Health & Wellbeing

58 The West Dorset Magazine, July 1, 2022 Health & Wellbeing Walking West Dorset

with retired Dorset rights of way officer Chris Slade

FROME VALLEY TRAIL: 7th WALK

This is a relatively short walk of a little under four miles and is mostly flat and easy going. You’ll get extensive views over the vast water meadows without paddling in them (as I used to do). Start at the former Swan Inn (which used to serve a good pint!) at Fordington. Cross the road and bridge then turn left and head east, downstream, alongside the river. Lubbecke Way is on your right. Mostly the path is well used and mown but there’s one short section which is rumpled and will soon be nettly so, if you’re a wimp or wearing shorts, divert onto the adjacent Tarmac. When you come to a double arched bridge turn right to join St George’s Road next to allotments. Head east under the long bridge carrying Dorchester bypass. Continue through Fordington’s industrial estate and the massive water works until you get to the town dump. Here you join a bridleway on the lefthand side and carry on alongside a small stream at the edge of a large field. Eventually you join the road at Frome Farm, West Stafford. Turn left and follow the road northwards for half a mile, trying to keep count of all the bridges you cross! When you get to the large bridge at Lower Bockhampton, bearing a ‘Transportation Plate’, turn left and follow Bockhampton Path westward for a mile, although you might like to take brief diversions to look at the lake at Kingston Maurward or the church at Stinsford. Again you pass under a bridge with the bypass. It was around here many years ago that I saw an otter being hounded to death. When you reach the road, turn left to Greys Bridge, then left again and back to The Swan.

Remembering Lauren’s legacy after

youcantalk.net is a new wellness and mental health resource launched by Bridport-based duo Kerry Miller, pictured, and Alex Fender. It features lots of free resources to help people relax and take stock.

I have written before about the weather and how it affects our lives. I don’t want you to think this is a weather blog but yesterday was stormy all day until late afternoon when the sun burst through black clouds and... wham: there was a fabulous, stunningly bright rainbow arching over the hills. It was magnificent. Intense rich colours hung in a perfect arc and I immediately thought of Lauren. Lauren loved rainbows. I met her in New Zealand where I was living at the

The West Dorset Magazine, July 1, 2022 59 Health & Wellbeing Versatile fennel so good for anxiety

Andy Cole is a reiki healer based in Middlemarsh. He specialises in planting for healing. We have had some glorious weather recently and while sitting under a large oak tree, taking advantage of the shade this wonderful tree provided in our new site, we were visited by squirrels, some young woodpeckers and of course the gardener’s best friend the robin, and what a friendly chap he was –even hopping into the rear of the open van just to see what was there. The peace, tranquility and relaxation was perfect. The oak tree’s energies provide a sense of belonging to the place, permanence and stability, a firm grounding to focus the mind and the spirit and give the body the chance to absorb the solid strong energies, providing us with the strength to continue with the task at hand. I also noticed a wild honeysuckle growing in the hedge around the tree, and the energies from this wonderful plant assist in balancing your own energies, awaken the mind to the spirituality of your surroundings. The dappled light shining through the oak onto the honeysuckle and the fragrance of the flowers brought a sense of harmony and contentment to my total being, mind, body and spirit. Energy healing is truly remarkable but unfortunately far too many people are unable to enjoy the therapy that the garden, plants and the great outdoors supplies. We can however make the most of what we have, whether it’s a window box or a garden. The smallest of plants can still provide us with energy healing – just a few primroses and pansies in a window box can help to provide inner peace, restore your natural rhythm, and raise the spirit of your soul. During this hot, dry period watering is a must for most gardeners, and it is also very important to keep ourselves hydrated to avoid heat stroke and dehydration. Water has a high healing energy content. Heat just sucks the energy out of you when working in hot conditions, but by replenishing you water levels your energy levels rise as well. This has nothing to do with the energy derived from food –it is to do with the energy healing within the water. More people are suffering from anxiety these days. Fennel is a good plant to help to bring calmness to the mind and focus your thoughts. Fennel likes full sun, will grow in most soil types and is of most interest in the garden April to December. There are also a lot of culinary uses as well, it can be used in salads, goes well with salmon, and when braised it complements scallops. Fennel helps with depression, anxiety and is also good for the digestive system. When mixed in a smudging stick with thyme and lavender it is said to help psychic purification and provide strength and understanding. If the seed heads are left they provide a good food source for wild life through the autumn.

SUCH A VERSATILE PLANT: Fennell is good for depression and anxiety, and also tatstes great

being inspired by a beautiful rainbow

time. Lauren was terminally ill. She had the most incredible spirit, a deep religious faith, a young family and a dear, supportive, traumatised husband, Brett. Lauren wanted me to write about her life, include a copy of the family tree, talk about her values, describe comic incidents, include poems and pictures she had painted, sayings from her ‘fridge door and produce her legacy. She also asked me to write letters to each of her children separately, and to her husband. The letters were impossible for her to write, but by talking about what was important I was able to compose thoughtful, careful, letters full of love and praise and practical tips for Brett about how to run the family home, and for the children, full of wisdom, love and kindness. When I handed over the legacy, I gave Lauren a small crystal angel and hung it with invisible thread from the curtain pole above the picture window that looked over the garden. Lauren clapped her hands together softly as the angel threw rainbows over the walls and set off prisms from the display cabinet of glass animals and crystal trinkets. Lauren closed her eyes and smiled and a rainbow danced briefly across her eyelids. Now, I always think of Lauren when there’s a rainbow.