Hi Dan Nice to hear from you. I've since discovered that there's now no problem in trading seeds, small ones at least, between the US and UK. It's a far cry from 2004 when a US friend and I would debate whether to add beans to rosary chains to disguise them as ethnic jewellery! My trade list has shrunk sadly in recent years but I have these heirloom tomatoes. I've kept growing them because each has some very special characteristic: Alaskan Fancy (early red small plum), Sasha's Altai (ultra-early, large red), Aunt Madge (UK heirloom, small red plum, totally indestructible), Cherokee Purple, Broad Ripple Yellow Currant (small yellow cherry, remarkably blight-resistant), Vince (large yellow stuffer, looks exactly like a sweet pepper) and Fablonelystnjy (large yellow cherry, Polish, intensely sweet and prolific). Let me know if there's anything there you'd like. Best wishes John Yeoman Here is a link that might be useful: The Gardening Guild

I agree with lboise that the hysteria over the criticism that an oven doesn't have a telescoping rack are getting a bit well, hysterical. A telescoping rack is hardly in the realm of automatic squeezers, basters and whatever else. James, has a point that telescoping racks have their limits of appeal too, and that it is hardly unfair that a vendor doesn't offer this feature. However, momotom has perhaps valid reasons to be disgruntled and James' and antss' reasons for dismissing that she might find it useful are fairly preposterous. That said, here's my reckoning on it. I dont' have a miele oven but I do have an oven with a (one) telescoping rack at the very bottom. - 6.5 times out of 10, it makes no difference to me whether my oven has a telescoping rack or not. Either coz I'm not using that rack or that there is nothing unique about the pan I'm using that makes me appreciate the telescoping vs. the not esp since I want to get into and out of a hot oven asap. - 1 times out of 10, it is a bit of a nuisance with the extra sliding paraphernalia which is certainly a slightly bigger deal to remove than a plain and simple rack which slides right out. At those times, I'm very grateful that only the bottommost rack is this telescoping affair and not the other racks because I seldom need to "move" the bottom rack out of the way (since the bottommost rack is never really in the way of a cooking process) but I often need to move the other racks. - 1.5 times out of 10, I'm glad of it - either because I've got something heavy and slippery going in and out of the oven or I'm cooking something delicate in a water bath and boy is it ever handy to have the ever so smooth rack slide all the way out so I can access said item to remove it with no sloshing or no stiction/friction to contend with with a heavy pan on the rack which comes out 3/4 of the way. - Another 1 out of 10 times, I wish I could have the telescoping rack on at least the second rack too coz most ovens and most recipes want you to cook at the center of the oven rather than the bottom most rack. But then again, see 2. Terribly scientifically loggged as you can see. ;-) So, on the whole I'm glad my oven has a telescoping rack. BUT it is nothing that would be a make or break deal for me. But that's just me. Lastly, antss, while I many many times find that your observations are particularly sound and logical, this last post is more mind-bogglingly servile and genuflecting of the vendor than any company needs or should expects. A consumer hardly needs to make it their business to ensure that a proprietor not be troubled or disturbed with a recommendation. (1) If Miele receives a groundswell of mail of any kind, smart money would bet that they (a) would be pleased out of their gourds that they have engendered that much enthusiasm and (b) would make haste to address the complaint. (2)HOW could Miele or ANY company "know what the marketplace wants" if said marketplace is not to send them the corresp.???? This makes no sense. On the latter, sometimes people here forget that while Miele makes good products, that it isn't a charitable venture - this is NOT run out of the Vatican, folks. It is a profit making enterprise. Their motives are the same as any other company - to maximize return on their investments. James and antss etc. might feel that they, and by extension anyone else, must need only what Miele already provides because Miele has effectively told 'em so, but I can assure you that "the marketplace" is not so easily condescended to. I love my Miele gizmos and appliances but, believe me, I've got a list of what is good and what is not so good about them on each of 'em. It's not about freedom of speech, it's independence of thought. & yes, I recognize that you are not obliged to have that either. lboise, I wouldn't admit that on a public forum. :-)

Has anyone seen the comedian Jim Gaffigan do his bit about McDonald's of the soul? His point is even if you feel self righteous about avoiding McDonald's, everyone indulges in their own form of McDonald's. Albert enjoys Stove Top. Other people devour People magazine. Some people watch The Bachelor. Some people convince themselves that their Frappuccino is not a milkshake. Some people have indulgent hobbies. My McDonald's is online games. Everyone has their own MCDonald's. Or, in this case, Stove Top. This post was edited by deee on Mon, Jan 6, 14 at 10:44

Yes, I think the minor changes for a UK/US audience are to be expected up to a point. I first read The Phantom Tollbooth in the UK edition and there were numerous minor emendations (posh eh?) like color/colour, car/automobile. Though it seems to me that that doesn't seem to happen any more here in the UK. I have a copy of If on a winter's night a traveller by Italo Calvino. At least, that's what it says on the cover. But the very first line of the book is:- You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel, If on a winter's night a traveler. Or a simpler example - I have a UK edition of Axe by Ed McBain. I also have a UK Kindle edition of Ax by Ed McBain... On the other hand - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? What's that all about? What's wrong with Philosopher's Stone? Winter - I think you're right - the publishing industry is just sloppier these days. It's to do with the driving down of costs. (And don't get me started about the sloppy proof-reading in most e-books....)