A hearty happy birthday to Jeff Hatfield today! Jeff was born on June 20th, June 30th by Shire reckoning. It was this week that Gandalf, having learned from fugitives on the southern borders of the Shire that Gondor suffered a defeat nearly two weeks hence, rode the Greenway north from Sarn Ford toward Bree. On the road he met Radagast the Brown, a fellow wizard, who came from their peer Saruman the White bearing the news that the Nazgûl have come forth from Mordor to war, but that Saruman will offer aid if Gandalf reaches him in time. Gandalf was too weary to set off at once, and spent the night at the Prancing Pony in Bree.