The Stonecrop Herald Issue 2: An interview

HEllo, my respectable readers! This is the second issue of The Stonecrop Herald and I hope that you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. It will be Yule soon and everyone is starting to decorate or preparing too. I can already smell some pies that are baked only for the celebration and I have seen activity where I travelled in the Shire. I paid a visit to Michel Delving for this issue and I interviewed miss Lina Willowwood, co-hostess of the Green Dragon Fridays and helps around the market at Michel Delving every Monday. Let’s get to the interview, she had a lot of things to say, she undertakes a lot of tasks after all, it was hard to decide what I should publish and what not.

This month fields will be ploughed and the dry stonewalls will be repaired. Several farmers around the Shire are seeking for hands to help with work, so if you need work now is the chance to find it, just ask the farmers in the area! Daylight is still short, so expect early waking and working until late evening and after a day’s hard work you can enjoy a warm meal and a good mug of ale at your local inn. Hands will probably be needed at the farms with livestock because feeding will be necessary since there won’t be any grazing access and the cows will need milking every day. If you’re not good with a plough or leading the oxen, grab a bucket and either milk or feed the livestock. This month wild hellebore and mahonia can be picked to decorate your homes or to offer to someone. Now, let’s see what miss Lina told us!

 

R: I understand you are the hostess of the Green Dragon Fridays and this Market here, yes?

L: Well, I co-host Green Dragon Friday. Currently, Pycella and me share hosting duties there. As for the market, that's run by Tibba and Nimelia. Although I do try to help out as often as I can

 

R: How did you come up with the idea for the Green Dragon Friday for the first time?

L: Oh, it's not my idea, no, no. I first visited Green Dragon Friday on the eve of its first anniversary!

 

R: Who started it?

L: It was miss Lotti, or Lothilia, who was the first organizer back in the day. She played lute at the Dragon.

 

R: And how did you get to pick up the duties, along with Miss Pycella?

L: I got involved after the first year, and from the third anniversary on, I've done my share to keep it going.

 

R: What happens during that night?

L: It's usually a place to just meet local Hobbits, relax and share an ale after the long week. As well as gossip and share the latest news. Entertainment is always popular too; songs, poetry, riddles and tales. Many a budding bard has had their first performance at the Dragon.

 

R: I like the news part. Do only Hobbits attend?

L: Mostly Hobbits, but Dwarves are regular visitors too. They stop by on their travels along the East Road. Friendly folks for the most part, unless yer pull their beards… (Something tells me that she has…!)

 

R: How does a night start and how does it end?

L: Well, it starts at half past seven and typically lasts for two hours ((7:30PM UK time)).

 

R: I see. What do you and miss Pycella do?

L: As little as possible! (A joke!) Well, see. It is always good to have someone organize things a bit. So we usually greet the guests welcome, play a few songs to start the evening, and then sort out offers to entertain. And, of course, we always share news of the current happenings and upcoming events. And, most importantly… At the end of every evening, we absolutely have to sing "Home Sweet Home". It’s a grand sing-along. The whole inn joins in on the chorus.

R: A suitable ending I would say!

 

R: Do the Dwarves participate or are they mainly the drinking type?

L: Oh, the dwarves are very much into it. They drink, they dance, they offer tales and songs. Good fellows, them dwarves. Them even sing along to "Home sweet home"!

 

L: Else, there may be special duties on some evenings.

R: Like what?

L: Well, we sometimes have special parties at the Dragon, like during Yule or New Year’s. So there is a bit of planning with Barmy, the innkeep, to sort out a menu to serve to the guests. Every May, we have the anniversary party, where we organize competitions and games. And some Fridays, we visit other inns in the Shire.

 

R: Do you want to share the dishes with our readers?

L: The menus are often quite long. We just had the 12th anniversary party this spring, and the patrons expect at least one course for each year passed… Roasted pork is always a favourite, though, prime Budgeford cuts with all the trimmings. Any sort of pie goes down well too. Crisp-fried fish, now there's a favourite. (I was so hungry at his point that I couldn’t think or write! I had to ask something else!)

 

R: Do you have anything planned for Yule this year?

L: At the Green Dragon, or in general?

R: Both!

L: Well, at the Green Dragon, we'll have a pre-Yule party on Friday the 18th, and a main Yule party on Friday the 25th. We also run the new year's party up in Brockenborings every year, at the Plough and Stars. As yer well know, yule is important to us Hobbits, so we have a lot of additional events planned too. Yule tree raisings, wassailing, even working on a huge yule drawing, and so on.

 

R: You'll get busy this year.

L: Like most years! Yule is good fun, but not everyone has someone to celebrate them days with. So we try to keep a lot of things going on, to keep the community going and allowing as many as possible to take part.

 

R: Do you have any surprises that will be different that the previous years or the last one?

L: It wouldn't be a surprise if we told ye! But Pycella is looking into keeping the Green Dragon open on both the 24th and the 25th, not least for those who for various reasons may be lonely this Yule.

R: They can keep company to each other and make friends.

L: Indeed! And Barmy over at the Green Dragon is only happy to help too!

 

R: Do you want to tell me about the market?

L: Aye, the market! Yer might check in with Tibba and Nimelia too if them show up in a bit. But it has also been going on for a long time. 

R: Who started it?

L: Tibba and Nimelia did back in the day. It is a biweekly affair, Monday and Tuesday every two weeks. Here, people can come to buy, sell, gossip or just have a good time together. Prices are low, but the quality is high. And it is often useful for Hobbits who are just starting out in the Shire. 

 

R: What are the goods being sold?

L: It depends on who shows up on any given night. New tools, new clothes, pipeweed, farm produce, food... depending on which traders show up. It is possible to put in orders too, though, if no-one has what yer looking for on the night.

 

R: Is it only Hobbits that buy and sell? What about Dwarves and Men?

L: Mostly Hobbits, but we have a regular Dwarven onion-seller. He sells more things too, but onions are his speciality! He and our tool seller, Nimelia, has quite the rivalry going on, sales-wise.

 

R: Why? Is it a friendly rivalry?
L: Oh, well, the markets can be quite competitive. It is certainly a matter of pride to do the most sales on any evening. But aye, behind all the grumbling and quarrelling, things are quite good-natured. It’s not like sales are necessarily huge either. Sometimes the markets are quiet and lazy, other days they are very busy.

 

R: Do you sell anything?

L: Well. I play music... Although… I sometimes bring the finest Brockenborings apple brandy for sale. Strong enough to tip over even the old Bullroarer! It is quite relaxing, this brandy, since yer sometimes fall asleep after just a couple of sips. Us northern Hobbits like a bit of raw strength in our drink… 

R: I wouldn't try it. I need to stay awake in order to write. Sometimes even late at night.

 

R: You're from Brockenborings, miss?

L: Aye. It's a fine village to grow up. Especially if yer fond of sheep.

R: I am fond of news and stories. Do you have any funny story to tell to our readers from the Green Dragon Nights?

L: Well, it's hard to choose! Although the recurring issue is the dancing rug by the fireplace. It is old, worn and sticky, and yet Barmy won't buy a new one, stingy that he is. So we have tried almost everything to get a new one. Rug design contests, importing new ones from Bree, we even tried, er, borrowing one from another inn. 

R: Borrowing or "Borrowing"? (She didn’t disappoint!)

L: Um. The latter... If yer don't tell anyone. (I won’t! You! Dear reader, don’t tell anyone!) Well, it's not a huge secret. Halson up at the Plough and Stars found out when we tried to sneak it out of the inn and somehow spilled dye on it. So we're still stuck with the old, worn-down rug that is sticky from far too many ale spills and too much dancing over the years. But we're still trying to get a new one! I think it has become a matter of pride for Barmy to keep the old one now, though… He even tried to spread the rumour that this was a really old rug, hailing back to the Fell Winter a hundred years ago. Just an excuse not to spend coin on a new one, if yer ask me!

(He’s very stingy apparently, I tried to propose one or two things, but she said he’ll see through them, a hard Hobbit to deal with Mr Barmy it looks like! She said: Besides, he can sniff out coins around in his sleep.) But he serves good ale!

 

R: Do you want to say anything to our readers?

L: I'd like to wish everyone a lovely Yuletide! One where they leave biscuits out whenever a yellow-dressed bard comes walking by!

 

This is it from here here at The Stonecrop Herald, it was very fun interviewing miss Lina, she is very pleasant and has a lot of stories to tell from all these years organising and participating in many events here and there. After the interview I met more Hobbits, merchants, Miss Nimelia was there and Tibba too, but it was quite late and I had to return to my inn. Miss Lina also spoke highly of a certain mr Barkgrim, he’s as Dwarf that frequents the Green Dragon Friday nights, I’ll make sure to find and talk to him. Have a happy Yuletide my dear readers, stay warm and happy! Until the next time.

 

                                                                 

                                                                           R.B.