[Galadriel55]

"Baranduin"... what a queer way to call our Brandywine! It sounds Elvish, and it doesn't sound like it means anything, Al thought, but he kept his opinion on the name to himself.

Other than that, Elin's reply has been most satisfactory. Al shifted himself into a more comfortable position and voiced his agreement:

"Buckland is a place worth coming to, even if it means a bit more walking. You won't find anything like Brandy Hall in the whole Shire!" Which is completely true, since we have the River! There's also the Marish on the other side of it, but Stock and Rushey are simply no match for Brandy Hall. Al grinned encouragingly. He considered mentioning Hamwill's interest in the land, but the man was better left alone. I've had enough of his nonesense!

"The beer here is truly excellent, as you say - more than that," Al continued, "It's better than that. It's the best beer I've ever tasted!"

Elin did not comment on this, so Al went on with his next idea. "Our River is the best you can find. It's the only river of the Shire - those little puddles that you might have seen aren't truly rivers, you know. They don't have enough water in them. Now we often go boating in the Brandywine, but some of us know how to swim without the boats. I tried it, and I could do it rather well... better than my cousin, at any rate," Al cleared his throat, and continued, "Have you ever tried to swim?"