Hot summer days finally over

This year, the summer seemed virtually never ending. The temperatures stayed high for a long time even in September. The weather gammers have been furiously scratching their heads, trying to make some sense of the strangely warm autumn weather. Some hobbits have made the best of the prolonged warm season, having picnics outside in the open and picking some late berries, but many Shire residents have grown impatient, not least when they are starting to run out of their cold drink reserves. Good news for the cider drinkers though: the apple yield has been very plentiful this year, thanks to the favourable conditions and the lack of pests in the orchards. Other fruit trees have also prospered, so there will be sweet pies aplenty. Now though it seems that the colder days have finally arrived, which is good news for autumn lovers.

During the fall, there is a good chance to spot some migrating birds. The Michel Delving resident Estmar Bolger has seized this opportunity to sell birding kits to budding birdwatchers. Here and there, hobbits are peering at the skies with their eyeglasses and try to call rare birds to see them more closely and draw them into their birding books. The birding tools have been so popular, they have almost sold as well as the famous tools sold by Nimelia Stoutfoot. However, it is likely that her tool sales will break new records any day now, and not just thanks to her creative way of counting her own tool sales. She has launched a new version of the songbook tool that will help musicians find their notes faster and easier. The new tool has been already tested by the Brandy Badgers at their rehearsals, and even though it doesn’t contain fermented berries, the new features have been praised by all band members. Now they can focus on other important things, like forming a crooked line or looking at Hugo Broadbelt’s pie.

Dog shows and prized sows

In September, the second annual Four Farthing Bree Combine Dog Show was organised at the hobnanigans fields in Breeland. Many hobbits and their pups took a long Sunday stroll to the fields to be judged by the well-prepared jury. Dogs of different shapes and sizes were presented, and according to the spectators, they were all of at least 13/10 rating and “good dogs”. The judging was a very hard job this year, but after long negotiations, the Best in Show title was won by Skoobie, Miss Penny’s sharp riddle-solving pup. The literal “high”light of the evening was the slightly tall snack table that was too high for many hobbits to reach, and they could only survey the food from the dog perspective. Luckily, their puppy dog eye staring paid off in the end, and the food was moved on another, lower table that was more on their level.

If you missed the dog show, you will have another chance to marvel at gorgeous animals. In October, a farm animal show will take place at an annual harvest market. At the event, everyone is welcome to sell their wares and also enter their own farm animals in the animal show. The organiser master Geoadoc Uphill has a large farm where he has facilities for all creatures great and small, be it a cow, a sow or a meow. The competition follows the same structure as the dog show: there are different categories for different animals, plus the prized Best in Show title. The harvest market and animal show happens on Sunday 13th October, starting at six bells in the evening.

Scary clock fiddling and entertainment

As the days get darker in the course of autumn, the hobbits start to fiddle with their clocks to make the best of the little light that remains. Clock fiddling is a delicate process, and not everyone agrees on how it should be done properly. That is why hobbits in the different parts of the Shire might set their clocks in different times, which causes a lot of confusion each autumn. Of course, the situation usually stabilises in a week or so, and all clocks will be back in the same time by the first Sunday of November (hopefully). During this time, it is good to pay some special attention to the times of the events that are announced in the Gazette and other places – thankfully, most organisers take the clock fiddling into account and note the different times in their event posts to avoid confusion. There is also one good thing about the autumnal clock fiddling: as the clocks are turned backwards, it gives one more extra hour of sweet napping for everyone.

At this time of the year, hobbits like to entertain themselves with scary tales, parties, music, poetry and games. The harvest festival will make the gourds fly and attract many to raid Lobelia’s scary cellars again. The Fed Poets will enjoy chilling rhymes on 10th October, and a Scream Dragon Friday is planned for 8th November. More scary events might pop up towards the end of October. Maybe even the Lazy Hobbits Club will meet up to do some scarily lazy chores.

The partying goes ever on and on

If scary entertainment is not your thing, there is nothing to fear: there are also other fine things to look forward to during autumn. The OAKS is bringing everyone to Oldfurlong for some grand music and company, this time with Brago & Brothers taking the stage on Saturday 12th October. Also, the Grand Order of the Lost Mathom is celebrating its 17th anniversary later on Saturday 19th October at their kin hall in Songburrow. The preparations are already in full swing for the grand party where everyone is welcome to celebrate this special occasion. There are also rumours of a historical field trip to the far southern borders of the Shire, to Sarn Ford. On these field trips, hobbits set out for a longer walk together to learn a bit about the history of a certain area. For some, it is also a good excuse to roast some sausages over a campfire. More details should be in the Gazette whenever the plans are ready (and all sausages are packed).

Even despite the colder days and chilling tales, it will be pretty easy to keep yourself warm during the autumn months at the various parties, activities and meet-ups. Warm embraces and fast dances make sure that no one gets to shiver too much. Of course, it is good to have a pair of woolly socks just in case, so that you do not catch a cold (and make your auntie or nanny grumble at you). Enjoy the calming autumn days!