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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When We Stopped Marking the Seasons
The Spring Equinox arrives around the 20th or 21st March each year. A moment of perfect balance. When day and night are equal in length. A turning point. A shift from winter into longer days and lighter nights. The cold loosens its grip. Green shoots start to appear. The world feels different, even if we…
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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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Forgotten Rituals, Remembered Joy
I can’t remember when I last wrote a stack of Christmas cards. I still have loads of the ones the kids made in primary school. I didn’t even send them back then. But I was chair of the PTA who organised the ‘another thing’ on the never ending list of things that a parent has…
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Messy Life, New Mantra
I had my children very close together. For one chaotic year, my mornings started with a playgroup drop-off in one place before a dash to school to drop my son off. We’d just moved house, and I wasn’t used to the new driveway. One morning, as I was reversing in a hurry, I crunched the…
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A Gift That Keeps Moving
“I read a book about that.” This is something I say often during conversations with friends. It’s become a bit of a joke now. It is always met with, “Of course you have.” This week, we were talking about Black Friday and the barrage of ads screaming at us from every direction. My feed is…
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A December “Not-To-Do” List
I often write notes and letters to my future self—little reminders about where I was and where I am now. This particular note was written by frazzled, end-of-Christmas me, determined to save future me from the same fate. A letter version of A Christmas Carol. In it, I gave myself a not to do list:…
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Recapturing Sundays: A Quiet Revolution
Once upon a time, Sundays carried an air of enforced tranquility. Shops were shut, activities were limited, and the world collectively agreed to simmer down. The Sabbath, as it was traditionally known, was rooted in religious practice. A day of rest and worship. Even for the non-religious, it was a chance to pause. A day…
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Kindness in a Box: Can We Post Our Way to a Better World?
On Thursday it was World Kindness Day. Social media was awash with heartwarming quotes, encouraging messages, and brands taking a brief moment to tout their commitment to kindness. When I was running Baba+Boo, I found myself caught in the whirlwind of these days that seemed to come at me faster than I could keep up.…
By Eve Bell 