Finding the light

 

Only six days until the winter solstice, one of those grey drear starts to the day, such an effort to wake up and move. The sky feels oppressive, a solid mass of cloud piled above my head. I feel nostalgic for those few crisp cold days we experienced in late November, a feeling of security in the seasons. Maybe that is why the current mild damp weather unsettles, yet another reminder of our changing climate. All those Christmas cards featuring drifts of snow are so far away from reality. White Christmases have always been rare in my home city of Bristol, but I find myself wondering, have we seen the last one without realising? If we do have snow here it tends to be well after Christmas, into February and sometimes March.

Today started with a quotidian disaster - a missed train to school, weary tears, reassurance needed. Whilst waiting for the next train to arrive I sit on a bench in the drizzle, rain seeping into my trousers, I spot a pair of wagtails hopping and darting, sipping delicately from puddles. I murmuringly point them out to my daughter, but I know that silence is what she really wants from me. Her train arrives, a hug goodbye and we go our separate ways. I take a bus to the city centre, windows running with condensed breath, dampness is everywhere.

The drizzle defeats me today, I don't want to be outside, I want comfort too. I seek a refuge in the Central Library, walking in by the main entrance, savouring marble halls and polished brass handrails. I climb the stairs to the reading room and head for the display of medieval manuscripts. I'm not the only one, a small group of us is moving from case to case, gently lifting the green felt blankets placed over the glass to protect these ancient texts from the light. There are gentle murmurs, sighs of appreciation. All those hours of work, such rarity of words which is almost unimaginable from our perspective in the 21st century where we are swimming (some might say drowning) in a sea of text. These illuminated manuscripts were bright islands, reserved for the rich and privileged. But today, I a commoner can stand and gawp as much as I wish, admiring the intense colours, delicate pen strokes, dazzling gold leaf. My gloom is lifted.

Top photo shows a section from a Sarum Missal, more information in second photo. I am lucky enough to have grown up with beautiful manuscripts like these as my dad was an antiquarian bookseller for many years (now retired). Visiting this exhibition made me think of him. The exhibition is on display at Central Library until 18 December 2025 and celebrates the recent publication of Medieval Manuscripts in Bristol Collections: A Descriptive Catalogue / edited by Kathleen E Kennedy, Melek Karataş (2025).

 

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