Horizon

Three of us were soberly there.

That's me, Nigee and ROBBIE.

The pub is still nice, and full (for us) of echoes of the former presence of Anthony Powell, Dylan Thomas, Rayner Heppenstall and of course George, but they have taken down some of the evocative photographs.

There were no ancient Orwellesque figures - Michael Foot wrote the intro to the book but was too frail to be there in person.

It would have been nice if there had been some As I Please readings, but we at least recalled a few of our own favourite bits, including the report that moustaches make beer go flat.

Fitzrovia is still pleasantly remote from the brash nastiness of Oxford Street, though it's only two minutes walk away.

Wish I could have been there. Thanks for the report.

Yes, it was a good evening. I had wondered on the way there just what a group of Orwellians all gathered together in a bar would look like. Hairy ties a-go-go? Would Rennie be there, looking like Ernie Wise? But they were a nice enough crowd and, professionals that we are, we secured a corner right by the bar.

Midway through the proceedings there were the makings of an incident. There was a young man who was wearing a flat cap sideways which we all felt was an unnecessary affectation that deserved putting to rights. Indeed, I feel that after some reflection he might have thanked us.

So there we were, poised to unleash hell.

I was going to barge my way through to said youth and push him the chest. "Oi!" "Fruit Juice Drinker!" . ROBBIE was going to block the door, put on his best POUM Battle-Face and starting lashing about with a book of Benjamin Zephaniah poetry. Tom was *really* up for it and was already climbing up onto the bar ready to dive feet-first at Francis Wheen. People were starting to look alarmed by this point but I realised something was the matter and pulled him back. Big Nick Cohen was there, you see. Looking like a big bad bouncer from Barnsley. I didn't fancy any of that and so the Orwell riots never happened.

Martha, I did ask Paul about the submissions that Orwell stuffed away. Afraid they never made it. Tribune has moved several times in 60 years and they have gone wherever unsolicted manuscripts go to die.

The hell ya say. I suppose this would also have been the time to march around in gumboots demanding Snoek?

Thanks for asking my question. Wonder who did throw away those manuscripts. It must have been awful for them.

P.S. Cripe, it turns out there really are people who pine for snoek.