MadeleineSwann

On an impulse in May 2007 I decided to see how a local Pagan group did things. I wasn't quite sure why, other than the fact that I have an avid interest in any subculture. I've always found it quite interesting that Paganism, which is in itself a collective term for all ancient religions, exists in modern life still; growing and evolving from the forgotten past to modern day, celebrating nature alongside concrete buildings and road-signs. So what does it mean to be a modern day Pagan? Well, that would take years to find out, so my main aim was to find out what it meant to a specific small group. I arranged to meet for a 'moot', a gathering t

Hands down this has to be the weirdest job interview I've ever had. I've tried to find the name of the company it was with but I've not come across them, and it was back in 2007. My memory with names is cloudy like a Scottish mountain. I like to try all different kinds of writing; scripts, comics, stories, books, so when I saw a vague ad on gumtree for an advertising firm in a nearby town I wondered if they needed any copywriters. I applied and was offered an interview, so along I went to a smallish office building in Colchester and saw another nervous looking girl. "What time is your interview?" I asked. "Two," she replied. Same as mine.

It was the best of all the underground ice-cream vans since the ban. It kept frozen meat round the back in case of checks by government officials. When they appeared, the ice-cream was hidden and voila! A travelling butchers. I first heard about it from Emma. She brought the stuff to a party and my god, she sold out of it fast. It was that good, thick and creamy. You could say what you liked at those parties; you could call Bush a wanker without midnight disappearances, and no regulation food. So there I was as early dawn cracked red across the sky, standing outside the big white van, about to choose a tub of raspberry ripple. I could alrea