Haibun: Moving Earth

Knockan Crag Nature Reserve

sculpture of a female geologist at Knockan Crag, the loch and hills in the background
Top half of the Puzzle Wall at Knockan Crag, Sutherland

The Puzzle Wall at Knockan Crag shows traces of tropical marine creatures in the bottom layers below a layer of lime-rich mud. Above rests an even older layer, nearly half a billion years old. Scotland was part of the same continent as North America back then. The closing of a huge ocean led to a collision of two continents and the force of this collision thrust up these older rocks to make them top of the pile. This at least, is the theory. Touching part of the puzzle with my hands brings up a tingling sensation.

layer upon layer
how the earth moves
truth’s her art

© Xenia Tran

the trail at Knockan Crag with history depicted on painted stones

The clouds bring light relief from the blazing Summer sun. Along the trail we’re invited to take one hundred million year steps and follow Scotland as it drifts across the planet. Six hundred million years ago, Scotland is near the South Pole. Five hundred million years ago, Scotland is part of North America. Three hundred million years ago, Scotland is near the equator. We’ve seen the evidence of this in the beautiful rocks at Cove Bay, the sandstone reminding us the area was once a hot and arid desert.

rolling ball
a sculpture on the hill
mirrors our world

© Xenia Tran

a close up shot of the Globe sculpture at Knockan Crag

Moss is growing between the slate on Joe Smith’s beautiful Globe. Ferns and heather release delicate scents in the breeze. The lochs are glittering below when we look back and see how far we’ve already traveled on this journey. Before we leave, my hand hovers above the Pipe Rock in the Puzzle and its gentle pulse. It makes me wonder what landscape we’ve come from, what landscape we’ll return to.

one by one
stags run down the mountain
into cooler seas

© Xenia Tran

view west from Knockan Crag with the Globe sculpture in the foreground

You can see more photographs and another haibun from Knockan Crag in Deep Time on our sister blog Whippet Wisdom.

Wishing you all a beautiful Wednesday,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Dutch Goes the Photo Tuesday Photo Challenge: Sculpture

Twiglet #136: Truth is Art

dVerse Poetics: Movement

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.

40 thoughts on “Haibun: Moving Earth”

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Cathy, it’s an amazing place and quite an experience to see the different layers 🙂💜 Hope you’re having a great day and much love to you and Finn from all of us here 🤗💖🐕 xxx

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      1. Thank you 🤗 Yes, the layers are incredible, we saw them on the Jurassic coast.
        We’re melting 😉 It has gone a little cooler now though. Much love from our house to yours 💖🐾xxx

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        1. Thank you Cathy, it’s gone a bit cooler here too after this morning’s thunderstorms 😁 The Jurassic coast sounds wonderful, it’s on our list of places we’d love to see 🙂💗 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Anita, it’s a pleasure to share 🤗💖 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Rob, it’s a pleasure to share 🙂🙋‍♀️

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  11. We forget that our modern days are just a speck in the history of the Earth. Loved the story of how Scotland has moved in geological time. Wonderful photos, Xenia. ❤

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Olga 🙂💜 It’s amazing how the land masses have moved and how our small country has experienced so many different climates over time. Touching the different layers in the rock really brings this home 🙂💖 xxx

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  12. You share such pieces of beauty through your photos. That slabbed mosaic is surreal, as is the globe. The timeframes show that patience is a virtue for aesthetics. Your poetry is a complement to the photos. Movement over millions of years, as captured by these objects, is magic.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Jade 🙂💜 It’s truly magic and touching the different layers so full of history is an amazing experience 🙂💖 xxx

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  13. Pingback: Haibun: Deep Time – Whippet Wisdom – a Highland Journey

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Grace, it’s a pleasure to share 🤗💖 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Karina 🤗 It’s a very interesting place to visit and the sculptures blend in beautifully with their surroundings 🙂💖 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Sara, it was an amazing experience and a wonderful place to visit 🙂💖 xxx

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  17. Pingback: Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 170 – Dutch goes the Photo!

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Amaya, it was an experience that ran very deep 🙂💖 xxx

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    1. Thank you Ken, it’s an amazing place to explore with an unusual geology and water flowing at every level of the hills 🙂

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