Stilgherrian – Page 3

17 August 202617 August 2026

The 9pm Clacton and On and On with David F Porteous

A square-faced Scottish man in a shirt, tie, and dark suit looks to the right and ponders the fate of the world as he stands in a black void. — David F Porteous turns to look towards Clacton. (Photo: Supplied).

Odd things have been happening in the UK, so it’s time once more to chat with Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous.

17 August 202622 August 2026

Weekly Wrap 846: Transformations, but few details

A two-storey Victorian commercial building glows in the late afternoon light. It’s painted a faded creamy yellow. The upper level, with an ornate facade, reads “Books and Videos” in somewhat faded text, and in even older text “1889 James Castle & Sons Art Metal Workers”. There’s more text, but it’s obscured by graffiti. The awning has faded signage for the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, The Sun-Herald, and, finally, “Gould’s Books & Video, Records & Cassettes Bought & Sold”. At street level the Gould’s signage is repeated. Bicycles are locked to some parking signs. And on the right of the building there’s a door into which winds a queue of young people waiting to get in.

My week of Monday 10 to Sunday 16 August 2026 was a good week. Productive. Filled with decent food, some of which I cooked myself. And there was wine. Let’s leave it there.

09 August 202613 August 2026

Weekly Wrap 845: Productivity despite the bin chickens

An Australian ibis stands on top of a century-old shop building as high-rise apartment buildings in shades of blue and white tower behind him. On the right is a London plane tree.

My week of Monday 3 to Sunday 9 August 2026 was another productive one, but once again I can’t show you much of it yet. However I’ve noticed how I’m now becoming more interested in the humble bin chicken since I’ve been living near a colony of the. Yes, the Australian white ibis is much more common in Sydney these days, and they intrigue me.

03 August 2026

Weekly Wrap 844: Secret productivity, so have another pub

A red brick Australian suburban pub in the bright winter sunlight. On the left, the pub’s front, it’s a semi-circular arrangement with a balcony topped by a series of sculpted pegasuses, and right at the top a lighthouse-like structure — which once was an actual lighthouse! It’s on the other side of the highway from us. On its left is a tall mast for traffic lights. On the right, a pair of wooden utility poles for electricity, telephone, and internet.

Monday 27 July to Sunday 2 August 2026 was a busy week, and I’m very happy with that — although there isn’t much that I can show you right now. So much administrivia! And yet so handy for reducing stress.

26 July 202626 July 2026

Weekly Wrap 843: Happy productivity, unhappy graffiti

On a cream-coloured wall is scrawled in black the graffiti "Instagram the ghost AI empire", and the same again in red. On the left, a young man with a red backpack is disappearing out of frame.

Monday 20 to Sunday 26 July 2026 was another productive week, which pleases me. I don’t have that much else to day, apart from that I’m happy. So here’s a photo of some graffiti over in Burwood.

26 July 202626 July 2026

The 9pm Sweet Times with Carol Duncan OAM

Two white people mug for the camera, the image full of orange tones as the afternoon sunlight streams into a pub’s front bar. On the left is a bloke with short greying hair and glasses. That’s Stilgherrian. On the right, looking taller because she’s standing, is a smiling woman with kind, intelligent eyes. That’s Carol Duncan. Behind them, a poster says there’s Joker Poker on Fridays. — Stilgherrian and Carol Duncan enjoy a Saturday afternoon at The Grand Hotel, Newcastle, on 4 July 2026. (Photo: Carol Duncan).

A few weeks ago I went to Newcastle, the Australian one, and spent some time chatting with the voice of Newcastle herself, Carol Duncan OAM. She was ABC Radio’s morning presenter for quite some years, then she was a city councillor, and she does a lot of other things too.