My first memories of Betty are very clear - I was very young, at our house in Guilsborough, and Betty was making a state visit to see my grandmother Pauline. Part of the festivities were a visit to our house, where she would inspect our garden with my mother, who is as keen a gardener as she was. I remember my brother and I nervously watching from inside as our stern great-aunt with a severe, jet-black hair cut would endlessly discuss flowers with my mother as she slowly made her way around the garden. As I got older, I revelled in her ability to speak her mind at family gatherings, which reached a pinnacle at my brother's wedding when she said to me (in my thirties at this point) that she hoped I would one day be able to have a wedding like this, but that it must be hard for me, because 'you can't fool me, Dear, I've been on the scene for fifty years!' After that I got to know Betty better and better, and have very fond memories of her coming to our house for a Sunday lunch with my friends, regaling us all with her impossible collection of astonishing stories. I will miss Betty a great deal - she was, as we all know, a force to be reckoned with, but at the same time taking a genuine and caring interest in the lives of her family and friends. Sam