Relaxed alpacas.
Out there, wandering around the lake. Grazing on fresh grass, bramble leaves and ripe blackberries.
And taking a nap in the sunshine when they feel like it.
This scene poignantly draws out the contrast with years gone by and marks the emergence of a new season.
The last Monday in August – a public holiday here – was always the last big open day of the year for us.
The run-up to the day would have included much tidying up and baking oodles of cakes, getting the drawing wall, coffee, books, videos and samples of fleece ready for our visitors. Who might come from many miles away.
Not today.
And perhaps not again.
This is a shift—a pivot point.
We can be deeply grateful for all that has been. The way it has formed and shaped us and crystallised what we care about.
And then we need to be ready for the next season.
Choosing possibility and embracing difference because they come together.