Monday morning in the Shire
Monday morning in the Shire
Upon leaving the family home in Bag End, I stood peacefully at the top of the hill that leads down to Bywater Bridge, gazing down over the orchards and meadows as I watched the sun rise over the fruitful land before heading off for a pre-arranged meeting with fellow Hobbit, Samwise Proudfoot at The Party Tree. Shire-folk often meet and gather at the Party Tree to eat, tell tales and make merry; this magnificent monument provides an ideal starting place for the days’ adventures and the opportunity to catch up with fellow Hobbits.
Samwise and I have been meeting for many weeks to exchange experiences and let each other know where work can be found or to tell each other of the places we have discovered since our last meet.
Click for larger imageOne of our favourite pastimes is crafting, cooking to be precise, but it’s a long walk from The Party Tree to the Shire capital Michel Delving, where we often visit to buy ingredients from the traders. Today, we took a casual stroll down to Hobbiton and hired a couple of stately-looking horses from the stable master in order to reserve some energy for the busy day ahead. Of course, by the time we got there we were famished so we spent some time using the ovens that are found in the marketplace and traded with the local merchants, buying ingredients such as fresh mushrooms, eggs, yellow onions and carrots so we could mix the ingredients to make a range of delicious treats such as mushroom pie, blueberry muffins, hard biscuits and spicy taters (they give me terrible wind). Michel Delving is bordered by low-hills and is awash with life and energy as elves and hobbits rush around carrying out their daily chores, talking to traders, improving their skills with the local trainers, sending mail at the post office or browsing the stalls that sell cloth, armour, weapons and tools of the trade. It’s a great place to meet and join up with fellow adventurers as well as equipping yourself with the necessary items to aid you in your quests. Today I paid a fleeting visit to my Minstrel trainer who taught me the Ballad of Unshakeable Will, before I headed toward the mountainous region of the town to slay a few wolves that have been threatening the locals. Thankfully, the fur will come in handy for trading to those who’ve taken up the tailoring profession.
Click for larger imageIt’s easy to become diverted from your daily chores in The Shire and today’s no different. There are so many Hobbits in Michel Delving looking for an adventure therefore it’s fairly easy to tempt them into joining you on some meaningless pursuit, even if it doesn’t bear any impact on your real adventure. Today, I spotted a couple of Hobbits who I’d met up with the day before. Yesterday we went on a search to reach the end of the rainbow that we spotted arching over the hills of Tuckborough (we didn't find it), so I knew they’d be up for some harmless fun. We headed towards the North Moors and climbed down the banks of the river Water to cool ourselves off in the mid-morning sun and we made a bet that the winner of a swimming race, that would take us up the river all the way to Bywater Bridge, in the West Farthing region of the Shire, would be given 2 silver coins from each of the losing Hobbits. We paddled furiously towards the charming water mill that sits on the banks of Bywater pool in the hope that are efforts would be rewarded by the winning of pocketful of silver coins. Unfortunately, today I didn’t win the race and was pipped to the post by Lila Proudfoot who immediately dashed off to spend her winnings by investing in some farming tools to help her along with her daily chores.
