Category: dogs

Haibun: River of Love

a smiling whippet in a yellow jacket standing in the shallows of a mountain stream

The rain has stopped and small drops twinkle on the pine and bare branches. We follow the trail as it winds down the hill, passing the place where a young hind once stood between the trees like a statue, without any of our dogs noticing.

Misty looks at me as I remember, sees the pictures I am making. She smiles her loving smile, and I treasure the new memories we make together.

feet in the shallows –
we feel the surge
of a deeper flow

© Xenia Tran

a mountain stream with shallows and currents flowing between the trees

Wishing you all a happy Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #162

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word in January 2023 (Perspective)

Haiku: Sheltered Wood

a smiling brindle whippet in a yellow jacket on a forest trail in winter

sheltered wood
from the bend a view
of snow falling

© Xenia Tran

view across brown heather and golden grass towards mount cairngorm

Wishing you all a happy Monday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge: Bend

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #233: One Lens Walk

Tanka: Winter’s Music

a brindle whippet in a yellow jacket walking on dried grass in the forest

the stream
glides by in gurgles
where grass sleeps
a blackbird silver sings
through winter’s forest

© Xenia Tran

a woodland stream seen from a forest trail on the higher ground

Wishing you all a happy Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

CMMC: January – Pick a Topic from my Photo (green, grass, silver, weather)

Haiku: Snow Melt

a smiling brindle whippet in a yellow jacket walking across a wooden bridge

snow-melt …
how clear a stream can flow
beneath our new-found bridges

© Xenia Tran

a mountain stream full of snow-melt flowing through the forest

Wishing you all a happy Monday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #232: Looking Back

Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #161

Haiku: Sharing Our Journey

a smiling brindle whippet in a maroon jacket walking across dried marram grass in the dunes

sharing our journey
through the grass
a lone goose

© Xenia Tran

a solitary Greylag goose in the dunes

I was at first concerned when I saw the Greylag goose on her own and was later assured by other walkers that a large flock had landed half an hour earlier in the grass behind her.

Wishing you all a happy Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

CMMC: January Amber Colors

Tanka: Small Waves

a smiling brindle whippet running through the dunes

ah the sound
of small waves breaking
each day
still bright enough
to follow a dream

© Xenia Tran

small waves rolling toward the beach in the Moray Firth

In the spirit of dreams, we will leave you with this beautiful song by Colin MacLeod:

Wishing you all a happy Monday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #160

Haiku: Mountain Hare

mountain hare
behind the stones
his own dusk

© Xenia Tran

Honorable Mention in the 24th HIA Haiku Contest (2022). A warm-hearted thank you to Toshio Kimura for selecting my poem and many congratulations to all the other winners.

a calm, retreating sea under a pastel blue sky with lilac strings of cloud

On New Year’s Eve we received a lovely surprise:

I am deeply honoured and delighted to be included in the European Top 100 Most Creative Haiku Authors in 2022. A warm-hearted thank you to Krzysztof Kokot for selecting me and many congratulations to all my fellow European poets.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and blessed 2023,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

CFFC: Eyes

CMMC: January Close-up or Macro

A Blessed Christmas

The holidays are coming up and whether you want to walk in the snow before it melts away, looking for rabbits …

a brindle whippet snoozing under a warm fleece blanket

… or take it easy, snoozing under a warm fleece blanket, dreaming of rabbits …

a window filled with Christmas decorations and an ornamental Christmas tree

… we wish all of you who celebrate a blessed Christmas and magical holidays.

a brindle whippet lounging in front of a woodburning stove

We will return here on Thursday 29 December with a special post, where we look back at 2022 with gratitude and love.

a candle arch and Christmas decorations in the window with snow outside

A happy Monday to you all and a peaceful week ahead,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge: Wish

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #230: Last Chance

Haiku: Snow Flurries

a smiling whippet in a yellow jacket walking through the dunes in the snow

snow flurries
each flake even softer
than it might be

© Xenia Tran

snow falling on the dunes and marram grass

May you all stay warm!

Wishing you a blessed Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Weekend Sky #82

CMMC: December Violet or White Color

Tanka: One Ray of Light

a brindle whippet in a yellow jacket on the loch shore

drizzle spills
from low clouds
it only takes
one ray of light to warm
this morning’s forest

© Xenia Tran

ripples and waves on the loch's surface and low cloud and mist surrounding the hills

Wishing you all a happy Monday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #229: Perfect Patterns

Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #156