He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past

I Was going to save this update fro when I finished Down and Out in Paris and London by Orwell but tonight I discovered something far too good to resist. Currently I'm halfway through this book and on my third of six Orwell books that I want to read. In essence I am in Orwell land. Down and Out is a book that i have wanted to read for ages but I am glad I have left it until now as it is about being poor - hopelessly poor. I am not poor by any means, in fact I bought a book case from Ikea this morning (procrastination in its purest form - three modes of transport across London just so I had an excuse to not do any work or look for a job, read the depressing news or procrastinate in obvious things like washing up). But back to my discovery. Well, if you type in my postcode into google (or any London postcode) you will get a red blob with the letter 'A' inside it. Click on that A and you'll get a few links. Click on 'Street View' and you will see my salmon coloured terrace house in the summer sun. On the steps next door you will see some lovely people from the homeless refuge that's been there since 1968. On the steps leading up to the salmon terrace you will see my flatmate - shades on, can of four becks under one arm, guardian under the other - smiling to the camera. For an example of what I am talking about here is where Orwell worked and based his (presumed biography) book 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying'.

The relationship my discovery tonight has with Orwell is, for me, overwhelming. The reality that he dreamed up in the 1940s is oh too true today...however I don't want this update to turn into a Daily Mail execution so I will leave it there.


My personal Big Brother watching over me.