[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Indeed, Rim, Lord Halfullion's status as an existentialist anti-hero is only now beginning to become clear even to me. Shame on you, Lush, for imagining any humourous intent, particularly of a bawdy nature, which as we all know is utterly alien to our amphibious colleague. I salute your sober philosophical musings, Rimbaud old chap.

Thanks for that lovely response, all those who remained within visual range of the subject. My opinion on the craziness debate is that you're never too old to make a fool of yourself in public. In later years you can even do so for a living. I believe they call it "politics".

Sharon, it's one thing to go thirty miles in a hijacked car with a bored friend to do something, but quite another to take the train from Kent or South Wales to Oxford, although I have to say that it isn't such an arduous trip down from London. Tolkien isn't going anywhere in a tearing hurry (unless some unusually grotesque piece of fan-fiction makes him rotate his way out of the county), so I presume he'll still be there when next you find yourself on our side of the pond.

It's interesting that you should mention Kent as I used to live there myself: I was at university in Canterbury, and one of my friends from those days comes from Cardiff. It really is a small world after all, although mentioning my London connections is probably stretching a point somewhat.