Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful week ahead,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #203: Local Vistas
Word of the Day Challenge: Mysterious
Silent Sunday: Urquhart Castle
Tag: word of the day challenge
Wordless Wednesday: Feeding a Blackbird
Other birds have been watching the robin on our window feeder and this blackbird is now a regular visitor too.
Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Word of the Day Challenge: Irresistible
Silent Sunday: Mother Earth
Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful week ahead,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge: Mother
Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge: Earth Story
Haiku: Peace Candle
second-hand bookstore
a blue and yellow candle
lit in the corner
© Xenia Tran
Haiku Dialogue, The Haiku Foundation, 9 March 2022
It is heart-breaking to see what is happening in the world today because of one man’s fear of open and honest conversation.
It is heart-warming to see how many of us are working together for peace and freedom at the same time.
Yesterday’s visit of friendship to Kyiv by the Prime Ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia and Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister hopefully marks another step on the road to peace.
When you look more closely at the actions taken by people in support of peace for Ukraine, they all come from a place of kindness and compassion. Each and every one of these actions make a statement and make a difference.
Last Monday I signed an Open Letter (organised by The Society of Authors) to the writers, illustrators and translators of Ukraine expressing our solidarity. When I looked at the signatures more closely, I noticed that the name above mine was almost the same as my late grandmother’s. She was nearly 101 years old and lived through two World Wars.
Had she been alive today, I’m sure she would have signed the Open Letter too.
Wishing for peace and freedom in Ukraine and wishing you all a blessed Wednesday,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #190: Close and Closer
Word of the Day Challenge: Statement
Wordless Wednesday: Beach Art
Just as Tina invited us to an Odds and Ends Lens-Challenge, I came across this beach art installation made from driftwood, rope, netting, a creel, leaves and berries, sea shells and seaweed, covered in sand.
I am taking a short blogging break to focus on a nature writing project and will be back on Wednesday 16 March 2022.
Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday and a peaceful week ahead,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #189: Odd and Ends
Word of the Day Challenge: Cover
Haiku: Cullen Skink
Cullen skink and stovies
a lunch-time line forms
in the rain
© Xenia Tran
The Asahi Shimbun, 18 February 2022
Cullen Skink is a popular fish soup along the Moray coast, where it is served in many restaurants, cafés and takeaways. Seeing people wait in line outside a takeaway inspired the above haiku.
This traditional Scottish soup originated in Cullen, a town that has featured a few times on this blog, most recently in January’s post Seatown.
It is an easy dish to prepare yourself. Some people use onion, we prefer leek. Some people use mashed potato with cream, we prefer cubed potato, steamed in their skin.
Ingredients:
Organic leek, organic potato, smoked haddock, milk, parsley (or lovage).
Method:
Wash, peel and chop the leek, wash and cube the potatoes. Steam the potatoes for approximately 15 minutes, the leek for 10 minutes.
In a separate saucepan, poach the smoked haddock in semi-skimmed milk for five minutes. Remove the haddock with a strainer and transfer it onto a plate. When the fish is cool enough to touch, flake it into large pieces, removing any bones, and return it to the milk in the pan.
Add the steamed potato and leek to the milk and haddock and heat together for another five minutes. Serve and garnish with fresh parsley et voilà – you have a simple, wholesome dish for any occasion.
Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful week ahead,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Thank you Cee for honouring us with this post as a CMMC Featured Blogger!
CMMC: Close-Up or Macro
Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Wholesome
Word of the Day Challenge: Occasion
Silent Sunday: Time to Rest
Wishing you all a beautiful Sunday and a peaceful new week,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Word of the Day Challenge: Resting
Wordless Wednesday: Step by Step
Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge: Step by Step
Word of the Day Challenge: Discovery
Silent Sunday: River Swans and Cygnets
The swan family enjoy feeding on the plants in the river at high tide. The cygnets are now six months old and even the late developing cygnet is showing her first white feathers.
They’ve come a long way since their Welcome to the World.
The parents still seem content to have the cygnets around and they may not fledge until the new year.
Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful new week,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge: Winter’s Day
Word of the Day Challenge: Content
Silent Sunday: Forks in the Road
These images were taken a day after Storm Arwen when some of the roads and paths were still closed for safety reasons.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to our friends further east and everyone else who has been affected.
Wishing you a peaceful Sunday and may you all stay safe,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Weekend Prompts Weekend Challenge: Fork in the Road
Word of the Day Challenge: Naturally
Tranature 
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