If life were a bowl of cherries...

Night wrap his gentle arms around you, love
Night place his softest kisses on your eyes, love
Night whispers words of comfort into your ears, my love
Night be the one to dust away your fears

And if the day has passed it's course with smiles, with play, with laughter
I wish you dreams of crisps and cakes, with games to follow after
I wish you visions, vibrant, bright, of the sea-side in the summer
And in these dreams, I hope it seems, the good times last forever;  so

Night wrap his gentle arms around you, love
Night place his softest kisses on your eyes, love
Night whispers words of comfort into your ears, my love
Night be the one to dust away your fears

And if the day has brought you harm, if salt has stained your pillow
If you've struggled, lost your way, in sunlight walked in shadow
I wish you dreams of better things, the joy of days that follow
Velvet nights that ease your pain and herald bright tomorrows; so
 

Night wrap his gentle arms around you, love
Night place his softest kisses on your eyes, love
Night whispers words of comfort into your ears, my love
Night be the one to dust away your fears 

And if the day has bought you trouble or restless thoughts disturb
The peace of mind, which above all else, you, my love, deserve
I wish you calm and dreamless sleep, your flighty thoughts to curb,
Leaving clarity of purpose only such nights can unearth.

Night wrap his gentle arms around you, love
Night place his softest kisses on your eyes, love
Night whispers words of comfort into your ears, my love
Night be the one to dust away your fears 

Night wrap his gentle arms around you, love
Night place his softest kisses on your eyes, love
Night whispers words of comfort into your ears, my love
Night be the one to dust away your fears 

Not really sure why.

I'm not liking how much seems to have crashed it's way into the next 3 months. How much I don't seem to be able to get out of. Trying to tie together what I want to do, what I should do and what I must do. And the last category contains enough to fill most of my time whilst any spaces are suitably plugged by the penultimate category. 

It is very odd, the run down of the end of school: Had a lifeguarding meet yesterday which was highly entertaining (even if Watson did seem to vanish rapidly) and it was great to see everyone together. It is a rare and pleasent thing when you end up working in a group that clicks so well - an hours training (/helping with an assesment) followed by playing with the floats and big ball followed by tea and biscuits in the sports centre. Although I was a little tired after 90 minutes in the pool. Thinking of doing a lifeguarding trip punting in the summer... 

The same is true of Chemistry. Out teacher was stuck in traffic (Stupid new Guided Bus!!! 12 months of HORRENDOUS (even for Cambs) traffic) so we couldn't start the cake... but it was actually a surprisingly good lesson. None of us were in the mindset for practise papers so we just did a massive spider chart of Nitrogen Chemistry on the white board and then question and answer sessions from the random revision cards that were lying around. I will miss the dynamic in that class... teasing, jokes, some truly colossal red-herrings and people who actually put the work in enough of the time to make a difference. :D It's been a good year.

There is little I will actually miss from the Leys, but I think that those two will feature on the list. Also break times, just because you have the chance to wonder up to the kitchen, grab some food and just sit around chatting or reading the paper for half an hour with whoever turns up. I doubt I will really find that level of regular socialness unless I actually do go into teaching, which is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Irksome. I have spent much of my life dreaming of true solitude, or rather, the chance to go new places and discover new things. I've always longed for the chance to walk down a street where no one knows my name. I've striven for the chance to make it on my own, to stand on my own two feet, do my own thing and be acknowledged for the things I've done. I've wanted to find friends and around me but build my own life.        Finally, I now have that chance ....

And now I have finally learnt the difference true companionship / friendship can make.

I have found people that I not only would not mind sharing my adventures (sucesses and failures) with. People I want to show the things I discover. People I wouldn't mind having there to catch me when I stumble. For the first time I will not only appreciate the time I can spend with the people I admire and love, but I will also miss them when I don't have that. There are about 5 people on that list I think. That is seven people too many.

A valuable lesson to learn, maybe? .... Just not now????

And this just came on:

Everytime we say goodbye, I die a little,
Everytime we say goodbye, I wonder why? a little,
Why the Gods above me, who must be in the know.
Think so little of me, they allow you to go.
When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it,
I can hear a lark somewhere, begin to sing about it,
There's no love song finer, but how strange the change 
from major to minor,
Everytime we say goodbye. 

When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it,
I can hear a lark somewhere, begin to sing about it,
There's no love song finer, but how strange the change 
from major to minor,
Everytime we say goodbye.

xXx 

I have decided my life is Pride and Prejudice

• Crazy family: Check (although I am pleased to say that she is not constantly trying to match-make me)
  
• Life permeated by dry humour and social criitism: Check
  
• Mr Collins: Check (2 or 3 by my reckoning)
  
• Mr Wickham: Check (PLENTY of those, though none have run off with one of my sisters yet)
• Exasperated Father: Check (with me too much of the time, thanks for coming in yesterday!)
  
• Kind, well meaning and amusing extended family: Check
• Appreciation of the amusement to be found in the English Class System: Check
• Sisters: Check (although both Em and I are too like Eliza)
• Long chains of misunderstanding: Check
• Never enough money or hats: Check
• Lady Catherine de Burgh (sp): Check in OH! so many guises

I just have to wait for Colin Firth to walk around the corner in a rather transparent white shirt and my life will be complete. :P

xXx 

I woke up at 5:30 today :'( I have a feeling that it was the bird song and not the light which woke and so there is nothing I can do about it - there is no way I am closing my window in this heat! Mind you, I don't think I would bother closing my curtains either as I do love being able to see the shadows of the tree on my wall. And it *is* and lot of effort.

******************* 

I spoke to John on Sunday. I think I shall send him some photo's from Kazakhstan... and some prayers. 

*******************

Whether it is heat rash or (more likely) eczema... It is iritating me. Enough that I might go into boots and by myself some aqueous cream if I can find a ny at home today. Mind you, I am quite pleased that I almost have the discapline not to irritate it now. It is becoming irksome though.

Oh well... that is my triplet over with. I should go find: water, tea, a shower, fruit (? I don't think I have any) and clean shelves so they can be dusted.... 

xXx 

Ok. Here is the other "half" of the story... this has taken me 2 hours. I did not do this set of notes from memory (the first bit on the Menstural Cycle was). It is 3 pages long in MSWord and I don't expect anyone to read it properly. I am just rather proud of it as it is the most work I've done in biology in 18 months!

It is also a good retort to any idiot male who complains he can't understand women -  of course he can't! It is written into our bloody physiology!!!!!!!!

I'm not kidding when I say anyone would think we weren't meant to reproduce. 

Hormones are in bold, couldn't be bothered to put scientific words into italics, instead *my* comments are initalics.

Oogenisis – the female side

Ok. So here is the complicated one… *breathes deeply*… and begins.

Once again the hypothalamus has overall control over this process – being the link between the nervous and chemical systems in the body, that sort of makes sense. Once again GnRH is released and travels the short distance to the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. Again two hormones are released: LH (Lutenising Hormone (=ISCH)) and FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone).

Right now things begin to alter slightly. The female process of oogenisis (generation of the egg cell) is not continuous but cyclical and begins before birth. As the ovaries develop in the female embryo, meiosis one begins in the germinal epithelial layer and is halted in prophase one. The ovaries also produce follicle cells which surround the oogonia to form primary follicles.

Basically the soon-to-be-egg cells begin to divide and at frozen part way through the process with the DNA condensed into chromosomes and grouped into homologous (same-sized) pairs. The cells are then surrounded by a layer of other, smaller cells.

Meiosis one is halted at birth and the process cannot resume until puberty occurs and the menstrual cycle begins. (JOY!) This cycle varies between females, but for ease of communication the cycle is “averaged” out over 28 days.

OK, back to Biology. FSH is released from the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland and travels in the blood to the ovaries where it stimulates the continuation of meiosis one. The layers of surrounding cells builds up and a theca layer developes (from the tissue of the ovary) to create a primary oocyte within a primary follicle. The theca layer secretes oestrogen which has a number of functions including:

•    Promotes secondary sexual characteristics in females
•    Inhibits FSH production to prevent the development of a second oogonia.
•    Builds up and prepares the endometrial layer (blood layer) in the uterus

The first meiotic split is completed and one of the haploid cells degenerates into a polar body that has no known purpose. The follicle continues to mature into a Graafian Follicle and oestrogen levels continue to rise. At day 14 of the cycle the oestrogen levels peak and (once over a threshold level) stimulate (not inhibit) the release of FSH and LH.

The production of a Graafian Follicle occurs moving in towards the centre of the ovary; LH stimulates the eruption of the primary oocyte out from the ovary into the oviduct (Fallopian Tube). This can apparently cause a little bleeding as the oocyte is the largest cell in a human body and some women claim to be able to feel the release occurring.)

Here the story splits into two:

The remainder of the Graafian Follicle develops into a Corpus Luteum (or Yellow Body) that produces progesterone (and oestrogen). Progesterone helps to maintain the endometrial layer and also inhibits FSH and LH so no new oogonia are developed.

The primary oocyte travels along the oviduct to the uterus and can survive only a couple of days, without fertilisation, before it degenerates. And then the story splits again….

If fertilisation does not occur, then the primary oocyte dies and shortly afterwards the corpus luteum degenerates. Progesterone and Oestrogen levels fall again and FSH and LH are no longer inhibited. FSH levels rise and stimulate the development of another oogonia and primary follicle to mature to a Graafian Follicle. The endometrial layer decomposes and menstruation occurs.

On The Other Hand…

Long lines of mucus in the uterus provide lines for sperm to swim easily along and guide their travel to the oviducts. The contraction of the uterus (presumably through oxytocin release) also aids this movement. If a sperm meets the primary oocyte, the acrosome layer breaks through the wall of the primary oocyte and stimulates the second division – meiosis two – to create a secondary oocyte. The secondary polar body produced here is again redundant material. The wall of the ovum becomes impermeable to other sperm to prevent double fertilization. The genetic material from the single sperm cell is incorporated into the DNA of the secondary oocyte to form an ovum.

Interesting… sperm are 50um long whilst a secondary oocyte is 140um in diameter! (that is visible to some people!)…. Just visualise it!

This ovum travels down the oviduct to the uterus and (hopefully) imbeds in the endometrial layer. The cell releases hCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) that prevents the degeneration of the corpus luteum for roughly 12 weeks until the placenta is fully developed. After 12 weeks the placenta takes over the role of producing oestrogen and progesterone that maintain the endometrial layer and prevent the development of another oocyte by inhibiting FSH and LH. Progesterone also relaxes the muscles in the uterus wall to prevent damage to the foetus and potential miscarriage.

Back to placenta: the embryo developing a Chorion layer that protrudes into the uterus wall and forms finger-like protrusions called Choronic villi that have microvilli on the external side of the epithelial cell (outside) layer. Inside these villi a network of blood vessels bring the foetal blood close to the mother’s blood supply in the endometrial layer, so that diffusion can occur – note the two blood supplies never mix.

The foetal heart pumps (faster than the mother) deoxygenated blood out along the umbilical arteries. Gas exchange and exchange of nutrients / hormones / antibodies / urea occurs and fresh blood is transported back to the developing foetus along umbilical veins. HPL (Human Placental Lactogen) is involved in the development of breasts during pregnancy and adjusts the mother’s glucose and fat respiration to the advantage of the foetus. Most bacteria cannot cross the placental barrier but viruses such as Rubella and HIV can.

The foetus develops surrounded by a protective amniotic sac containing amniotic fluid. After roughly 38 weeks the level of progesterone decreases rapidly whilst the level of oestrogen increases. This makes the uterus more susceptible to oxytocin which is a neurotransmitter / hormone produced by the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. This causes the uterus to contract and the cervix begins to dilate (over a time period of up to 12 hours). A mucus plug that has blocked the cervix during pregnancy detaches and passes out through the vagina and the amniotic sac bursts. Hopefully the foetus has had the sense (and kindness) to rotate around so they can leave the uterus headfirst! (The opposite is a breach-birth and is even more painful!) A rare example of positive feedback: the high levels of oxytocin in the blood during labour, stimulates the release of more oxytocin. The rate of contractions increases steadily and when the cervix has dilated to 10cm diameter then head “engages” and the baby begins to emerge.

(I am slightly confused here: the baby’s skull is not yet fused together… so how does pushing it repeatedly very hard against the cervix and the pelvis not cause damage??)

Once the baby is in air they (We NEED a better gender-neutral pronoun!) begins to breathe and the umbilical cord is cut and tied off. Final contractions of the uterus cause the placental structures to detach from the endometrial layer and pass out of the vagina. Over the following weeks the (deciduous) endometrial layer decomposes and is also lost as progesterone and oestrogen levels fall again.

The final part of the female reproductive cycle is lactation. During pregnancy the presence of HPL (Human Placental Lactogen) allows oestrogen to stimulate the development of the duct systems in the breasts and progesterone to stimulate the development of milk glands. The high levels of progesterone and oestrogen also inhibit the production of prolactin.

After birth, as progesterone and oestrogen levels fall PRF (Prolactin Releasing Factor) is released from the hypothalamus and stimulates the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland to produce prolactin that is responsible for the production of milk. The milk contains lactose (glucose + galactose) along with fat, minerals, vitamins that are easy to digest. There is also a selection of the mother’s antibodies and viruses such as HIV (if she is positive). The suckling action of the baby stimulates nerves in the nipples that send messages to the hypothalamus to release PRF and to the posterior pituitary gland to produce oxytocin. Oxytocin causes the involuntary muscles around the milk glands to contract to force milk through the ducts and out through the nipple. PRF also causes the release of prolactin so the production of milk is maintained.

This process obviously only occurs when the baby is suckling.