Dr Icy Sedgwick

Not to mention "We can't do x, y and z because we're a charity". I'm not a millionaire doing this for funsies, pet.

It's so annoying how all of this has somehow become acceptable!

I also find generic feedback unhelpful. "Did you make these mistakes?" Well, no.

General feedback based on lots of submissions is also unhelpful, especially if you haven't made any of the mistakes they've highlighted.

I just feel like it's unreasonable to ask people to spend time on things but not to tell them why whatever they've done wasn't good enough.

I really hate that whole thing of "please spend ages putting together a proposal but we won't bother explaining why we rejected it because we're far too busy".

Ah, there's a new icky marketing tactic - emailing you claiming to be a subscriber and asking for a favour, when they're not actually a subscriber at all. Also, know your audience, people - why would a folklore podcaster want to test your fintech product?!

A plane tree in full leaf towers over a small row of shops.

We're off to meet the London Plane tree in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore - a tree uniquely able to cope with city environments!

And yes, we particularly focus on the tale of the Cheapside Plane!

pod.co/fabulous-fol...

A friend of mine tasted them and said they're nice, but don't taste of bread and cheese!

A cluster of irises, with pale purple petals, and vivid yellow stamens.

Greek myths attribute the iris to Hera, along with the pomegranate, poppy, dittany, and white lily. In 1879, Miss Carruthers noted that all these flowers were later transferred to the Virgin Mary.

In Mrs Burke's 1867 Illustrated Language of Flowers dictionary, the iris meant 'message'!

Elizabeth Hopkinson- Massaged to Death by Mermaids | Centre for Folklore Merfolk of the World and LGBTQIA+ Representation.

Our next online talk for @folkloretodmorden.bsky.social is at 7 pm GMT on 4 March, and it's all about merfolk legends from around the world, and how they show representation of different LGBTQIA+ identities! Buy tickets here: www.folkloremythmagic.com/event-detail...

I've got visions of the girl in fake blood doing it and then having Bloody Mary wander in to say hi.

There are some skipping and clapping games in the episode, but it depended on what people reported ahead of the episode.

It certainly sounds like one!

I've been looking at children’s folklore on Fabulous Folklore in February, and for our final episode, we're going to focus on games. So what did my listeners play as children, both in the schoolyard and at home?

pod.co/fabulous-fol...

Excellent!!!

I hope you enjoyed the episode!

In this episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I got to talk to the absolutely brilliant Najah Lightfoot about her new book, The Spiritual Magic of Dolls, haunted dolls, how to know if you're a 'doll person', and how to start collecting dolls!

youtu.be/8WmlZc4Lk2o

I have so many questions about Quickytown!

This week on Fabulous Folklore, we're exploring the 'Beliefs' category of children’s folklore. See if you recognise the beliefs people heard and spread in their childhood, including supernatural beings like witches, love divination, and superstitions!

pod.co/fabulous-fol...

A heart-shaped padlock hanging from a wire.

I'm doing a talk about love magic at Newcastle Castle on 20 February at 6 pm! We'll explore how people used plants to see visions of future partners, worked magic with ordinary household items, and the work of two Newcastle-based cunning men!

Https://www.newcastlecastle.co.uk/events-activities

I hope the people who signed up to get emails from me after reading my Necromancer's Apprentice books are pleased to hear that this month's story marks a return to the Underground City AND it has a grey lady ghost in it.

*Announcement*
I have been invited to speak at an online meeting of Cartoonists Northwest (USA) on the 21st February 2026 at 8pm GMT!

You are welcome to join and hear me speak about my art and how I flog dead horses

Sign up here!

www.eventbrite.com/e/cartoonist...

I think people are just looking for an excuse to have a giggle for once.

A wave crashes against a cliff, with a small white building perching above. Sand dunes lie in the foreground, with grey clouds hanging overhead.

The North Sea crashing against the cliffs at Seaton Sluice, in Northumberland. The name 'Seaton' essentially means 'settlement by the sea', and comes from Old English. It gained the name 'Seaton Sluice' after Sir Ralph Delaval had a pier and sluice gates added to the harbour in the 17th century.

Nor I! It's creepy.

Even the fossils can't stand the 21st century!

You know M.R. James would have had a field day with this.

Urgh. Whoever said school was the best days of your life?!

A heart-shaped padlock hanging from a wire.

I'm doing a talk about love magic at Newcastle Castle on 20 February at 6 pm! We'll explore how people used plants to see visions of future partners, worked magic with ordinary household items, and the work of two Newcastle-based cunning men!

Https://www.newcastlecastle.co.uk/events-activities