Celebrating Hobbit Day!

Happy belated birthday Frodo and Bilbo!  My excuse for the belated wishes is that I was too busy celebrating...

So this is particularly Geek-ish, but the 22nd September is International Hobbit Day - the birthday of two very famous Halflings.  And with The Hobbit movie being released this November it would have been wrong to let it pass unmarked!

Okay, I'll be honest. It was a bit of a fluke. We'd arranged a LotRs marathon before even hearing about International Hobbit Day... And I'm not just saying that to reduce my geek potential. But it worked out fo well...

Hubby and I and two friends settled down yesterday in front of the telly, to journey onto Mordor... And when you're talking the three extended edition DVDs that's quite an epic journey...
So how do you prepare for such a task?

- Stock up on sustenance before heading out.  You wouldn't want to get caught out half way through without food. Hobbits do like second and third breakfast afterall.  Ring shaped food goes down well - bagels, doughnuts, Party Rings,  doughnuts, Hoola Hoops - also potato salad ("poe-tay-toes"), and fish ("so juicy sweet!") fit well with a Lord of the Rings themed afternoon.

- Dressing gowns and slipper socks - this was the nearest thing to the cloaks and bare-hobbit feet. Get comfy!

- Assemble your fellowship - travelling to Mordor is much better in company.

Seriously, if you also attempt this epic journey you need at least 11 hours just to get through the DVDs, watching them back to back. So I'd pretty much write off the day!

Now you're prepared for next year's Hobbit Day... And I've just discovered March 25th is also celebrated by die-hard fans... Fall of Sauron Day anyone?

Do you go down to the woods to play?

I have great memories of playing in farmers' fields as a child.  Climbing over stiles, slipping over in cow pats, even falling in nettles, to this day these childhood experiences have made me more comfortable in the countryside than out and about in a town.

I was lucky to grow up in the rural South West.  Every Sunday when I visited my grandparents I was free to let my imagination run wild in the nearby fields and orchards. Meaning that I've always felt at home in the quiet of the country.

Hubby and I took advantage of a few short hours of sunshine this long weekend to do some blackberry picking.  We're lucky as we live in a semi-rural area, and so a ten minute drive took us into the heart of a wooded area, loved by dog walkers and wild deer alike. 

We had a lovely morning, and it was wonderful to see the wood so full of families also exploring.  One little girl was, in ways only little children can be, completely enamoured by a slug, where as her brother was trying to get her to come and look at the hole he had found.  I couldn't help but smile at their wide-eyed amazement. It made me want to keep exploring around corners, and possibly even building a den out of fallen leaves.

I firmly believe that children should experience nature.  I didn't realise it as a child, but my Sunday afternoon scampering around the Somerset woodland was one of freedom.  I was allowed to follow my imagination, and I'd easily while away the hours simply thinking.

It never fails to astound me that If I ever have go attend a meeting for work I am at a complete loss without Google Maps and my mobile phone's GPS.  But drop me into a wood, I find myself confidently striding off, knowing that I'll be able to retrace my steps no matter how many corners tempt me round their bends.

It does amaze me that so many children are scared of forests.  Of course we all need to be careful, you don't want to get lost, and you don't want to always meet a stranger amongst the trees... However it is unlikely that you'll be gobbled up by the Big Bad Wolf if you're walking through the woods.

I do wish we lived in a world where patents could be more relaxed about the where their children played.