Looking Back at 2022 – Thank you for the Love

close up of cherry blossom and buds

First of all we want to say a warm-hearted thank you to all of you who visited, commented, inspired and prompted us with photo, word and poetry challenges.

During a year when we lost both our beloved adopted dogs within one week and three dear friends within a fortnight, friendship, community, kindness and the healing powers of nature wrapped us in a much-needed blanket of comfort.

longest night –
the moon shines on a raven
polishing its beak

© Xenia Tran

Autumn Moon Haiku Journal 6:1, Autumn-Winter 2022-2023

The sadness connected us with an even deeper level of gratitude for all the special souls who walk beside us on our journey in this life. With our heart broken open, we were more ready than ever to receive all the beauty life and nature have to offer.

We are grateful to share a collection of those posts, which resonated with you the most. As in previous years, they are organised season by season, each offering their own gifts and magic.

To enjoy the photo-galleries as they are intended, it is best to visit this post in website view.

Winter

The most popular posts this season were Beach Art, Peace Candle (first published in Haiku Dialogue), First Snowdrops, Light Frost, Crystal Leaves and Berries and Scintillating Sunrise.

photo haiku by Xenia Tran featuring a book and candle
close up of early snowdrops near a fallen branch
a narrow path through the dunes with frost on grass and branches

Some of you may remember our Restoring Nature post on our sister blog where I introduced Cairngorms Connect, a bold conservation project with a 200-year vision.

In February 2022 I was offered the opportunity to take part in a series of writing workshops organised by Cairngorms Connect, which focused on our relationship with place. What I learned there has become an integral part of my writing throughout the rest of the year and I am very grateful to Elizabeth Reeder and Cairngorms Connect for their inspiration and guidance.

Spring

In March 2022 I took part in the Sit-Spot Challenge organised by An Darach Forest Croft, which involved sitting somewhere quiet in nature for at least twenty minutes each day. I sat in the sun, snow and rain and filled waterproof notebooks with haiku seeds, thoughts and reflections.

It is amazing what you notice when you stop walking and sit for a while in a landscape, especially during a colder time of year.

Warm thanks to Hugh Asher of An Darach Forest Croft for all the inspiration.

three forest bathing booklets on a table

I was deeply honoured and delighted to see ten haiku featured in the World Haiku Series with beautiful translations into Japanese by Mr Hidenori Hiruta.

The most popular posts in Spring were Morning Cruise, For Ancestors and Progeny, Here the Silenced (all three first published in The Asahi Shimbun), The Field of Everything, Colour Crochet and Urquhart Castle. 

Urquhart Castle seen from the water
close up of wreaths laid at Culloden Cairn on the 276th anniversary of the battle
a path meandering through shrubs, moorland and trees with a blue flag on the right
a wooden memorial bench at Culloden with Gaelic inscription
a haiku by Xenia Tran with an image of Loch Ness seen from the Caledonian Canal with Bona lighthouse
close up of a crochet flower in red
Summer

The six cygnets that hatched in the middle of May on our river were thriving, as well as many ducklings and other young birds. The noisiest were the herring gull family on our roof. One of the chicks hurt her wings and was taken to the vets by an SSPCA inspector. The other one grew fast and learned to fly a week later.

close up of a herring gull chick

The most popular posts in Summer were Eastern Light, Cherry Blossom Moon (both published in haikuKATHA Issue 10, August 2022), Salmon Sky, The Lunar Codex (featuring my poem Grandma Alice from the anthology Chiaroscuro that is going to the moon), Riding the Waves and Clan Stones (first published in Presence #73, July 2022).

haiga by Xenia Tran with red poppies in the foreground at sunrise
close up of cherry blossoms and buds in dappled light
close up of a paperweight holding the inner mechanics of a watch
a haiku by Xenia Tran with an image of a surfer in the early morning light
rocks and rockpools on the beach at sunrise
a bunch of wilting flowers wrapped in the Stewart tartan

red berry tea
the birds just starting
to sing

© Xenia Tran

Presence Issue #73, July 2022

Autumn

Autumn started off warm and offered some glorious walking days where the colours were just beginning to change. We spent some time in Perthshire, exploring new walks and historic sites, before the weather turned.

The most popular post in Autum was Coming Home (featuring a monoku published in haikuKATHA Issue 14, December2022), which also became the most popular post for the year. The other most popular posts during this season were Meet and Part (published in haikuKATHA, Issue 11, September 2022), Silent Treasures, Corbenic Circles and Curves, View from the Hide and Milestone (published in haikuKATHA, Issue 13, November 2022).

Northern Lights over the Moray Firth with a plane coming in to land and a monoku by Xenia Tran
a triangle carved in stone with an arrow and the words 'where are we really going'
close up of the word 'silence' carved in slate
two juvenile mallard ducks on a log
close up of a painted stone with yellow flowers
forest trail along the banks of the river

pilgrim’s way
slowly, slowly,
the pain eases

© Xenia Tran

Under the Basho, 16 November 2022

a boreen rolling downhill into the glen

Thank you for walking along with us here. We will now take a short break and will be back here on Wednesday 11 January 2023.

We send you our warmest wishes for a healthy and happy 2023 – may your year be filled with joy, peace and wellbeing!

With love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Fantastic

Sunday Stills: What Did YOU Do in 2022?

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.

52 thoughts on “Looking Back at 2022 – Thank you for the Love”

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and for walking along with us here dear Lavinia 💛 Wishing you and yours a blessed start to the New Year too 🤗💖💫 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and good wishes dear Anne 🧡 It has been a challenging year for many and here’s wishing health and happiness for you and your family too 🤗💕💫 xxx

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    1. Thank you kindly dear Heather and many thanks to you and all the Rag Tag team for your wonderful prompts this year 🤗💖✨

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    1. Thank you so much for your support and for walking along with us here dear Lois 🧡 Happy New Year to you and all the sweet kitties too! 🤗💕🐈 xxx

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    1. Thank you kindly dear Cee and thank you for hosting so many wonderful prompts this year 🪷 A Happy New Year to you and Chris too! 🤗💖✨

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  7. A beautiful retrospective Xenia. I hope you will take a moment and link this to Sunday Stills on Jan 1. I’m sorry about the loss of your beautiful dogs. I enjoyed seeing their happy demeanors in some of the challenges you joined. My little Aero passed away from cancer in October…such a shock. May our sweet fur babies enjoy God’s heaven forever frolicking. Happy New Year!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Terri and we were so sorry when we learned about the loss of your sweet Aero too. May our sweet fur-babies forever frolic in God’s heaven 🌈 I will link up this post on Sunday and wish you and yours a Happy New Year too! 🤗💖✨ xxx

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  8. Dear Xenia, a lovely review and beautiful accomplishments.

    I have had a bit of a 2022 and didn’t realise you lost two of your adopted dogs, I am so very sorry to hear this. Sending a big hug.

    Have a lovely break, Happy New year in advance. And wishing a wonder 2023.
    Much love Bella

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and the big hug dear Bella. Eivor and Pearl passed away within one week of each other in May and are together again. I will be posting a review on their and Misty’s blog tomorrow as well. Wishing you a healthy, happy and blessed 2023 too! 🤗💖🙏 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and good wishes dear Barbara 💜 Wishing you a blessed and lovely New Year too 🤗💖 xxx

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  11. A lovely wrap up Xenia with beautiful photos and words. I miss seeing Eivor and Pearl romping about but Misty has filled that space very well.
    Have a wonderful break. Happy New Year 🎆🎇😊

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  12. Such a beautiful post. I am sorry for your loses this year. I loved your words at the start of the post. And the reminders of your beautiful photos. Very best wishes for 2023. Looking forward to lots more beautiful posts next year

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Karina 💚 Very best wishes for 2023 to you and your family and I look forward to seeing more photographs from your beautiful corner of the world too 💖

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support dear Eliza ❤ Wishing you and yours a blessed year ahead too 🤗💖🐈 xxx

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  14. Oh, I’m so sorry for your losses. I lost my kitty of about 13 years (she was about 15). I’ve lost 3 others over the years, and she was the hardest. Your photos are beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I especially love the top photo with the pink flowers. It fits the mood well. And I’m especially sorry for your loss of friends. I have yet to lose someone real close. It makes me value what time I do have with those I love. Hopes and prayers for a new year filled with blessings and joys. ❤️

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts dear Lisa and I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet cats. Unfortunately I am of an age now where more and more friends are passing away and it makes me treasure the many years and journeys we shared even more. These moments are special and I hope you will be able to enjoy many more happy years with those you love and create lots of sweet memories. Wishing you a happy New Year too filled with joy and blessings, and much love back from our house to yours 🤗💖💫 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and all your love and support during the year dear Cathy 💖 Wishing you and yours only good things for 2023 too 🤗💕🐕 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and good wishes dear Donna 💗 Wishing you a 2023 filled with happiness and good health too! 💖✨ xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Monika and wishing you all a blessed journey ahead and a very happy New Year too! 💖💫 xxx

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      1. I love your haiku poetry. I dabble in it and find it very addictive! I try tankas every once in a while although find them harder with the pivotal middle row. Your photos certainly compliment your words.
        So sorry to hear about your dogs. Hard to lose our four legged kindred spirits. Bernie

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        1. Thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts dear Bernie and lovely to hear you enjoy writing haiku and tanka 😊 Wishing you a blessed 2023 and happy writing too 🤗💜✍

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Denyse and lovely to meet you through Sunday Stills! Wishing you and yours a blessed and happy New Year too 💜

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Julie and for walking along with us here ❤ Wishing you and yours a happy New Year too! 🤗💖💫 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support dear Nia, it is so lovely to know you too 💜 A happy New Year to you too and hugs and love back from our house to yours 🤗💖🐈 xxx

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  22. Such beautiful thoughts and images. You endured a lot of sorrow last year, but nature has a way of healing even the most broken hearts and souls. I look forward to experiencing more of the wonders of magical Scotland through your words and images in the coming year. Best wishes to you and Misty, Xenia. Much love from snowy Colorado. 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and support dear Mike, nature truly has a gentle healing power that is always there for us who need it 💚 Much love back from the snowy Highlands from Misty and me and may 2023 bring you many blessings too 🤗💖💫

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