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 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 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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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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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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When Following Leads to Belonging
I used to call my little ones my sheep. They’d follow me everywhere – round the shops, through the park, wherever we went. It was like having my own tiny flock trailing behind me. That is, until one day at Tesco when my littlest sheep decided she wasn’t going to follow anymore. One minute, we’re…
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How to be a good ancestor
Life moves so fast. We can’t believe how quick our children grow. Or how soon Christmas comes around. We’re glued to our screens, racing through tasks, always onto the next thing. In all that noise, it’s easy to lose sight of what grounds us. We forget what truly connects us to something bigger. I’ve been…
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Discovering the Magic of Awe
This week, all wrapped up in the garden, I was captivated by the Northern Lights. They lit up our skies for only the second time this year. The vibrant colours stretching across the sky felt like a gift from nature. As social media filled up with photos and reactions, I couldn’t help but reflect. These…
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Lost and Found
This year has been full ofchange for me. After 14 years of running Baba+Boo, I closed the doors to a community that meant so much to me. It would have been our 15th birthday next week and I still desperately miss the connection we shared. The laughter, the stories, the feeling of being part of…
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Wintering
The pace of January speaks my language. It’s like the Sunday of the year, with no expectations and a slower pace. If January was a verb, it would be wintering. I read a book called Wintering a few years ago where it describes winter, not just as a season, but as a state of mind.…
By Eve Bell 