She had had enough for one day. It was so exhausting, being forced to confront,yet again, her past demons. The most disturbing part is that, this time, she would have to relive those feelings of terror and despair, those moments when all seem hopeless and lost and you feel like giving up, entrusting your life in God’s hands.

Jules decided to go for a stroll, just to clear her head and put her thoughts into order. Her aim was to cross through the Natural Reservation ( a fancy name for a common park ) and go to John’s Diner to grab something to eat. The lack of food made her ever more weak, and that she could not afford as her article was due next week. Oh,goodie, a whole week to write about a lifetime.

Standing beside the small emerald-green lake, she leaned to gaze at her reflection. It was different from the last time. “I’m getting old…” she thought. The diner could be seen from that distance. The spherical construction was built to resemble a burger – a total and utter failure. You could tell that it was partially freshly repainted ( the yellow part, I mean the cheese, was very intense in comparison to the green part, I mean the salad, which almost faded away completely).

Pushing forward the door, she could hear the familiar ring of the bell announcing the arrival of a new potential customer. The round tables were placed in a semi-circle, next to the wall. The large, rectangular windows allowed plenty amount of light to invade the diner, also giving it a rather posh design. It created the illusion of space. In the center were placed the cash registers, if you prefer self-service, or you could sit and wait patiently at a table untill a waiter spots you and takes your order.

Julia went for the last table on the left of the entrance, that used to be her usual spot. She took a seat on the comfortably soft, round sofa which could only tempt you to lounge and take a nap. Taking her recorder out of her fake Prada handbag, she playbacked the tape, taking notes at the same time. Hunger wouldn’t let her focus. Allas, help was on its way. A waiter was heading twords her.

“May I take your order, miss?”
“Yes. I’ll have a medium Pizza Prosciutto with ketchup. “
“What about beverage?”
“Hmm…I think I’ll go with an orange fresh juice.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes, thank you.”

She began speaking to her recorder: “At last, I’m going to eat.What should I do next? Where should I spend the night? The Inn or … no, that’s absurd. I’m going to the Inn and rent a room for the night. After that I’m going to try and contact Sandra. Sandra Cullen used to be my best friend. I don’t even know if she is still alive , but if she is, she’s probably in a mental institution.

At first, it was just me and her. We were like sisters.We shared a room, we shared food, we shared clothes, we shared the same dreams, hopes and the purpose of escaping . But, in the end, dreams were broken, hopes were shattered and she remained imprisoned, captured in a world where life was a mere illusion.

I remember our most despised class : religion. Every day, at 8 a.m. and every afternoon at 4 p.m. we were preached about God, Jesus, heaven, hell  and limbo.

God is our creator. He is the master of the Universe. Everything is under He’s control and our faith depends on He’s merciful will. Jesus is God’s son. Half human, half Holly Spirit, He is human kind’s saviour. He sacrificed himself for our well-being, for our forgival . God,Jesus and the Holly Spirit represent everything that is good in this world.
All the nuns do is read from the Holly Bible, but you get the point really fast : you do good things, you listen to the nuns and respect them, you do your chores and don’t speak unquestioned, you go to heaven; you don’t, you go to hell.
The limbo deal is a little complicated. Limbo is the edge of hell and it’s a temporary state. Well, you see, limbo is divided into other three categories : hell of the damned , limbo of the fathers, and limbo of infants. You go in limbo if you have done something so bad that someone had actually cursed you to be restless, you go to limbo if you committed many sins but died in the friendship of God, then you await Jesus’s descent to open heaven’s doors or send your soul to hell, and you go to limbo if you die a unbabtised infant and you still carry the burden of the original sin…”

“Excuse me, may I?” the waiter asked as he was placing a huge pizza in front of Julia.
“Sorry…Of course,please do. I’m starving.”
“Well, then… Enjoy.”

But after looking closely, he added : “Julia? Is that you?”

miss ya.

 - My jewels are not pretentious, but they have an influence on you. You get in a story, a fantastic world, a bit mysterious. I love black jewels. A secret sensual jewel, with a certain thickness. A certain elegance.

 Influenced by Cocteau, Virginie is an autodidact, who looks like a mischievous Amelie Poulain. « First noticed » by the jewelery trade Reminescence, then selected at  Première Classe : in 2001, she creates a jewels collection for Cerruti women.

- After that,  I worked for Agnes b and it was better. She was a big fan of my stars and I’ve never met her.

For 2004, her trade Virginie Mahé has been distributed in Franck et Fils, Bon Marché, Printemps, Galeries Lafayettes and the Rose Durantin boutique. Next : Bricklane, London in September.

Rose Durantin Boutique : 27 rue Durantin, 75018 Paris – Metro : Abbesse ou Blanche – Open tuesday : 3 pm-8 pm, wensday to sunday : 12 pm-8 pm

Click here to discover my selection of the five fashion designers I met @ the Bouche à Oreille trade. 

- Mes bijoux ne sont pas prétentieux, mais ils te marquent. Tu rentres dans une histoire, un univers un peu fantastique, un peu mystérieux. J’adore les bijoux noirs. Un bijoux sensuel, secret, avec une certaine épaisseur dans le choix des matières. Une certaine élégance.

De faux airs d’Amélie Poulain, en plus espiègle, Virginie est une pétillante autodidacte, influencée par Cocteau. « D’abord repérée » par la marque de bijoux fantaisie Reminescence, puis sélectionnée pour participer à Première Classe : elle signe une collection de bijoux pour la femme chez Cerruti, en 2001.

- Après j’ai bossé pour Agnès b et c’était encore mieux. Elle était fan de mes étoiles, je ne l’ai jamais rencontré.

Depuis 2004, sa marque Virginie Mahé est distribuée chez Franck et Fils, au Bon Marché, Printemps, Galeries Lafayettes et à la boutique Rose Durantin. Prochain RV en Septembre du côté de Bricklane, à Londres.

Boutique Rose Durantin : 27 rue Durantin, 75018 Paris – Métro : Abbesse ou Blanche – Ouvert  mardi : 15-20h, mercredi à dimanche : 12h-20h

Retrouvez ma séléction de cinq talentueuses créatrices, rencontrées au salon Bouche à Oreilles.

Working with older people at Mile Cross in Norwich.

Collecting interviews and reminiscences.

Some of the trades and professions of the local people.