The Library
Wonder, nature, folklore, culture, creativity.
I write about all sorts.
This is a selection of my writing.
More recent work is on Substack.
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The Quiet Cost of Convenience
Today is International Zero Waste Day. Right now, we’re using the resources of 1.75 Earths every year.Earth Overshoot Day gets earlier every single year.We’re borrowing from the future just to get through the present. I spent 15 years building a business that helped parents reduce waste.I thought reusing was the answer.But over time, I realised…
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The Woman Who Collects Signs
We got married in Italy. And for a country famous for love and grand romantic gestures, the wedding vows were surprisingly practical. I remember reading them for the first time and being a bit disappointed at how unromantic they were. No poetry. No promises of eternal love. They were more like a job description. All…
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When We Borrow From Tomorrow
I went to the theatre on Friday night to see Maxine Peake, my favourite actress. She always leaves me with thoughts that either make me spin or make me ponder. This time it was the latter. In the play called Doubt, her character said ‘Easy choices today mean consequences tomorrow.’ The line cut through me,…
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Where Time Meets Space
As I’ve gotten back into my post Christmas routine, I’ve noticed something. When people ask how my Christmas was, I caught myself saying, “We didn’t really do much. But I felt so busy.” I usually do loads of jigsaws over Christmas. But I didn’t seem to find the time to do one this year. It…
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In the Space Between Doing and Being
Last Christmas was so different. It is usually a much needed rest followed by a surge of energy ready to make plans for the new year ahead. A few days before Christmas, on the winter solstice, I had closed the doors on a business that had been my life for years. It wasn’t just a…
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Decluttering
I’m a huge fan of less. I read Stuffocation many years ago and it is a seminal book that completely changed my outlook. Upon completion of the book, I went into overdrive with clearing out stuff. If it wasn’t stuck down, it went on eBay. Less is definitely more in my life. I ask myself…
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A list for March
I actually stuck to my list for February and didn’t just do the chores. A busy month but time carved out for me allayed the burn out I usually feel at this time of year. So this is something I intend to keep up throughout the year. As I slow come out of my wintering…
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The mountains come calling
I always tell my children that the best stuff happens outside of your comfort zone. Children learn by watching, so it feels like I perpetually live outside mine, as I want to practice what I preach. Skiing has never wanted to sit inside my comfort zone. But being the determined woman I am, I won’t…
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Desperately Seeking Slow
The irony of my blog name is not lost on me. My life is so not slow, the last time I had a slot to write a post was in March last year. Just before we moved to Cheshire for a slower way of life. Cheshire life is anything but slow. Baba+Boo has definitely made…
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Janaury, you have my heart
I getI saw so many posts on social media about January. And none of them were very positive. I used to feel the same when I was younger. That has slowly evolved as I have got older. Mainly since I have had kids. December used to be a month of searching for perfect party dresses…
By Eve Bell 