Stilgherrian – Page 4

15 September 2025

Weekly Wrap 798: A third week disrupted by illness, but a different one, plus squabbling birds

A bright sunny day. On a tree stump on the left, a brown cuckoo-dove with lighter brown undersides and pink feet raises its wings to look big and fierce. On the right, on a slightly lower tree stump, is an Australian magpie, head hunched down, wings extended. It's a stand-off! And on the far right, a red plastic water bowl.

My week of Monday 8 to Sunday 14 September 2025 started well but slipped into illness at the end — again! — although things then improved on the weekend. I had to bail from a conference on Thursday, and spend Friday very close to a bathroom at all time. We shall speak of this no more.

07 September 202508 September 2025

Weekly Wrap 797: Spring takes me from lurgi to layoffs, with a mere glimpse of opium

I’ve finally rid myself of the dreaded lurgi, so my week of Monday 1 to Sunday 7 September 2025 actually saw some productivity. A podcast. A new crowdfunder. Planning. And, alas, some disappointing news. Still, the weather was nice.

03 September 202503 September 2025

The 9pm Usual Chaos in Indonesia and Thailand with Erin Cook

A white woman with her long brown hair tied back wears a yellow and black top, sunglasses, and a smile like the Mona Lisa. Behind her stretches out a view of a tropical landscape and, eventually, the ocean. It?s Erin Cook! — *Journalist Erin Cook towers above South-East Asia. (Photo: Supplied)*

There’s been riots in Indonesia with at least nine people killed. And there’s political chaos in Thailand as the prime minister is sacked and 15 political parties scramble to form coalitions so they can choose a new PM. So who better to talk to than journalist Erin Cook, who specialises in South-East Asia?

31 August 202501 September 2025

Weekly Wrap 796: Beating the lurgi and scheduling new work

On a bright clear day, a laughing kookaburra sits in a small tree, the sunlight catching the blue feathers on its wings.

During my week of Monday 25 to Sunday 31 August 2025 I finally rid myself of the random infection which had been plaguing me for the last two weeks. I also picked up a new client, and started mapping out my Spring Surge of work.

25 August 202527 August 2025

Weekly Wrap 795: A week of contrasts as the dreaded lurgi strikes me down

On the corner of a city street, the side lighting from bright sunlight catches a shower of raindrops, the bright white sparks blurring out the silhouettes of two people walking away from a camera, umbrellas raised, one red, one blue, across the pedestrian crossing. On the other side of the street are more such pedestrians.

My week of Monday 18 to Sunday 24 August 2025 began with the final day of a delightful event but was then ruined as some random infection savaged my throat and other tubes. I do not recommend it.. Nevertheless there’s still a few Interesting Things here.

18 August 202519 August 2025

Weekly Wrap 794: The Kangaroo of Future Possibilities

On the well-mown grass of a park-like area, an eastern grey kangaroo stands with her back to the afternoon sun. Behind her is a grass-covered rise. And just visible, poking out of her bulging pouch, is a tail.

My week of Monday 11 to Sunday 17 August 2025 brought some disappointing news on the professional front, which means some plans will need to be modified. But no drama, because I then spent the weekend at an event in the Hunter Valley.