On Tuesday, 9th May, 20 members braved the lightning, thunder, hail and torrential rain to visit Sutton Mead near Moretonhampstead. On arrival, we were invited by the owners, Miranda and Edward Allhusen, to take refuge in the conservatory. Miranda is the NGS Devon County organiser. During a lull in the deluge, of about an hour, we had a conducted tour of the lower half of this splendid 4 acre garden, which is entirely managed and worked by Edward and Miranda, who have lived there for forty five years. Acting originally as a home and family garden, they have since transformed it into what it is today, a delightful country garden with a croquet lawn, rhododendrons, azaleas, a tulip tree, pink champagne birch, a bog garden, three ponds (built by Edward), a huge copper beech, mature orchard, year round vegetable garden, two summer houses (also built by Edward) and a woodland area. One summer house has the inscription 'We come from earth, we return to earth and in between we garden’. The rain returned and forced us to retreat to the conservatory again, where Miranda and Edward provided tea and a variety of delicious homemade cakes. Most of the stalwart members then braved the rain again and climbed through the higher, woodland part of the garden viewing, under umbrellas, masses of blue, pink and white bells.