train – Stilgherrian

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

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.

20 July 202620 July 2026

Weekly Wrap 842: I rode some trains but here’s a pub

A Sydney suburban pub lit by the late afternoon sun. The ground floor is tiled in yellow. The upper floor is red brick with matching yellow trim around the windows and elsewhere. The roof is red tiles. The sign reads: General Gordon Hotel.

My week of Monday 13 to Sunday 19 July 2026 was moderately productive. I posted a podcast, did some client work, continued working on my compensation claim — it’s so close to being ready to file! — and even spent a lovely afternoon riding Sydney’s train network with David Feng.

02 July 202603 July 2026

The 9pm Not Quite All of the Trains with David Feng

A Chinese man in short-sleeved shirt stands on a railways station platform on a bright sunny day. Behind him stands a very shiny modern train in white, blue, red, and grey livery, with a legend in Lao script. — *David Feng stands in front of a high-speed train of the *Laos*–*China Railway* in 2023.* (Photo: Supplied)

I like trains. Do you like trains? I hope so, because today we’re talking about trains. There’s a strong focus on China and on high-speed trains, and our guest on the internet from Beijing is Chinese-Swiss international rail visionary, it says on his YouTube channel, David Feng.

26 October 202531 October 2025

Weekly Wrap 804: Endeavouring to plan podcasts (not sorry)

A NSW TrainLink Endeavour railcar at Blacktown station. Itâ€™s a diesel multiple unit (DMU) although we can only see the first of two cars, facing to the left. Itâ€™s made of fluted silver metal sides with a black band running along the windows. The front end is painted dark blue with a bright yellow band below the driverâ€™s window, and it has bright yellow doors. The underparts and black, and the entire train is filthy and in need of a good wash. Its number is 2854.

Despite being down with a random virus on Wednesday, my week of Monday 20 to Sunday 26 October 2025 was remarkably productive. I produced one podcast, planned four others, and continued to assist with the property hunting. I also took photos of trains, one of which is included with this post.

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.