Welly-moot #4.4 Mid-Year Christmas

On Sunday the 26th of July, the Welly-moot was held at the home of myself & Alex. I didn't mention this at the moot, but it was our 30th Tolkien get-together! Rather than a "proper" Tolkien-related theme, it was more of a purely social gathering this time, for existing members to get together and enjoy spending a very pleasant afternoon in each other's company.


Not much to report really; the food was excellent - thank you everyone for your contributions - and the conversation flowed well. A very special thank you to Cathy from Canada (not present at the moot, unfortunately) for providing the most excellent Maple flavoured coffee - I'd been saving it for a special occasion. :)


We all had an opportunity to meet with some of the regular members' less regular partners, which was really nice. I also had a chance to show off some of the more precious things in my collection, which seemed to be enjoyed by the group.


No real news to report this month. I'm still in talks with the relevant people about our special upcoming event (!), and I'm hoping to finally be able to go public on that soon. Keep watching this space!

One item - you may have noticed that the official Welly-moot pins, designed by our own member Annabel, are no longer available in Silver, just in the Bronze. If you don't have yours yet, order one soon! They look fantastic. To place an order, just click the "Add to Cart" button on the right hand side of the Welly-moot.com site.

For the people who had contacted me wanting to join this meeting but where not yet members - the next Welly-moot will be held as a normal meeting, with new members accepted again. Details are on our Calendar page.

I think the last meeting of this year, in November, will be a special one - it will mark the 5th anniversary of the existence of the group. Might have to have some prizedraws for that one!

Also: I'm taking suggestions for our September Welly-moot theme! Email/facebook message me!


  - Jack

Coming up: Mid-year Christmas moot July 26th

This July the 26th, the Welly-moot will be held at the home of Jack and Alex, as a mid-winter Christmas moot (welcome to the southern hemisphere!). As this is our home, we won't be taking on new members this meeting.

Please RSVP via email to let us know you're coming, and to get the street address. If you're not sure if you're an existing member, drop me a line also!

The event will be the same as previous years, and we're once again aiming for a "bring a plate" lunch, so please bring something yummy to share. Home-cooked will receive the best compliments (hint!)...


Details of the lunch:

• Arrive here at around 11:00am
• Lunch will be served around 12:30pm
• Finish when we're good-and-done

 
So, one more time - please send me an email to let me know you're coming. We cancelled last time due to lack of RSVP's.

My address is jack@welly-moot.com.


  - Jack & Alex

Welly-moot #4.3 report ("Gandalf")

Welly-moot 4.3 meeting was held last Sunday, 31 May at Embassy Theatre.

We started with Jack’s greeting and updates with some projects as usual. There were some exciting updates for the members. We promise that we will post them here on the Welly-moot site as soon as we are able to announce it officially. It won’t be too long so keep your eyes out for it.


Next, we took a moment to remember Andrew Lesnie, who passed away at the end of April. As fans of Sir Peter Jackson’s movies, especially ‘Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’, we all know of Andrew’s contribution and passion for movies. You will be remembered, Andrew.

[Picture] Andrew Lesnie (1956–2015)

--

The theme of the day was “Gandalf” – What are your favourite passages in Tolkien's writings that describe Gandalf's wisdom, humour, and personality?

The most popular and famous one was this one:

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us”

Alex shared her memory with Ian McKellen and her story why she came to New Zealand. She is not the only one to choose this quote, some other Welly-mooters from overseas have been inspired by this phrase also, and that is why they are in Wellington now.


There are some phrases from Gandalf are applied in our world as well. The phrase which Gandalf says to Denethor, Steward Gondor, when Denethor refuses to listen to Gandalf's advice on ruling the city. Denethor says "the rule of Gondor [...] is mine and no other man’s, unless the king should come again". Gandalf responds with:

"Unless the king should come again? Well, my lord Steward, it is your task to keep some kingdom still against that event, which few now look to see. In that task you shall have all the aid that you are pleased to ask for. But I will say this: the rule of no realm is mine, neither of Gondor nor any other, great or small. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, those are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail of my task, though Gondor should perish, if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I also am a steward. Did you not know?"

Gandalf is alone amongst the five wizards (or at least amongst the three we know) that he tries to own nothing, and rule nothing, and have no house of his own. Middle-earth is his terrain, and he keeps his eye on the larger picture.


Then there's the phrase from Gandalf to Frodo:

Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends."

This applies our world as well. No one has the right to make judgement for any lives to live or die.


Jack pointed a slightly different character of Gandalf in the book The Unfinished Tales. Gandalf appears to have known all along about Saruman's visits the the Shire, and about his secret addiction to the Halfling's weed. At the Great Council meeting held in 2851, Gandalf appears to have smoked for the first time in front of the council, and defended its use a a way to clear his mind. He recommends it to Saruman (actually knowing full well that he already uses it). Jack's quote isn't a quote as such, but a description of Gandalf's last response to Saruman, as the meeting come to an end:

Gandalf did not laugh again; and he did not answer, but looking keenly at Saruman he drew on his pipe and sent out a great ring of smoke with many smaller rings that followed it. Then he put up his hand, as if to grasp them, and they vanished. With that he got up and left Saruman without another word; but Saruman stood for some time silent, and his face was dark with doubt and displeasure.

Subtle as a brick, is our Gandalf.


As we all know that the common idea or image of Gandalf is ‘father’ figure. When Gandalf is saying good-bye to Hobbits, he says:

You must settle its affairs yourselves; that is what you have been trained for. My time is over: it is no longer my task to set things to rights, nor to help folk to do so. And as for you, my dear friends, you will need no help. You are grown up now. I have no longer any fear at all for any of you.

Here it goes. Not only people but Hobbits, Dwarves, and even Elves rely on him. Gandalf has such heavy responsibility (or burden) on his shoulder in the Middle Earth.


Gandalf is one of the most important and centre characters in Middle Earth. We think because of these characters we are enchanted by the stories of Tolkien’s.

--

All in all, a good meeting, and a terrific discussion. We're looking forward to the next one!

Gandalf! - Theme for Welly-moot #4.3, May 31st at the Embassy

Greetings, Welly-mooters. On May 31st, at 2:00pm, we will meet at the Embassy Cinema in Wellington. Spread the word, and get ready! Our topic for the next Welly-moot is:

GANDALF

Gandalf, © John Howe (*)

Who doesn't wish for a helpful wizard to call on now and then for advice on life's choices and help in dealing with trolls? Granted, Tolkien's wizard had a penchant for steering friends into uncomfortable and downright dangerous situations and sometimes leaving them to figure things out for themselves. He chose his companions well, though, knowing they were each up to whatever might come.

What are your favourite passages in Tolkien's writings that describe Gandalf's wisdom, humour, and personality? Have any of his words and deeds written of by the Professor influenced you in any way so that you did, in fact, have a wizard by your side? Is there still a place for the wandering wizard in our modern life? Bring your favourite quotes and scenes, art pieces and mementoes of Gandalf the Grey and the White.

“When evening in the Shire was grey
his footsteps on the Hill were heard;
before the dawn he went away
on journey long without a word.

From Wilderland to Western shore,
from northern waste to southern hill,
through dragon-lair and hidden door
and darkling woods he walked at will.

With Dwarf and Hobbit, Elves and Men,
with mortal and immortal folk,
with bird on bough and beast in den,
in their own secret tongues he spoke.

A deadly sword, a healing hand,
a back that bent beneath its load;
a trumpet-voice, a burning brand,
a weary pilgrim on the road.

A lord of wisdom throned he sat,
swift in anger, quick to laugh;
an old man in a battered hat
who leaned upon a thorny staff.

He stood upon the bridge alone
and Fire and Shadow both defied;
his staff was broken on the stone,
in Khazad-dûm his wisdom died.”

    - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Ah, but that it did not, Frodo!

  -Kris

--
Also at the meeting, we will discuss a few other items - notably we will talk about the "One Last 'One Last Time' Time" event that was previously hinted at, as well as a few other Tolkien related projects in the works behind the scenes. We may not be in a position to reveal everything online afterwards, so if you want to be in-the-know, you'll have to attend the moot!

  - Jack


--

(*) The Gandalf illustration is © John Howe, and used with permission from the artist. If you haven't been to his website yet, it's time you did! John Howe was intimately involved in the shaping of Peter Jackson' s Middle-earth, and looking through his Galleries, it's easy to see how much of that was kept intact in the movies.

One Last "One Last Time" Time...? [Watch This Space!]

Exciting news! After some months of rumours, I can now confirm that Welly-moot is officially in talks to set up one last big Middle-earth event, here in Wellington! The event would take place in Miramar, at a well-known location, in the coming months.

I can't reveal much else right now, but can I suggest you all starts saving your pennies and patching your costumes one more time, since you won't want to miss this last-time-ever event.

Not only will this be a "last-time-ever" event, but if all goes well, Wellington will be the first in the world to host this.


Mysterious enough for you? :)



If you want to hear up-to-the-minute information on this as it comes to hand, get on our mailing list by sending an email to "mailinglist@welly-moot.com", with a subject of "Subscribe".

We're also on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, so no need to miss out anywhere!


  - Jack

Welly-moot #4.2 was today - good fun meeting

This year's Tolkien Reading Day was celebrated on its usual date of March 25th, but we delayed it until our scheduled Moot day of March 29th, which was today. The Tolkien Society (UK) had announced that the theme for this year's day was to be "friendship".

The meeting began at the usual 2:00pm at the Embassy Cinema, and the regulars and a few new faces enjoyed a cup of coffee over the introductions, and joined in a recap of the excellent event last month of the opening of the Rivendell Archway at the Kaitoke Regional Park. Since most of the members present had actually attended the event, it took a little while to recount everyone's experiences. All in all, we agreed that the Archway had been opened in style.

[Picture] The fellowship returns from a quest. (c) 2015 Jack Machiela

The discussion began soon afterwards. A number of battered (and pristine!) copies of various Middle-earth books appeared on the table, and everyone read out their favourite sections. The friendships between Frodo and Sam, and between Gimli and Legolas were mentioned a number of times, as well as those between Gandalf and Frodo, and Bilbo and Frodo's special status as "Elf Friend". Also, the very equal-status friendship between Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry the River Daughter stood out to some.

All too soon, our time came to an end. I wanted to broach one other subject - this week saw the introduction of the last Hobbit movie in its theatrical edition, as well as the first Hobbit boxed sets on DVD and BluRay, so that leaves one final edition to go - the last Hobbit movie in its Extended form. We briefly speculated some of the scenes we may yet see in that - hoped for are Thorin's funeral scene properly, and we may yet see Thranduil receive his white bejewelled necklace.

However, we all agreed enthusiastically that we would like to see the last release marked with a special event - perhaps we can convince a cinema somewhere to release it with an Extended Ultra Marathon - all six movies, back-to-back, in a single sitting.

I will start talking to the appropriate people soon! [NB - if you're one of the appropriate people, drop me a line!]

Looking forward to the next meeting in a few months!

  - Jack

Next Welly-moot #4.2 in one week (on Sunday March 29th) - get ready!

Happy almost Tolkien Reading Day, March 25, to be celebrated by Welly-moot on Sunday, March 29, 2:00 pm at the Embassy Cinema upstair cafe. The theme of this year's reading day is friendship in Tolkien's works.

 

See the Tolkien Society (UK)'s announcements: 

http://www.tolkiensociety.org/society/events/reading-day/

http://www.tolkiensociety.org/events/tolkien-reading-day-2015/

So bring examples of friendship from your Tolkien library to read or make note of scenes from the films to discuss.

And Tolkien's influence isn't only found in the books. I'm sure we all have stories of how our love of Tolkien's works has led to friendly meetings with other fans in the real world. I sometimes wonder how the young sister and brother from Sweden we joyously shared a hike up Mt. Sunday with one beautiful day in 2006 are doing. A purposeful middle-aged expedition turned into a laughter-filled adventure because of their youthful exuberance.

Mount Sunday (aka Edoras)

See you all at Welly-moot, mellonea.

Kristi

 

Rivendell Archway, official opening

I'm just compiling a final list of confirmed people who can turn up to the Rivendell Archway opening on March 7th - if you haven't received an email from me tonight, but were hoping/expecting to join us, please let me know as soon as possible - I need to get back to the council in the next few days with finalised numbers. My email address is jack@welly-moot.com.

If you want to join us but hadn't let anyone know, this is your chance to get in and have a bunch of fun on the day! If you don't have a costume, we can arrange one for you if necessary. Also get in touch with me, in that case.

  - Jack

Report: Welly-moot #4.1 was held last Sunday

We had a good number of people turning up, including a few new members. It was a very good meeting, I thought - lot of fun, most people got involved in the discussion, and those that didn't, seemed to be listening intently.

We discussed two main things - briefly I talked about Rivendell (Kaitoke Regional Park), where the Elven Archway is now a permanent and beautiful addition. The official opening will be held on March 7th, and very soon I will be making formal announcements and sending out invitations.


The main event though, was the big discussion of the events immediately following The Hobbit book (and movies), right up to the start of The Lord Of The Rings books (and movies). Most of the afternoon was taken up with a leisurely reading of ROTK Appendix B, The Tale Of Years (from T.A. 2941 through to T.A. 3018). Everyone added extra information as it came to mind, and we diverged on more than a few tangents.

I've written up the main events in a tabular format - it may be useful if you're doing your own investigations.

Spreadsheet link (*)

Some of the sidetracks we took involved things like when does the writing "Sting is my name, I am the spider's Bane" appear on Bilbo's sword - presumably it happens in Rivendell but when? We couldn't find any reference in any of the books brought in (and there was a veritable library brought in by our members), so it appears that was simply a movie invention then.


The time flew by - before anyone realised, it was close to 5:00pm, and buses were leaving and cars were in danger of being ticketed, so we called the meeting to an end.

Total turnout was 16 people, a good start to the new year! A big welcome to our new members, Sam, and Wilson and Erica. We hope you enjoyed it enough to return - we certainly enjoyed your company!


  - Jack



(*) - The spreadsheet link is an experiment using Google Docs - I'd love to get feedback to say if it works or not?

The link, again, is here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11VfP3zrPnLM_hxqhHOie-BWVascQEG5gAP_kzD0lCzw/edit?usp=sharing

Heads-up: Welly-moot #4.1 is this Sunday, January 25th!

Look sharp, people - the Tolkien group meets this Sunday (25/1) at the Embassy Cinema, at 2:00pm. Theme for the afternoon is "What happened after 'The Hobbit'?".

Full details can be found on the Welly-moot website:

http://www.welly-moot.com/2015/01/welly-moot-41-january-25th-at-embassy.html

So make sure you read up on your Lost tales and Unfinished Tales lore. Also, ROTK's appendices are very useful.

We will also be discussing the March 7th official opening of the Rivendell Archway.


If you're not yet a Welly-moot member, come join us - it's free and fun. Make sure you bring a few bucks for coffee or cake. Or coffee and cake.

As always - just attend one meeting, and you'll be a member for life!



See you all there!

  - Jack

Welly-moot Event - Hobbit Costume Trail

A small group of Welly-mooters had a great day today - we managed to start and complete the Wellington Hobbit Costume Trail. Originally we thought we could do it in a few hours, that proved to be more like 5 hours instead, mostly because we were pretty relaxed about life in general.

Daniel, Jack, Cinnamon, Sarah, Alex, and Alistair posing in front of a display at Te Papa.

The day started at 11:00am, in front of the Wellington Railway Station. From there we walked to the Rydges Hotel, for Thorin's costume.Rather than walking you through the whole day (should have joined us!), I'll let the photos tell the story.

Thorin at the Rydges Hotel

Gloin at the Ibis Hotel

Bilbo at the Kircaldie & Stains shopping complex

Bilbo's Mithril coat

Dwalin at the James Cook Hotel

Gandalf at the Intercontinental Hotel

Gandalf's staff, with some secret marks

Tauriel at the iSite Information Centre

Balin at the Westplaza Hotel

Legolas at Wharewaka Boathouse

Azog at Te Papa Museum

Elf Lieutenant at Te Papa Museum

Elf Soldier at Te Papa Museum

Radagast at the Museum Hotel

Radagast's got two mismatched shoes

Oin at the CQ Hotel

Oin's warm knitted gloves

Bombur at the Embassy Cinema

Bifur at the Embassy Cinema

Bofur at the Embassy Cinema

Bard at the Copthorne Oriental Hotel

Kili (& scale Kili) at the Airport

Fili at the Airport

Gandalf on an eagle at the Airport

Gollum at the Airport

Smaug at the Airport

Dori at the Roxy Cinema

Nori at the Roxy Cinema

Ori at the Roxy Cinema

Weapons on the wall at the Roxy Cinema

Dale Market Flags at the Roxy Cinema

Welly-moot activity - Hobbit Costume Trail this Saturday! Come join us!

In honour of the completion of Wellington's trip to Middle-earth in the last fifteen years or so, the City Council has got together with a number of hotels and other venues around town, and the studios, and have hidden a number of original costumes from the Hobbit movies.

Alex and I have decided we are going to find all the costumes hidden around the Wellington CBD this Saturday.

If anyone wants to join us, we will meet in front of the Wellington Railway Station on January 10th, at 10:50am, and we'll start walking towards the Embassy end of town, hitting all the costumes along the way. You don't need to RSVP, but we will leave at 11:00am sharp, so if you're not there and start late, drop me an email (I always have my smart phone with me), and I'll let you know where to run to.

My email address is "jack@welly-moot.com".


Get your free maps from the Wellington iSite, and a few other places as well, or download them from their website.


Hope to see a few of you there!

  - Jack & Alex

Welly-moot #4.1 - January 25th at Embassy

Topic: What happened after The Hobbit, eh?

Happy 2015, all! We finished 2014 with that most splendid Unexpected "Battle of the Five Armies" Premiere Party at the Roxy Cinema on December 2. Could we have ever imagined enjoying such an ending to The Hobbit film trilogy? It has been wonderful to share in that journey together - and the journey goes on.

Bilbo's main part in the story, as told in The Hobbit: There and Back Again, ends in the Third Age 2942. It will be 76 years, T.A 3018, before Frodo sets out to begin his part of the tale in The Fellowship of the Ring. Our topic for the next meeting will be "What was going on in Middle-earth from the day Bilbo arrived home to find the contents of Bag End being auctioned until the day Frodo leaves with Sam, Merry and Pippin?"  Film verse is different from book verse, and we can compare the two, if you like, but shall we first review what Professor Tolkien had in mind? I've made an index from Appendices A, B, and C at the end of Return of the King for those years so we can each read up on it before and then discuss.  

Appendix B 

- The Third Age: There is a chronology of this age, which includes all our stories. Begin in 2942 when Bilbo returns to the Shire. End in 3018 when Frodo sets off on September 23.

Appendix A

- Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion:        A. I. iv approx. pages 9-12

- The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen:          A. I. v approx. pages 1-5

- The House of Eorl - Rohan:                 A. II

The last paragraph is about Saruman.  

"The Kings of the Mark": Second Line  16. Thengel; 17. Théoden; Third Line - Eomer and Eowyn

- Durin's Folk         A. III. approx. pages 7-8

The death of Thorin; the Kingship of Dáin; King Bard of Dale

Appendix C

- Hobbit family trees

Bring up any other bits you remember recorded in the stories themselves.

And don't forget the last two pages of The Hobbit !

Bring your books and your appetites to the Embassy cafe upstairs. 

The journey continues!

- Kristi

NB - Complete Welly-moot Calendar Update!

Just a quick warning - due to various circumstances, we've completely revamped the 2015 Welly-moot dates. Please double check that you have the correct dates in your calendars, since they're almost ALL changed as of today.

The next Welly-moot (#4.1) will be held at the Embassy Cinema (note also the change in venue) at the end of this month, on January the 25th.

The complete, updated calendar for 2015 is listed on its own page now.


This change was decided at an impromptu committee meeting today. Our apologies for any confusion, and we hope to see you all there!

  - Jack