World:
The 23-year-old athlete says she has been seeing her partner, who comes from her village, for five years.
Chand says the Indian Supreme Court’s historic decision to descriminalise gay sex in 2018 encouraged her to speak publicly about her sexuality.
But some members of her family have not accepted her relationship, she says.
“I am having a relationship with a 19-year-old woman from my village [Chaka Gopalpur] for the past five years”, she told reporters from Hyderabad where she is training.
“I have found someone who is my soulmate. I have always believed that everyone should have the freedom to love. There is no greater emotion than love and it should not be denied.”
Catherine is pictured in her Back To Nature Garden in a series of images posted on photo-sharing site Instagram.
The duchess’s woodland wilderness plot forms part of her work on early childhood development.
Speaking ahead of the garden’s unveiling, she said spending time outdoors can help children grow up to become “happy, healthy adults”.
London:
The duchess, who is mother to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, added: “I can understand that people [parents] are nervous about asking for help for fear of judgment, and how that sense of isolation can quickly become overriding and debilitating for any new parent.”
Co-created with landscape architects Andrée Davies and Adam White, along with the Royal Horticultural Society, the garden is intended by the duchess to highlight the benefits the natural world brings to mental and physical well-being.
The Japanese concept is the practice of spending time in woodland to help relaxation.
What is forest bathing?
Forest bathing – or the Japanese art of shinrin-yoku – originates from 1980s Japan, where it was introduced as a national health programme by the government.
Japanese scientists found two hours of mindful exploration in a forest could reduce blood pressure, lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and improve memory and concentration.
They also found phytoncides – chemicals emitted by trees – have an anti-microbial effect on humans, boosting our immune systems.
In practice, forest bathing means simply slowing down and taking time to really immerse yourself in the forest atmosphere.
The Forestry Agency of Japan says: “Just as bathing in a hot spring helps to soak your cares away, going for a walk in the woods is said to have a soothing effect.”
Source: National Trust / Forestry Agency of Japan
The garden features a swing seat hanging below a high-platform treehouse, “encouraging creative play and discovery for all generations”.
The treehouse has been constructed from chestnut, with hazel, stag horn oak and larch nest cladding and was reportedly inspired by a bird or animal nest.
The multi-sensory garden is also said to be filled with “incredible edibles”, plants for craft activities and forest scenes.
It will also feature a swing seat, rustic den and a campfire as well as tree stumps, stepping stones and a hollow log for children to play on.
My World:
This week I decided I needed to get a handle on my battle with food. I’ve always said I’m all or nothing, so I can be all good and eat healthily but once I start to eat unhealthy foods it opens the floodgates to be all bad. This wasn’t working, clearly as a good friend pointed out. I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been and as all you forty-somethings know, it gets harder to shift than when you’re a twenty-something. I needed to change my relationship with food once and for all.
I had a think about what would work for me, I’ve done the diets, not interested in the groups…you get the picture. What do I like? What appeals to my brain? Answer: Spreadsheets, love them. So I devised a point system, i get points for exercise, for eating good foods and not eating bad foods and set a weekly, achievable target ( which will increase over time) and so I can eat a bar of chocolate without adding crisps, fizzy drink and takeaway to the mix. This week I’ve smashed my 50 point target for the week and lost a kilo.
Watch this space!
Still working on decorating the spare room, on the final stretch…all that I need to do now is the wallpapering and get a new carpet. Yay! Can’t wait to get my house back in order.
Sunday was spent with my family to celebrate my niece, Beth’s 20th birthday.
Still reading Dreams of Beautiful Whisper by Tanya Jones and loving every minute, just wish I had more reading time.
I’ve got my probation review next week, where has that time gone?
My Word
Still working on the edits which I hope to have finished tonight to ping back to my editor for book five. Eek so much to do, so little time.
Have a great week peeps.
Maria Gibbs 