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Lisa G Saw • Mar 08, 2023

Snowing In The Alps

From the warmth of my apartment I’m watching the snow falling outside. I’m sitting on a chair looking out of the window, mesmerised by the simplicity and beauty of the moment. I’m in a calm relaxed meditative state, with my feet planted on the ground and my back supported by the chair. My breathing has slowed right down. There are a few areas of tension in my body, so I tense the muscles in those areas, then with a quick release I relax them whilst simultaneously exhaling softly. It helps to release the tension deep inside. I repeat this a few times.

 

My hands are relaxed on my legs and I simply observe the snow. I love the white stuff. It makes me smile. I feel almost tearful. I don’t even know why. Is it that release of tension? Is it just the happiness I feel in this moment? 

The thick grey clouds prevent me from seeing far down the valley. The mountainside I can see from my window is visible, all the way to the top, though the jagged peak is far from clear. Just yesterday morning the ground was bare and brown, an expanse of exposed rocks and grass. But now, a thin veil of snow covers the slope. I’m sure it won’t be long before it’s a dense blanket. The green fir trees on the mountain now have a dusting of snow on their branches. The scene before me is slowly transforming into the winter wonderland I love so much.

The snow continues to fall. At first, it’s gently downwards. Then the wind changes direction and pushes the snow horizontally towards my balcony. Beautiful unique flakes of snow gently landing on the ledge. It feels like an invitation from nature to step into another world. I leave the warmth of the apartment briefly and brave the cold air that awaits me. It’s invigorating. It’s so fresh. I reach out my arm and let the snowflakes land in my palm. Softly, they fall. Ever so light. I can’t even feel them. Within seconds each snowflake melts away and disappears. A brief moment of delight, locked away in my memory.

 

I retreat back into the warmth once more. There’s another change in wind direction. Now the snow falls downwards again. Some flakes fall faster than others. There are ones that seem to be taking a more direct route to the ground, but other lighter ones gently descend, wafting a little from side to side. Beautiful. A gift from the skies. I feel a lightness inside me as I continue to watch the snowfall. I’m enjoying a moment of effortless being and noticing the benefit of this mindfulness moment.

By Lisa G Saw 14 Jan, 2024
During the first half of our autumn holiday up in Scotland, we'd filled our boots with sightings of deer. Now our focus switched primarily to Mountain Hares and Ptarmigan. Since both species live at high altitudes, it meant a lot of walking uphill! It would be hard work! But, I felt confident I'd be able to manage it, so long as I simply took it slow and steady with frequent stops. At least we were able to intersperse these challenging days with more relaxing ones. On our first day based in Boat of Garten, we decided to venture up the Cairn Gorm Mountain. The mountain railway was closed, as were the ski lifts, so there was no easy access to higher ground. But, since the car park was located at 635m, we were able to start our walk from a reasonably high point. I was thrilled the top of the mountains were covered in snow. It looked so beautiful, though of course, this meant we'd be walking through the white stuff and would undoubtedly get quite wet. We chose to follow the steep Windy Ridge path up to the Ptarmigan restaurant - the highest in the UK. It was given its name due to the high number of this species on the mountain, which was perhaps a good sign. So, I set off with optimism and very happy that it was a glorious sunny start to the day.
Red Deer stag in the mountains
By Lisa G Saw 29 Dec, 2023
I love visiting Scotland, seeking out new places as well as returning to favoured locations. Even though I've been several times over the last few years, I've never been up there during the autumn, around the time of the deer rut. I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity this year, even though I knew the chances of actually seeing any activity were extremely slim. As much as I wanted to see the Red Deer up in the Highlands, there were actually two other species that were higher on my 'Want To See' list for the trip - Mountain Hares and Ptarmigan. I've been lucky enough to see them before, but was eager for more wonderful experiences. I knew they'd still be just as potentially challenging to locate and photograph, with declining numbers even in favoured locations. It would certainly make the trip more of an adventure. The fact I wasn't going alone this time, but instead sharing the experience with Bob - on our first holiday together - made it even more special. I really hoped we would get lucky with our target species, especially as Bob had only seen one Mountain Hare before and never laid eyes on a Ptarmigan.
Marsh Fritillary
By Lisa G Saw 10 Sep, 2023
April 2023 marked the end of my quest to see all the butterflies that live their complete life cycle in Sussex. The final species I saw, during the Easter weekend, was the Large Tortoiseshell. Following the exciting conclusion to my adventure, I wrote a post about Discovering the Butterflies of Sussex . In it I mentioned how chuffed I was with what I'd achieved and how I didn't really want to start the next obvious quest straight away, to see all the UK butterfly species. But, with the spring and summer months stretching out before me, it seemed silly not to make a start this year. Bob and I were still in the early stages of our budding romance, and the idea of spending a lovely long day out together was just too enticing to pass up. So, in late May, we headed over to Martin Down National Nature Reserve in Wiltshire, in the hope of seeing the Marsh Fritillary. It would be my first, but not for Bob. He's already seen all the UK butterfly species, except for the Cryptic Wood White, which is only found in Ireland. We woke super early and reached the nature reserve by 8am. Unsurprisingly, we were the first ones there. It was still quite cool and a little windy, but nice enough to enjoy our breakfast sitting on a bench by the car park, overlooking the wildflower meadow and the hills just beyond to the south. We heard a Cuckoo calling nearby - an unmistakable sound of spring. Lovely! It was a great start to the day.
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