Happy Birthday Bilbo and Frodo!

Today, as Elanor reminded me, was Bilbo and Frodo's birthday. I promptly reminded everyone else by hopping up on a rock and giving Bilbo's birthday speech, which I had memorized by readin' it so many times in the past.

"My dear people,
My dear Bagginses and Boffins, and my dear Tooks and Brandybucks, and Grubbs, and Chubbs, and Burowses, and Hornblowers, and Blogers, Bracegirdles, Goodbodies, Brockhouses and Proudfoots!"

"Proudfeet!" Elanor yelled out.

"Proudfoots." I continued. "Also my good Sackville-Bagginses that I welcome back at last to Bag End. Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthda: I am eleventy-one today! I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am.
"I shall not keep you for long. I have called you all together for a Purpose. Indeed, for Three Purposes! First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all, and that eleventy-one years is too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits. I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve!
Secondly, to celebrate my birthday. I should say: OUR birthday. For it is, of course, also the birthday of my heir and nephew, Frodo! He comes of age and into his inheritence today. Together we score one hundred and fourty-four. Your numbers were chosen to fit this remarkable total: One Gross, if I may use the expression.

"This is ridiculous", Legolas remarked, with a smile.

"It is also, if I may be allowed to refer to ancient history, the anniversary of my arrival by barrel at Esgaroth on the Long Lake; though the fact that it was my birthday slipped my memory on that occasion. I was only fifty-one then, and birthdays did not seem so important. The banquet was very splendind, however, though I had a bad cold at the time, I remember, and could only say "thag you very buch". I now repeat it more correctly" Thank you very much for coming to my little party".

"Oh dear, now he shall give a speech, or some silly song", that was Elena.

"Thirdly and finally, I wish to make an ANNOUNCEMENT. I regret to announce that - though, as I said, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to spend among you - this is the END. I am going. I am leaving NOW. GOOD-BYE!" With that I made a show of slipping on my gold ring and quickly darting behind a tree. I've practiced it, so that I almost did vanish like, and I did hear one or two who hadn't seen it afore cry out. But when I stepped back out again, of course no one owned up to it.

After that, we cooked up a fine birthday feast, then those of us who have instuments and can play them - meaning me, Anarion and Vila on fiddle and flute - played several hobbitish melodies, including "Flaming Red Hair", which is supposed to have been played at the Birthday Party.* The rest of them all danced and clapped, and we sang "The Road Goes Ever On and On", and "The Man in the Moon" in fine style.

That night, we magically saw fireworks, away off in the distence. We don't know where they could have come from, or who could have been settin' them off, since Gandalf is gone, but it was a pretty sight all the same and a nice ending to a great day. And it was a very nice feelin', knowin' that somewhere, someone else might have been a rememberin' Bilbo and Frodo's birthday too.

~ Samdo

If I may take the liberty of dropping out of character briefly...

I have a few things to say.

It seems to me that none of us have been walking much anymore (I know I haven't!), so I thought, why not have this be more of a "literary" kind of thing, versus a way to keep track of our exercise? If you still plan on exercising and walking, great! But this way, we won't feel compelled to write only when we've walked. Does that make sense?
I have updated the 'Path' on the side a little further then a month, to give us ideas for writing, based on where they are walking. And, quite frankly, I was quite tired of seeing those dates up there! *gasps with sudden realization* And we haven't even reached Hollin yet!!!!!!! NOOOO!!!!! An important plot point that I have been pointedly plotting can't take place until then. AGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

If this is indeed going to switch from us exercising to us writing... can I move the miles up a bit so we are closer? Like... 100 miles? Pleeeeeaaaassse? All it is during those 100 miles is: "Camp during the day." "Camp during the day.""Reach hilltop." "Camp during the day." "Warm and sunny." And, you guessed it... "camp during the day!" Pretty pretty please?

So if you have any questions, comments, thoughts or suggestions, feel free to share them.


*pouts* Great! I had a character post I was going to do, but now that we are still 146 miles away from there I can't do it!!!!!!!

I didn't say that!

I jumped up when Ella screamed. Dazed, I looked around, and saw Ella running off into the trees, while Legolas stood looking rather sheepish.
An elf looking sheepish. Never seen that before.
I walked up to him, and demanded, "Why was Ella screaming?Were you two argueing?"
"Er.....No," he said, looking around for some means of escape. He took a step to the side, and I followed, glaring at him. "Well? What was it?"
"Uh--why don't you go find her?" he suggested, looking around rather desperately.
Do I look that murderous? I wondered, but I took his suggestion, and ran off in the direction Ella had gone. After a bit, I saw her with Rosriel, walking in my direction.
I sprinted up to her.
"Ella, what's wrong? Are you hurt? Why did you scream? Was Legolas trying to kill you or something? But if he'd been trying to kill you, he would have looked guilty, not embarressed," I answered myself before she could even open her mouth.
"Uh--no, I'm not hurt, and Legolas wasn't trying to kill me," Ella answered, looking rather amused--and sheepish.
Another one?!
"Then what was it? I asked her frowning. But then I was quickly sidetracked before she could answer.
"Oh! You curled your hair!" I exclaimed, delighted.
I reached over, and started playing with her hair, twisting one curly lock around my finger. I looked back up at her happily. "I love curly hair! How did you get it so curly? I want my hair to look just like that! Or is it a secret?"
I realized that Ella's had her mouth open for a while now, and I paused so she could answer me.
"Uh, well, it's actually natural," she said, looking at the ground. She looked nervous.
"WHAT???!!!!!" I shrieked. Ella now looked like she was about to duck for cover.
"You had CURLY hair, and you didn't TELL me? And why did you keep it straight, anyway??!! I've ALWAYS wanted my hair to be curly!"
"Well, I used to get teased a lot about it, so then I found a way to straighten it, and I've kept it like that since then," she admitted.
"Legolas was the only one who knew, before you two," she added.
I frowned. "Oh. Is that what you were screaming about?"
"Well, Legolas tried to wake everyone up so they'd see my hair, withOUT my consent. He thought it would help me find out who my family is," she added.
I frowned. "Oh, that elf! Shall I dye his hair pink?" I offered kindly.
"No, but thank you for the offer," she replied, trying to keep a straight face. I sighed regretfully. "But it would be such a fitting punishment!" I said sadly.
I was still playing with her hair. I looked at her. "Do you mind this?" I asked her politely.
"Uh, I guess not, as long as you don't pull it," she said.
"Oh, I never pull anyone's hair except Vila's," I reassured her. She exchanged a look with Rosriel, and they both burst out laughing.
"What is funny?" I enquired, confused.
Niether explained. People are always laughing for no reason when I'm around, it seems. I wonder if they do it at any other time?
Vila came up just then. "Oh! Curly hair!" she exclaimed gleefully.
I glared at her. "No, Vila! She's my friend!"
"So?" she glared at me.
"So we're not going to kiddnap her just because she has curly hair, " I said firmly.
Ella blinked. "Um, kiddnap?" she said faintly.
I explained.
"Vila and I used to kiddnap people with curly hair, whenever they ventured into our traps.
Oh, we didn't hurt them, we only played with their hair for hours," I explained soothingly.
"And gave them AWEFUL hairdos!" Vila said, delightedly.
"Don't worry, we won't do that to you, and I'll make sure Vila doesn't kiddnap you in the middle of the night. She does do that, you know."
"That was always your job! What, are you going to blame everything on me now?" Vila exclaimed in indignation, glaring at me. Ella and Rosriel were both looking at something behind me, I realized, and Ella kicked my leg.
"Ow!" I said, and turned around, to find myself facing a very startled Anarion.
"You used to kiddnap people?" he said, rather shocked.
"Um.... I didn't say that!" I blurted, and fled.
Behind me, they all started laughing, Anarion included.
Oh well. At least he has a sense of humer... I consoled myself as I climbed up a tree to sulk.

~Lirasvelindo
92 miles