I'm a little confused, some of these are not entirely tea, let me know if the noisette / china hybrids should be reported on elsewhere. A Mme Antoine Mari - no sign of mildew, occasional bs exclusively on old leaves. 2 years old now General Schablikine - as Mme Mari. Beales 'Anna Olivier' - not a spot on it all season - first year rose, still tiny Isabella Sprunt - ditto (if the blooms didn't lose form so fast this would be my perfect yellow rose) Clementina Carbonieri - ditto Mme Jules Gravereaux - ditto, except 4ft tall, not tiny. Duchess D'Auerstadt - ditto, 6ft up it's arch. No blooms but immaculate. Lamarque has been immaculate the whole summer and has taken off like a racehorse in its pot - it's well over 6ft tall. Destined to grow over an arch onto a warm wall. I love, love, love it. Still, have to see what the damp dank winter does. Perle d'Or, small, first year, spotless. B Reve d'Or has had a touch of bs on the long branch that dangled in the undergrowth - once propped up that disappeared. No sign of mildew. Comtesse du Cayla in a pot mildewed, the one in the ground did not, so I think it's an artefact of water supply rather than the rose. Lady H - blackspots a bit when unhappy; i.e., I haven't watered it enough. Never mildews. Sanguineua - occasional spots, no mildew - in desperate need of a bigger pot, so factor that in. Mutabilis, never mildew, will bs and shed and regrow leaves rapidly. No more than say, 10%. Isabella Nabonnand - needs a new pot, some bs, but it's been swamped by an ambitious euphorbia so that might be part of it. Maman Cochet and Maman Cochet white - these leave me this autumn to their new up the road home. Both had a teeny touch of mildew and bs, but I think that was lack of water related. Incidentally, they ball like it's their job. They have excellent sun and air flow too. General Galleni is about 6 inches high in his pot and not doing much. Had a touch of mildew when in shade early this spring. Beale's 'Archiduc Joseph', tiny, had a touch of bs early - again was shaded. Souvenir de Leonie Viennot. Had a little mildew its first spring and autumn, in a pot. Clean so far this year, apart from limited bs on old leaves. It bloomed like a trouper in my hottest,driest spot. C Crepuscule mildews for me, and has done so lightly but unremittingly since it first leafed out. I am not in love with it atm, really hope it grows out of it. it is in the more moisture retentive area of the garden so I don't think it's a dry root issue, unfortunately. Alexander Hill Gray, ditto, also it balls, ugh. No bs though. Le Vesuve - doesn't mildew, does BS periodically. Don't love the effect of bare thorny canes frankly. It does bloom its socks off though.

Lianne, you are probably absolutely correct! So much research is done on problems which are more prevalent in men, but women's problems don't get as much attention. That is a proven fact. Lu

I guess lining the metal pans with Saran wrap would work. You just want to be certain the new soap does not come in contact with metal. (Fresh soap still contains free lye that will eat holes in metal until the soap fully saponifies.) Juice cartons would work as molds. So do the plastic candy molds. You can sometimes find these at secondhand stores. Just be certain whatever you use as a mold is impervious to the lye and is flexible so you can remove the hardened soap. Usually PVC pipe molds are made by carefully cutting the pipe in two longitudinally so you end up with two long "half-pipe" pieces (if you have been watching the Olympics, you'll know the half-pipe shape - LOL!). Then you use hose clamps or very heavy duty rubber bands to hold the two pieces together while the fresh soap is poured in (of course you have capped off the bottom so the soap doesn't flow out there). After the soap has set up, you remove the clamps and the two pieces of PVC, then slice the soap into rounds. I've never used a crock pot to make soap. Usually soapers recommend ANY pans, utensils, etc. that you use for making soap are dedicated to soap... and never go back to kitchen use. Sometimes you can find scales at secondhand stores, especially the one that measures 0 ounces up to 16 ounces (1 pound). Have you checked your library for soap books yet?

The hyper heat heat pump can make sense to cool an area with difficult access for ducts. Does the basement fit that description? It will cost you more to heat it with a heat pump than with natural gas. What are the aims of zoning, saving energy or comfort? If the former, you are probably barking up the wrong tree. If you have a well-sealed, well-insulated home, your heat transfer rates between rooms/floors will be much faster than out of the structure. Zoning can be difficult to accomplish, but not impossible. With old-school high mass boilers, it was not so difficult, but a modern, low-mass boiler, if sized to heat a large area, will be shutting off frequently. The same may be true for furnaces, but I am not as familiar with that issue. I've seen you write boilers and furnaces, which are you looking for? You can do forced air heat with hydro coils powered by a boiler, or with a furnace. With a hydro coil, you might be able to heat the bonus room but you'd still need a way to cool it. Cost calculations would tell you if it is worth it to install separate cooling and heating systems there. What are you planning on doing in the basement? Is is going to be just one, open area? I'd consider hiring an energy rater to help you plan and set milestones for the builder. They can help you choose your mechanical systems appropriately. They can do blower door tests to make sure that the house is air-sealed and insulated properly. Where are you located? It can make a big difference in figuring out what kinds of equipment to install if you have to heat a lot vs. cool a lot or both. Humidity is an issue too.