Kizzia Mildmay
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kizzia.bsky.social
Kizzia Mildmay
@kizzia.bsky.social
1.2K followers 870 following 8.5K posts
Word Herder ✍️ Yarn Wrangler 🧶 HoH 🦻 Queer 🏳️‍🌈 Witch 🧙 Arthurian 🗡️ Sherlockian 🔎 Pratchettian 🐢 Tolkienite 🧝‍♀️ Myth 🐉 Folklore 🍀 Fantasy 🧌 History 👑 Walker 🏞️ Absolutely no AI 📷 She/her

www.kizziamildmay.com
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kizzia.bsky.social
Look what was waiting for me in my Kobo this morning! I have several writing projects to finish but once they’re done I can’t wait to dive in.
Screenshot of my Kobo app opening screen with Fin Longman’s The Wolf and His King visible in prime position.
November 27, 2025 at 8:50 AM
kizzia.bsky.social
#TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy Frost edition
3/3
Close up of a deep green bramble leaf, the colour almost invisible under the covering of frost crystals. The top of the hillock from the earlier pictures, with the bench just off centre of the photo. Both bench and grass are covered in frost, the surrounding trees are yellow in the sunlight and the sky is an expanse of bright blue, criss-crossed with plane trails. Close up of a frost covered tuft of grass, with a stand of golden trees out of focus in the background. A branch of winter flowering gorse, yellow flowers and green needle leaves dusted with frost.
November 24, 2025 at 2:15 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
#TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy Frost edition
2/3
View from the path, across two completely frost rimed fields, the second rising into a small hillock with a bench at the top. The top is edged with trees, and two also flank the left and right sides of the photo. The sky is a cold pale blue fading to white on the horizon. View from the highest point of the walk, out across the open fields, trees and then buildings mostly hidden by the trees. The sun is now fully above the horizon, directly behind me and the hillside I’m standing on, so the fields closest to me are in shadow, but glow cold with frost, and the trees in the distance are lit gold by the sun, as is the sky on the horizon. The clouds are white streaks trailing outwards from the centre of the horizon and the sky graduates from the gold through almost yellow green to a bright blue. The frosty hillock from the earlier photo from another angle, the frosted field in shadow but the trees on the next hill glowing in the sun. Close up of vivid green leaves on a newly planted tree, thick with frost crystals.
November 24, 2025 at 2:15 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
I got up before dawn on Friday to take myself out into the magic of my local wood in the frost. I took a lot of photos and thus they become #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy this week, all shared in the order I took them on my walk.
1/3
The pond in a clearing in the woods, completely frozen over, the ice choppy in a way that shows it had frozen the day before and started to thaw before it froze again overnight. The grass surrounding is also rimed with frost, the trees edging the clearing look ragged with leaf loss and the sky is pale frost blue, streaked with white cloud and plane trails. An oak gall on a branch surrounded by oak leaves, gall and leaves dusted in spiky frost crystals. The sky behind the tree is a cold pale blue. What might possibly be a young hawthorn, lobed leaves completely rimed with frost crystals. There is a stand of silver birch, out of focus, in the background. An oak leaf, still attached to the tree, mostly turned to brown but with one singular patch of yellow on the top right of the leaf as you look at the picture. It is completely covered in frost crystals.
November 24, 2025 at 2:15 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
So this is the first year in what feels like forever* that I am not dashing up and down to Kent. Which means I can do Christmas and Yule with a capital C and Y respectively. I’m not finished but I think I’ve made a good start. #Christmas #Yule #XmasDecorations

*it’s 7 yrs but let’s not split hairs
A slim artificial Christmas tree, covered in lights, golden beading and MANY baubles stands in the left hand side of a bay window, of which the middle section has been strung with fairy lights. An oak coffee table and a brown chair fill the rest of the bay. An unlit fireplace is surrounded by fairy lights and decorations. To the left and right are fairy light covered twigs, the left hand side ones having baubles on, the right just lights. The mantlepiece has tinsel and fairy lights, fake foliage and other all decorations. The mirror above the mantle piece has fairy lights and tinsel strung around it and a variety of baubles hung from it, The end of the dining table has a circular wooden stand in the centre, with two pillar candles in candle plates flanking it. In the table surface, in front of the wooden stand is a garland made of fircones and covered in glitter, arranged in a set of curves around the stand and candles. On the stand is a willow wreath completely covered in fake berries in various shades of red and many fairy lights. Inside the wreath is a tall cream vase holding a bare branch fairy light tree. In the wall behind the display is a painting of a cafe with tinsel draped over the frame.
November 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
And secondly, fungi, a beautiful robin (#birds 🪶), and the first hard frost of the year 2/2
A cluster of small brown umbrella shaped fungi (which I think are common inkcap but don’t quote me on that) growing on a log, with moss in front and a tangle of shrub and ivy behind. A European robin sitting on a bare branch, surrounded by dark green ivy. His head is turned to the right of the photo so only one bright black eye is visible. His red breast looks like an upturned heart. A box hedge, covered in frost crystals. Ivy leaves, edges and veins delineated by the frost.
November 20, 2025 at 11:28 AM
kizzia.bsky.social
This week (very belatedly) #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy are many, so come in two posts. Firstly, some flowers in the wrong season and the after effects of Storm Claudia on the local woods 1/2
A cherry plum, covered in pink frilly blossom, with what leaves it has left turning yellow because it’s November! Shining large dark green holly leaves surround their tiny white-with-pink-centres flowers A fallen mature tree with many branches laying directly across the leaf strewn path in the woods, completely blocking the way as the path edges are bracketed with dense shrubs and other, still standing, trees. A completely uprooted mature tree, fallen across, and then parallel to, the curved path. The still standing trees around it are in a circle, almost like mourners at a grave site. The sky above is a cloudy grey-blue.
November 20, 2025 at 11:28 AM
kizzia.bsky.social
Goodness knows I don’t usually post food on social media but I’ve just had a transcendent experience thanks to this home made lamb hotpot. Which I can never recreate because I used the end of the roast and threw in what I had to hand and was not paying attention. So you get to see the one off glory!
A white bowl filled with lamb hotpot: the lamb, carrot and swede filling to the right, the golden crispy potato topping to the bottom left and steamed brussel sprouts top left. The hotpot filling looks luscious.
November 18, 2025 at 6:00 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
Autumn colours today for #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy all taken at Attingham Park. #Autumn #Birds 🪶
A path through the woods, completely carpeted in brown fallen leaves and overhung with trees with a mixture of yellow and green leaves. Close up of a dwarf orange flower, which looks rather like an orange poppy, with the rest of Attingham’s walled garden, out of focus, in the background. A wooden bench underneath a tree covered in vivid yellow leaves. The ground around the bench is thickly carpeted in orange fallen leaves and beyond both bench and tree are more yellowing trees with several still green shrubs. A crow sitting on a branch of an oak tree, head lifted and turned to meards the left side of the photo. The leaves behind the crow are still green whilst the ones in front of and below him are yellow-orange.
November 10, 2025 at 6:10 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
I take a soft toy with me whenever I go away. Meet Honey, who lives in the top of my handbag and has had many adventures. She recommends making sure you have lip balm, hand cream, and a comfort read for when you need to reset your brain.
A tiny beige Labrador plushie is sitting in a brown leather handbag, face sticking out of the zip opening next to the handle. Plushie and bag are on a train seat table, next to a window through which you can see train tracks, a tree, and a brightening morning sky.
November 9, 2025 at 8:35 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
I spent last weekend in Hereford for the celebration of Phil Rickman’s life and the posthumous release of his final book, The Echo of Crows, which is out today. Thus #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy are all photos taken whilst I was there:
Western facade of Hereford Cathedral, the stones all shades of beiges and reds, with a clear blue sky above. The black and white timbered gatehouse over the entrance to the Bishop’s palace in Hereford. It is framed by trees with leaves in shades of green, yellow and russet and a clear blue sky overhead. The statue of Elgar and his bike (who he named Mr Phoebus) in the courtyard of Hereford Cathedral. A very small yellow Labrador plushie (called Honey) is sitting on the seat of the bike. There are several old buildings in the background, a leafless tree and a clear blue sky above. View of Hereford Cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace, surrounded by trees, from across the River Wye. The sky is Mediterranean blue with a few bright white clouds and both buildings, river bank and sky are reflected clearly in the river water.
November 6, 2025 at 10:33 AM
kizzia.bsky.social
I also wish to share my Samhain table decorations and my altar this evening, both of which please me greatly. #AllHallowsEve #Samhain #Halloween
The end of dining table, with a pale brown table cloth on it. Atop the cloth are fabric placemats in an autumn leaf design. On top of them are a lazy susan with a willow wreath covering in fairy lights containing a vase full of orange roses. Either side of the lazy susan are two church candles on cream ceramic holders. Velour pumpkins are arranged in half circles between the candles and the lazy susan and at the front is a large fabric pumpkin, covered in sequins and surrounded by foraged conkers, chestnuts and acorns. A wooden desk with a green leather top is covered in candles, feathers, greenery, tarot cards, oracle cards and various other totems and crystals.
October 31, 2025 at 9:30 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
Sending All Hallow’s Eve blessings to all who celebrate. May your evening be filled with joy, warmth, and comforting memories.
#AllHallowsEve #Samhain #Halloween
A view of the fireplace in my living room from behind the coffee table. Both table and hearth are decorated with lights, candles, pumpkins, conkers, pinecones and other autumnal items. The predominant colour is orange and everything is glowing.
October 31, 2025 at 11:30 AM
kizzia.bsky.social
an unexpected blue tit and part of my autumnal/All Hallow’s house decor. #Birds 🪶 #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy 2/2
A partially dead huge oak fills the picture. The ground in front of it is thickly carpeted with honey fungus. Close up of a Japanese maple tree, the reddening palmate leaves filling the photo. A blue tit, with a rather suspicious expression, perches on the windowsill and peers into my bedroom. There is a white ceramic bowl on the inside windowsill and he seems to be wondering if there’s anything in it. My living room, the coffee table and fireplace decorated for autumn and All Hallows Eve, with lights and pumpkins and conkers and felt autumn leaves and many other autumnal items.
October 30, 2025 at 1:53 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
Ignoring the fact that I’ve missed two Mondays in a row I bring you #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy now because I do believe in better late than never. So we have my garden’s last rose of the year, many mushrooms, autumnal colours …
1/2
A baby pink rose, fully open with many frilly edged petals, against an out of focus background of green trees and shrubs A tree stump in a wood, surrounded by honey fungus mushrooms and partially covered with moss. Leaf strewn grass and other tree trunks fill the background. Close up of a quartet of the vivid red fruit in my ornamental crab apple tree. The background, out of focus, is full of red spots, clearly showing just how laden with fruit the tree is. A dead tree, with bare bone coloured trunk split to the sky, has large mushrooms and much moss growing on the part of the trunk closes to the ground. Grass and living trees fill the background.
October 30, 2025 at 1:53 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
This one:
Screenshot of a book cover; Laura Lockington’s Cupboard Love
October 24, 2025 at 12:17 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
My current view is deeply pleasing. As is having a Friday all to myself. #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
A sun drenched view across the River Severn from a bench on the path in Shrewsbury quarry. The grass is scattered with golden leaves, the sky is blue with a few fluffy clouds and the trees are still mostly green.
October 24, 2025 at 9:34 AM
kizzia.bsky.social
Of course women don't like the Cybertruck.

Women only want one thing, and it's Mildred Hubble’s broom.
The front cover of The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy: a purple star splodged background with an illustration of Mildred, in her school uniform, riding a broomstick with Tabby, her cat, clinging onto the bristles for dear life.
October 18, 2025 at 12:28 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
Joining #FirstBirdOfMyDay this morning as it was a tiny goldcrest in the ornamental crab apple tree by my bedroom window. Blurry proof included! #UKBirds #Birds 🪶
A picture that is mostly filled wirh tree leaves, branches and cherry sized bright red fruit. In the centre of the photo, fairly well camouflaged, is a tiny bird of mostly green-grey plumage with bright bars of yellow of the top of the head and ends of wings. In this picture the bird is facing the right of the frame. A picture that is mostly filled wirh tree leaves, branches and cherry sized bright red fruit. In the centre of the photo, fairly well camouflaged, is a tiny bird of mostly green-grey plumage with bright bars of yellow of the top of the head and ends of wings. In this picture the bird is facing the camera. A picture that is mostly filled wirh tree leaves, branches and cherry sized bright red fruit. In the centre of the photo, fairly well camouflaged, is a tiny bird of mostly green-grey plumage with bright bars of yellow of the top of the head and ends of wings. In this picture the bird is looking towards the front right corner of the photo. A picture that is mostly filled wirh tree leaves, branches and cherry sized bright red fruit. In the centre of the photo, fairly well camouflaged, is a tiny bird of mostly green-grey plumage with bright bars of yellow of the top of the head and ends of wings. In the picture the bird is facing the camera.
October 18, 2025 at 7:25 AM
kizzia.bsky.social
Post you from a different era

80’s “mittens-on-a-string” me at London Zoo was cute!
A small blonde child in a red winter coat, bobble hat, white tights, black patent shoes, and woolly mittens on strings dangling from the arms of the coat, rests one hand on a life sized statue of Guy the Gorilla (which the child is dwarfed by) and smiles widely at the camera.
October 13, 2025 at 10:25 AM
kizzia.bsky.social
Good morning my lovelies! Last week flew by in a whirl of walks in the Welsh borders. Walks that, happily, contained a significant number of #fungi which I find infinitely qualified to become #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy
A clump of what I think are sulphur tuft mushrooms - a small beige/yellow umbrella shaped fungus growing at the base of a tree, surrounded by sparse blades of grass. In the background is a fallen branch and a green field What I believe are Spectacular Rustgills; plate shaped muted orange mushrooms growing out of the dark brown-gray trunk of a tree. Hare’s foot inkcap - pale white flat topped fungi that look as delicate as lace and deliquesce into a black inky substance a few hours after they appear. A yellow fieldcap mushroom, looking very much like a tiny pale yellow umbrella, growing amongst the grass of a field.
October 13, 2025 at 8:10 AM
kizzia.bsky.social
Arrived home to find my copy of Old Songs, Stories of Love and Death from Traditional Ballads by Amy Jeffs and Gwen Burns waiting for me. So that’s my weekend reading sorted!
Also tagging @alysdragon.bsky.social in case you didn’t know about it, since I think this is very much your wheelhouse.
Front cover of the book “Old Songs, Stories of Love and Death from Traditional Ballads” by Amy Jeffs and Gwen Burns. The illustration is of a woman in a white dress with petticoats dancing in a graveyard. Contents page of Old Songs. The text reads: Contents Foreword ix Chapter One Tam Lin; or, Janet, Who Won Chapter Two Willie's Lady; or, Evil Knots and Golden Horseshoes 29 Chapter Three Alison Gross; or, Worm and his Sister 51 Chapter Four Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight; or, The Pools of the Dead 75 Chapter Five The Twa Sisters; or, The Murderer Revealed 95 Second contents page for Old Songs. The text reads: Chapter Six The Maid and the Palmer; or, The Sinful Woman II3 Chapter Seven The Demon Lover; or, The Ship with Taffeta Sails 133 Chapter Eight The Trees So High; or, Marriage to One Too Young I51 Chapter Nine The Brown Girl; or, Fantasy's Revenge 169 Chapter Ten Thomas the Rhymer; or, The Fairy Queen's Revolt 189 Epilogue 215 The Ballads 219 Acknowledgements 261 Further Resources 263 Index 269
October 10, 2025 at 7:04 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
Belated #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy because I spent a long weekend in Wales for my bestie’s 40th birthday and it completely slipped my mind. Have views galore and a - fairly impressive for a phone camera - shot of one of many Red Kites I’ve seen about the place #birds 🪶
Trig point on Twyn y Gaer in Bannau Brycheiniog in wildly changeable weather. The trig point is a white flat topped pyramid with a Welsh Dragon painted on each side, surrounded by a muddy puddle. The hills beyond are a patchwork quilt of fields and the sky is a whorl of clouds and hints of blue. Llangors Lake at dawn with the crannog just left of centre and the start of Bannau Brycheiniog in the background. The sky is steaks of grey white cloud and china blue, reflecting in the lake surface which is also tinted gold by the rising sun on the ripples made by the ducks. The top of the viewing hut for the crannog behind a swathe of bulrushes and other reeds, with Bannau Brycheiniog in the background, Cefn Cyff glowing in the dawn light. The sky looks like watercolour paint swirling in water, shades of grey and blue and purple and gold dripping through each other. A red kite in flight against a blue sky hazy with faint grey cloud. The kite has their wings fully lifted so their red body, white head and underwing markings - red to black with a white patch on the top half - are clearly visible.
October 8, 2025 at 7:01 PM
kizzia.bsky.social
My copy of The Book of Bogs - edited by Anna Chilvers and @clareshawpoet.bsky.social - has arrived from @littletollerbooks.bsky.social and look how lovely this important book looks! And it’s full of wonderful work from fantastic authors, too.
Front cover of The Book of Bogs, featuring the stunning artwork called Autumn Comes To Walshaw Dean by Angie Rogers. I am holding the book in my left hand and the nail varnish on my thumbnail, a russet brown colour, matches the colourway of the bog depicted.
October 2, 2025 at 10:16 AM
kizzia.bsky.social
‘Tis a grey day and I am full of cold but I have very seasonal and atmospheric #TheSmallThings #SpreadingJoy to share so that’s something!
Attingham mansion in the mist, doing an excellent impression of the sort of house you’d expect to hold things that go bump in the night. Devil’s Coach Horse beetle. A large black beetle with eight legs, antenna, and pincher jaws. It’s doing a threat display, with its tail raised like a scorpion. This beetle has somehow managed to get a tiny straight twig stuck to its tail, making it look very strange indeed. A cock’s foot grass, bent with the weight of the dew covered spiders web woven between the seed heads, so it looks like a lacrosse stick. Ini the background, the path through the meadowland is vivid green and the rest of the space is obscured by mist. An oak tree, half covered in leaves, half dead, in silhouette in front of the river and the mist covered fields beyond. The sun is a hazy ball, only partially breaking through the mist to light up the river and tree.
September 29, 2025 at 3:25 PM