Our First Year in Review

As 2018 draws to a close we look back in gratitude for all the magic we found in nature.

  • two swans on the river in morning light
  • a pair of swans in the river with five cygnets on the pen's back
  • male bird (great tit) sitting on a branch with green buds
  • friendly swan (cob) swimming in a pond towards the camera
  • male mallard duck bathing in a pond
  • seven cygnets in a circle on the river close to the grassy bank
  • young oystercatchers flying above the waves
  • a female goosander standing in the shallows of a tidal river
  • a curlew striding out on the shoreline, waves rolling behind
  • close up shot of herring gull looking smart after his preening session
  • close-up shot of a redshank standing by the river at low tide between the stones
  • a juvenile herring gull flying above the waves past a flock of adults on the beach
  • close up of three wigeon feeding on seaweed at low tide
  • close up shot of a blue pigeon leaning forward in evening light
  • a black-headed gull balancing on a weathered post beside a pond
  • a male seal barking next to a snoozing sleeping seal on a sandbar, a heron stands across the water
  • red squirrel sitting on a branch in a pine tree

We followed a pair of swans as they raised their first brood together, watched herring gulls dive for fish, were greeted by friendly mallards on our walks by the river. We saw squirrels and seals. We met oystercatchers, curlew, redshank, goosander, turnstones, wigeon and pigeons, sometimes as curious about us as we were about them.

  • macro of chive blossom, close up of left half of the flower
  • close up macro shot of welsh poppy
  • macro shot of the centre of a lilac rose with a rain drop
  • macro shot of a purple bellflower
  • macro shot of rain drop hanging from fern leaf
  • macro shot of the heart of a buttercup
  • macro image of raindrops on a flowering white sweat pea
  • close up of a single orange poppy flower in a field with long grass and wildflowers
  • macro shot of a raindrop hanging from pink and yellow snapdragon
  • red currant blossom in Spring with green leaves
  • close up of small ripe blackcurrant cluster
  • macro shot of raindrops on blades of grass
  • close up of a green apple with raindrops
  • macro shot of ice crytals around the edges of the tip of a green leaf

We enjoyed the magic of macro, looking closely at blossoms, flowers, at ripening fruit. Raindrops captured the light and a reflection of our world. Ice crystals shimmered on the edge of an evergreen.

  • tree-lined pond with a bird hide across the water
  • young leaves in the foreground, lit up by the sun
  • river stone half exposed above water
  • small waterfall with blue sky and trees reflected in the water
  • Spring pine and heather and view to Lairig Ghru
  • waterlilies in full bloom on the loch
  • close up of a tree stump in a forest covered in moss with grass and ferns
  • a mallard taking off from Loch an Eilein, the castle and hills shimmer in the evening glow
  • a stream flowing through the glen below pine trees, heather and ferns
  • sunset over Moray Firth looking West on an outgoing tide
  • beech tree in Autumn colours, branches forming an arch over the woodland path
  • sun breaking through morning mist and low cloud above the river Shin in Sutherland

We saw clouds wandering across a pond, the first leaves of Spring, a mountain inside a stone by the river. The snow fields were slow to leave the higher ground, even when the water lilies were blooming. Our Autumn was glorious and the mist over the Kyle on Solstice day guided us into Winter.

A very big thank you to all our followers and fellow bloggers for their kind comments and support since we started this blog.

We really appreciate those fellow bloggers who host challenges too. A special thank you to Cee Neuner for hosting her Flower of the Day, Frank Jansen for his wonderful prompts at Dutch Goes the Photo, Patti, Amy, Tina and Ann-Christine for hosting the Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge, the team at the Rag Tag Daily Prompt for their Daily Writing and Photo Prompts, the team at dVerse for their poetry prompts, Frank J Tassone for his Weekly Haikai Challenge and last and certainly not least, Kristjaan Panneman at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai for hosting the haiku prompts and retreats that we have supported throughout the year.

Thank you again for all the love. We wish you and your loved ones a blessed and very happy New Year.

a cob swimming in the pond and the pen and two cygnets in the foreground

The annual review on our sister blog Whippet Wisdom can be found here.

With love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #26: Photographic Review of 2018

Author: Tranature - quiet moments in nature

The stories, poems and photographs on Tranature are the original creative work of Xenia Tran, inspired by the natural surroundings of the Scottish Highlands.

34 thoughts on “Our First Year in Review”

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and for walking along with us here 🙂💜 To another fabulous year dear Lois and much love to you, Parker and Piper from all of us here 🤗🐾💖🐾 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Heather and for all your lovely posts and prompts at the Rag Tag Community 💜 Wishing you a blessed and very happy New Year too! 🤗💖 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Sandy 💜 I look forward to seeing your beautiful images and words in the New Year too! 🤗💖 xxx

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  5. Pingback: 2018: Reflections through the Seasons – Whippet Wisdom – a Highland Journey

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Ann-Christine 💜 Wishing you all the best for 2019 too and please give Totti and Milo a big pat from all of us here 🤗💖🐕 xxx

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        1. Thank you Ann-Christine, and Eivor and Pearl say thank you too! 🙂🐾💖🐾

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Amy, a very happy New Year from all of us here 🤗💖🕊 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Tracy, for sharing your beautiful photographs and inspiring stories and for your part in hosting the lovely Rag Tag Community too 💜 Nature can bring us so many blessings 🌻🐦 When we capture some of this in an image or in words we can revisit these blessings over and over again. A very happy New Year to you and your loved ones from all of us here and a big pat for Ama and Makea too 🤗💖🐕 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Anita, He truly is. A blessed and happy New Year to you and your loved ones from all of us here 🤗💖🕊 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Tina, we are so blessed with all this natural beauty 💜 Wishing you a blessed New Year and may our world always be peaceful and green 🤗💖🌲 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and your good wishes dear Laurie 💜 Happy happy New Year to you, Clif and all the family from all of us here too 🤗💖🕊 xxx

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