New Year's Eve with George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh

I've received some positive feedback from some of you, and I'm glad that you're enjoying seeing what Bob and I have been up to thus far in the adventure. My favourite review, though, has to be the email I got from my dad, which began, "I enjoyed reading your whatchamacallit, a visual record of your life in London." Thanks dad!

Anyway, there are some fireworks happening tonight down at the London Eye--but we didn't even consider heading down there (the chaos caused by Vancouver's summer fireworks "festival," held right at our (old) doorstep succeeded in making us even less interested in fireworks crowds than we already were) and decided to have a quiet new-year's-eve walk instead. We passed by the oddly doubly-signed

built in 1807. It was originally one square, but was abruptly divided into two in 1812 when a road was built through its middle, which of course angered the surrounding high-class residents, who then sought more dignified accommodations. George Orwell is said to have written some of 1984 while living on the square and Evelyn Waugh lived just around the corner. Virginia Woolf's sister, Vanessa Bell, also lived on Canonbury Square. (Information courtesy of a book from the Stoke Newington Library!) The square was deserted when we were there, but it was more than beautiful enough on its own to compensate: A lovely tranquil new-year's-eve scene.

Happy 2007 to all of you, near and far!