My cat plastered herself over my not stitched part of my stomach the moment I came back from the hospital. I was to lay flat and not move for a couple of more days, except for some walking every couple of hours. She had never slept in my bed before. During chemo she was always there when I came back from treatment and to this day, if I don't feel well, she sleeps with me. Oh, she also was my excercise coach once I had to move more, by always wanting to get out of the door which was the furthest away from where I was and it always involved 2 sets of stairs. George, I am glad that you also have a nurse cat. Listen to her when she bosses you around.

Since my climate is a bit similar to UK, it seems that with teas a problem is not that much caused by our winters or lack of heat in the summer, but rather late spring freezes and temperature fluctuations in early spring. Overhere we can get very warm February (up to +15C) and some roses break dormancy, just to get zapped by late frosts in March/April. It is my constant cause of frustration with hydrangeas, since if the new growth freezes, it is whole season of meh. It seems that you have to winter protect teas and chinas here at least for the first years to get some of the more woody canes, when settled they have way less problems with the climate. Own root probably would be a better option as well, since even if it is not cane hardy, it can grow back. I know somebody attempting to grow Lady Hilingdon climber 50 miles more inland from here and apparently it comes through the winter undamaged, but late spring, especially when wet, often is what kills it to the ground. It grows back and blooms though with no problem, so you get some sort of perennial rose. I am going to try a few chinas/more tender noisettes this season, so will see if it is possible to grow it here, although I am going to wrap them into agricultural fleece for the winter. I will go for own roots, but if to get it grafted I would vote for getting it from Trevor White, although Beales ones did for me almost as good. ;)

Congrats, Midnight. Growing a clivia to blooming size from seed is a great accomplishment. I hope you'll start a separate thread with pics once the blooms are open. Great plants! Socks, Disneyland and I have a lot in common, heh heh, and no, not because I'm "goofy"! I like a lot of the plants they use, and how they create such cheerful/jarring combinations. I just planted a bare root 'Disneyland' rose, which, while not jarring, is certainly perky like the many they have planted there. I've been gardening since I was five years old and have reached the point where I just plant what I enjoy and what makes me smile, so "tastemakers" be damned, lol. The brighter, taller, and stinkier, the more I like my orange marigolds. I actually struggle to find non-dumpy dwarf types. Usually I get them from Select Seeds or Seeds of Change...what about you? Take care, Grant

An FYI since it's much too late to apply to the original posters plea for help. There is such a thing as cold oven baking for bread and the article linked below has great examples. Baking bread from a cold oven or preheated oven, the same science happens at certain temperatures (these are the internal temperatures of the bread, NOT the oven temperatures): -Yeast dies at 140-degrees F. -Starches begin to gelatinize between 140-160 degrees F. -Loaves are "done" when baked to an interior temperature of 200-210-degrees F. (some varieties of bread are "done" at 195-degrees F.) -If under-baked, the bread will taste starchy. -Well-baked bread will taste slightly sweet. Crust textures are also affected: -Baking breads at lower temperatures (325-350-degrees F) creates a thicker, chewier crust. -Baking breads at higher temperatures (375-425-degrees and up) produces thinner, crisper crust. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Farine - Basic Country Bread Baked 2-Ways