaviour. And I blog because I like writing and have always done it. I know it’s in to have some ideal reasons, helping humankind, nature or whatever. I like to read my book, do something in the garden, if the weather is fine, or blog when it’s time to publish a new post. Well, staying in bed is boring, isn’t it?
      We’ll think about what else makes us get up in the morning.

      With lots of love 😘😘🥰🥰
      KRAM
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Yes, dear Derrick, that’s right.

      But sometimes our expectations are so high that we end up overlooking the magic of everyday life.

      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Ja, danke schön, lieber Peter.

      Wir wünschen dir schon einmal eine wunderbare Osterzeit.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

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