Hello! My name is Laura and I'm a member of the Wellinghall smial. I was lucky enough to be able to attend our lunch on the 3rd and thought I'd give those who weren't able to go, a glimpse of the afternoon's festivities. Enjoy!
Wonderful things can happen at a gathering of Ents (and Entings). Wellinghall's February 3rd get-together was, like all other moots, featured great friends, yummy food, and big laughs.
Unfortunately, the day was bitterly cold and stepping outdoors required putting on at least 3 layers of clothing. But it was going to take a lot more than chattering teeth and a threat of frostbite to prevent me making this moot!
In normal Laura fashion, I decided to be hasty little hobbit and meandered on the way to the Old Spaghetti Factory. Needless to say, I got lost. With much backtracking and mental mapping, I, thankfully, eventually make it to the restaurant, only slightly perspiring and out of breath. As always, I was greeted warmly by the rest of the Ents, all of whom where already seated and settled. It was like a Middle-Earthen bar where everybody knows your name heehee.
I hope our waitress wasn't too frustrated with us! She tried to take our orders but it was difficult to get everyone's attention at the same time or maintain an Ent's attention for long. It took some effort but she did managed to get everyone's order, and did it with a smile. I like to think our atmosphere was so infectious!
There were quite a number of Ents and Entings at this moot, and trying to have a conversation with those at the other end of the table was a challenge. But, always up for a challenge, we realized this set up was perfect for more intimate interactions. We had mini-moots and had no trouble moving from mini-moot to mini-moot. The Enting's moot consisted of games, both card and video, and other activites to which us older ents weren't privy.
We had some great discussions about Tolkien's works, including its many adaptations. I even found another fan of the Ralph Bashki film! Through our discussions, we decided that we had to invent the Flaming Denethor drink/dessert and the perfect time to try it out would be during a movie marathon. I'll leave out the details of the proposed drinking game to protect the dignity of my beloved Frodo Baggins.
After dessert was served, some members of the group began to leave but there were still a good number of Ents left. When the restaurant dimmed the lights and told us they need to start setting up for dinner, the remaining Ents decided to head, somewhat reluctantly, to our respective homes.
I smiled and chuckled all the way home. I mentally replayed the special moments of the lunch as I watched the darkening Toronto skyline pass by. I'm eagerly awaiting our next get-together, be it Tolkien Reading Day or a flaming movie marathon!
