Item: Signed photo of Hugin
Format: Well, it's a photograph ... signed with a blue pen ...
Earlier this week one of the loudest storms I've ever heard raged above the rooftops of Castle Nazgul. Proper eye-widening booms of thunder rent the air, lightening positively lit up the darkened rooms in vivid flashes, causing the Castle monkey to scurry for cover beneath the bed. It sounded like the end of the world and would have been quite something to have been outside in, had Nazgul not spent the majority of its duration cowering beneath his sheets.
At the conclusion of this biblical outpouring came the usual sounds of a deluge - the dripping of water from rooftops, the splashing of vehicles through miniature lakes that had spawned on the roads, and the baleful sounds of next door's cat which had clearly been given the fright of its young life.
The ambient peace of dripping water lulled Nazgul back to sleep, reminding him as it did so of the introduction to Uruk Hai's wonderful 'Gondolin Falls'. So many little things in daily life now have a resonance and connection with elements of Hugin's music it never ceases to amaze how often these sorts of connections can be made.
All of which is a rather long introduction to the star of this afternoon's post: a signed picture of the man himself! Rather strangely I can't actually remember getting this, but recently found it tucked away safely within an envelope on one of the library shelves.
An outrageously poor use of such a splendid item, which has since been framed and sits pride of place next to the Hobbit-grinder.