Forelithe (June) and Lithe Day
Mersday 3rd: Today a number of items arrived for me.
Firstly, my mithril coat finally arrived! I must complain about the postal service as it has taken an extremely long time to get here, and somehow I don't think all the blame lies on poor Mrs Banks at the museum – she's nearly ninety and while perhaps not the most efficient of workers any more, she is a kindly soul and treats all the items in the museum with respect, and always completes a job – even if it does take a while.
Secondly I received a letter. The paper was not of a kind found in the Shire, and when I opened it I realised why – it was from the elves of Rivendell welcoming me into their abode, when I do decide to go. Gandalf must have fixed up for me, as I admit I have not even approached sorting it out yet! But here it is, sorted out for me and ready, so that is one job which is lifted from my shoulders. That Elven paper is of extremely high quality; I quite covet it. Perhaps when I am settled there and feel able to presume more upon my hosts, I shall ask for some of that fine paper. Frodo would be ever so excited to receive my letters if they were written on Elvish paper!
I have not started my book yet; I do not feel quite ready. I am not sure when I shall feel able but for now it is a joy to be able to remember it and know that soon enough I will be able to recount it.
Monday 14th: Sam came to work worried today and I made him tell me why he was distracted; jumpy and making mistakes on tasks he usually does so simply. He told me that the gaffer is ill – heatstroke, he said. While it is awful that poor Hamfast is not well it is hardly surprising – the weather has been so hot these past few weeks; hotter than normal for Forelithe. It normally does not reach temperatures such as this until at least Afterlithe but it is more common in Wedmath to have scorching hot days. I hope the weather does not stay quite as hot and dry as this, or else there will be problems with the crops and the water will run short. I let Sam go home and shortly followed him, after quickly rushing back into the smial and heading to the pantry where we keep all the medicines.
I found a bottle of a recipe my mother swore by; of course it wouldn't cure the heat-stroke but it would help replace the fluids and prevent dehydration, and reduce discomfort. Quickly packing it into a basket along with a couple of cakes for when Hamfast was feeling better, I set off, calling to Frodo where I was going as I went.
I feel terrible as I have not been to visit Hamfast anywhere near as much as I should. I have been quite a few times since the last time I wrote of, but nowhere near as much as I should have. I owe it to him to have visited a bit more, not only because he has tended my garden beautifully these past years and under his ministrations it has flourished; but I owe it to him also as a friend. We have known one another a long time, and I count him a very dear friend indeed.
I got to Number Three and May opened the door to me. She looked tense but assured me that Hamfast would be fine; he was just over-tired and the heat had affected him more than usual, and that he would be well again very soon.
Still, I spoke with him and he was pleased to see me; I am ashamed that it took him being ill to get me to visit. I feel particularly guilty, as in a couple of months' time I will no longer be here and will be unable to visit at all, so I really must make more of an effort to make sure my last months here are spent with friends as much as possible.
We spoke for a while but after a few minutes he fell asleep, so I quietly left the room and shut the door softly behind me. I went to speak to May again and she thanked me for coming, and told me how much it gladdened Hamfast when I came to visit him. That gave me a lump in my throat and I felt even worse then. She smiled and said not to worry, but I do anyway. I will make a concerted effort to spend more time with Hamfast from now on; it is inexcusable that I have not seen him this past month. I walked back to Bag End this afternoon and my heart was heavy; Frodo saw me when I came in and said not a word, just pressed a cup of hot steaming tea into my hands and sat me down.
He understood, and that evening we didn't speak much but he kept me company, staying and sitting next to me as the sky grew dark outside. As the fire began to dim we each retuned to our rooms, and now I am in bed. The lamp's light is soft beside me but I fear I will not sleep much tonight. My heart is troubled and anxious after today, and I wonder how my actions will affect others.
Sterrenday 19th: Since Hamfast's slight illness I have visited him, and took him some butter cake which I know he is particularly fond of. He was fine within a couple of days but it served as a reminder to me of quite how old I am, and it scares me sometimes.
Today all morbid thoughts were swept away, however, as Frodo has decided to enter the baking competition at this year's Lithe Festival, so we were practising his recipe and tweaking and perfecting. My, the results were fine! He decided on a honey and raspberry cheesecake; the sharpness of the fruits offset by the sweetness of the honey.
We spent the morning whisking up the soft cream cheese with sugar, cream and the honey, until it created soft peaks of gentle yellow hues; crushing biscuits with a few drops of lemon juice to give them a tiny hint of zesty flavour but not so much that it overpowers the other flavours.
When it was set and ready to eat, we eagerly dug in; spoons at the ready , we scooped up great spoonfuls and ate them slowly, delighting in the complementary juxtaposition of sweet and sharp, of thick and thin, of delicious, sense-filling fruits and creamy, luxurious cream cheese perfectly balancing each other out.
It was good enough to win, that much was for certain. Not that Frodo cared particularly; he cooked simply for the pure enjoyment he got from it, rather than from a desire to win and receive accolades.
We began to squeeze lemons too, to make lemonade. My mother had always made lemonade for the Lithe festival, and I continued the tradition by making it exactly to her recipe. Pressing the lemons, extricating pips, heating water and sugar to make a syrupy mixture which kept the lemonade sweet when mixed with the lemon juice. I always added fresh mint leaves, too, and sometimes I would make a batch with ginger. I always loved ginger lemonade.
When our lemonade was done, we drank deeply – it was hot now, the day reaching the hottest point in the early afternoon. Cool and fresh lemonade was perfect. Frodo took a glass out to Sam, and I went and sat outside on the bench. I stared down towards the village, watching the hustle and bustle, when a movement caught my eye. At the garden gate, walking slowly and deliberately past the smial and peering around as if locating someone, was a hobbit lass. I frowned, trying to recall when I had seen her before, and then I remembered. It was Rosie Cotton, who I'd seen at the Harvest festival. No doubt looking for Sam.
I let out a little chuckle, and hearing the noise, she blushed as she saw me watching her and quickly hurried off. I stood up to find Sam.
'There was someone on the path you might want to see. If you hurry she might still be there,' I said to him, and I saw Sam colour slightly, but he nodded and got up quickly, then hurried off in the direction Rosie had gone.
She looked to be a nice enough girl, and she obviously liked Sam. They would do well together, I hope. Still chuckling at the memory of young love, I retreated back into the smial and the cool shade.
Lithe Day: Festival
Frodo and I made more lemonade and cheesecake yesterday, ready for today.
And what a day today has been!
We saw them yesterday erecting a huge pole in the Party Field and tying ribbons to it; you could see the hobbit lasses in their gardens practicing their steps for the dances today.
This morning the day was bright and sunny, and you could tell that it was going to be hot later. People were up early, and the village was busy even though it was early.
Frodo and I dressed, donning our special waistcoats saved specifically for parties and festivals. I must say, Frodo looked quite fetching; it's no wonder half the lasses in Hobbiton have fallen for him!
We made our way down to the Party Field in the late morning, setting up our food at the stall. Mrs Puddifoot was delighted with Frodo's cheesecake, and complimented him on it several times, and Frodo grew pinker every time. He is too modest.
At noon, all of Hobbiton – and many hobbits from other parts of the Shire too! – was assembled in the Party Field as the Mayor welcomed everyone and kicked things off. There was a band, and they immediately started playing. A steady stream of young lads and lasses made their way to the great pole and all grabbed a ribbon each. The ribbons were bright and colourful, representing the glory of summer. Fuchsia pinks, pansy purples and sky blue ribbons; some were dusky orange, others the colour of young green leaves when sun shines through them, causing them to glow.
When everyone had a ribbon they all began to move in time to the music – four steps in, four back out. Gradually the dance began to get more difficult, until the dancers were twisting and ducking and weaving in and out of each other while still holding the ribbons and not tangling them. I used to dance like that, and was considered to be very good; now I doubt I could move even half as fast as these young things were doing today.
It was joyous to behold, to sit there and observe as we celebrated the beauty of the land and happiness of summer. Frodo wasn't dancing, but in the group of visitors from various parts of the Shire there were some Bucklanders, and among them his cousins Merry and Pippin - those two are inseparable! - so he spent the afternoon with them, running around and getting into mischief. Frodo is so funny; quiet and reserved most of the time but as soon as the mood takes him as wild as a tween. I allowed him his trouble making today; next year he will be an adult and will not be able to.
I joined Hamfast at a table, spying him sitting alone, while his sons and daughters danced. We ate much food today, and my stomach is full to burst even now. Frodo's cheesecake was gone within the first hour or so; we sampled many other cakes and puddings and snacks, all of them divine, and we were steadily plied with ale from the generous servers. And fine ale it was too!
Hamfast was smiling and looking very content, a satisfied kind of content, and I asked him what had happened to cause him to look like the cat that got the cream. He nodded over at the dancers.
'My Marigold's only gone and danced every single dance with Tom Cotton, and there's Samwise still dancing with that lass Rosie,' he smiled. I could have even sworn there was a slight tear in his eye as he observed his sons and daughters, but those two in particular.
'They both make handsome couples,' I commented. The Gamgees were certainly a fine looking family, and Sam was looking very smart in his waistcoat and Marigold's dress was particularly flattering. She looked delighted at her good fortune in dancing with Tom; Sam, while happy, looked as if he couldn't believe his luck and seemed nervous, as if at any second it would all be blown away.
'Aye,' the gaffer agreed.
We said nothing more on the matter, but I know he is incredibly proud of his children. I am sure Marigold will not be long now in becoming betrothed, seeing as she is already of age.
The day passed so fast in a blur of colour and music and sun, and soon it was dark. The Party Tree had been lit up with candles, and it had an ethereal quality about it. The beauty of such simplicity struck me, as it always does. I love it when all is dark and the tree is glowing, shining like a beacon, the guttering flames casting dancing shadows. It seems other-worldly in its beauty.
Soon the dancing was coming to an end and families were starting to disperse and return home. Hamfast's daughters came to collect him and bring him home, and Frodo came to find me too. He was flustered and flush-faced, but looked as if he had had a wonderful time. He had danced, he told me, when Merry and Pippin insisted he was being unfair on all the poor lasses who were batting their eyelids and smiling at Frodo whenever he walked past. It sounds like he has had an exciting time indeed.
I feel happy tonight. It is summer and I am surrounded by beauty, and I have friends and people I love. I have left the window open; the soft breeze, still slightly warm, feels so delightful on my skin. I can see the Party Tree, glimmering away like a torch to keep me safe in my dreams. For tonight at least, I will sleep easy.
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! Please review; I'd love to know what you think! Thank you for reading :)