Whippet Wisdom – a Highland Journey
A journey through the seasons with two adopted whippets, a poet and a camera
sticking together
the dogs’ bond a gift
to listen for
© Xenia Tran
We wish you all a very happy Monday and a peaceful week ahead,
with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200, Settings: f/3.2 – 1/2000 s – ISO 100.
Friendly Friday Photo Challenge: Working Together
Discover Prompt #27: Team
Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Challenge #303: Stick & Trick (Stick & Gift)
Year of the Nurse
We are deeply honoured and delighted to be part of EarthRise Rolling Haiku Collaboration 2020, a collaborative poem created by haiku poets from around the world.
The theme for 2020 was The Year of the Nurse and we submitted six previously unpublished haiku for this wonderful project. We are sharing three of them here today and will post the other three on our sister blog Tranature on Wednesday 22 April 2020.
simple kindness
how the nurse helps her
to walk again
© Xenia Tran
adjusting pillows
before the night spreads
his final round
© Xenia Tran
back from the shelter
she names her new cat
after the nurse
© Xenia Tran
The cat in the photograph is Christy. We adopted him from a feline rescue organisation in 1992 when he was believed to be nine years old. He lived with us for another ten years and we were very grateful for all the time we had together.
If you are interested in adopting a cat or dog from a shelter, please consider adopting a senior. They can have the most amazing personalities and are a true joy to have around.
The full set of contributions to EarthRise Rolling Haiku Collaboration 2020 is available as a free download from the The Haiku Foundation. A very big thank you to all the contributors and to Jim Kacian and the team for featuring my poems and putting this beautiful edition together.
The second and third haiku in this sequence were subsequently included in Robert Epstein’s beautiful The Helping Hand Haiku Anthology (2020):
A very big thank you to Robert for featuring my poem and putting this heart-warming anthology together.
The same two haiku were later featured in Akita International Haiku Network’s World Haiku Series 2020 with beautiful translations into Japanese by Mr Hidenori Hiruta. A warm-hearted thank you to Mr Hiruta for including these poems in respect of the 326th anniversary of Matsuo Bashõ’s passing and all the souls of those who lost their lives to COVID-19.
We wish you all very happy Monday and may you be safe and well,
With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Friendly Friday Photo Challenge: Something Good
Dutch Goes the Photo Tuesday Photo Challenge: Animals
Discover Prompt #19: Three
dVerse Poets MTB: Haiku Sequence
simple joys
seeping into grass
the dog’s laughter
© Xenia Tran
Wishing you all a very happy Monday and a wonderful week ahead,
with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200, Settings: f/2.8 – 1/80 s – ISO 200, f/2.8 – 1/50 s – ISO 200 and f/2.8 -1/30 s – ISO 200.
Friendly Friday Photo Challenge: Simple Joys
Word of the Day Challenge: Nature
Cairngorms National Park
it’s good to breathe the scent of pine
the freshness of our lingering snow
brings winter romance to our time
the snow-capped mountain turns to shrine
for seeking peace, a letting go
it’s good to breathe the scent of pine
our spring begins to bloom and shine
while snow-melt and the river’s flow
bring winter romance to our time
the forest trail begins to climb
we pause to watch the mountain grow
it’s good to breathe the scent of pine
the air tastes pure, so sweet and fine
our woolly hats and ruddy glow
bring winter romance to our time
two seasons meet along fine lines
we cherish both and deeply know
it’s good to breathe the scent of pine
bring winter romance to our time
This is our second contribution to this month’s Villanelle challenge at dVerse Poets. You can read our first contribution at A Voice that Knows and our third contribution Worth Waiting For has now been published on our sister blog Tranature.
A Villanelle is a French verse form consisting of five three-line stanzas and a final quatrain, with the first and third lines of the first stanza repeating alternately in the following stanzas. These two refrain lines form the final couplet in the quatrain (the Poetry Foundation)
Below is the complete version of the Villanelle:
it’s good to breathe the scent of pine
the freshness of our lingering snow
brings winter romance to our time
the snow-capped mountain turns to shrine
for seeking peace, a letting go
it’s good to breathe the scent of pine
our spring begins to bloom and shine
while snow-melt and the river’s flow
bring winter romance to our time
the forest trail begins to climb
we pause to watch the mountain grow
it’s good to breathe the scent of pine
the air tastes pure, so sweet and fine
our woolly hats and ruddy glow
bring winter romance to our time
two seasons meet along fine lines
we cherish both and deeply know
it’s good to breathe the scent of pine
bring winter romance to our time
© Xenia Tran
The prompt at dVerse remains open if you want to participate and there are now more than seventy contributions for you to enjoy.
With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Settings: f/2.8 – 1/320 s – ISO 100, f/2.8 – 1/1250 s – ISO 160, f/4.5 – 1/250 s – ISO 200, f/2.8 – 1/250 s – ISO 100, f/2.8 – 1/160 s – ISO 100, f/2.8 – 1/800 s – ISO 100 and f/4 – 1/800 s – ISO 160.
dVerse Poets Forms for All: The Villanelle
Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Perspicatious
Friendly Friday: Photo Walk
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Walks, Trails, Sidewalks
turning point
the visible worlds
we share
© Xenia Tran
With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200, Settings: f/3.2 – 1/2000 s – ISO 100.
Friendly Friday Photo Challenge: Turning Point
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Patterns
Carpe Diem #1619: Kumano Kodo … Nakahechi Route
Cairngorms National Park
With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Settings: f/3.2 – 1/2000 s – ISO 100, f/3.2 – 1/1600 s – ISO 100 and f/5 – 1/800 s – ISO 160.
The Snow Melts Somewhere Friendly Friday: Dreamy
Achany Forest
With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200, Settings: f/2.8 – 1/100 s – ISO 100, f/2.8 – 1/200 s – ISO 160 and f/4 – 1/160 s – ISO 160.
Friendly Friday: Stay in Your Comfort Zone
Sunday Stills: Unexpectedly Frozen
Whippet Wisdom - a Highland Journey 
You must be logged in to post a comment.