I wouldn’t call it light ...

heavy going to be honest. Helps if you are an astronomer I suspect. I had to skip all the technical stuff about azimuths and tables and astrolabes and  clocks. Impressive, yes, but also a bit opaque.

Still, some interesting history and strong images. The monks of the medieval era were not what I would call saintly. It was more like a secret order than religion as far as I can see, with quite a bit of wealth and a definite pecking order. 

But the main point - that there was a lot of scientific growth and enquiry going on in the unfairly named dark ages - does come across. There were some very clever people quietly getting on with it and quite a bit of intellectual traffic across the known world.

My day didn’t feel very bright. Never really got into my stride. On the plus side we did have smart gas and electric meters fitted, and I did get out for a walk along the towpath of the frozen canal. 

As for the modern dark ages ... still no end in sight to lockdown ..,

PS Robert Peel is still sitting on the stairs