Parish Lantern (Easter) – March 20th – 24th

It may have been the coldest Easter for 40yrs but that didn’t deter 25 units with 52 adults & 20 children on board from coming along to enjoy a weekend away. 21 Dorsets & 4 visitors.

The Public House we camped behind was a cosy, local country pub which served excellent food thus providing us with a good "watering hole" especially on Friday evening when we all turned up to have a get-together.

Jayne was our DJ for the disco on Saturday evening and as this was her first go at being a DJ, she did really well. That’s it Jayne, you've done your apprenticeship and passed, so I think we will book you again at a future date. It turned out to be a great evening with an American Supper .

On Sunday, because of the weather, we had the children's egg hunt during the evening along with a quiz and lots of games, in particular the horse racing was a firm favourite, we also held our Flagpole at this time and had Hot X Buns, tea and coffee --------- a bit different. John & Celia were our judges for the competitions and they found it very difficult to pick out the winners. The evening was an occasion where everyone joined in making it a good family fun time. Many thanks to Jayne for organising our entertainment for the weekend.

It was nice to see Celia & John out on the field again after a long absence, we hope that your health will continue to improve so that you can come and join us more often. Sandra has been rather poorly of late and was unable to camp with us, but she couldn’t stay away, Stuart brought her out for a short visit and it was nice to see her. I think she heard about the food in the pub!!! Shirley and Dave also came along to see us and that was a nice surprise.

As Easter was a bit early this year and the weather not good, it was a bit of a concern as to how it would affect our meet but everything turned out well and a great weekend was had by all.

Myra & Ray


Easter Meet 2008

"What a weekend at Whiteparish! High winds, rain and sleet. Just the conditions when you can rely on the Dorsets not to let you down. We had a really excellent Easter weekend, along with twenty or so other units, in a field behind a great pub. On two evenings, Saturday and Sunday, we were entertained in fine style at the Village Hall just across the road. We had all the Easter activities even if we couldn't use the site for the Easter Egg Hunt or even a barbeque due to the weather. Even Flag Pole on Monday with Hot Cross Buns was brought forward to the Sunday evening in the Hall.

Needless to say the weather produced the expected havoc of a very muddy entrance to the site which proved impossible for most of us to negotiate under our own traction. Will the Dorsets let you down? Of course not! By the time we were towed off the field, firstly the car, then the caravan, most others had successfully been helped on their way home. Only about six units remained.

We would personally like to thank Nick (Smith) and his son for the three or so hours they spent getting cars, motorhomes and caravans out of the site. It was like clockwork. Their help, given so willingly, shows why we are lucky to have such members in the D.A. Thanks, Nick, you did a great job with your son.

Thanks also to Ray and Myra for stewarding this meet and making it so enjoyable. And yes, next time we will make it to the pub with you, even at eleven o clock at night!

Celia and John"

Merley Court – March 7th – 9th 2008

Well what can I say, what a fantastic weekend it was. Although the weather could have been better it did not stop us enjoying ourselves.

We had 35 pitches booked for the Dorset DA for the weekend but by Friday 4-30 there were five vans queuing and only 1 space left and by this time we were getting worried, but the Shorefield wardens came and found the extra pitches we needed, although they were away from our main area they did not have to turn anyone away from the site. There were 43 units altogether.

Friday evening started with Pete & Val’s 45th wedding anniversary party and what a spread they and Elaine put on in the bar ''Fantastic'' is the only word. There was so much & what a variety. THANK YOU Pete & Val.

On Saturday we had an evening with New Forest DA in the skittle alley, because there were so many we played ''killer'' and of course the Dorsets won, it was won by David of our youth section.

A raffle was held for the youth section by Nikki for a bottle of whisky (Donated by Dave) and raised £75 to help pay towards transport etc when the youth go on their rallies.

THANK YOU ALL.
Dave & Shirley



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NEW YEAR MEET - DUDSBURY GUIDE CAMP 27th Dec - 1st Jan 2007-8

The last 12 months have flown by and we are once again driving up the lane at Dudsbury, the only difference this year is that there are no pot holes, just speed humps instead but they are very gentle ones. I am sure that everyone appreciated the newly laid tarmac.

We opened on Thursday 27th December, rather close to Christmas. For Terry and myself we had had my nephew’s Wedding in Frome 22nd-24th, 25th Christmas Day with 21 for lunch, then Boxing Day, another party until the early hours and then straight into our New Year Meet.

Understandably only a few units arrived on the first night being so close to Boxing Day but those of us who were there managed to light the log fire, decorate the house with trimmings, enjoy a light buffet and sing Happy Birthday to Sue Hampton. We then were offered Jim and Mavis’s special brew which went down very well.

Friday saw more people arriving and gradually the field started to look like a Dorset D.A. Meet. It is just so convenient to have the caravans around the building so making the house a wonderful gathering place. This year so many of you used the house both during the day and of course in the evening.

Friday evening we enjoyed cheese, ham, pate, crusty bread etc. and wine followed by one of Mick’s quizzes, not quite so difficult this time. It was also a good time to meet our good friends once more.

29th saw the start of our New Year celebrations, and by early evening the field was full of caravans. We began the evening with a meal, Myra’s special sausage pie or quiche for anyone who could not eat this. If anyone has been lucky enough to try this special pie they will tell you how delicious it is and many people came back for second helpings. Accompanied with mash, mushy peas, beans and gravy we were all full up, but we still found room for apple crumble and custard. Val Greening had very kindly donated all the apples for us. This made for a good start to the proceedings as we were to be entertained by BOS (Bournemouth Operatic Society). They always give us a good performance and this year was no exception.

Sunday dawned and it was lovely to see people playing card games etc, some sitting round the fire drinking tea/coffee, laughing and talking. The evening was curry night or bolognaise for those who did not like curry. This went down well with all the trimmings ie. Narn, poppadoms, mango, lime pickle etc. followed by ice cream, fruit, sauce and wafers. We were then entertained by Norman the snake charmer and Jayne with her belly dancing troupe and what movers they were. (don’t give up the day job boys). Jayne and Mick later organised ‘Call My Bluff.’ Well done to all those who joined in.

New Year’s eve arrived and more food. This time a full cooked breakfast for everyone who wanted it. It is so nice to all sit together enjoying a meal. We then walked to the pub to get rid of a few calories.

Our theme for the evening this year was Nursery Rhymes and it was great to see so many people dressed up as characters ie Jack and Jill, Little Miss Muffett, Tom Tom the Pipers’ Son and loads more. Jayne organised a game to get everyone mixing. Jim dressed up as Father Christmas to give out all the raffle prizes (he enjoyed the kisses and cuddles so much that I expect he will offer to do it again next year). All the money from the raffle goes to the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides at Dudsbury Guide Camp. This is a charity and they are so grateful for all our donations and we have received a letter thanking us. Nobody does any cooking on New Year’s Eve evening so everyone can enjoy themselves. This is why we have an American supper and it never ceases to amaze me how we manage to get such a variety of food. It could be that everyone brings sausage rolls but this never seems to happen, thank goodness. We then started the dancing to our DJ for the evening ‘Sue’ assisted by Bob and Stuart and what a good time they gave us. Thank you for giving up your time. The New Year arrived to much excitement and it is so good to be with friends at this time. We then said Happy Birthday to Joan and Dave who were both born on New Year’s Day.

New Year’s Day saw the end of our New Year Meet. Flagpole was a time for us to say our goodbyes and I hope everyone had a good time.

The dates were a little different this year but next year because it being a leap year we should have a gap between Boxing Day and the start of the Meet.

Thank you to you all for joining in with our job rota. It makes it so much easier and I think a few laughs were had whilst cleaning toilets etc. Thank you to Jayne and Mick for organising the entertainment so well and I would like to thank all those of you who helped me in the kitchen. I think everyone had a great time and we look forward to next year. Terry and I would like to wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year. Hope to see you all camping.

Dianne


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