Hi again Garden2garden, I have copied from wikpedia some info on thatching (see below). I'm afraid the palms don't have anything to do with thatching in England but maybe in tropical areas they were used for roofing of some sort in the past. My husband & I stayed in this beautiful cottage for a night, it is a B&B near Yarmouth I think. "Thatching is the craft of covering a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge, rushes and heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is probably the oldest roofing material and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates. Thatch is still employed by builders in developing countries, usually with low-cost, local vegetation. By contrast in some developed countries it is now the choice of well-to-do people who want their home to have a rustic look." Thanks for the rose names Jon, Roger had added 2 of them in the comments section on Flickr. They are roses that I have not heard the names of before so unlikely to be found in Australia although they are often known under other names so I will do some research. The photos of Stourhead I was very pleased with. I had visited there about 23 years ago in September I think but loved it and was very keen to revisit. I am so pleased that I was able to visit in May this time in 2004 as the azaleas etc were in massive flower. So many beautiful colours and stunning trees and the lake and the follies..I could wax lyrical but I need to go to bed. I'll add some more of the gardens I visited to Flickr in the future. Cheers Debra

Hi Vala55, No, he is a vinyl doll. Years ago when this craft first started, they were made out of play dolls who were then taken apart, paint removed, hair added, ect...And completely redone..that's why they called them reborns. Now there are doll kits specifically made for this, but we still call them reborns.

No way, no how, NEVER. Never in a million damn years. Some may remember just how much Ruger meant to me. She was an amazing friend and incredible companion. Our lives crossed at a point when we desperately needed each other. Had they not crossed, I firmly believe that both of us would be dead now. I would have done anything had there been a cure for her cancer. I had 10 years with her. She's been gone 4 years now, and there isn't a day I don't think about her, or miss her dreadfully. But to clone her I think would be the single most selfish thing I could ever do. Essentially it would be saying to her "Your time is done, so I'm going to replace you with a genetic copy of you. Maybe I'll get lucky and get something that looks like you and acts like you." That's not valuing the individual's unique traits. That's diminishing them. And I can't think of any less suitable way to honor the memory of a treasured pet.

That is a great resource National. And some very knowledgeable industry experts offering their thoughts. The article itself can be a bit overwhelming for the novice or newbie. "Or is the color you select at the start the one you must keep forever?" Only with the thin wear layer hardwoods. This can include products with wear layers less than 3mm mentioned by Greg above. You may get lucky (with thinner products) but there are other variables not mentioned in that article. One is the milling quality where bevels come into play. Nearly all prefinished engineered hardwoods have a bevel. They also vary in depth. Some manufacturers make a precise bevel, others do not. Part of this issue is explained in the video below.. "Would that be a factor in choosing engineered vs regular hardwood for you?" More variables also mentioned in the article. Today's popularity of wider planks limits solid hardwoods in many cases, unless there are earnest checks on the home's interior relative humidity, before during and after the original installation. This is rare with those looking to just have a wide plank hardwood installed and forget it. High end homes on the other hand typically line all their ducks right and have control of what makes a wide plank floor work without problems. The education of what works and what doesn't work is critical today as we look at hardwood floors very differently from years past. Expectations are often set too high; One major reason we hear of so many problems. I can't stress how good that article is. Thanks for reminding me about it. Thick veneer engineered hardwoods. Ken Fisher