Heavy rains after a long warm period
After a long and very hot summer, the autumn is slowly taking over the Shire landscape. The weather gammers advise everyone to make sure that their roofs are intact and doors well fastened so that they can stay safe from the heavy storms that are not unusual at this time of year. The summer was hot and dry, but now the whole sky seems to be pouring down all at once. Some claim that the rains have been summoned by the May King who played a merry rain tune at a local inn (as you might know, former May Royals have also been able to govern the weather occasionally), while others point fingers at a nanny who is known for her cunning plans to trick hobbits to unexpected baths. In any case, the roads seem to stay pretty muddy for a while now, unless the Mayor does something about it. And he probably won’t, as he is still trying to recover from all the unseasoned food he ate at the Farmer’s Faire. However, there should be some sunny days too, so the farmers can harvest their crops without getting too soaked themselves.

Gammer’s new instrument and noticeboard troubles
Hobbits are fond lovers of music, be it as a performer, dancer, or listener. The renowned bard of Michel Delving, Gammer Took, already offers a good variety of different instruments for sale, everything from loud bagpipes to gentle flutes, and even drums, although she doesn’t have the local Shirriff’s authority to give out drum permits. Now it seems that the Mayor wants to enter the musical instrument market as well: he has introduced a fancy instrument called “jaunty hand-knells”. While some enthusiasts are thrilled about the new sweet-sounding instrument, some are grumbling about its high price. It is also only available for a limited time, at least for now. There is a chance that the new instrument will come available at a later point too, but it is probably a long wait. In the meantime, we can sit back and enjoy the merry jingles played by those who have gotten this new instrument, or alternatively, protest and play more cowbell instead (preferably in front of the Mayor’s residence). 

The recent storms have brought a new menace to the Shire. After a recent storm passed the Shire, some hobbit kinships have experienced problems with their own noticeboards: for some reason, they cannot pin new daily messages to them anymore. If they do, the messages mysteriously disappear after a while, and just the old ones stay there. This makes it hard to inform the kinship members of new happenings and events relevant to them. The bounders have been vigorously investigating the issue by napping next to the noticeboards, and they have come to the conclusion that the new messages are being eaten by bugs that the recent storm must have brought along. Once again, the hobbits have turned to their Mayor and asked him to resolve the bug problem. For now, the issue still persists, so if any kinships are suffering from the disappearing noticeboard messages, they should report this problem to the Mayor via Quickpost, and pray that the bugs do not eat their letters too.

Events with ales, tales and tails
Even though the bugs might pester the kinship noticeboards, the local event scene is still going strong. New events are popping up like mushrooms in the Bramblebury Gazette. All summer, the dog owners have been busy training their pups for the annual Four Farthing Bree Combine Dog Show which takes place on 21st September. Which furry companion will get the best rating and claim the “Best in Show” title this year? This time, we might also see a new dog breed competing for the pawsome prizes.

The May Royals are also contributing to the autumn event calendar. Queen Rosenbleume gathers all creative folk to write poems, stories and lyrics with monthly themes. On September 17th, she encourages people to write about animals, especially dogs, as the dog show happens later in the weekend. At the October meet-up, folks seek inspiration from harvest and try to make others shiver with chilling tales, while in November, the monthly theme will be more comforting: food, glorious food. To make sure that the bellies of the artists stay full, the Fed Poets gatherings have been scheduled after Queen Rosenbleume’s meet-ups. See the full details of these events in the latest issue of the Bramblebury Gazette. King Saelo is also doing his part regarding the event scene. Even though he still refuses to throw a royal wedding, he keeps defying the seasons by organizing a “springing royal feast” on September 27th. Once again, it takes place at his family’s distant burrow in Lyndelby, where the seasonal weather seems to be acting strange and the flowers are blooming as if it was spring. For some reason, the guests are advised to bring some stomping boots along. So if you are planning to join, better start fishing for some old boots from the Brandywine when there is still time.

While fishing by the banks of Brandywine, you might spot another familiar sign of autumn: pierate boats travelling the river. With the stormy weather, many pierates wash ashore too, and they head for the local inns, since their rum seems to be gone. If you come to the Green Dragon on September 26th, you might spot many of them spilling ales and singing sea shanties. As the Friday is going to turn into a Green Dragon Yarrrday, it is quite fitting to dress up in a pierate attire yourself too, unless you are ready to brave the deck as a landlubber.

The scariness does not stop with pierates invading the local inns. Later in autumn, the darker and cooler days will bring more events that can make any hobbit shiver. The scary burrow under the Hill might open again, luring in many hobbits who are not afraid of cobwebs, bats and thrilling tales. You might also get spooked at the Scream Dragon Friday or other gloomy local events that will rattle your bones. One of the scariest events to come is the dreaded clock fiddling when everyone will be confused by the misbehaving clocks that are suddenly showing different times in different parts of the Shire.

And yet, in the middle of all the bugs, scary stuff and clock fiddling, there will be many warm-hearted gatherings for all who seek some comfort and company. Look forward to harvest markets, concerts, and kinship parties, such as the 18th anniversary of the Grand Order. Just keep an eye or two at the Bramblebury Gazette to stay up to date of new events. In the Shire, there are always opportunities to come together and have fun, whatever the weather might be. We wish everyone a plentiful harvest, full pantries, and many memorable moments!

(( OOC: This is the seasonal Shire forecast where we aim to provide common pointers and ideas for hobbit roleplay in LOTRO. If you have ideas for upcoming issues, please contact Pycella (pycellawoodberry[a]gmail.com).  ))