A journey into the forgotten art of marking time through signs in the world around us – from the slow sliding of sunbeams to the wheeling of the stars. Past generations would tell time by shadows shrinking, the midday glow over a mountaintop, the crowing of the rooster in the darkness. They noticed the flowers that close at noon, sensed how the quality of light changes at dusk, and marked time at night by the motion of the stars.
Today, in our clock-bound, screen-immersed world, most of us rely on machines to mark the hours. But what riches might we gain from reclaiming the forgotten art of sensing time by events in the living world? Roaming from ancient downland to city streets, The Fullness of Time is an adventure in search of those patterns that once shaped the rhythm of our days – and an invitation to discover the simple, sensory joys of truly paying attention.
Cathy Haynes is a curator, writer, artist and educator who has been developing a creative practice on aspects of time for two decades. She has been Timekeeper in Residence at Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, artist in residence in Victoria Park for Chisenhale Gallery, Curator for Art on the Underground (Transport for London) and a founder faculty member at Alain de Botton's School of Life. She has contributed to Cabinet Magazine, The Guardian, The Human Zoo on BBC R4 and Monocle Weekly. She lives in London.
"A deeply absorbing exploration of the ways we mark time. Fascinating and full of beauty"
– Katherine May, author of Wintering
"Most books about time teach you how to control your hours. This one teaches you how to inhabit them. Haynes shows how past generations read the day in flower petals, birdsong, and the slant of light – and what we lost when we stopped. The Fullness of Time is a quietly radical invitation to notice more, rush less and live deeper"
– Daniel H. Pink, author of When
"Immaculately researched and beautifully written, Cathy Haynes resurrects the forgotten alchemy of timekeeping"
– Lara Maiklem, author of Mudlarking
"Fascinating and enchanting! Each chapter broadens and lifts our awareness, reminding us that we get to choose where we focus our attention between one dawn and the next"
– Tristan Gooley, author of The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues & Signs
"In a moment rife with distractions and too much to do, Cathy Haynes has a well-timed antidote. The Fullness of Time is a warm and insightful guide to the many ways, both subtle and vivid, that we can mark the passage of hours, months, and seasons. She shows us that by opening our senses, we can all discover the rich horological abundances in the world around us. What a simple, yet powerful, gift!"
– Juli Berwald, author of Spineless and Life on the Rocks
"I know what time is, St Augustine wrote, until I'm asked to explain it. These days, we might look to physics for an explanation. But if you want to learn how to experience time more fully, you should turn instead to this beautiful book about the ways we measure time with plants and animals, bodies human and celestial. An immersive, mind-shaping read"
– Kieran Setiya, author of Life is Hard