This is an interesting thread. I know a lot of people love Julia Child's kitchen and that the best thing about it is that everything is right there and handy. But for me, this would not be a comfortable workspace. I think we all have our own way of working and I like having everything handy but I think there might be such a thing as TOO handy -- at least for me. I have to agree with the statement above that "it's my kitchen and I should be comfortable in it" and if putting all your pots and pans and knives and utensils makes you comfortable then that's exactly what you should do! But all that would feel like clutter to me in my own workspace. I don't mean to offend anyone or say I don't like that style, in fact, I think Julia's kitchen is a marvel to look at. I'm just saying it's not for everyone. I haven't heard any complaints where guests were uncomfortable looking at utilitarian articles. I would hope that even if someone didn't like that they'd keep their opinions to themselves! But in any case, I'm a firm believer in doing what you like in your own house -- and not catering to what you THINK your guests might like or not like.

I loved Chicken Run, and realized I'd missed many good lines the first time, when we watched it again. The line I laughed hardest and loudest was 'Captain, we've got a cling-on, the engines can't take much more'. Gods must be Crazy is wonderful and still stands up over time - I showed it to my DH a few years back. The sequel is a disappointment btw I love silent movies, btw. Some of my fav include Sunrise, Metropolis (for the 'a head of its time' design, not so much for the acting), The General, The Wind and Greed. Also love some original silents of later popular movies: Wizard of Oz and Oliver Twist are very interesting, and Scarlet Letter is probably the best version I've ever seen. I have a huge collection of these movies and often find myself drawn to the time and place, and the acting of those days.

I don't think this is very off-topic, actually, since so many of us seem to enjoy using blue and purple companions for our roses! Here are some of my favorites... Asters Allium christophii and Verbascum phoeniceum (with 'Jacques Cartier') Geranium 'Rozanne', Russian sage, Bachelor buttons, and Verbena bonariensis: Clematis 'Etoile Violette' (photobombing 'Great Maidens Blush') Iris and delphinium (here with 'Abraham Darby') Hydrangeas (here with 'Charles Darwin') Sweet peas (sharing a pot with 'The Prince') Nepeta and chives (with 'Blush Noisette' and 'Abraham Darby') Hollyhock and lavender...with a bit too much Verbena bonariensis! Nigella Poppies, Echinops, purple dahlias, and Erysimum 'Bowles mauve' are other favorites, but I think I've posted too many photos already!

The best thing to plant in shade or part shade areas of your house would be plants that like shade, i.e. not roses. Since most of us on this forum stick our hands in our ears and go "lalalala" when any area of our yard is deemed off limits to roses (myself as a prime example of this, of course), I have roses in every possible garden bed in the yard. What you sacrifice when you put a rose in a nonoptimal shady spot is usually the frequency of bloom, and sometimes the overall hardiness or size of the rose. Roses like sun, and they'll usually sulk if they don't get it. There are exceptions to roses that do OK in part sun, starting with the unstoppable Darlow's Enigma. My word, that rose likes to bloom and it can handle anything you can throw at it. Just don't plan on getting within 3 feet of it on a regular basis. In general the hybrid musks will bloom without as much sun as other roses, but they also tend to be borderline zone 5-6 roses and not great for cold spots of zone 5. I have Nur Mahal between the houses and I think it is happy enough, as would other HM roses like Wilhelm that are already extra hardy. Some roses that will survive in this area don't bloom well, which is probably the issue with Baronne Prevost. Most of what I have between the houses on my east side are Canadian Explorers that get big enough to stretch for the sun when available, Easy Elegance roses that will bloom just about anywhere as long as they're hardy, ditto the Morden roses, some Austins and several Buck roses that would bloom more in other locations but do OK in these conditions, or once bloomers that don't rely on year-round sun through the whole summer for their bloom cycles. The best compromise position if you simply must have roses in cold part shade spots is to compromise and mix in other plants that like those conditions, like hydrangeas, hostas, ferns, etc. Daylilies will tolerate some shade but again their bloom cycle is shorter under those conditions. That way the occasional rose blooms become an accent in a pleasant sea of green, rather than a scrawny couple of blooms on barren sticks that are reaching for the distant sun. Ask me how I know about those scrawny barren sticks... Cynthia