Oh, such kind words and thoughts - truly comforting. And always, the universe holds us all in a balance so there are some very posiitive aspects to this.-, not least, the outpouring of concern and sympathy which I find deeply moving. All of my children lost stuff too but they have rallied together with ideas for fundraising (any excuse for a party) and car boot sales (where we can also keep a weather-eye out for our stuff). Eldest has gone into a mad propagating phase - he plans to take 200 rose cuttings and root them as one of the 'perks' on something called Indiegogo (?) and a generous tree surgeon has offered me a brushcutter which needs a refurb but hey, I am not fussy. Have been scrabbling about for extra work (easy enough at this time of year) and my family have really pulled together. Been looking out for old woodburners on Ebay - ours was still shiny and new so we will use the *Cambridge bike strategy from now on. As proof that hope remains alive and well, I have sown melons - albeit ones which are known to be tough and hardy. (as well as having a great name - 'Collective Farm Woman') - an act of true optimism (or crazy delusion). Am off to the allotment right now to gloat over the tomatoes - with a bit of luck and sunshine, I will be eating the first sun-warmed tomato in the first week in July......and there will be the first picking of broad beans (my favourite vegetable) and raspberries today......so really, we are still blessed with all the good stuff. Again, thank you all so much. With love, SuzyX Rose conferencees - take a lot of pictures.....I will mentally transport myself through the aetheric realm, hovering over your shoulders (that sounds a bit weird, mind). * Cambridge bike strategy - everyone cycles in Cambridge and all of us have had at least 5 bikes stolen (they go round and round in perpetual motion). Anyone with a shiny expensive looking bike may as well leave it unlocked with a big fluorescent sign saying 'Steal me'. Hence, we remove any stickers, shiny extras, smart saddles etc. to make them look as old and tatty as possible - it is common to spend more money on the locks than on the bikes.

I had a point somewhere when I started that thread on this subject which I can't find now. So I'll settle on Cactus Joe's thread. Anyway I came across an article on Kordes in my old Rosebank news letters. It was an article by Harry McGee in September, 1995. The occasion was a visit to Canada by Wilhelm III. It has a good history of the Kordes firm. It started with Wilhelm the first in 1890 in Hamburg. Wilhelm II joined in 1919 in Sparrieshoop. He was succeeded by a non-Wilhelm but still a Kordes, Reimer. Then came the III. All were in charge of breeding operations. Other family members ran the business side. What is relevant in all of this is that the hybridizer was preminent in the firm and therefore put emphasis on that. At that time Kordes was the largest rose nursery in the world selling 2 million roses a year. They made 50,000 crosses a year. After a rose is singled out as a prospect it is grown for 6 or 7 years of testing before it is introduced. They probably are still the largest. Possibly the odds of creating a superior rose are in favor of those who do the most crosses. Stands to reason doesn't it? Even just blind choice should produce now and then something of value. One thing Mr. Kordes said that was interesting is that many breeders have stopped breeding HT's. One reason is that fewer people go to exhibitions. The other is that they are more difficult to get anything worthwhile. Hard to make disease resistant, many are single, fragrance is rare, have fewer hips and what they have don't germinate well and finally they produce fewer flowers. The emphasis on disease resistance began as a result of the Green Parties efforts to ban spraying in many parts of Germany. Kordes then stopped spraying. The result was disaster. Their fields became nearly barren of roses. I guess things have improved since then.

Gary's death is terrible news. His opinions and insight will be missed by everyone on this forum, RIP.

Folks, if you must sell in this market...it's all about price. That's normally true anyway, but especially now. I moved to a fairly transient (military) area, where there is a fair bit of new construction. There wasn't much of a bubble but we feel the slowdown. As a result, the builders are dropping and dropping prices, BUT they're moving houses, while most private sellers sit on high prices unsold. Maybe those sellers can't go any lower, but they're not selling either. Many places have come up for rent. My equity from my down payment has pretty much vanished (shh don't tell my lender, they might insist I pay PMI!). But the market is moving again (ok maybe it's the normal seasonal effect too).