The Shire

The majority of the dusting had been completed and already at least three families of mice had been removed from the Great Smials Library when Flory finally sat down for a cup of tea and slice of cake. All around her stacks of books lay in disorganized piles and orderly stacks. Flory was only now seeing the full extent of the job ahead of her. Even after the shelves had been cleaned she would then have to go through all the books and put them in some sort of order so that she knew precisely how many books there were.

24th Blotmath

25th Blotmath

New Gatekeeper Popski appointed and begins his duty. Gatekeepers burrow is cleaned and dusted.

26th Blotmath

The big day is finally here! Mam and Dad cooked a great, big breakfast full of all of me favourites (including those scrumptiously tasty cheese and mushroom muffins Grammy would make when she came to visit). I already have a basket full of goodies, enough for the road and for second breakfast. Aconite tells me that there’s a tavern right over the Brandywine Bridge that serves one of the best beers in the farthing. I tell him I didn’t know rating beers of the Shire was part of a bounder’s duty!

It is a very hot summer.

From Frogmorton to Songburrow