My visit with Missus Hopmead was so nice! The farmer's family fell in love with her cooking and wouldn't think of hearing of her leaving again. They've hired her on as the cook for the whole place, and now she's got all sorts of little ones and dogs and cats running about, and she's never looked more red-cheeked and happy. She never told me much about her old life before, but this visit, she sat me down and told me how being around so many young ones again reminded her of her own departed husband and their daughter, all grown and moved away and married herself now. But no grandchildren, it seems, for whatever reason. Missus Hopmead said she always longed for a house full of grand little ones, and now she's got the next best thing. The farmer and his wife had a whole litter of children themselves, and now they've all got children, and they were coming in and climbing all over Missus Hopmead's lap the whole time, and poking in her apron pockets for sweets. I even had one little chap decide that he'd try my lap since hers was full. He were the cutest thing I've ever seen! His hair was still a bit blonde and sticking up all over the place, he were barefoot and only had a little tiny tunic that came near down to his toes. I stayed till the sun were going down, and promised her I'd come again soon. Something about being there, with all those busy, happy, kind people, made something ache a bit in my heart.
The lady boarder has gone. I don't know if she went home to her husband or not. If she did, I hope she tells him that if he ever thinks of blacking her eye again, she'll black his... well, never mind.
There's a dwarf staying here now! A dwarf, of all things! I've never seen so many dwarves in all my life as I have the past month in Knotwood village. He asked me not to tell anyone his name, so I won't write it here, even though I'm fairly sure nobody will ever read these scrabbles of mine. He looks to be a little older than Bild or Doc, and he's got a patch over one eye, like maybe it's missing. He asked if he could watch me working on Mister Dimheim's socks. I thought that were pretty odd, but I didn't see any harm in it, so he stood out under the tree, looking all around, and we chatted a bit while I were knitting. Maybe he's just lonely, being far away from home. Mister Dimheim came along and gave me the fresh oil that he'd made, but he didn't stay.
I saw him walking around the village the other night when I couldn't sleep. I guess he couldn't, either. He didn't say hello or anything. Maybe I upset him somehow the last time I were at the Soothery. I will try to be polite in future and just not talk about things that might wander into those places where...well, those places. I know what I mean. I should be finished with the socks in a few more days. I'm trying to go slow and make sure they're as nice as I can make them.
I were tidying up inside last night when someone came a-banging on the door. Startled me at first, as it were so loud. I grabbed a candlestick before I opened the door, just in case, but it were just a man standing there. He were a huge fellow, with wild black hair and a beard. He said he were looking for the woodcarver's cottage. And he were lucky I knew what he was talking about, as I've only been living here a little while! I told him it were just down the street and around the bend and up the hill, and only when he looked at me funny did I realize that those were some awful directions to give someone who doesn't know their way around. So I told him I would show him, and I locked the door and off we went.
He said he were a lumberman but he couldn't do the work proper anymore, so he were come to see if the woodcarver needed help. I didn't ask what he meant, as he looked plenty big and strong enough to me. Strong enough to split whole trees in half. He seemed annoyed at how slow I walked, but not in an unkind way. It were more like he was impatient and his body wanted to take big, long strides, and he had to keep slowing himself down for me, but he were trying to be nice about it. He didn't talk a whole lot, but that was okay, as I don't need talk to enjoy a walk on an autumn evening. Though, sometimes I do prattle if I feel nervous. Anyway, I left him at the gate to the woodcarver's cottage, and he said thank you, and then he pointed at my feet and asked what happened. "What happened" he said, just like that! I told him I got hurt a long time ago, and that's all I would say. You don't go asking a question like that to a stranger when you're about to part ways! He said I could have asked to take his arm if it were hurtful to walk, and I told him that a lady shouldn't have to ask, a gentleman should offer. I were only jesting, mostly, but as soon as I said it, I hoped I wouldn't make him angry. But he laughed, and it were the biggest, jolliest laugh I'd heard in a long time! I guess the bigger the man, the bigger the laugh? He thanked me again and that was that.
I'm plumb wore out now. I hope tomorrow is quiet and calm! I could do with a day of absolutely nothing happening for once.
