The Le Puy Chemin is definitely worth walking- lots of magnificent scenery, lots of history and historic buildings, amazing architectural structures for the times. Interesting paths through forests, farms, towns and cities. Plus interesting people along the way. The first 2 weeks are very steep, lots of going up and coming down steep rocky paths. We heard from other more seasoned hikers that they felt that the first 14 days of this Camino was the toughest hike they had ever done. So be prepared! It seems that 20km/day is a reasonable pace considering the hills and rocks, plus you also want to have time to stop and enjoy the scenery along the way as well as when you get to each days destination.

Sometimes the book/maps/apps overestimate how long it takes to get from town to town, - be warned!
This part of France seems to close fir the season from 1st October, not many places for food or accommodation are open. You can still find something but your choices are limited. Plus there are a lot less people doing the walk, so it could be quite lonesome.

The weather is still good though- not too hot or too cold.
Nearly everyone on a camino takes away something from it. In my case - a realisation that everyone is different, we all have our idiosyncrancies, and we all have our good points - appreciate diversity! And concentrate on the good in people.

Overall- it was a beautiful and worthwhile hike, can thoroughly recommend it. If anyone would like more information about this walk - I am always up for a chat! Au revoir,  A bientot.

Helen from Australian Brain Coaching

Rotary Club of Narrabri - Achievements aplenty for our Rotarians

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Rotarians have been celebrating tremendous achievements recently.
This week, Helen Dugdale was joined by family and friends to celebrate the official launch of her book, Put Insomnia to Sleep.
In her book, Helen argues that you don’t have to be part of the 40 per cent of Australians who struggle with insomnia, lack of sleep, or even just bad sleeping habits.

Book Launch at Shoal Bay

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Hello Shoal Bay

I can’t wait to launch ‘Put Insomnia to Sleep’ on 12 February at the Shoal Bay Country Club.

Mingle with a drink before enjoying a complimentary drink on arrival & canapes. I’ll be in conversation with novelist Rhys Gard about what inspired me to write the book, and some of the interesting facts I’ve learned about sleep along the way.

There’s been a lot of hard work and plenty of cups of coffee from the initial idea to a fully published book! I can’t wait to share it with everyone and to hopefully help people have a better night’s sleep.

Sleeping habits in the spotlight through new book by Helen Dugdale

The Courier - January 25, 2024

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In Put Insomnia to Sleep, experienced Narrabri-based psychotherapist Helen Dugdale argues that you don’t have to be part of the 40 per cent of Australians who struggle with insomnia, lack of sleep, or even just bad sleeping habits.

“A lot of my clients were coming to me with anxiety and stress and saying that they don’t sleep well. Once I’d fixed their anxiety, they started sleeping better,” she said.

Book Launch - Put Insominia to sleep - Tourist Hotel, Narrabri

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Hello Narrabri!

I can’t wait to launch ‘Put Insomnia to Sleep’ on 30 January at the Tourist Hotel.

Mingle with a drink before enjoying a two-course meal. I’ll be in conversation with novelist Rhys Gard about what inspired me to write the book, and some of the interesting facts I’ve learned about sleep along the way.

There’s been a lot of hard work and plenty of cups of coffee from the initial idea to a fully published book! I can’t wait to share it with everyone and to hopefully help people have a better night’s sleep.
 

Personal Development Workshop - Communication skills for agronomists

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Recently Australian Brain Coaching was asked to facilitate a Personal Development workshop, focussing on communication skills for a workplace staff of 16 agronomists. These are all tertiary qualified people who also need to keep on top of the latest research in their field; management trends, as well as available rural commodity markets. They also often have to deal with tricky situations in dealing with farmers, resource providers and government departments, as well as being available at different hours when working in seasonal growing conditions.

Sleep Workshop - CSIRO

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Recently I was asked to facilitate a Sleep Workshop for 45 CSIRO personnel, as part of their Workplace Health and Well-being day.

Sleep is so much a part of good health, sometimes it can get over-looked in the busy-ness of work and to-and-from home, especially when asked to work longer hours than usual, in different seasons. Sleep is also important to not only our physical well-being, but also to our emotional well-being.

If we get adequate, good quality sleep , we tend to function better at work, make better decisions, better life-style choices (eg, less junk food, less alcohol etc). We are also more alert and less grumpy!

Most of us know this already, but are we all doing anything about lack of sleep when it occurs?

Weekend Retreat - 22-25 September

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Weekend Retreat - Pilliga Pottery Farmstay.
Come for half a day, or more., whatever you can spare in your busy life.
Book in for 1-on-1 sessions with Helen, or book in for group workshops. Get some help to deal with anxieties, phobias, insomnia or performance issues, in a beautiful relaxing setting. Meals included. I look forward to helping you.
#retreat #pilliga #narrabri #dubbo #anxiety #insomnia #phobias #braincoaching

Carers NSW Sleep Workshop

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“Sometimes carers are so busy looking after other people that they often don’t have the time or energy to look after themselves.

Thank you to Carers NSW for inviting me to speak at a conference they held in Narrabri last week, for a number of local people who are caring for other people.

And to this end, Carers NSW asked me to present my workshop on the Importance of Sleep. If we get consistently good quality sleep, we are doing ourselves a favour in looking after our own health, and when we do that, we are in a better position to look after others.

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Below shows the map of the area of France where you walk the French Camino.  The blue line is the distance travelled from the starting point to the end.  The redline shows Helen's progress across France walking between 19kms and 25kms a day.  Staying at BnB's a long the way.  

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    Helen Wheels French Camino walk Sept 2019 starting Le Puy-en-Velay, 

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    Paris Gare de Lyon to Le Puy en Velay by train.

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    Gare de Lyon to Le Puy-en-Velay to Sauges on first three days of trekking on the French Camino.

    Day 4 to 6 from Aumont-Aubrac to Nasbinals.

    From Golinhac to Conques to Decazeville

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    The last leg of the journey
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    French Camino Walk Sept 2019 



    2 Violet Street, Narrabri, NSW 2390
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