Willow and Lewis has daily battle for life

In Brenda's nursery, a little girl called Willow has a pipe in her nose. I never dare to ask. Brenda says "Willow is poorly, she needs her Mum to push her in the pushchair." Although she looks weak, she seems happy.

The Derby Telegraph has a report "Ordeal of tot who 'died' three times". The youngster has to undergo 10 hours of dialysis a day, seven days a week, and take 16 different types of medicine, after developing mystery heart and kidney problems, She had to be sedated to have a catheter fitted, and her heart is still only working at 30%.

Her parents thought she had a bug when they took her to hospital – only for Willow's heart to stop three times on the operating table.

Doctors say they cannot put her on the transplant list for new kidneys until her heart has become stronger.

There was a boy called Lewis in the nursery, Brenda says "he has poorly pooh!" I haven't seen him for several months, then he came back with his head shaved. I wonder if he has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, but dare not ask, either. He hasn't come back for several weeks now after his reappearing. Brenda says "he still has got poorly pooh!"

On Monday 22nd June 2009, the school news letter "Gateway" has a notice appealing for help. It says:

Many of you will already know of Lewis Mighty, aged 4, and his very brave fight against a rare form of cancer.

Lewis' family are currently trying to raise £300,000 so that Lewis can undertake a specialised treatment programme in New York.

We would like to support Lewis and his family by holding a non-uniform day on Friday 17th July. All proceeds from this day will be donated to the Lewis Mighty Fund. We usually ask for a donation of 50p on non-uniform day and have set this as the minimum amount to participate. We do hope that many of you will feel able to donate a little more in support of Lewis.

Every penny received will help increase Lewis' chance of receiving the treatment he desperately needs. Thank you for your support.

I checked the Derby Telegraph, there is also a report about the story of this brave boy, and the contact details of Lewis Mighty Fund.

Child in school has been diagnosed with suspected swine flu

Swine flu has been found in daughter's school , this is letter from the headteacher to all parents:

Dear Parent,

We are writing to inform you a child in school has been diagnosed with suspected swine flu that is circulating at the moment. The child is receiving treatment as a precautionary measure and is recovering well.

We want to reassure you that there is no need for concern. We have taken advice from the Health Protection Unit and the Local Authority. This swine flu is proving to be a mild disease and most affected children/adult are poorly for just a few days.

The school will remain open as normal. Closing the school is very unlikely to help to stop the spread of the flu virus as it is now spreading through the community outside schools. However, as a further measure, we advise children to use tissues, cover any coughs or sneezes and throw away used tissues in the bin and to was their hands.

Anti-viral medicine is only being given to those who have swine flu symptoms. It is not being given out as a preventative measure.

Please keep a close eye on your child for any flu like symptoms in the next few days. The symptoms are:

• fever, usually of 38 degrees or above, plus two of the following symptoms
1. headache
2. respiratory symptoms such as a cough or runny nose
3. muscle aches and pains
4. Vomiting/diarrhoea

If your child has any symptoms of flu, please follow this advice:

• keep your child at home
• let us know at school by telephone
• contact your own GP or NHS Direct on 0845 4647 for advice.

Please do not send your child to school if they are unwell with flu.

We will keep the situation under review with the relevant authorities and will keep you informed of any significant developments. We are committed to do what is best for the safety and welfare of our children.

Thank you for your support.

Your sincerely,

Headteacher

Coat of arms and university logo

The coat of arms is the heraldic symbol of a university. The coat of arms is used in university seal to certify and validate official documents of the university.

In what situations are they used?

The coat of arms is an emblematic description of the founding of a university. The coat of arms or university seal are used only for official or ceremonial occasions of great formality. They are of a higher level of formality than a logo.

In general, they are used on invitations for formal university events, materials for commencement or accreditation, certificates, awards or commemorative pieces. They may also be associated with communications of the Executive Office. In addition, the university seal is used to imprint documents of student academic achievement, such as diplomas, certificates or transcripts. Such use is restricted to the Registrar.

There is only one university seal, for use by all its faculties, schools and departments. The Secretary of the University, as "Keeper of the Seal," retains authority for the symbolism and use of the coat of arms and university seal, and will resolve any conflicts regarding their use.

The coat of arms and university seal are not substitutes for the university logo and signature. The coat of arms is not to be accompanied by marks of faculties or schools. The unversity logo is the proper identifying mark for such use. It is unlikely situations will occur when it is appropriate to use both the coat of arms and the logo and signature on the same publication. Only one symbol should be used to identify the university on any project.

The coat of arms and university seal are the most solemn and exalted of a university's symbols. They are not to be applied to situations that are in any way undignified, capricious or non-traditional.

Kid's Birthday Party

Parents hire kid's play center to celebrate their kid's birthday party instead of inviting other children to their own house. This is really a good idea. A lot of kid's activity venues in Derby.

The first invitation from Abi, she celebrated her birthday party in MacDonald. Parents left their children there and picked them up after party two hours later. I didn't know this, so I am the only one who stayed there drinking hot chocolate after coffee.

The next from Mason. He celebrated his birthday in Tubby Bear’s Play Den at Great Northern Road. It's an indoor soft play centre specially for children. Children have to wear socks to play, although if you forget they even have socks you can borrow! Brenda didn't want to wear socks as usual, and she fell over and hurt her knees at the bus stop. She felt miserable, and took long time to cheer herself up. She was caught barefeet on the slides when it was nearly the end of party, though. This is quite large place suitable for adult relaxing. Most of parents stayed, so did we.

There is another birthday party for James on the way, which will be held in Hickory Dickory's children's playhouse at Unit C Kingsway Industrial Park. We hope Brenda will enjoy it as much as before.

J. M. Barrie's Little Minister

Reading J. M. Barrie's Little Minister. This love story has been so beautifully written, but with so many Scottish words. I have tried to look into dictionaries to find the meaning of these Scottish words and I wish there's a version with notes and translations.

It's because I'm police. I'm the first ane that has ever been in Thrums, and the very folk that appointed me at a crown a week looks upon me as a disgraced man for accepting.

ane: used of a single unit or thing; not two or more ("`ane' is Scottish")

It's Gospel that my ain wife is short wi' me when I've on my uniform,though weel she kens that I would rather hae stuck to the loom if I hadna ha'en sic a queer richt leg.

ain: belonging to or on behalf of a specified person (especially yourself); preceded by a possessive
weel: well
ken: SCOTTISH ENGLISH, to know someone or something
hae: chiefly Scottish variant of have
I hadna ha'en sic a queer richt leg: Does this mean "I hadn't have such a queer right leg"?

Gavin took the path to Caddam, to look for the gypsy family Wild Lindsys, but the Gypsian has gone, leave Gavin standing in the wood. In the moonlight, he remembered a legend of the wood:

Gavin had walked quickly, and he now stood silently in the wood, his hat in his hand. In the moonlight the grass seemed tipped with hoar frost. Most of the beches were already bare, but the shoots, clustering round them, like children at ther mother's skirts, still retained their leaves red and brown. Among pines these leaves were as incongruous as a wedding-dress at a funeral. Gavin was standing on grass, but there were patches of heather within sight, and broom, and the leaf of the blaeberry. When the beeches had drawn up the earth with them as they grew, their roots ran this way and that, slippery to the feet and looking like disinterred bones. A squirrel appeared suddenly on the charred ground, looked doubtfully at Gavin to see if he was growing there, and then glided up a tree, where it sat eyeing him, and forgetting to conceal its shadow. Caddam was very still. At long intervals came from far away the whack of and axe on wood. Gavin was in a world by himself, and this might be someone breaking into it.

The mystery of woods by moonlight thrill the little minister. His eyes rested on the shining roots, and he remembered what had been told him of the legend of Caddam, how once on a time it was a mighty wood, and a maiden most beautiful stood on its confines, panting and afraid, for a wicked man pursued her; how he drew near, and she ran a little way into the wood, and he followed her, and she still ran, and still he followed, until both were for ever lost, and the bones of her pursuer lie beneath a beech, but the lady may still be heard singing in the woods if the night be fine, for then she is a glad spirit, but weeping when there is wild wind, for then she is but a mortal seeking a way out of the wood.

The squirrel slid down the fir and was gone. The axe's blow ceased. Nothing that moved was in sight. The wind that has its nest in trees was circling around with many voices, that never rose above a whisper, and were often but the echo of a sigh.

More Scottish words:

0. gie: give
1. drouth: same as drought
2. toom: to empty
3. jimply: barely sufficient
4. Auld Lichts: old. Auld Lang Syne: times long past, literally ‘old long since’.
5. dinna: do not
6. wi'me: with me
7. ower: over, too
8. whaur: where
9. neifer:
10. warld:
11. cauld: cold

Read it online at Archive.org, digitalized by Google from the library of the New York Public Library, or at Google Book Search, which has severl pages missing at the end of chapter four after "The grace of her swaying figure was a new....", so does the Book from Project Gutenberg .