Stilgherrian – Stilgherrian

13 April 202516 April 2025

Weekly Wrap 776: Check that grass and check that podcast, if you can

Viewed from below and seen againast a bright blue sky are the upper parts of tall grasses with fluffy cream-coloured flower remnants, ready for the wind to carry away their seeds. They sparkle in the backlighting. *Miscanthus sinensis*, or Chinese silver grass, is native to East Asia and South-East Asia, but it’s escaped from gardens in the Blue Mountains and here we are.

I am pleased to report that my week of Monday 7 to Sunday 13 April 2025 saw me return to more normal levels of productivity — although that’s still relatively low by most people’s standards. And a certain podcast nearly appeared, finally.

06 April 202516 April 2025

Weekly Wrap 775: The pollen turns their poo yellow!

Close-up of a banksia flower, probably a variety of Banksia spinulosa, or hairpin banksia. The tall cylindrical inflorescences (flower spikes) have hundreds or even thousands of individual little flowers arranged along its length like a bottle brush. Each one is yellow, ending in a dark red hook. Sitting on this flower is a small bee.

My week of Monday 31 March to Sunday 6 April 2025 wasn’t very productive, but I’m feeling much, much better after a too-long period of fatigue. Have a flower. Have a bonus bee.

30 March 202506 April 2025

Weekly Wrap 774: Magpies are so talonted, yeah?

Close-up photo of the feet of an Australian magpie perched on a wooden doorframe. On each foot, there are three curved toes with claws in front of the wooden frame and one behind. All is shiny and black. Slightly out of focus in the upper background is the lower part of the bird’s body, white feathers below and black chest and wing feathers above.

During my week of Monday 24 to Sunday 30 March 2025 the numbers of my magnificent Magpie Army started to swell again, with 18 of them visiting the other morning. I took a photo. I also produced a podcast, launched a crowdfunder, and squeezed out a newsletter.

26 March 202526 March 2025

The 9pm Dreams of American Empire with Associate Professor David Smith

*Associate Professor David Smith smiles in the face of an increasingly dangerous world. (Photo: US Studies Centre)*

There’s a lot going on in The America. You may have noticed. So as the summer series grinds on — way behind schedule — we’re joined by Associate Professor David Smith from the United States Study Centre.

23 March 202524 March 2025

Weekly Wrap 773: Remembering a little train in the sunshine

On a bright sunny day a pair of diesel railcars sit at a station platform in the open air. They’re silver, with their flat noses painted bright yellow, and just behind that a red stripe and a a small flash of blue.

My week of Monday 17 to Sunday 23 March 2025 wasn’t hugely productive but I’ve started planning more things. I also thought back to 2018, for some reason. Have a train.

16 March 202522 March 2025

Weekly Wrap 772: Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be

In the blue sky above a typical inner west Sydney red-brick block of flats a skywriter has scrawled WASH HANDS.

My week of Monday 10 to Sunday 16 March 2025 was slightly more productive than the previous week, thank the gods, but for some reason I found myself thinking about the past. Wash your hands.