A GAMBLER would find nothing more irresistible than having a flutter on the weather at the Devon County Show. Everyone talks about it ? and, depending on which forecast you listen to, predictions can range from drought to deluge. Fortunately, considering the inclement conditions last week, the show was lucky to escape as relatively unscathed as it did. High winds tugged at the tents, rain did its worst and the sun even put in an appearance. But showgoers weathered the climatic blips and turned up in their droves to enjoy this annual three-day extravaganza. For those who come to show and those who come to see, this transient settlement of stalls, tents, displays and stock pens never ceases to please. Geoff Turner, a partner in Barracott Plants from Gunnislake, had won a ?Silver Gilt Medal? for the display in the Flower and Garden Show. This year he was featuring a blue flowering plant from the Chatham Islands in New Zealand, Myosotidium hortensa. ?It is one of the most unusual plants we have. It used to grow wild in profusion there but the goats nibbled them up. They are now trying to get them re-established.? Geoff, who recently received a Silver Gilt Medal at the Malvern Royal Horticultural Show, had also brought along a range of lilies of the valley ? one with pink flowers, and another with striped leaves. Specialising in shade loving plants his nursery also had an appealing line in oriental rhubarb. ?They have got nice flowers and ornamental leaves ? but you cannot eat them!? So, erase all thoughts of rhubarb and custard then . . . In the bee tent judge Arthur Taylor assisted by steward Bridget Brassey were sampling the mead. ?Some like it sweet and some like it dry,? he explained between critical sips. ?It will vary depending on the soil content ? the darker is heather honey and the lighter could be clover of sycamore. It all depends on the area the bee keeper comes from.? Just outside the tent was a ten-week old Jack Russell pup nearly asleep in his owner?s arms. ?It is his first visit to the show? said Roy Sweet cradling the contented canine. Get them in young and they will be hooked for life! Horses come in all sizes from shires to the diminutive Dartmoor Pony. Teenagers Vicki Jarrad and Ginny Faulkner ? whose mother formed Friends of the Dartmoor Hill Pony ? were on hand to discuss the virtues of this delightful creature. ?We are trying to promote them. They have a lovely temperament and they are great children?s ponies,? said Ginny. ?The Friends are growing ? not just members locally but from up country. Hill ponies are the ones that are bred on Dartmoor ? but Dartmoor ponies can be bred all over the world.? Nearby Sue Gray was about to joint fellow members of the Side Saddle Association to give a display in one of the smaller rings. ?Originally ladies were supposed to ride side saddle because it wasn?t seemly to sit astride a horse. Side saddle really ended in the second world war with ladies working on farms.? In the rabbit tent judge Neil Robertson was working through the classes with a businesslike efficiency. Rabbits were patted, turned over, their coat scrutinised, teeth checked by the eagle eye of an expert. ?We are looking for the right shape and the right depth of colour in the coat. The coat has to flow from back to front and they must have well covered ears, clean eyes and nose,? said Neil. ?It?s like a beauty competition. They all have to conform.? One of the most aristocratic of rabbits to be paraded on the bunny equivalent of a catwalk was a Swiss Fox ? a rare, superior looking rabbit with a dazzling white coat and blue eyes. However Mike Connebear, who was showing eight rabbits, said that as pets a lot of rabbits had a less thanhappy existence. ?They get shut in a hutch, loved when they are first bought ? and when the winter comes they are forgotten and neglected out doors. People see baby rabbits and don?t realise the size they will grow into.? At the Churches of Devon site a ministry team of bikers was there to share the love of their machines and their religion. Knights of Antioch member Jim McCall owns an immaculate black Kawasaki Drifter complete with modifications and bearing the legend: Jesus is Lord. He said all the members of the Knights of Antioch were bikers before they became Christians. ?We are still bikers ? we just carry on in a more positive manner. The feedback is great. Christianity has got a bad image of flower arranging and organ music. But Christians are everywhere and in all walks of life. ?You get some Christians who have a problem with Christian bikers because they think they should be like them. But nobody likes to be preached at.? Enjoying a well earned afternoon tea and biscuit break was Sir Francis Drake and his goodly wife Lady Drake ? alias Brian and Monica Whipp. Often to be found in such locations as Buckland Abbey they were at the show helping to raise funds for the Children?s Hospice South West. ?We love doing this but there is a lot of work behind the scenes,? said Lady Drake. ?The leather needs cleaning and costumes need to be repaired. We have a room of costumes in a little bedroom that is full of dressing up clothes, boots, hats, swords ? and a sewing machine that is never out of action!? The always get a suitable courtly reception where ever they go ? although they occasionally get the cold shoulder from mayors because their costume outshines those of the civic dignitaries. ?Mayors can be worse than women!? confides Lady Drake. ?We don?t push ourselves forward but the press do pull us out of a crowd.? Sir Francis has been, well Sir Francis, for 25 years. It began with a one-off pageant and grew from there: ?He has been very good to us. We have been to places we would have never otherwise have gone. We have met the Queen and Prince Charles. ?When people ask me to do anything I ask myself would Drake approve? And if he wouldn?t than I wouldn?t touch it. I?m governed by Drake!? A highlight in the main arena was the appearance of the King?s Troop Royal Horse Artillery whose meticulous movements were choreographed like clockwork. Hauling their gun carriages ? six horses per carriage ? the riders arced across the ring at an impressive gallop. The display culminated in unhooking the guns and firing blanks. Psychologically I felt easier knowing the guns were pointed in the opposite direction to where I was sitting. However the noise made several members of the public jump out of their anoraks ? and spooked a couple of the more timid natured horses. A visit to the County Show does have its risky moments. What with guns shattering the anticipating silence in the main ring and a seven foot robot called Titan intimidating earthlings in the various avenues. And there I was checking my camera by the side of the cattle arena when a voice warned steadily: ?There?s a bull behind you.? As I turned, over my shoulder I saw a looming bovine giant whose shape momentarily eclipsed the daylight. Panic? Me? Nah . . .