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Still, if he hasn't been back in 20 years, one could hardly think of the Shire as his "home base".~CSteefel
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The quote A_Brandybuck brings up is certainly an interesting one. I would agree that it doesn't seem like a permanent home to stay at...but I think what
Raynor says is quite accurate thinking. It sounds like The Shire to Gandalf was like a vacation spot, where he could get away and simply take a break...something he hadn't done in 20 years! And he felt like he needed one.
If we think about The Shire, it's pretty much disconnected from Middle-earth, for the most part Hobbits don't want to have any part in the 'outside' world, they just want to handle their own inner affairs. So The Shire (to Gandalf) is like a secluded vacation home (or cottage) where he can simply take a break from the 'problems' of Middle-earth and find some peace/rest for a while. However, as evident on this occasion, Brandybuck brings up, he was unable to do what he had wanted...
'And so I did indeed, though I was not allowed to put them out of my mind.'