Tag: Lochan Mor

Sestina: Soul Circle

For Catherine Ann Cullen

A generous poet brings us a gift
of prompts and words and musings.
Raven nest with eyes that see
a circle of souls who share their quest
to nurture the earth and keep her wild,
when Imbolc gives rise to new voices.

Ideas that float can find a voice,
the shrine is lined with gifts.
In Heritage Week thistles in the wild
breathe with butterflies, amused
by truths in prickly questions
fallen from a paradise Dante could see.

The stepping stones we climb to see
eavesdrop on oceans’ voices.
They encourage a parallel quest
to both receive and share each gift
pulled from a hat by the muses
and marbled deep waters of the wild.

Autumn glitters in the wild.
The scattered leaves we see
by the gate are gathered by a muse.
The wind whistles through her voice.
There appears to be no limit of gifts
carving the path of this quest.

A blinding light eggs on our quest
and barbed beginnings in rewilding.
The saplings of poems are also a gift
that follows the moon and sees
a healthy world laced with voices
as ageless as that of our muse.

Thin ice and forbidding shallows spark the muse.
Our pockets are lined with questions
on love and nature’s survival. The voice
of the wind is a friend in the wild,
old pains are soothed by the sea,
each cushion of moss is a gift.

On an epitaph for the wild we can see we tried
guided by spirit and muses. Their voices remain
a sacred gift that shapes our soul circle’s quest.

© Xenia Tran

Catherine Ann Cullen, Poet in Residence at Poetry Ireland, has been hosting a weekly Poetry Prompt on twitter throughout the pandemic and inspired forty three new poems I would otherwise never have written.

As her residency is drawing to a close I have attempted to incorporate all the prompt words I responded to with individual poems in the above Sestina.

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

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

PI Poetry Prompt: Gift

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #179: Serene




Haiku: A Fair Wind

cloudy loch
the geese head south
on a fair wind

© Xenia Tran

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

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #164: Looking Up/Down

Word of the Day Challenge: Daylight

Tanka: Eagle’s Rest

a blue and white whippet in a black jacket walking past reeds on the loch shore

the loch reflects
autumn’s afterglow
the peace
in reeds and mended pathways
this blessed day belongs to

© Xenia Tran

Lochan Mor in autumn with leafless trees and reeds

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

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Camera: Canon Powershot SX60 Hs, Settings: f/5 – 1/125 s – ISO 100, f/5 – 1/400 s – ISO 400 and f/5 – 1/250 s – ISO 320.

Tanka Thursday: Mend

Jez Braithwaite’s Fan Of … #84

Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Aquiline

Wordless Wednesday: Peaceful Waters

Lochan Mor

a black whippet on the shores of Lochan Mor
Lochan Mor in autumn with gold and leafless trees

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday,

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Camera: Canon Powershot SX60 HS, settings: f/3.4 – 1/1000 – ISO 200, f/4 – 1/500 s – ISO 200 and f/4.5 – 1/400 s – ISO 200.

Wordless Wednesday

Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #50

Haiku: Bless the Water

Lochan Mor

a black whippet climbing back on the loch shore beside the trees

the loch
between showers
floating cloud

© Xenia Tran

a mallard duck flapping her wings in the centre of Lochan Mor

We’re delighted that this haiku is featured in Haiku Dialogue: Poet’s Choice, suchness, Troutswirl, The Haiku Foundation Blog, 28 August 2019. A very big thank you to Craig Kittner for putting this edition together.

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday,

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Settings: f/3.5 – 1/800 s – ISO 200, f/4 – 1/400 s – ISO 160 and f/4 – 1/1000 s – ISO 160.

Frank J Tassone’s Weekly Haikai Challenge #101: Autumn Rain (aki no ame)

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #60: Framing the Shot

Your Daily Word Prompt: Exquisite

Recent publications in journals, anthologies, video and full-length collections:

Haiku: One Last Wave

Lochan Mor

 

a blue whippet in a purple harness walking on a forest trail in autumn colours

 

remembering
the last wave of lily pads
towards home

© Xenia Tran

 

Lochan Mor in autumn colours with fading reeds and lily pads

You can see the water lilies in bloom in our earlier post ‘Swimming‘ on our sister blog.

With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

 

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200, Settings: f/2.8, 1/250 s, ISO 100 and f/3.2, 1/200 s, ISO 100.

 

Carpe Diem’s Autumn Retreat 2018: Love Eternally

 

Haiku: A New Horizon

Cairngorms National Park

 

close up of a blue whippet looking up to the right beside ancient pine trees and birch

 

golden birch
shimmering across the loch
a new horizon

© Xenia Tran

 

close up of a black whippet looking up at an ancient pine tree

 

looking East across Lochan Mor towards the mountains with yellow and golden birch along the shore

 

With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

 

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200, Settings: f/2.8, 1/60 s, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/80 s, ISO 320 and f/3.2, 1/640 s, ISO 160.

 

Dutch Goes the Photo Tuesday Photo Challenge: Surprise

Carpe Diem Autumn Retreat 2018: Love Eternally

 

Wordless Wednesday: Heatwave

Cairngorms National Park

 

blue whippet in purple harness walking in the shade between trees

 

black whippet in the shade of trees beside the loch

 

lochan mor in Summer, looking to the east

We are indulging ourselves in another day of lochans, pine trees and the cool shade they bring this warm Summer.

With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

 

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Settings: f/5.6, 1/100 s, ISO 150, f/5.6, 1/80 s, ISO 125 and f/5.6, 1/320 s, ISO 100.

 

Wordless Wednesday

Rag Tag Daily Prompt #27: Indulgence

 

Wordless Wednesday: Promise

 

profile of black whippet looking to his right

 

profile of blue whippet in purple harness looking to her left

 

two whippets by a loch, one drinking

We are taking a short blogging break to focus on some editing and will be back next week.

We wish you all a wonderful time and happy blogging!

Much love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

 

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

 

Camera: Canon Powershot SX60 HS, Settings: f/5, 1/160 s, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/400 s, ISO 100 and f/5.6, 1/80 s, ISO 100.

 

Dutch Goes the Photo Tuesday Photo Challenge: Promise

Wordless Wednesday

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Satisfaction

 

Blue whippet running along Lochan Mor

 

We are blessed with a quiet moment at Lochan Mor at the height of Summer. Tourists are flooding the National Park and it is lovely to see so many families bring their children to enjoy the outdoors. With so many hidden gems the Park is big enough to find some stillness too.

 

lr-1120366 ww

 

The water lilies in the loch breathe sweetly among reflections from cloud and sky. Trees link arms of love in peaceful circles.

 

Black whippet running along the loch shore

 

So much beauty here in air so pure. It fills my heart with joy.

 

with hearts of gold
white flowers hold the light
of sun and moon

© Xenia Tran

 

water lilies at Lochan Mor

 

We are taking a short break from blogging after today to enjoy the joys of Summer while the days are still long.

I will swing by to read when we have access to wifi and we will be back again by the end of next week.

We wish you all a very happy weekend and look forward to seeing you all again real soon.

With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

 

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200, settings: iA, 1/200 s and Action, 1/800 s.

 

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Satisfaction

Daily Prompt: Hidden