Ow, I love my life! I have never regretted leaving Oatbarton. Compared to where I've been so far, Oatbarton is a stuffy, dusty world of it's own with no conecction to the outside that are worth mentioning. I do have fond memories of that place and I do miss my parents and other friends and relatives that are still there. But no, I have no regrets.
But I am glad I have some of Oatbarton with me, mostly all of the time: My dear friend Puki. Without her I might have felt homesick in the first few weeks and have returned. Who knows? But now we roam the world and enjoy everyday. When we are lucky and there is opportunity we play for the lankies in Bree town, at their Inn the Prancing Pony. But very often we don't play, but just listen to all kinds of music, some happy, some sad, but there is always a dance that goes with it, I noticed.
My life consists of farming and cooking. Mostly cooking. And when sometimes I exchange looks with Puki we need not say anything: the glistening in our eyes says: it's time for another adventure! And we find some poor sod who wants a chore done or is obviously too lazy to cross the street himself to tell his neighbour something. Well, for a few coins I am not too proud to do the walking for him! And coins I need. Cooking does feed us, but it is costly too: I can grow onions, but the finer spices and ingredients need to be bought and they are not cheap! Also,we found this chappy who will teach me and Puki nifty hunter skills that make adventuring a lot easier not to mention less dangerous. But he has his price too and what is worse: that price seems to have risen, everytime I visit him!
So I had no other choice. My parents are poor and need every coin to make their own living. But they told me about this wealthy uncle who lived in a big bright burrow. His name I had forgotten so I wrote to Uncle Bulbous, as I thought that was his name. And, yay, he did send me silver! It was already spent the following day, not on luxuries, but on necessities for training and advancing of my cooking skills. I must find some way to repay this kind hobbit, I kept telling myself. But how? I barely make enough money to keep myself fed let alone in proper clothes. But my present rags will do for now.
While this debt to Uncle Bulbous kept weighing on my mind, I received another letter from him: this time no silver included but an invitation, a summon almost, to present myself to a lady calling herself yule. Oddly enough Puki received a similar letter. I know, because her reading skills are a bit less then mine even and she asked me to read it out to her.
So we met with these two in Michel Delving and they invited us to join Shire Rose. I never heard of them before, but as my own uncle was a member I thought, well, why not. I may get a chance to pay him back now. So we are now members of that kinship Shire Rose. I cannot tell much about it, as there is an amount of secrecy involved, but I am glad to have a job now with them as a cook. "Chef", Miss Yule called me and I felt very proud. Puki has been put in charge of the horses and ponies and is very pleased too. It feels like a family, this group of hobbits, a new bond, a warm friendship. O, and Uncle Bulbous.. He hates that name apparently. But I know his propre name now and will call him Uncle Byco as I should. His debt with him has been paid by my promise to work for Shire Rose.
