On a recent excursion to Channory Point we collected a few flat pebbles from the shore and spent a pleasant afternoon together decorating them. Some people opted to keep their pebbles, to give as gifts to loved ones and the rest are tucked away in quiet corners of the garden for others to come across when outside enjoying the fresh air.

Here at Highview we love to sing and often can be found enjoying an impromptu ‘singalong’. We also hold karaoke evenings with a drinks trolley and nibbles. These evenings are very popular and well attended, with residents, visitors and staff joining in.

Sometimes we can feel a little awkward singing into the microphone but happily we are supported by our friends playing percussion instruments, this helps us feel more confident. Singing is a fun and easy way to improve and maintain good lung function while encouraging social interaction.

Residents of Highview enjoyed taking a trip  to the surrounding countryside with their Magical Mystery Tours. As they depart, the destination is unknown, and with intrigue building, residents guess where they could end up, with a little friendly competition to see who's right! If the weather changes, they will take in the beautiful scenery from the warmth of the minibus with the their lap rugs and the heating on.

Some of the most popular destinations are the Black Isle, Glen Affric and Nairnside. Residents have have previously been fortunate enough to watch a pod of pilot whales from the Kessock Pier viewing point, witness steam trains labouring over the Slochd summit, and enjoyed fish and chips on the banks of the river Spey. 

Where will they visit next?

Residents were recently treated to a falconry display as they welcomed, Clare Morrison and her young daughter from Speyside Falconry. They brought with them two of their young owls, Lana the White-faced Scopes Owl and Lola the Saker Falcon.

All of their birds are hand reared and a lot of time is spent training them for meeting the public and being gently handled. Clare and her family are experienced handlers with a level 3 certificate in Animal Assisted Therapy and are Disclosure Scotland checked. 

We have also recently welcomed our new Pets As Therapy dog Sammy into our home on a Monday evening. Sammy is a very cute West Highland Terrier and he comes in to visit with his Owner Ivy. Sammy likes nothing more than to ‘courie in’ and enjoy a cuddle!

Residents of Highview enjoyed a great outdoors with a visit to the homes local garden centre to purchase autumnal flowers for their hanging baskets. Residents took their time to wander around the displays remarking on the colourful shelves before enjoying the delights of the café with a tasty slice of cake over a cup of tea.

“Everyone had a lovely visit to the garden centre” commented one resident “It’s a lovely time of the year to come out and see all the plants with their autumnal blooms. Thank you to those who arranged such a lovely trip out.”

We were very fortunate this year to be selected for the Scottish Ballets Community Outreach Programme. We enjoyed our first visit on the 29th of March, and again, more recently on the 11th of October. The chair based dance sessions are well attended and we have incorporated many of the moves into our twice weekly exercise classes.

On both occasions we had the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea and a cake with the dancers after the session. It has been lovely to have the opportunity to meet the artists and participate in this very worthwhile project and we would like to take this opportunity to thank Miriam, Amy and Andy for their support.