[Mithalwen]

Yes it is still Spring ... there was a small time distortion but only a few days have passed since the thread began!!

Mithalwen has been away from Mithlond only as long as it takes to get there by pony & trap. She came to meet the twins who travelled as far as the Shire from rivendell with pilgrims to the palantir plus a couple of days. So she probably left a couple of weeks ago at most.

Now Mithalwen is a craftswoman - specialist in musical instruments but since that would have small demand relatively I have imagined a lot of her "bread and butter" work is in more practical day to day items in wood and metal. To add leather too it might stretch her skills but I bet she would have made the buckles and would surely know the leather worker since Mithlond would have been a tiny community at that time. They might even be the type of thing she would use her self though more for support and protection when using tools. Mithalwen had a clearout to make room in her house for her expected visitors (the waggon is full of stuff that she was going to try and sell) so there might have been ample opportunity for an enterprising chap to help himself to anything of interest just lying around . Yes ... I think there will be some recognition. Excellent....