August 12

Very hot in the morning. In the afternoon sudden thunder-storm & very heavy rain. About 50 yards from the gate the road & pavement flooded a foot deep after only 1 1/2 hours rain.

Blackberries beginning to redden.

August 11

This morning all surfaces, even indoors, damp as a result of mist. A curious deposit all over my snuff-box, evidently residue of moisture acting on lacquer.

Very hot, but rain in afternoon.

Am told the men caught another snake this morning – definitely a grass snake this time. The man who saw them said they had tied a string round its neck & were trying to cut out its tongue with a knife, the idea being that after this it could not “sting.”¹

The first Beauty of Bath apples today.

 

 

 

¹See note 2, August 9 1938. 

August 10

Drizzly. Dense mist in evening. Yellow moon.

August 9, 1938

Caught a large snake in the herbaceous border beside the drive. About 2’ 6” long, grey colour, black markings on belly but none on back except, on back of neck, a mark resembling an arrow head (ñ) all down the back. Not certain whether an adder, as these I think usually have a sort of broad arrow mark (^) all down the back. Did not care to handle it too recklessly, so only picked it up by extreme tip of tail. Held thus it could nearly turn far enough to bite my hand, but not quite. Marx¹ interested at first, but after smelling it was frightened & ran away. The people here normally kill all snakes. As usual, the tongue referred to as “fangs”².

 

Notes by Peter Davison, from the Complete Works:

¹The Orwells’ dog.

²It was an ancient belief that a poisonous snake injects its poison by means of a forked tongue and not, as is the case, through two fangs. So Shakespeare in Richard II, 3.20 – 22.

            Guard it, I pray thee, with a lurking adder

            Whose double tongue may with a mortal touch

            Throw death upon thy sovereign’s enemies.

See also 11.8.38.

 

From The Orwell Prize:

Orwell writes this from the sanatorium at Preston Hall, Aylesford, Kent. If you can’t hyperlink from ‘the drive’ in the post, go to Google Maps on the blogroll.

War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. And The Wait is Nearly Over.

Less than 24 hours to go before the first diary entry… but if you can’t wait:

BBC Radio 4’s PM programme will be talking about the diaries later this afternoon – and giving you a chance to get involved.

Professor Jean Seaton and Richard Blair will be talking about the diaries on National Public Radio’s Day to Day in the US.

Some extracts are featured in the media coverage which you can link to on our blogroll (right).

And there’s plenty to keep you busy on the Orwell Prize website.