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 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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Honouring the Women Who Built Us
I’m writing this on International Women’s Day. I love this day seeing all the stories about women. Making a mark on their own worlds in their own ways. I feel so lucky to have been surrounded by remarkable and strong women growing up. And now as I am older, I have women who lift me…
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Not Ours to Carry Alone
There was a moment in yoga the other day when my teacher gave us a pose and said, imagine you are holding up the world. My arms lifted and for a second, in the quiet of the room, surrounded by others, it felt possible. But then my arms felt heavy as the realisation came that…
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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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The Courage to Speak Out
Last week, I wrote a post about parents’ evening and a Mother Teresa quote that had been echoing in my mind. I don’t often receive replies to my newsletters, though I treasure them when I do (please write back if you ever feel moved to). Last Sunday, I heard from Ana. Ana is a long-time…
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The Classroom We Don’t See
My first parents evening was spent on a tiny chair, looking through a tray of scribbles. I spent my last one sat at home looking at a screen on Zoom. Reflecting on how much the role of ‘school mum’ has shaped my life. I was crying before it even started. I’m awe of teachers but…
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Home and Away
I held it together (only just) on Monday as I left my son at the airport. His first trip away from home. I heard and felt that familiar ache of homesickness when I received his first call home. And in all the messages after that. We’ve all felt it. That yearning feeling to be at…
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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…
By Eve Bell 