Flow down and down in always widening rings of being (Rumi)
This Winter has brought us many snows. Here in the glen it feels safe and sheltered. As much as we love the mountains, we rather walk on lower ground when winds move snow around. Every year there are walkers who disappear. Every year they are brought home by volunteers. Volunteers with widening rings of being.
winter sky
the stars remember
a helping hand
© Xenia Tran
This season has already seen 181 avalanches in the Scottish mountains. Scottish Mountain Rescue has 23 teams and more than 800 volunteers who give their time freely to search and rescue people who are lost, injured or reported missing. We greatly admire the spirit of these people and are very grateful for the work they do.
If you are interested in volunteering for Mountain Rescue Scotland or want to support them you can find more information here.
If you are planning to walk in the Winter mountains please keep up to date with local avalanche reports. For avalanche warnings in Scotland you can visit the Scottish Avalanche Information Service here.
Stay safe, warm and happy!
With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200, Settings: f/2.8, 1/320 s, ISO 800 and f/4, 1/800 s, ISO 160.
Carpe Diem #1388 – Community of Spirit
Frank J Tassone’s Weekly Haikai Challenge #24 – Snow
Dutch Goes the Photo Tuesday Photo Challenge: Time
dVerse Poets – Open Link Night #216
Lovely photos and a loving message: to all there, yes, stay safe, and if you head to the mountains, let people know where you are going and for how long, and take an avalanche kit with you. It saves lives, signals location, and buys time till volunteers and rescue staff arrive. Here’s to beauty without loss.
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Thank you so much for your loving message and great advice dear Na’ama. Here’s to beauty without loss :o) xxx
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A lovely, thoughtful haibun. We’d be lost without the wonderful and brave rescue services. Although winter scenes like the one you posted are so beautiful, there are hidden dangers. Stay safe and warm 💖xxx
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Thank you so much for your kind words Cathy, the rescue services are doing such wonderful work. Hope you all stay safe and warm too! ☺🐾💖🐾 xxx
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Thank you 🙂 xxx
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Any news on the missing man?
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Thank you for asking Elaine. Liam is still missing. His brother and the family continue to raise awareness. Flyers have been distributed by volunteers at concerts and football matches. An additional 300,000 flyers have been distributed by the Hamburg postal service. There have been further sightings reported, none of them have been verified. The family remain hopeful he will be found ☺💖 xxx
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I am sorry, I feel for everyone, I pray for his safe return. 🌹
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Thank you dear Elaine 👼💜 xxx
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you dont hear this in the news. Do stay safe as we have more snow predicted.
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Thank you Bella, hope you stay safe and warm too ☺💖 xxx
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So sorry to hear the disappearing… Stay safe, Xenia. 🙂 ❤
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Thank you for your kind words Amy 💜 It happens every Winter when people underestimate the conditions. Even experienced walkers can become disoriented in low cloud and fog when magnetic closures in their clothing or mobile phone cases reverse the polarity on their compass. Last month a group got lost because of this and thankfully they were found in time and brought to safety ☺💖 xxx
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Good ending… 🙂 xxx
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such deadly beauty
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Thank you Maureen, it is so beautiful and the reality of how quickly conditions can change is sometimes underestimated.
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Beautiful photos of the snow. I had no idea there were avalanches in Scotland. And thank you for the information about why walkers get lost ( magnetic closures influencing compasses!!)
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Thank you for your kind words Anne 💜 We seem to be having more avalanches than usual this year through the combination of heavy snow and strong winds. Mountaineering Scotland issued a warning that the latest trend in using magnetic closures on gloves and outdoor clothing is putting walkers at risk. They are asking outdoor clothing manufacturers to rethink their designs and walkers need to be discerning in what they buy ☺ xxx
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I had no idea the Scottish mountains were so dangerous Xenia. We were there 2 summers ago and they were gloriously beautiful but I’m sure they can be quite treacherous in bad weather. We had fog one day and it was extremely thick and disorienting. So sorry to hear the young man still has not been found.
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Thank you Tina, the combination of heavy snow and strong winds creates huge drifts and areas where the snow becomes unstable. The majority of avalanches are caused by people walking on unstable snow. The search for Liam still continues. The more flyers they have been distributing the more sightings have been reported by people who did not realise he was missing. The family are still hopeful they will find him 💖 xxx
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I have great admiration for volunteers who give their time to help rescue others in really dangerous circumstances. They are very brave and completely unselfish. Poor Eivor looks like his feet are getting cold in all that snow. Keep warm and safe. xxx
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Thank you so much for your kind words Kim, they truly are very brave and generous of spirit. Eivor noticed some other walkers in the distance between the trees – he often raises a paw when something catches his eye that he is not sure about. We hope all is well with you and wish you all a wonderful weekend 🤗💖 xxx
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Reblogged this on Frank J. Tassone and commented:
#Haiku Happenings #2: Xenia Tran’s latest #haibun for my current #haikai challenge!
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Thank you so much for the reblog Frank! 💜
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😇
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Oh, gosh! As I don’t live by the mountains, I had no idea how many people get lost each winter. Sobering. Mother Nature is beautiful, but she should be respected and taken seriously.
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Thank you Laurie, we always need to respect Mother Nature and take great care of our environment too 👼💜 xxx
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Yes, yes!
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Beautiful pictures Xenia. Stay safe.
I feel the rescue groups everywhere deserve respect.
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Thank you dear Rupali ☺💖 xxx
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Excellent post.
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Thank you Herb! ☺🙋♀️
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Hi again Xenia. Couldn’t find where to reply to your like on my “When You Feel Blue…” so Thank You, my Friend.
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You are very welcome Herb! 🤗
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The number of avalanches is stunning. Thanks to those volunteers!
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Thank you Amy :o) xxx
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SNow BLinD LosT
SaveD NoW by
MeaDoWs GReeNLoVE..:)
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Thank you Fred, that is beautiful! 🤗🙋♀️💜
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👨🎨🌈🎹🕺🌹
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The winter can be a dangerous time in mountain… know it well from ski-hiking in the North…. some days you stay inside instead of being caught in wind or avalanches….
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Thank you Björn, it is safer to stay inside in these conditions, this year has seen so many people disappear xxx
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A lovely and thoughtful haibun, Xenia 💖 We’d truly be lost without those rescue services.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Sanaa xxx
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Mountains in the snow are scary places. Whippets know 🙂
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Thank you Jane, they do! We wouldn’t dream of going there in these conditions :o) xxx
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The rescue workers who risk their lives digging people out of snow drifts when they’ve been warned to stay clear need medals!
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They certainly do Jane, their work is amazing 💜 xxx
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I get very angry when I hear about rescue workers risking their llives to find skiers who have caused deadly avalanches by skiing where it’s forbidden for exactly that reason.
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I hear you Jane, it is so sad when this happens. Some people have no idea that a single person can cause an avalanche, despite all the warnings xxx
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If they don’t know, they shouldn’t be up there causing them ‘sighs heavily’.
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Thank you to all these volunteers to saving lives ~ Helping hands are always welcomed ~
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They truly are, thank you Grace 💜 xxx
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I like everyone felt a big thank you after reading this. The poem, the information so unexpected and like the snow so fresh. I was in Scotland in late spring. It was so beautiful. I have great affection for that country and its people. This made my heart reach out to you.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Gay 💜 This is a difficult time for the families of those who have gone missing beneath the snow and it affects the whole community. So glad you enjoyed your time in Scotland and feel a connection with the country and its people. Late Spring is a beautiful time to visit ☺💖 xxx
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As always, I love the pups. In the NC mountains, people go missing all the time and some of them are never found. Very sad but then, some people are not prepared for extreme conditions. Thank goodness for the rescue workers and the searchers. You three take care of yourselves. the haiku is gorgeous.
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Toni 💜 It is so sad when they are never found. The rescue teams here have managed to recover some of the bodies so they could be laid to rest and others are still buried under avalanche snows. Hope you are well and much love from all of us here ☺💖 xxx
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I’m sad to hear that Liam is still missing. The mountain rescue teams do a great job. I like the link to Rumi, Xenia, the images are beautiful, and the haiku is superb! 🙂 xxx
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Thank you so much for your kind words Kim 💜 There has been another possible sighting of Liam and the search for him continues. Hope all is well with you ☺💖 xxx
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Thank you for sharing your lovely images and your wise words.
And a big Thank You to all rescue volunteers who risk their lives to save others.
Anna :o]
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Thank you so much for your kind words dear Anna 💖 xxx
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What a magnificent picture of the snow covered mountain!
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Thank you for your kind words Helen, the sky was still full of snow when I took it! ☺💖 xxx
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I like those widening rings of being.
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Thank you Frank! ☺
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Your poetry warms my heart.
Nan
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Thank you so much for your kind words Nan 💖
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I love this line in the prose poetry part of your haibun: ” Volunteers with widening rings of being.”
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Thank you so much for your kind words LuAnne 💜 This part of Rumi’s quote seemed very fitting for the way volunteers give their time freely and with heart ☺💖 xxx
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Oh, I did not know it was Rumi! I will have to find that one. I am collecting Rumi poems this year.
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The quote is above the haibun and if you follow the link for Carpe Diem at the bottom of this post it will take you to the full poem ☺💖 xxx
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Thank you so much, Xenia. I love this poem. I had read the quote from this “Close both eyes / to see with the other eye” but had never read the entire poem. It’s lovely. I bookmarked that one. 🙂
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