Ah, how cute! Having lived with an electric skillet we made into an incubator and having hatched lots of baby chicks out in it (set on the R in WARM) I know how satisfying it is when the eggs finally hatch! Heh!
But what chicken got into the Gaffer's garden, we wonder?
Author's reply
That's really interesting, Larner! I have only hatched chickens as a science lesson in 5th grade and we had a full size incubator.
I just figured most hobbits had chickens, except in the large multifamily smials, and I just figured some unknown escapee laid the egg.
Thank you for reading and replying :-)
Larner
· 4 May 2008
· Chapter 4: "A Taste of Home"
A sweet Yule for them, to be certain!
Author's reply
Sweet and tasty as well ;-)
Thank you so much Larner!
Tigger
· 4 May 2008
· Chapter 3: "Scissors"
Oh Pearl...This was so perfectly voiced. You got the actions and also the way a toddler would think exactly!! I loved this, but poor Pippin having to endure the teasing of his sisters and others for the look of his feet. I can see a toddler that's exploring the way scissors cut different things thinking...I wonder how it feels to cut hair?
Love, love, love this and have added it to my Favourite Stories listing. I'll have to print it out and add it to my LOTR Stories binder I have. Once I get my new printer cartridges that is. :o)
Author's reply
Thank you so much Tigger :-) I think I have Pip speaking a bit too well for a toddler, but then, I've known a few that are very articulate. I think most every child goes through this when they discover scissors.
Thank you for adding it to your favorites list and, wow, actually printing it out!
PIppinfan1988
· 4 May 2008
· Chapter 4: "A Taste of Home"
One of the nice bits that PJ did capture in the film was Frodo calling the Shire Salet "a bit of home". It's so true; it's always nice and comforting to have a "bit of home" when one is far from it, and you captured that sentiment most excellently in this tale. LOL, almost makes me want to sample a slice of that fruit cake! Well done!
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Pippinfan :-)
It is always nice to find a bit of the familiar in other places. The dear old lads would want something like that at the holidays especially I'm sure.
It is really good fruitcake!
Andrea
· 4 May 2008
· Chapter 4: "A Taste of Home"
LOL!!! Even at the age of nearly 104 Merry still plays tricks on his younger cousin ;-)
I'm quite sure that the fruitcake is delicious. But I believe you that it takes a whole day to make it.
Since I know most of the ingredients only by their German name, I would like to know what "allspice" is. That name sounds interesting.
Author's reply
Hi Andrea and thank you, glad you enjoyed both the story and the recipe.
Look here for allspice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allspice
pippinsgirl
· 3 May 2008
· Chapter 4: "A Taste of Home"
ahaha the ending is funny! IT DIDN'T END IT DEATH!! Most of the time when I read stories about Merry and Pippin being those ages Merry normally dies. I'm glad it ended in comedy instead
Author's reply
Thank you, pippinsgirl :-)
I was glad it didn't end in death as well. Glad you enjoyed it!
cathleen
· 20 March 2008
· Chapter 2: On A Winter's Day
I recall doing this as a child. This brought back wonderful memories, thank you!
Author's reply
Sorry I'm late replying Cathleen.
I still do this. I have even tried to take pictures of them, but without any great success. I haven't counted them though ;-)
Thank you for responding! :-)
cathleen
· 20 March 2008
· Chapter 3: "Scissors"
Pearl, I love this, it's so cute! I can just imagine wee Pip weilding a pair of scissors, and with the zeal of a child his age, cutting off his foot hair before he stopped to think. Thank you for another great tale!!!
Author's reply
Thank you so much Cathleen. It would have been more important to Pip, at that moment, to find out about those differences. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Neilia
· 19 March 2008
· Chapter 3: "Scissors"
Pip is such a 'real' little lad. We all did something similar with a 'forbidden' object...mine was the old fashioned ink used for the old fountain pins. I loved the smell and, of course, when a three-year-old toddler opens the cap some does get spilled! Ooops! ;D
Author's reply
Thank you for reviewing Neilia :-)
I used to unbend paperclips and chip the varnish off a desk we had in our house. LOL!
Andrea
· 19 March 2008
· Chapter 3: "Scissors"
“The circles is - are - where your fumb and finner go when you make the skizzers go ‘Snip! Snip!’.”
LOL!!! He's speaking rather well, indeed :)
Poor little Pippin! He was just experimenting with those fascinating "skizzers"! And Bilbo was very understanding. No wonder, because he had a lot of practise recently with Frodo.
Scissors can be very dangerous for small children, but when I was 2 or 3 years old I set my mind on trying out my mother's sewing machine! Well, as you might have guessed it didn't end well. I managed to maneuver the needle directly into my finger! Fortunately, I have no memory of if or how much it hurt. I can only remember a small scar on my finger, but even that scar is now gone.
So, if you have children around do not only lock the scissors, but also the sewing machine ;-)
Author's reply
Oh my, Andrea! Your poor finger :-( I'm glad it didn't do any permanent damage.
Yes, best to keep a good many things away from little ones.
Thank you so much for reviewing!
pippinsgirl
· 19 March 2008
· Chapter 3: "Scissors"
that was reallly cute. Poor Pip, cutting off his hairs on his feet, but that's what makes Pippin Pippin, teh fact that he's quiet the curious little sneak
Author's reply
Thank you pippinsgirl :-) Yes, that's our lad!
Dreamflower
· 19 March 2008
· Chapter 3: "Scissors"
Pearl, this is just adorable! I love Pip's curiousity and his experimenting--and his knowing perfectly well he was being naughty as he made up his excuses for playing with the "skizzers", LOL!
Bilbo was perfect--asking just the right questions to make the lad confess and it's true, he had meted out a punishment to himself that would last for a while. I'd love to see Eglantine's reaction to this when she sees him--and I can just imagine, years later, a young knight of Gondor being teased about his little mishap by Frodo and Merry. Or when he's a father himself, using himself as an example to little Faramir of what *not* to do!
Author's reply
Thank you so much Dreamflower :-) I'm so glad the characters were all good. Who knows, maybe I'll write those bunnies . . .
Thanks again!
Larner
· 19 March 2008
· Chapter 3: "Scissors"
Well, the lad learned the hard way! Have you seen my story "Why Mums and Dads Leave Home" in my "Not Gonna Happens" collection? I think you'll appreciate young Ruby's position. This was hilarious, and so much like when I cut my own bangs, and when my sister did the same thing, and when my brother did the same thing, and when each kid did the same thing....
Author's reply
I just read "Why Mums and Dads . . ." Wonderful Larner!
Thank you for your review of my wee story. I don't recall a scissors incident of my own, but my daughter cut some items she shouldn't have and my son once cut the cord on an electric fan . . . while it was running.
Glad you enjoyed :-)
shirebound
· 19 March 2008
· Chapter 3: "Scissors"
make the skizzers go ‘Snip! Snip!’.
Awww. This is an adorable story, Pearl, and I just love everything Bilbo said to Pippin.
Author's reply
Thank you, shirebound :-) so glad you enjoyed it!
Andrea
· 5 March 2008
· Chapter 2: On A Winter's Day
That's a nice little story, Pearl!
While I drove to work this morning I thought I'd seen at least some snowflakes. (What a complicated sentence! I don't know if it's grammatically correct.) Those were the first this winter if I remember right. It's really a shame!
I can very well imagine Pippin examining AND counting the snowflakes, and forgetting everything around.
Well, the same nearly happened to Frodo! So, the two of them were very lucky to have Merry around. Otherwise there might have been TWO frozen hobbits ;-)
Author's reply
That is a shame, though we have got more snow here the last two years than we have the rest of the 11 years we've lived here, so I guess it's just shifting around.
Yes, good thing Frodo and Pippin weren't out there alone ;-)
So glad you enjoyed it Andrea!
EstellaB
· 5 March 2008
· Chapter 2: On A Winter's Day
I am so jealous!
I love snow but we never get it in the UK any more... It hasn't snowed all winter here-well, not properly. Not enough to lay and certainly not deep enough to make a four and a half foot tall snowhobbit. (I did try to make a snow elf last year-to which my brother's response was, "Hannah, you NEED a BOYFRIEND." Er, end of ramble).
Anyway, this was delightful! I love Pippin and Frodo looking at the snowflakes-it seems exactly the sort of wistful thing that they would do (even if Pippin is normally a bundle of un-wistfulness. Which word doesn't exist).
So sorry for the rambly review-basically, I love it, but exams have friend my brain, so I can't speak coherently any more.
:)
Author's reply
Thank you so much for the fun, rambley reveiw, EstellaB :-) So glad you enjoyed it and hope you manage to unfry your brain soon!
Dreamflower
· 5 March 2008
· Chapter 2: On A Winter's Day
Oh Pearl! This is adorable! I will have to thank Jana for being a slave driver if it gets us more stories like this!
I love stories of the cousins in those light-hearted years before the Quest--this was very nice.
And two-hundred and twelve! Yep, that's Pip for you--he's nothing if not determined!
Author's reply
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Dreamflower :-) I always felt that when something had his attention, it *had* his attention :-D
Larner
· 5 March 2008
· Chapter 2: On A Winter's Day
Trust Pippin to count all he examined! Wonderful!
Author's reply
Yes, he would want to know just how many. ;-)
Thank you Larner!
PIppinfan1988
· 4 March 2008
· Chapter 2: On A Winter's Day
I have some very recent memories (this past Friday) of N.E. Ohio looking like a Winter Wonderland, lol, so this lovely tale was most excellent and well-timed! I think Pippin's observations are spot-on; not many folks take the time to study snowflakes these days and his wee experiment was sweet. Very well done, my friend!
Author's reply
Thank you :-) It snowed here today and I went out to try to photograph some snow flakes. Alas, they didn't come out, as usual, so I came back in and wrote this.
shirebound
· 4 March 2008
· Chapter 2: On A Winter's Day
I could just imagine that whole scene, and feel the shivery cold!
Author's reply
Thank you :-) I'm glad I managed to paint a good picture.
Golden
· 23 February 2008
· Chapter 1: "Meant To Be"
Oh my, what a sweet story and what a great thought to think, that Eglantine breathed with her love some life and soul into Tulip.
Lovely story! :)
Author's reply
Sorry I'm so late replying Golden. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story :-)
Baggins Babe
· 18 February 2008
· Chapter 1: "Meant To Be"
This was a lovely look at how Eglantine came to make Tulip to watch over her hobbit-lad. Not to mention a very interesting explanation of fulling.I've seen felt being made and it was fascinating.
Author's reply
Hello Baggins Babe,
Sorry about my tardiness! Thank you so much for your comments. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story :-)
PIppinfan1988
· 16 February 2008
· Chapter 1: "Meant To Be"
This was absolutely lovely! You have always been fantastic at getting "inside the head" of your characters, but this was just marvellous. I think you put asa much love into your story as Eglantine put into each stitch of her knitting.
“All right,” he says nodding his head and planting a kiss on my snout. “But I am Ma and Da’s hobbit-lad first, then I can be your hobbit-lad.”
I loved that! Very well done!
Author's reply
Thank you m'dear Pippinfan :-)
Such a lovely compliment, the story was a lot of fun to write! He has his priorities straight, our little lad ;-)
Larner
· 15 February 2008
· Chapter 1: "Meant To Be"
The future Thain has had a special rabbit and a pig--and I love both Errol and Tulip! Wonderful beginning you've given Cathleen's Tulip!
Author's reply
Thank you so much Larner! Cathleen was most generous to allow me to tell the tale.
Grey Wonderer
· 15 February 2008
· Chapter 1: "Meant To Be"
I like it when Eglantine seems to breathe life into the little pig. It's almost another way of showing how people put a little bit of themselves into gifts that they make.
Author's reply
Thank you so much GW :-) That is part of what is so nice with giving a homemade gift, though all gifts are from the heart :-)