Looking Back at 2020: Thank you for the Love

macro image of a salmon pink rose

The year began full of promise and we had a new pair of swans moving into the river before any of us had heard of Covid-19. Two days into Spring we went into lockdown and travel restrictions weren’t lifted until early July.

Many of us had to find new ways of working and being and I want to thank all of you who shine a light and are an inspiration to others.

  • Thank you to all our Key Workers Rainbow Heart sign
  • the word HOPE created with small pebbles on a larger flat stone
  • close up of a wood pigeon feeding from a hand
  • an empty park and playground in winter sun by the sea
  • a deserted looking street leading towards the shore
  • Queen's View in Perthshire with Keep Your Distance Sign on the railing

The emphasis this year was on collaboration and I contributed forty-eight poems to a variety of journals, videos, anthologies and works of art.

My heartfelt gratitude for all our readers who read, comment and share our posts on social media. Below are the ones you liked best, together with some other highlights from each season.

redshank snoozing and sunning on tidal sands

We went into full lockdown on 23 March 2020 and focused on the beauty found in our local environment. In late Spring we revisited, virtually, a lovely fishing village we had travelled to the previous December in The Pier at Findochty. This was the most popular post in Spring and would become the most popular post of the year.

The other most popular posts in Spring were Lily of the Valley, Pink Flow, Lunaria Annua, Little Blue Flower and Yellow Curve.

  • the piers at the harbour mouth of Findochty
  • macro shot of lily of the valley flower and buds
  • close up shot of flowering cherry blossoms hanging from the branch in a heart-shaped cluster
  • macro shot of flowering lunaria annua
  • macro shot of a grape hyacinth flower
  • macro shot of a fully flowering Doronicum Little Leo

Spring also saw haiku poets from around the world contribute to EarthRise Rolling Haiku Collaboration 2020 in honour of the Year of the Nurse. I contributed six haiku to this collaboration, two of which were later anthologised.

macro shot of a bumble bee feeding on lavender, seen from behind

Travel restrictions were lifted at the beginning of July and the Highlands were crowded with tourists from other parts of the country. We waited for everything to settle and did more virtual travelling, this time to Belfast, in order to pay homage to one of the teachers who inspired me in A Moment of Inspiration.

The other five most popular posts in the Summer were Angel’s Share, Morning Glory, Earthlight, Sweet Inspiration and Summer Meadow.

  • a house sparrow feeding on wild wheat
  • a herring gull chick on a rooftop tilting her head at the camera
  • part of a hand holding a lensball by the sea at sunset with a tanka poem by Xenia Tran
  • three cygnets swimming by flooded grass
  • a juvenile warbler among grass and wildflowers
  • Queen's University Belfast with Summer flowers

Summer also saw me guest-host the Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge on the theme of Sanctuary.

two swans with three young cygnets on the river

In Autumn we entered a Tier system according to the number of Covid-19 infections and people from higher tiers were prevented from travelling to lower tiers. This resulted in a huge reduction of tourists and we could walk more safely throughout the Highlands, which was in Tier 1, without running into visitors from high Covid areas.

The most popular posts in Autumn were Truly Tranquil, Walking Wonderland, Starlings on the Roof, Highland Heather, Along the Loch Shore and Harvest Moon.

  • a pair of mallard ducks on a bare branch overhanging the pond
  • view across the hills from a walker's rest
  • a pair of starlings on a chimney
  • purple heather in bloom with a golden fern
  • the south shore of Loch Tummel in Autumn
  • harvest moon rising beside a pylon and pine tree

Autumn also saw the publication of The Helping Hand Haiku Anthology, edited by Robert Epstein, which includes three of my poems, Bundled Wildflowers, edited by Bryan Rickert, which includes one of my poems and the Dutch anthology Aan het Woord 2020, edited by Ferre Denis, Maria de Bie and Nol Hovens, which includes three of my poems. In addition, one new poem was featured in the Haiku-kantelkalender (Haiku Calendar) 2021, edited by Ferre Denis. Falling Petals received an honourable mention in the International Section of the 2020 Haiku Invitational at the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival and ten haiku were featured in the World Haiku Series with Japanese Translations by Mr Hidenori Hiruta.

a red squirrel on a wooden squirrel feeder in a pine tree

After a busy Autumn we stayed closer to home as Winter rolled in and the temperatures dropped. It became a time for Christmas socials via Zoom and catching up with friends at a safe social distance.

The most popular posts in Winter were Treasures, The Name of the Flower, Making Lemonade, All Souls’ Night, Lines at Dusk and When Winter Melts Away.

  • macro shot of aindrops on a young green shoot
  • macro shot of mathiola incana alba with the outer white flowers open
  • a black and white family photograph featuring two women and a baby boy in a pram
  • sunset along the Moray Firth with the tide rolling out
  • Loch Morlich part-covered in ice, reflecting the clouds and blue sky

Winter also saw forty of my images published in Frameless Sky Issue 13 where I was the Featured Artist and the release of the beautiful anthology Dance Into the Light, edited by Michael Dylan Welch, featuring one of my poems.

A very big thank you to the editors and publishers who featured my work throughout the year.

seagulls feeding in the surf

This has been a year like no other and we sadly lost a number of friends and members of our writing community to Covid-19 and to cancer without being able to say goodbye in the way we normally would.

It has also been a year of growing and connecting in new ways and of communities coming together.

A huge thank you to Frank, Kristjaan, Misky, Ronovan and the team at dVerse Poets for your inspiring poetry prompts, to Brian, Christine, Emily, Heather, Katherine, Ping, Punam, Kristian and Sheryl for your wonderful word prompts and to Becca, Cee, Jez, Lisa, Paula, Sue & Gerry, Terri and Amy, Ann-Christine, Patti & Tina for your fabulous photographic prompts.

We leave with you a song by Show of Hands that seems fitting for our times:

Thank you again for the love and we wish you all a blessed, healthy and happy 2021.

With love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Your Daily Word Prompt: Tidings

Word of the Day Challenge: Wishes

Sunday Stills: Your 2020 Retrospective

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.

41 thoughts on “Looking Back at 2020: Thank you for the Love”

  1. Taking a break from blogging but had to stop by to read this. Thank you for all your beautiful posts. Worldwide, it has been a very hard year. Let us hope 2021 is a better one. Really like the song by Show of Hands. Onward to 2021!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and for stopping by dear Laurie, I thought you might enjoy the song. It’s been a tough year with still so many things to be grateful for. We’re looking forward to what 2021 brings us and wish you, Clif and all the family a blessed, happy, healthy and creative New Year! 🤗💖 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support dear Lois and for brightening our days with your fabulous posts too! We wish you a blessed, happy, healthy and fun New Year and much love to you, Parker, Piper and Pumpkin from all of us here 🤗💖🐈 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, your support, your reblogs and your inspiring Haikai Challenges and Haibun prompts dear Frank! It’s a pleasure to share and we wish you and your family a happy, healthy and creative New Year ahead 🤗💖💫 xxx

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  4. A wonderful retrospective. Xenia. Been missing you at Sunday Stills these days. This Sunday the theme is a 2020 retrospective and this post is a perfect example of how to write it. 😁 You’ve had a busy year with your own ups and downs, punctuated with your amazing photography, but you remain positive and hopeful as we all should. Cheers to a safe and happy 2021!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support dear Terri and for hosting your lovely Sunday Stills. I love to take part when it fits with the theme for the week and will happily link this post on Sunday. Wishing you and yours a safe and happy 2021 and a great start to life in your wonderful new home! 🤗💖💫 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support dear Sandy and so lovely to see your beautiful posts too! Wishing you and yours a blessed, happy and healthy 2021 from all of us here 🤗💖💫 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, your support and your beautiful photo challenges dear Cee 🌺 and a blessed, happy and healthy New Year to you, Chris and your fur-babies too from all of us here! 🤗💖💫 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and for walking along with us here dear Martha, Bear and Teddy. It’s lovely to explore these trails with you 🐾💜🐾 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support dear Eliza, it was an amazing year from a creative point of view with so many lovely collaborations. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photographs and walks with us too! Wishing you a blessed, happy and healthy New Year from all of us here 🤗💜🌻 xxx

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  12. What a fabulous collection of images from 2020. My favourites have to be the bumblebee and swans. Thank you for your wonderful posts over the last year. Here is to a better and brighter 2021. Happy New Year

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support dear Karina, it has been a special year for nature and wildlife and they have brought much pleasure to our local community 💛 Here’s to better times ahead and we wish you and your family a very happy, healthy and blessed New Year! 🤗💖💫 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support dear Eugenia 🌺 Wishing you a blessed, happy, healthy and creative 2021 too! 🤗💖💫 xxx

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    1. Thank you dear Terri, it’s a pleasure to link up and I enjoyed reading your retrospective too! It looks like you’ve landed in a beautiful new place and I hope you’ll get to capture those bald eagles feeding on the lake with your camera 💜 xxx

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