FOR Ross Murdoch life has been a blur lately, a kaleidoscopic snapshot of images whizzing past at light speed.

It has only been in the last week or so that he has been able to take stock and reflect on the history-making, giant-slaying moment which saw him win 200m breaststroke gold at the Commonwealth Games before going on to claim double European silver.

As the dust settles on a phenomenal season, Murdoch has been cooling his heels under strict instruction from coach Ben Higson before the five-ring circus cranks into gear again this autumn.

"I'm really happy with how I've performed over the last couple of months at the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships but I'm now having some time off to chill out and not really think about swimming," he says.

Taking it easy, however, doesn't come naturally to Murdoch. The 20-year-old from Balfron, Stirlingshire, admits the post-Glasgow 2014 lull has been a "bit of a downer" and he appears to be champing at the bit to begin fresh challenges.

"For the last two years, all that has been on my mind has been the Commonwealth Games and now it's gone," he muses. "It's very, very strange."

Although there has been plenty to keep him occupied, not least fan mail arriving by the post-bag full, a Twitter following that has swelled to more than 10,500 and collection of "selfies" to rival Kim Kardashian as his adoring public regularly accost him for photographs.

"It's bizarre," he says. "I'll be walking round Tesco and hear people saying: 'Oh my God, that's the swimmer boy from the TV - it's Ross Murdoch.' I think: 'This is odd. Just over a month ago I was walking round here and no one knew who I was or paid me any attention.' All of a sudden everyone seems to know who I am.

"There have been times I've been out with my mates and someone will come up and ask: 'Are you guys those swimmers from the Commonwealth Games?' It's weird having people wanting to come up and have their photo taken with you," he laughs.

A week ago Murdoch got to meet a special fan: five-year-old Brian Fitzpatrick from Dumbarton. The youngster's note and enclosed drawing reached the swimmer despite being addressed simply to: "Ross Murdoch, Commonwealth Champion, Balloch".

Murdoch managed to track Brian down via Twitter and offered the star-struck schoolboy a swimming lesson at Stirling University where he trains. "Getting that letter was pretty cool, especially because Royal Mail know who I am and how to get it to me," he says. "I met Brian at the pool and showed him round. We got in and had a little race. It was really good fun."

While Murdoch has enjoyed his brush with fame, he is keen to stress that his swimming ambitions remain firmly the main focus.

"The World Championships will be my benchmark meet for next year," says the Scot, who blew away the cobwebs with an appearance at Swimstars in Singapore on Friday, finishing sixth in the 100m breaststroke. "With the 50m breaststroke, I'm thinking at the moment that I'm probably not going to be swimming it in a major meet for the foreseeable future simply because for the next two seasons I'm going to be focusing on the Olympic Games.

"You can't actually swim the 50m at the Olympics so I think things will be focused around the 100m and looking at that to build the front end for my 200m. I'll also be using the 200m so I have the back end of the 100m. They are going to compliment each other perfectly. The training plans that Ben and I have set out, we know it can work so it's just about implementing that for the season ahead."

While he and Higson are in the process of finalising the diary for the coming months, they are undecided whether Murdoch will race short course at the 2014 Fina World Swimming Championships in Doha, which are held in early December, or instead contest the 2014 Scottish Gas National Short Course Championships in Edinburgh a week later.

"I can get the type of racing I need in Scotland and so could compete there instead," he says. "What I'm looking forward to most is getting into the New Year and settled back down into long course racing."

The crestfallen demeanour of fellow Scot Michael Jamieson as he again had to settle for silver in the 200m breaststroke is one of the enduring images of the Games, but Murdoch insists there is no animosity between the pair. "We spoke afterwards at the Athletes' Village and post racing we went round to his parents' house, sat down, had a couple of drinks and enjoyed ourselves," he says. "I haven't seen him since then because he's been on holiday in the States."

Murdoch is unfazed by his new mantle as top dog among the Scottish breaststroke fraternity. "I don't get bothered by pressure," he insists. "As I've said before, no one puts as much pressure on me as I do myself. It doesn't change much for me. No matter what, I always try to be the best. No one trains to finish second and that isn't going to change."

Should his head get too swollen, however, Murdoch has got his close mates in the swimming world to help keep that in check. "They keep me grounded for sure," he says. "They do like to tease me but I think it is good that I have people around me who are going to keep my feet on the ground. I can trust all of my team-mates and know that when we need to knuckle down and work hard, nothing will get in the way of that."