#Madeleineproject SEASON 2 (English)

A quick reminder of #MadeleineprojectEN, Season 1  https://storify.com/clarabdx/madeleineprojecten …

Now, let’s get started with #MadeleineprojectEN, Season 2

#MadeleineprojectEN started 3 months ago, which looks like forever considering all the things that happened since then

After Paris attacks had this sentence from Madeleine in mind:“It’s comforting to love each other this way especially at this point in time"

This sentence referring to World War II was exactly what I had in mind in 2015. #MadeleineprojectEN

I really wondered what to do with this story, how to stay true, what position I should adopt #MadeleineprojectEN

I decided I’d keep going, hanging on to the precious lifeline Madeleine had left behind for me. #MadeleineprojectEN

So let me tell you about my investigation, about my presence in her absence, over the next couple of days #MadeleineprojectEN

This time the story will neither be limited to the cellar nor to the past. Still let’s take a look at the stuff left in the cellar ...

I somehow feared what would happen when I’d go back down there. Feared I would no longer feel the magic, feared it was just a dream

In the end… Emotion was just the same #MadeleineprojectEN

I even found stuff that flashed out as signs (although the whole story is already full of them...) #MadeleineprojectEN

But I need to get back to that last suitcase I mentioned before the end of season 1. #MadeleineprojectEN  https://twitter.com/Madeleine_EN/status/662658022397882368 …

And what did it mean to “be happy” for a 25 years old girl in 1940? #MadeleineprojectEN

But I keep looking for Loulou in these pictures #MadeleineprojectEN

In a different suitcase, there were also these little cards strapped together with an old diary rubber band #MadeleineprojectEN

It looks like there are food remains on them #MadeleineprojectEN

I actually went down to the basement a couple of times last week to get ready for this new season. #MadeleineprojectEN

There was a bad surprize awaiting : a water leakage, from one of these big pipes accross the grey walls #MadeleineprojectEN

Thankfully, there is very little damage. Only the sheets got wet, luckily preventing the rest from catching water #MadeleineprojectEN

I first took this leakage as a sign telling me : “stop it now !” , but a neighbour said it rather meant : “ hurry up !” #MadeleineprojectEN

From tomorrow on, I’ll tell you about my meetings with Madeleine’s neighbours. Some neighbours back then are still my neighbours today.

See you tomorrow. #MadeleineprojectEN

For our english #Madeleineproject readers : please follow #MadeleineProjectEN :)

We live on the same floor, they used to take care of Madeleine, especially when her other neighbours moved #MadeleineprojectEN

In the course of season 1, I met Marc on my way down to the basement, he told me he “saw her” and had “recognized her” #MadeleineprojectEN

I remember being suspended to his words, although the lift had arrived, anxious to know what he would say next #MadeleineprojectEN

He said he found it delicate... phew. #MadeleineprojectEN

It felt as if she was back to life. They hadn’t know here “before”. Before what ? “Before she was a 90 years old lady”. #MadeleineprojectEN

What memories do you keep from her ? “An old joyful lady”, says Marc “with ideas well in place and a sense of humour” #MadeleineprojectEN

“She enjoyed telling jokes from time to time” says Sylvain, and had “a malicious look” #MadeleineprojectEN #Madeleineproject

He remembers a “mischievous lady”, at least who might have been so, until great age caught up with her #MadeleineprojectEN

He’s glad he could see her smile in season 1 #MadeleineprojectEN  https://twitter.com/Madeleine_EN/status/662317663285288961 …

They describe a “sweet, adorable” lady. I wonder how I would have reacted if they told me she was mean… #MadeleineprojectEN

She was also “very discreet”, and they rarely saw her, but met her at neighbour’s day which she never missed #MadeleineprojectEN

(I never went to neighbour’s day)

As she never cooked, or no longer wanted to, she always ordered big tarts and quiches at the corner boulangerie #MadeleineprojectEN

Did you go to the boulangerie I’m going to, Madeleine ? #MadeleineprojectEN

Madeleine lived with assistance from the neighbors and from a cleaning lady, who did her shopping and picked up her mail #MadeleineprojectEN

And from her nephew, who took her out for lunch from time to time #MadeleineprojectEN

What was in that mail ? Not many letters, a couple of bills and mostly @ParisMatch, a magazine she really liked #MadeleineprojectEN

Indeed, I already found one in the basement #MadeleineprojectEN  https://twitter.com/Madeleine_EN/status/662282341570715648 …

Year 2000 as foreseen in 1969 : a future being my past, seen from a past being your present...Hum. #MadeleineprojectEN

“Towards the end she was a bit deaf. She couldn’t hear the doorbell, so I had to ring the phone in order to bring in her mail”

And that ring is still my ring. Here’s how it sounds :  https://soundcloud.com/madeleine-project/madeleineproject-sonnette … #MadeleineprojectEN

In the end, “she was a tiny, slightly chubby lady who didn’t move too well” “a porcelain lady” says Marc #MadeleineprojectEN

“Back then she was still going to the hairdresser’s, we could see her, a tiny woman toddling down the street” #MadeleineprojectEN

“She came back with curls, dashing” looking “slightly kitschy” at times, “with her hair died in blond and light brown” #MadeleineprojectEN

They tell me that the hair salon was replaced by a lute maker, a bit further down the street #MadeleineprojectEN

The hair salon is no longer there, but the lute maker knows violinists, whose baby-sitter was the hairdresser’s daughter #MadeleineprojectEN

But why would I speak to Madeleine’s hairdresser ? I’m not too sure, I’m pulling as many strings as I can #MadeleineprojectEN

I was finally informed by text message that the hairdresser had no memories of Madeleine... what a shame #MadeleineprojectEN

And what clothes was Madeleine wearing ? “Always dresses, no trousers” “she was really doing her best for a long time” #MadeleineprojectEN

“She paid special attention to her looks” say Marc and Sylvain #MadeleineprojectEN

Madeleine never really told them about her life, but she once mentioned Aix-en-Provence where she lived with her parents during the war

“Once, she offered me some sweets” says Sylvain, because she was touched he sent her a postcard from Polynesia #MadeleineprojectEN

Talking about postcards, I was touched by @ilesttropgentil ‘s idea

He sent me some pictures from Cayeux where Madeleine had been on holiday in 1925 and 1931 #MadeleineprojectEN  https://twitter.com/ilesttropgentil/status/663055659575943168 …

That’s her holiday pictures, by the way. Feel free to send me some digital pictures if you’re around  https://twitter.com/Madeleine_EN/status/662285889880633345 …

Madeleine was walking around with a stick “but she never complained”, “until the very end” say the neighbours #MadeleineprojectEN

“At the end of her life, she was very scared of death, she was scared to die overnight” say Marc  https://soundcloud.com/madeleine-project/madeleineproject-elle-etait-encore-vraiment-dans-la-vie-marc … #MadeleineprojectEN

“This shows that she was still pretty much into life” “and that she thought she didn’t do everything she had planned to” #MadeleineprojectEN

“My only regret is to have met her too late” says Sylvain, describing his timetable : “we were leaving early and came home late”

“Still, I’m glad I got to know her for a little while” adds Sylvain #MadeleineprojectEN  https://soundcloud.com/madeleine-project/madeleineproject-je-suis-content-de-lavoir-croisee-sylvain … #MadeleineprojectEN

Marc regrets “not having spent more time talking to her, now that he knows how many chapters he has missed from her life”

For instance, they wonder what she’s been up to during her first retirement years #MadeleineprojectEN

Sylvain recalls she said “do you realize I’ve spent more time retired than at work, that’s something” and then laughed #MadeleineprojectEN

When they rang, “she was alive for someone else than herself” “terrible thing to realize”, being “the only event in someone’s day”

Marc and Sylvain gave me the contact of other neighbours, who used to live in the flat next to mine (to yours) for 15 years

I also asked Marc and Sylvain about that second name on the mailbox #MadeleineprojectEN

They mention a “daughter in law”, but who on earth could she be ??? #MadeleineprojectEN

With all this information, I can picture you very well now, I can even hear the sound of your slippers on my floor #MadeleineprojectEN

When I sip tea on my low table, when I work at my desk, when my flat is a mess, I think about you #MadeleineprojectEN

So, see you later for the meeting with Eveline and Robert, who took most care of Madeleine #MadeleineprojectEN #Madeleineproject

There’s something I need to tell you for starters. I really couldn’t wait to do so #MadeleineprojectEN

Yesterday, I went down to the basement a couple of times to take pictures from recipies (following a reader’s request)

When I went down to fetch the “panned minute-pie” recipe, I exactly knew where to search for it #MadeleineprojectEN

It was in a notebook in a school bag in a suitcase on the right-hand side of the left shelf #MadeleineprojectEN

Google says the movie comes from an Agfa Movex 8 ? How do I watch this ? Please help !  https://www.google.fr/search?q=Agfa+Movex+8&espv=2&biw=1159&bih=559&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjEs_uE1uvKAhUHnRoKHRZ2CeMQ_AUIBigB … #MadeleineprojectEN

Movie story to be continued… I’ll keep you posted ! Let’s get back to the neighbours now. #MadeleineprojectEN

It’s on a wednesday, my train is leaving at 13:50 from Gare Saint Lazare and the sky is grey #MadeleineprojectEN

I’m going to Robert and Eveline’s, in a city west from Paris. They are the neighbours who took most care of Madeleine #MadeleineprojectEN

For 15 years, they lived in the flat nextdoor to hers #MadeleineprojectEN #MadeleineProject

I’m walking to their place, and I wonder if you too have made this trip #MadeleineprojectEN

I might be a little crazy to think about you so much, considering you never even got to know me #MadeleineprojectEN

Their place : a green velvet couch, like at one of my aunties, and a great view on Paris’ business district #MadeleineprojectEN

What memories do you keep from her ? “Someone I had a very high opinion about” says Robert  https://soundcloud.com/madeleine-project/madeleineproject-quelquun-que-jai-tres-estime-robert … #MadeleineprojectEN

She did “a lot of crosswords” #MadeleineprojectEN

That’s how I got to know the word “cruciverbalist” (and thus how I used it for the first time)  https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cruciverbalist … #MadeleineprojectEN

“She was also doing some recordings, with a small tape recorder, mostly documentaries” #MadeleineprojectEN

Hearing this, I thought Madeleine was making documentaries (like me) for a second, but not quite (I really need to calm down)

Madeleine was actually recording TV with her tape recorder ! Still, I’m glad to know she liked documentaries #MadeleineprojectEN

Eveline remembers Madeleine as someone very open and forward-thinking, especially because one of her biggest regrets was…

… not having been able to use a computer !!  https://soundcloud.com/madeleine-project/madeleineproject-eveline-son-grand-regret-ne-pas-savoir-manipuler-un-ordinateur … #MadeleineprojectEN

“I tried to show her one day, but she finally said “oh that’s too complicated” although she really wanted to know” #MadeleineprojectEN

(Hoping these tiny bits of your life on Twitter eventually fulfil your digital needs)

Robert remembers that day Madeleine told him she needed to sort the stuff in the basement #MadeleineprojectEN

“She reckoned there was lots of rubbish in there”, “oh, what on earth did I keep”, she said #MadeleineprojectEN

Having said that, Robert reckons everyone has these issues. Him, for instance...

… he wishes he had a castle to “keep everything”, his wife’s “absolute nightmare” he smiles, but that’s a different story.

Robert also says that every thursday eve, Madeleine used to “stick a post-it on their door, with her shopping list” #MadeleineprojectEN

Because every friday morning, Robert went to the fish market a couple of streets down their place #MadeleineprojectEN

“Madeleine liked fish very much”, she ordered “crab claws, ray”. Robert always chose for the best, he knew her tastes #MadeleineprojectEN

“Unfortunately she had heart problems, was really quite chubby” and “loved to eat” #MadeleineprojectEN

John Dory fish was her favourite #MadeleineprojectEN

“But I didn’t buy it that often because it’s a huge fish for one person. I only bought it when they had small ones” #MadeleineprojectEN

But I didn’t but any either, it was too much for me alone. #MadeleineprojectEN  https://soundcloud.com/madeleine-project/madeleineproject-poissonnier …

I told the story to the fishmonger, he said “yes, Madeleine, this name rings a bell” but I think he said so just to be nice...

“Sometimes, we invited her over for lunch, because she was really lonely” says Eveline #MadeleineprojectEN

“She had a daughter in law, her husband’s daughter” she goes on #MadeleineprojectEN

Wait a minute…. So Madeleine got married, is that right ? Now, listen to a great moment of questionning :  https://soundcloud.com/madeleine-project/madeleineproject-question-mariage …

Although they don’t fully agree, they recall she did mention a “husband” whom they never got to meet #MadeleineprojectEN

“Now, in retrospect, I realize I could have spoken a bit more with her”, notes Robert

When Madeleine came over for lunch, she always brought them a present, “she didn’t like to come empty-handed” #MadeleineprojectEN

And now we’re exploring Eveline and Robert’s flat, searching for Madeleine’s presents #MadeleineprojectEN #MadeleineProject

Thanks to Eveline and Robert, I get a clearer picture on how you arranged your / my flat #MadeleineprojectEN

Right now when I’m typing at my desk, I’m sitting where your TV was #MadeleineprojectEN

They also mention Dutch friends of hers, for whom she gathered good restaurant tips in the district #MadeleineprojectEN

The plants she watered when they were away, the crêpes which Eveline used to bring her in a small plate #MadeleineprojectEN

Her regret “not to have known anything else than teaching” “not to have known other social environments” #MadeleineprojectEN

This photo in her living-room, with two couples having a picnic on the grass #MadeleineprojectEN

This flat in Cannes she ended up selling #MadeleineprojectEN

After which she’d always “spend one month in Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, @BagnolesOrne a thermal station in the north of France” for summer holiday

In 2011, as she got back from holiday, Eveline and Robert had moved. Of course, they had told her #MadeleineprojectEN

But they do think it was hard news for her... #MadeleineprojectEN

“She relied heavily on us” “because of her heart problems, and because her studio was adjacent to our bedroom, we had a deal”

She once said “If I ever feel bad in the middle of the night, I’ll allow myself to knock on this wall with my stick” #MadeleineprojectEN

And every evening, she would remove her keys from the lock to make sure we could get in the flat #MadeleineprojectEN

Madeleine died a couple of months later, at the beginning of 2012 #MadeleineprojectEN

(A bit more than a year before I moved in)

When I went to Robert and Eveline’s, I hoped they could tell me in which cemetery she rested, so I’d go to her grave #MadeleineprojectEN

They say she was incinerated at Père-Lachaise, but they don’t know where her ashes are kept #MadeleineprojectEN

All of this reminds Robert about his own history, he regrets he didn’t ask his parents more questions, about their childhood

“When we’re young we think they’ll live forever” “I’d write things down like you do!” #MadeleineprojectEN

Thank you Anne-Laure (and all the other) for bringing Madeleine’s recipes back to life <3  https://twitter.com/BazardesReves/status/697496131174035456 …

But let’s catch up on Madeleine with those who knew her #MadeleineprojectEN

That day, I’m meeting Brigitte, the neighbour from the 3rd floor. I’m used to hearing her son play the piano above my head.

Music time : at the bottom of a suitcase, I found an old tuning fork. So I played an A #MadeleineprojectEN  https://twitter.com/clarabdx/status/697727102905380864 …

Marc and Sylvain were the ones who introduced Brigitte to the #MadeleineprojectEN, without telling her who this was all about

Brigitte started reading season 1, and “after two or three tweets, I told myself : but that’s our Madeleine !” #MadeleineprojectEN

“The atmosphere, it is totally her” “as if she was guiding us, as if there was a common thread” #MadeleineprojectEN

(Keeping emotional level under control) #MadeleineprojectEN

“It feels as if she had left a testimony, about her whole life” #MadeleineprojectEN

“It brings her back to life, and gives her all the gratitude she deserved” “she was a really good person” “everyone loved her”

“She was really, really attentive to others, always always”, always, says Brigitte #MadeleineprojectEN

“As she moved in, my children were young, she didn’t know me, but she immediately offered to babysit them” #MadeleineprojectEN

In this dictionary, World War I doesn’t even exist #MadeleineprojectEN

There is no release date on this dictionary, but thanks to one sentence in the credits, we can date it from 1907 or 1908

This dictionary basically features the state of the world at the time you were born #MadeleineprojectEN

What else could I look for in there? #MadeleineprojectEN

“She liked transmitting knowledge & often referred to her job as a schoolteacher, which she loved” Brigitte carries on” #MadeleineprojectEN

Several people suggested she might have worked in the district, I’m trying to find out where exactly. #MadeleineprojectEN

In Paris, but not in the posh districts, probably north, north-west” why do you think That ? “the way she spoke about it”

She “wasn’t prudish, but close to the people and listening closely” “I do picture her in a working-class district” definitely a good lady!”

“She really loved children, I think it’s a major regret for her not to have had any” #MadeleineprojectEN

“She loved to laugh, to have fun, she wasn’t taking anything seriously, she was an extremely positive person” #MadeleineprojectEN

“It was someone I truly appreciated” #MadeleineprojectEN  https://soundcloud.com/madeleine-project/madeleineproject-quelquun-que-jaimais-beaucoup-brigitte#t=0:00 …

“Physically speaking, she was quite a tiny lady, shorter than I am”, says 1m57 Brigitte to 1m60 me. #MadeleineprojectEN

“Chubby, really”, She had trouble walking around, her legs were swollen #MadeleineprojectEN

But she did go shopping, apparently in the supermarket I go to #MadeleineprojectEN

Brigitte recalls that “yes, she did have a husband, probably a teacher too” #MadeleineprojectEN

“For Christmas or New Year’s eve, which I knew she’d spend on her own, I brought her some homemade appetizers” #MadeleineprojectEN

On May 1st I brought her a bit of Lily, we did have a good relationship, it was tender, it was really tender” #MadeleineprojectEN

Loneliness? “I don’t think she suffered too much from it, she was reading a lot” “When she didn’t read, she watched stuff on TV”

“Don’t worry, I’m never bored”, did Madeleine use to say #MadeleineprojectEN

“She had plenty of interests, and she was opened to the world” “ she always had nice and great stories to tell” #MadeleineprojectEN

“She talked about travelling quite a lot”, “she loved to read travelling books” or watch related documentaries on TV #MadeleineprojectEN

(Sometimes I get lost, I fell like my neighbours aren’t talking about her anymore…) #MadeleineprojectEN

“In her last years, she would go one month full board to Normandy, she enjoyed it” #MadeleineprojectEN

“She met new people, played cards, she was looking forward to going back there year after year” says Brigitte #MadeleineprojectEN

Should I go there too? #MadeleineprojectEN #Madeleineproject

“She even thought about moving there full time for a moment, because she loved it so much”

“She could take strolls along the see, she enjoyed that” #MadeleineprojectEN

On Tuesday, Brigitte sent me an e-mail, to clarify something about the doorbell  https://twitter.com/Madeleine_EN/status/697342606448160768 … #MadeleineprojectEN

“To make sure it was us, when she could still hear well, we had to ring the bell three times, and she’d open the door!” #MadeleineprojectEN

So, let me confess, after everything I have learnt from my neighbours, I don’t watch old ladies the way I used to #MadeleineprojectEN

And when I go to flee-markets, I think about the lives behind each thing, it all looks tremendous #MadeleineprojectEN

I needed those meetings with the neighbours, these encouters enabled me to sigh, internally #MadeleineprojectEN

Every meeting I booked, every door I stood behind, I feared to meet someone teeling me to stop the #MadeleineprojectEN

But considering their emotions, their enthusiasm - them, who did actually to know her - made me want to keep going #MadeleineprojectEN

I still had to meet the nephew, I’ll tell you about this right now... #MadeleineprojectEN

It took me a while until I dared to call the nephew, after season 1 #MadeleineprojectEN

Finally, one day, I picked up the phone and called at his place. Her wife always picks up, dogs bark in the background #MadeleineprojectEN

I get to speak to him. He has heard nothing about it. But he likes the idea #MadeleineprojectEN

I ask him what he thinks about social networks. He says he’s “against”, which makes me laugh #MadeleineprojectEN

“All these people spreading their lives all over the place, and then complain because of CCTV in the streets” #MadeleineprojectEN

After reading season 1, he admits “it is poetic”, “I event learnt some new stuff” #MadeleineprojectEN

And it is him who suggests we should meet #MadeleineprojectEN

I get there with a series of very specific questions. Naturally, he answers them all. It is easy for him #MadeleineprojectEN

His parents were friends with Madeleine’s parents #MadeleineprojectEN

“No, Madeleine never had any children”, so I played this role, somehow” he explains #MadeleineprojectEN

No, Madeleine was never married. For a couple of years she has lived with a teacher though : Bernard. #MadeleineprojectEN

I kind of guessed that, it is this Bernard, to whom I found a couple of mentions in the basement. #MadeleineprojectEN

His letters are full of everyday stories, which I wouldn’t know how to write down today #MadeleineprojectEN

And there is a complicated story with his daughter, it looked quite serious #MadeleineprojectEN