Sheep on the Field

This is a , not very good, short video clip of the sheep and their lambs that are at present grazing on Tom's Field. My first effort at doing this so perhaps it will be better soon. I do not know what the curious black spot is that suddenly appears.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all, I have neglected this blog for a very long time, I don't know where the time has gone. Now it feels as though all is waking up as there have been lots of emails about the new season.
Work is underway on the site. We are re-vamping the 'laundry' room This is a room with a couple of sinks for clothes washing, it has the boiler in and sometimes people wash babies in here as it gets lovely and warm.
There is lots more painting and tiling going on and the winter sheep are on the fields munching the grass so it will be in good condition for the start of the season. Good for the sheep and good for us!
We plan to have some more workshops in the summer. These will include Feltmaking and RSPB [ The Royal Society for Protection of Birds]

It is a long time since did an entry on this blog, events always seem to overtake in July and August. It has been a disappointing summer, lots of greyness and plenty of rain.
This month we had some creative workshops.
On a particularly wet day we had Butterfly and Moth Event, this was very popular and many children had an opportunity to make a butterfly and to see the contents of a moth trap. All moths were back in their own environment after the event! Then we had two art workshops one on Papier Mache and one about Creating with Driftwood where the children made some marvellous creatures from driftwood and paint.

Solar Water System

June. At last the solar water heating system is finished and is working! Well there are some finishing touches but it is actually heating the water. This was John's great idea to use the old Nissen hut roof structure and many coils of hose piping, some old water tanks etc, etc. Will post the whole story soon.

May Again!

I cannot believe it is May already. It is such a long time since I put anything on the blog. This is because first I was ill for the first few months of the year and then when I was nicely recovered John had some health problems.
Jo is managing the site now and doing a great job.
In the winter months I have been putting together a small book about the origins of Tom's Field Campsite and a memory of Tom. This will be on sale soon from the shop soon.
Extract here

New Year

Here we are at the end of January, it has been so wet! The sheep have arrived and will graze the site for a few weeks . They have a lot of work to do to get it all in trim before we open!

Memory of Half Term

Well, what a beautiful week at Tom’s. The weather was glorious, hot enough for tee-shirts and shorts. Was this August? No, the October half-term. Every year we love our week in October, often we are some of the last campers (except for those hardy soles who use the walker’s barn) to leave. This year the weather was better than most of the 2 weeks we spent at Tom’s in August.



So what other memories do we have to tide us over the winter until we can camp at Tom’s next year? The badger finishing off the dog food and snuffling around noisily under our camper van, stealing our crockery if we don’t put bricks on the cover of the washing up bowl and taking out the kid’s balls from under the camper. Wonderful walks in the autumn sunshine with colours more spectacular than in the summer. Fishing on the pier, Pete being bitten by a ragworm and Nick beating Pete narrowly in the annual total catch of fish. The rabbits sitting just feet away from the camper watching Mollie the Collie through the window whilst Mollie sees the rabbits as her version of live TV! The kids snuggling in their sleeping bags to watch DVDs on the lap-top as the evenings become dark so much earlier. Cooking hearty meals that warm up the camper as well as it’s occupants. Mollie sleeping on the bed as a useful free source of heat. The blackbird sitting on the wing mirror of the camper and serenading us with it’s song. Sharing a packet of chips on Swanage sea-front and savouring every last one of the vinegary morsels. Nick and Becky attempting to finish off all of the ice-cream in the shop’s freezer. Sharing crumbs with chaffinches at the National Trust Cafe at Studland whilst Mollie has her last bath of the year in the sea. Lovely warm showers at the campsite. Wearing sandals all week (in October!).



So many lovely memories to keep us in touch with Tom’s until next year. Thank you all for another year of memories of Tom’s Field and Dorset. We will be back (not sure if that is a promise or a threat!!). Love to all, a Happy Christmas and New Year to you all and the wish for good weather next year.


From Sandie Belcher