Three Blissful Moments

I’ve returned from a weekend in Inverness staying with my friend. It has been a relaxing, chilled and fun time. I knew it would be as it always is when we catch up. What surprised me was three moments over the weekend where I felt at peace and in a relaxed state:

Walking with Alpacas

We met the alpacas, got introduced to them and found out a little bit about them. As you would expect, each alpaca very much had their own personality but were all very gentle. We were told if they didn’t want to walk they wouldn’t. I was paired with Cosmic, he was the oldest of the group but deaf. He had beautiful blue eyes and of course eyelashes to die for.

The alpacas were very soft to touch, we were told to stroke their necks and to walk at their shoulders. I was surprised at how calm they were, all of them were very relaxed about being on a walk. They were quiet and not fussy, they certainly didn’t need restraint as they were happy walking along. I was at the back of the pack and it was lovely to see the other 9 alpacas walking in a line, they are very well looked after and have a large field to run about in, as well as the path that we take them for a walk. Loch Ness is on this path and we took them down to the shore. The owner explained they often stand in the water when they are hot to help them cool down.

We fed them carrots when we were down on the shore and took some photos, the alpacas take things in their stride and had a real calming energy. It was a big breath out moment as relaxing was part of the experience – who knew?

When you are on a walk with alpacas, you are very much present, you are paying attention to your alpaca, to the surroundings and the others in front. You have an awareness of the here and now. You want the moment to last as you know time always goes quickly when you are enjoying yourself because you lose yourself and everything else disappears.

It was lovely, stroking them (so soft) and chatting to them (I still talked to Cosmic even though he was deaf). Once the walk was over, my friend and I both felt very relaxed and in tune with nature. It was a lovely way to spend an hour and we would certainly do it again.

Swimming in Loch Ness

After our walk we wanted to have a dip in the water. So we drove to a spot, however, this turned out to be busy and the water was a bit choppy so we found a quieter spot that was peaceful and less exposed.

We knew it would be cold, but it was a hot day so would be refreshing. It was a slow walk into the water as we negotiated lots of pebbles. After a few wobbly cold steps we reached the sand and the water was around thigh high. After a 1,2,3 we plunged our bodies under to get past the worst of the cold. WOW it was bracing!

Now we were in Loch Ness, swimming. It was a breezy day so their was a slight current, however we stayed close to shore and paddled about ensuring we could always get back quickly should we need too. Not going to lie, I did worry Nessie would approach, but she kept her distance.

As with the alpacas, we were very much in the moment as you had to be vigilant. Focusing on the water, the current, each other and of course our personal belongings on shore. Despite the cold as we moved around we felt great, our bodies getting used to the temperature. We were happy to be there, chatting as we swirled around moving our legs and treading water.

After around 20 minutes or so, we felt we had been in long enough, we certainly didn’t want to push it. As we clambered out over the pebbles, we commented on how invigorating it felt. We felt energised and alive. We dried off and got our cosy clothes back on and headed home. The energised feeling stayed with us all evening,

I highly recommend outdoor swimming, but please do ensure you go with a friends and take safety precautions.

Lying on the grass

It’s as simple as that. We had been out for a walk, some lunch and cocktails, it was a busy morning and afternoon. Early evening, we came home, kicked our shoes off had some food and then lay down on the grass. The garden was on a slope, so it was perfect to lay flat on, alternating between feet flat on the grass and legs straight out.

The sun was shining, the sky was blue and lying on the grass, was bliss. Feeling the heat on our feet as well as our faces was delicious. It truly felt like we were on holiday abroad. We stayed there for a while enjoying the moment and appreciating the weather.

It doesn’t matter what you do at the weekend or on your holidays, the likelihood is you will find calm and serenity sometimes in the most unlikely of places. If you rush around all the time you might miss these moments. The truth is, we often don’t purposely set to find them, but they can appear when you least expect. I had no idea how relaxing the walking with the alpacas would be, if anything I thought it would be high energy and non stop. I was surprised.

Look out for these moments of bliss as you never know when one will appear as you go about your day.

Take care, have a great week and look after you.

Love Emma xx