I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. As someone who has always navigated between languages, as a translator and also as a recent blogger in English (not my first or second language), I found this piece very interesting. I will look for more in your other blogs too.

Renate,
Thank you for sharing notions about your "Mined territory". I like that, makes me think of "Schuldig Landschap" (Guilty Landscape) coined by the painter/poet Armando, a concept I often use in my writing about the Netherlands. His statement rings so true for me, the imagery presented on the Flickr page I link to even reminds me of particular scenery that fits the concept.
Your "Teutonic perfectionist" gives a different meaning to the "mines" though. To that I relate as well. The irony that writing/ reporting/ publishing in the second language would be less scary than doing so in our mother tongue doesn't escape me.

Regarding the invitation for visitors to comment on my blog, you can read my thoughts on that in the post The Art of Blogging is Dialogue.

Thank you also for following the SW link to my Hope Filled Jars blog. I'm sorry the blogspot commenting initiation procedure kept you from commenting on the spot.

Explanation of what I understand throws up a "blockade":
The word verification that's meant to protect bloggers from receiving robot generated responses (without real people behind them, usually equal to Spam).
When you "choose an identity" the possibility of easy linking between the blog you visit and your own blog or website is enabled.
All writers who post their blogs on Blogspot have a Google "identity", just like you would have a Yahoo "identity". Mine is either dutchessabroad or Judith van Praag, easy, no secrets here.
Readers without blogs, or with blogs hosted at WordPress or TypePad or another platform may not have a Google account, they'll click on the "Open ID".
"Name/URL" allows you to fill in the obvious, name + address of website you wish to link your comment to.
"Anonymous" well ...

If you don't have a Google Account you'd have to indeed sign up. Many people who don't have a blog do make use of the opportunity to get a (free) email account with Google. The interesting thing is that many (including myself) opt for the use of their own [email protected]

I can understand your reluctance to "sign up", if you wish to make use of networking Online it's not a bad thing. Additionally the Google gmail program was faster than my other two provider in offering html coding, which allows users to create hyperlinks in the easiest way possible. Yahoo and Earthlink followed and offer the same now.

I hope this clarifies the "blockade".
Thanks again for your comment! When you read the comments on my post The Art of Blogging and follow th the links Anastasia offered, you'll see how comments and responding to them adds to our writing experience Online.

Nota Bene: I've learned (after losing carefully written comments) to always save those texts before publishing them. How I hate when that first reaction gets lost! I now keep a Word Doc on my desktop in which I paste (after "select all) the text. That way, when something goes wrong, I'll still have the text. It's also a good way to keep track of what you do indeed post.

Warmly,
Judith

Judith, I don't remember my previous comment, sorry to say, but Here is what I can say: writing in my mother tongue is deep, but mined territory. The Teutonic perfectionist is ruling and hard to trick! In my sister tongue, I am naive and therefore playful. Nobody is looking over my shoulder. Thankfully I have my fantastically reliable editor right at home, Kim Chernin, to check how far I can go into the half-known, inventive territory.
Apart from that, I am impressed by your offerings for commenting on your blog. That's a first for me. But why does one have to sign up to comment? It's not clear what one is signing up for exactly. A little blockade... Perhaps you could clarify?
Warm regards, R