News and Views Year 2017…
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George and I arrived Wednesday 9th August to prepare the field for the opening of the THS on Friday. We stopped on the hard stand and chatted to Richard the farm owner. Richard and his Son Alastair had just managed to get the last of their crop in by 2am that morning, before the forecasted rain set in. We looked at the field, with the very long grass and realised they obviously had not had time to cut it. The following day Alastair, as promised, came and cut the grass. Unfortunately we had pitched our caravan and put the awning up by then, so underneath our unit the grass was very long.
Friday the weather was windy but thankfully dry. First to arrive was a camper called
Michael who had booked to camp with us for the whole holiday, he was an interesting
man with many stories and he had many cups of tea with Surrey DA’s campers. The first
night we only had eight units in but by Monday more campers arrived including
Norman Hemsley, the Club’s National Countryside Care Officer together with some of his
friends who would all be going on to the NFOL at Hickstead Horse Show Ground.
Late Tuesday afternoon Mel Hill (Our Club Chairman) arrived to stay for a week’s holiday,
also before going onto the NFOL. Five more units arrived to camp with us prior to moving
on to the NFOL.
On Wednesday the wind got up, we were being battered by the remains of a tornado
which had came across from America and brushed along the west side of Britain.
Kevin and Kath Rose’s awning lifted in the wind and it took all of us to hold it down.
This very strong gale force wind lasted for about twenty long minutes then it all calmed
down!
Coming up to the bank holiday the field was filling up, the weather was promised to be
good and by Friday we were full. Everyone was enjoying walking to Bosham and cycling
around the area. Over the weekend my phone did not stop ringing, with camping Club Chairman Mel Hill thanks the
members enquiring if we had space for them following the NFOL. By Monday evening we Stewards for a great holiday!
had to open a second field to take some of the twenty two units which had arrived, one (No prizes for guessing where he’s
of which was a very large ‘Fifth Wheeler.’ By the evening both George, Frank and I were going!! Ed.)
extremely leg weary, seeing campers onto their pitches. A special thanks to our
grandson Joseph, who helped by showing campers into the second field on his bike. (Thank goodness for young Legs). Towards the end of the holiday, the field started to empty out but the good weather forecast had yet again campers arriving for the last weekend.
As I said, at the start of our THS we pitched on long grass, unfortunately we had a visitor each night. We first discovered it when I went to get the Weeterbix for breakfast. Yes we had a field mouse, or mice, getting into our van. Each night we could hear them scratching about and chewing things. We got some mouse traps and set them up around the unit and in the front box. We managed to catch one and they had eaten the bate we had put down, hopefully that would has solved the problem. But no, they still kept coming in each night. Scratch, scratch on and off all night, not much sleep was had. So we were resolved to having to take the mice home with us. When we got home we stripped the caravan completely of all items of food bedding and cushions leaving it totally empty and placed mouse traps and bate out. Looked in the caravan the following morning nothing had been taken, the same for the next three nights. Thankfully the mice had decided to stay at the farm.
Some Folk Group members At times it was tiring and at all time we enjoyed the meeting of camping members, Rehearsing at Bosham, for the NFOL making new friends and enjoying the surrounding area, we are looking forward to doing it all again next year, hope to see you all there.
For you ‘number crunchers’! 561 Unit nights camped. Members camping; 256. Children; 32. Caravans ; 54.
Motor Homes; 83. Tents; 3. Cats; 2. Dogs; lots.……
Sue & George Moore
The Surrey DA Temporary Holiday Meet at Church Farm, Bosham
