News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| Once Upon a Meadow by Grey Wonderer | 13 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| GamgeeFest | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/27/2010 |
| Bert and Ernie? *giggles* And Pippin defending the sheep’s honor? *cackles* Oh, dear, this was a joy to read! Author Reply: Thank you and it was a very nice surprise to find a new review for this one in my email. Glad you enjoyed it. The sheep are glad too. | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/18/2010 |
| I can't tell you how much you made me laugh while reading this wonderfully wooly story. Heaven knows I needed it! As soon as Dumpling entered the tale I knew Merry was going to be his hilarious self, lol. And the sight of Fredegar and Bert going round and round had me in stitches! Your Pippin, of course, was as sweet and adorable as ever. :-) I always enjoy your comic stories, and this one was most brilliant. Very well done, my friend! Thanks for sharing. :-) Author Reply: Oh, excellent! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and got a few laughs out of it. I do like it when you're happy. I couldn't resist letting Merry recognize Dumpling even though he claims that all sheep look alike to him. Somehow, I think he would have very strong memories of Dumpling. As you know, I do enjoy slap-stick. I'm glad you could 'see Bert and Freddy' as they ran wild among the sheep. (Pippin claims not to have seen any of it so it's good to have a witness. Paladin may be looking for you so you can explain it all to him.) Hope you have a great week! Thanks for reading and reviewing this one. | |
| Baggins Babe | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/17/2010 |
| Another of those present snorted. ‘I’ve known the farmer’s lad for many of his shearing seasons and I don’t think I’d trust him to keep anyone out of trouble. He’s a good-hearted sort, as good as their kind can be, but he’s not one to keep others out of the brambles and safely in the meadow. Not that one!’ Sheep are definitely intelligent! This one has really summed up the walking bundle of trouble known as Peregrin Took! Please tell Mr Woolrich that he need not have been concerned - it is obvious that the sheep are the stars - and the most intelligent. All that embarrassing doggy behaviour too. My cats sometimes look at the dog in amazement when she's being particularly eager to please. This was such a brilliant story, GW. I just loved Paladin's glee as he contemplates telling the lads that they will be watching the flock for a while! I suppose parenthood has to have some compensations! Author Reply: After years on the farm, I suspect the sheep know more about Pippin than he knows about them. : ) Mr. Woolrich will be very happy to hear that. The dogs were a bit overly enthusiastic. LOL Dogs always amuse me that way. They are just so excited about everything. I have cats also and right now, most of them are bored with everything going on here. Sometimes I do think that Paladin just must have enjoyed setting a punishment or two. After all, it was the only time he ever got even and I suspect the poor hobbit had his hands full with three daughters and Pippin! hehehe Thank you for reading and for the lovely review. | |
| Mum's the Word | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/16/2010 |
| Wool Gathering! Ruff & Reddy! And Fetchit! Bert & Ernie! I loved the tale told from both the sheep's and the intruders' viewpoints. Lots of fun, and very well done! Author Reply: Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. : ) I had lots of fun naming the dogs this time around and with the Shepherds, Bert and Ernie let me play on Sesame Street and reference "It's a Wonderful Life" all in one go. Hobbit names can be such fun for the male hobbits. The females are more limited since Tolkien says they named them for flowers and jewels but with the lads, you have room to enjoy the naming process. Thank you for the lovely review and for reading this. | |
| Celeritas | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/14/2010 |
| Dear Mr. Woolrich, Having now read the bulk of this tale I must say that I am quite refreshed by its perspective--the common sense of these sheep is a refreshing antidote to the typical Took antics I see published under this name. I am usually out of my depth with sheepish matters, so alas, I have no idea of the state of the sheep fandom. However, if there is such a thing as a Sheep Fan Fiction Awards, gladly will I join the community simply to nominate this fine specimen. As for my previous letter to you, I thought that as a sheep of common sense you would understand that Infernal Busybodies have no sense of humor and especially frown upon any sort of disclaimer that reeks of creativity. (Translation: I deemed a simple "this disclaimer is hilarious" response to be unworthy of the effort you spent upon it and so decided to deal with it in kind--like Aragorn to Merry at the Houses of Healing, I thought, but in a text-only format it is easy to miss one's mark.) Finally: I am unaware of your relationship, if there is any, to the sheep in this tale (are they your acquaintace? Your ancestors? Your creation?); however, if you are at all able to communicate with them, please do let them know that one Meriadoc in the tale (the one in the "yellow wool") was entertaining some rather slanderous thoughts concerning the honorable sheep's proclivities. As I am sure he has not seen the last of them, I would very much like to see him punished for his terrible prejudices, perhaps by a sound kick to the buttocks. This would be difficult for a sheep to achieve on one of my race, but hobbits are I believe of the proper height for this to be attainable. I remain your humble servant, Miss C. Sagitta Shire Historian, 4th Age Infernal Busybody Author Reply: Dear Infernal Busybody, It is very heartening to hear sheep given credit for their intellectual skills, especially by a human. (I am assuming that you are human though you've not said as much.) There is so much talk about how we sheep are easily led and seem to have no independent thought. No one ever considers the possibility that we are simply being agreeable, or that perhaps, we intended to go in the direction in which we are being led anyway. We are rarely given our due, which is exactly why I was so interested in locating a sheep-based fan fiction site for future postings. I am sorry to hear that you do not know of such a site but I intend to keep searching. Accolades for the sheep portrayed within this story would be most welcome when and if sheep awards are ever located. Until that time, we shall attempt to gain recognition for our species as best we can. I, unfortunately, know little of busybodies and their doings so I was unaware of their lack of a sense of humour. I did not notice this deficiency in your post and so I assumed that you had a sense of humour. This correspondence has been such a valuable learning experience for me. The sheep in this story are actual sheep of my acquaintance but their names have been withheld to protect their privacy. Any names mentioned in connection with the sheep, are the names bestowed upon them by the hobbits and therefore not their true names. I shall be only too happy to pass along your recommendations re the hobbit in the yellow wool. He has troubled us before so they will not be surprised to learn of his slander. He and ‘Dumpling’(not her real name) have been at opposite ends of the battlefield before. I wish you and yours many healthy shearing seasons and thank you for reading, Lambert Woolrich XVIII | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/13/2010 |
| Ah, yes--let's pretend we're even more drunk than we are so we don't have to explain things in the morning! Heh! And Paladin is all too happy planning on their punishment. Heh! Bert and Ernie, eh? Been watching a bit of Sesame Street lately, then? Ah, dear! Author Reply: Yes, Pippin was really thinking ahead there. It didn't help Freddy or Bert much and I don't think it is going to help him or Merry but it was a good effort for someone who was drunk. hehehe I have to let Paladin have some fun. I do think he will enjoy having Pippin and Merry fill in for the injured shepherd. I have always loved Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street and I think this was also a bit of left-over holiday cheer. (Bert and Ernie from "It's a Wonderful Life".) I like to do a bit of surprise naming now and again. Thank you for reading! | |
| Pip4 | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/13/2010 |
| I loved the way this was written, first from the sheep's point of view and then Merry and Pippin describing things to each other, it was fun to read. Also, when Bert first was mentioned the first thing I thought of was the guy from Seseame street but I never would have guessed you were actually going to make Bert and Ernie references. That was priceless. Author Reply: Thank you. I am very glad you enjoyed the POV. I've written more than a view sheep-related stories but this is the first time I've tried to include their thoughts. It's good to know that it worked. Bert and Ernie are old friends from when my son used to watch Sesame Street. It was fun sticking them into the story and waiting to see who might catch it. I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for this lovely review! | |
| Andrea | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/13/2010 |
| “Just exactly what *is* going on?” Pippin asked sitting up. ROTFL!!! That was great, GW! It was very funny to look at the events on the meadow from different perspectives. I especially liked the different interpretations of "stinking" ;-) I hope that poor Freddy and Bert will be alright in no time, though! Merry and Pippin could have helped them earlier (if they had been less drunk). One last word to Mr. Woolrich: See? The sheep were the main characters. Among drunken hobbits, lazy dogs and crazy shepherds *they* remained sensible! Bravo! Author Reply: Oh, I am very glad to hear that the bit about 'smells' worked well. I do think that animals must have a very different view on that issue considering all of the places that they chose to put their noses into. LOL Merry and Pippin were really no help at all in this one. They just sat back and watched the carnage. Freddy may have something to say about that once he is feeling better. LOL Mr. Woolrich is very pleased that you saw the value of the sheep in the story. He finds your review to be very sensible and well written. : ) | |
| poppymuddyfoot | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/13/2010 |
| Well, I must say I can't understand what Lambert Woolrich XVIII was complaining about. Those hobbits didn't steal the story from the sheep. As much as I love Merry and Pippin, I have to say the sheep are the stars of this tale. Part of me is laughing and part of me is cringing right now. You see, I was once faced with a herd of sheep and I'm afraid I acted much like Merry. The cousin who owned the sheep was vastly amused by my fear. (Hey, I'm a city girl. I'm not supposed to like farm animals!) So your story strikes just a little too close to home for me. (Although Merry is braver than I am- he didn't run screaming from the pan like I did. Maybe I would have done better if I'd been drunk at the time.) Wonderful story as always. Thank you for the laughter. Author Reply: Mr. Woolrich is thrilled that you enjoyed the sheep in this story. It is exactly the response that he was hoping to get. Sorry this was so close to RL for you. I am also a city girl but for some reason I adore sheep and made a complete idiot of myself on two visits to the UK by pointing out the sheep every single time we passed some. It sounds like you have sheep memories much like my husband's memories of chickens. He is not at all fond of them for similar reasons. Thank you for reading and I'm very glad that this made you laugh in spite of your experiences with sheep. | |
| Saoirse | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/13/2010 |
| Dearest Grey, Could it possibly be you, my old friend? If it is, indeed, I should just like to say that today I stumbled down the hobbit hole after many a-year wandering past the plains of Rohan, past Gondor, even past Far Harad to new and marvelous worlds. And returning again here to Arda, and through the thicket and over the Brandywine into the Shire for a much-welcome visit, I felt my heart warm to see your name at the forefront of this page. This story was absolutely quintessentially hobbity-riffic. Merry and Pippin should be sportscasters! I loved the long, meandering way of their conversation and the slow, unhurried fashion in which their carried their hungover discussion, observing poor Freddy. The characterization of the animals was adorable (Ruff, Ready and Fetchit!) and I was laughing outloud at more than one point from Merry and Pippin's back-and-forth banter. What wonderful writing. I loved the sheep. I will endeavor now to search on for your stories, May Continued Luck and Well-Wishes be yours, my friend, Saoirse Author Reply: Oh, it is so very good to hear from you again, Saoirse! I have missed you and your writing so much. I still re-read your hobbit tales from time to time and I did wonder where you'd gone. I'm glad to know that your journey has been a pleasant one and that you are still out there reading and possibly writing in another part of this fandom or in another fandom. You have such a talent for writing that I hope you are still doing it. I am very glad to hear that you enjoyed this story of sheep and drunken hobbits and shepherds and dogs. I love it when one of my stories gives someone a laugh or two. Keep in touch. I have missed you, my friend. Whenever you have time, drop me an email and let me know what you're writing now. I'd love to read it. Grey_wonderer at yahoo dot com Take care and all of the very best, GW | |