42. Alfred? I Barely Even Know Her!

The Case of the City Cyclone

Hello, friend - hope you’ve had a good week!

No, I realise it’s not yet Sunday when you’d expect to settle in with a Fishbird Newsletter.

Due to the windy cheeks of Cyclone Alfred smooching up to the Queensland coast, I wanted to ensure I released this wordy kraken before we lost power. Not having my nonsense in your inbox would be too big a blow on top of food rationing, I know.

If you’re prepping for the crosswind of Batman’s breezy butler, we hope you and yours stay safe and dry. You’re important cargo, and must be handled with care.

Memes featuring Alf Stewart from Home and Away have been saturating my socials - so thought I’d better get in on the action and try to sketch the flamin’ galah. I’ll keep him in my top pocket for emergencies.

As I’m still learning to draw humans, Alf can also double as a bargain-basement Sam Neil. Perfect for when the cyclone has passed and you need a little Jurassic comfort.

Don’t look directly into his eyes.

Fishbird Catch of the Week

We publish articles twice a week on the Fishbird Central website - every Wednesday and Saturday! This week’s included:

• Coming to the End - 3 Book Reviews!

  • In this post we review 3 books that are coming to the end of their run.

    Call Me a Cab by Donald Westlake, Here Goes Nothing by Steve Toltz, and Those Who Perish by Emma Viskic. All explore what it means to be on the brink - of danger, of death, of an unavoidable ending. There are some corkers in this bunch, including the Westlake offering which reignited my obsession with the Hard Case Crime collection.

Check out the latest post here - Coming to the End: 3 Book Reviews!

• February Sketching - Week 4, 2025!

  • We also released this a day early as a sweet treat! In this post Birthday Cat is delivered to an unsuspecting special someone; we send Ted Lasso to an alternate universe; introduce you to secret agent ‘Red Triangle’; peek in at Porthole Claws, the iceberg-watching feline; and search for a duck with the Safari Buds. Our other two characters - Puffin Magic and Bone Shanderson - speak for themselves really.

Check out the latest post here - February Sketching: Week 4, 2025!

Reminders for the Apocalypse

In the lead up to the cyclone, there have been quite a few posts on how to best prepare.

However I still find myself aimlessly wandering around the supermarket wondering if I’ll crave split peas in a crisis, or how many tins of Milo I can eat dry in a wacky windstorm.

So here are my 7 practical tips for the cyclone apocalypse:

1. Make a fortress out of your book stack! Epic fantasy novels provide a magical and sturdy base. Build your walls with classic crime fiction - there’s enough pulp and grit in those suckers to stand up to anything. Fashion a roof out of spicy bodice-rippers that will send your cyclone into a flutter (also it doesn’t matter if these get ruined). As a bonus, you’ll have plenty to read while you weather the storm.

2. Go easy on the toilet paper, you’re not going to the moon.

3. Open your balcony to your local bird community. Hitchcock got it wrong, friends. When the feathers are flying you need to be right in the middle of the flock. Your new friends can carry you to safety in a pinch - or provide a handy replacement for that BBQ chicken you thought would last more than 2 days.

4. Never mind back-up power banks - this is 2025! Invest in some nanobots for your brain, so you’re always connected to the web! Just close your eyes when the storm rolls through and catch up on past episodes of Severance.

5. Test out your vocals in the eye of the storm! The world’s top-singers all know that a cyclone’s eye creates the perfect recording chamber. The world needs more music, and the spin-cycle of the weather system will transport your new track seamlessly to ears across the country!

6. Start buying tinned spaghetti now. That stuff sells out in a heartbeat.

7. Be kind to yourself. The cyclone just wants to be near you - it would be weird if it didn’t. You have eyes that just don’t quit, and it’s just looking for tips.

Dog in a raincoat thinks these tips are sound.

Quick Fire Wrap Up

Currently Reading: ‘The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club’ by Dorothy L. Sayers. Lord Peter Wimsey is asked to investigate the seemingly unsuspicious death of 90-year-old General Fentiman, found in full rigor mortis in an armchair at the Bellona Club. Teaming up with his trusted ally, Detective-Inspector Charles Parker, Wimsey unravels a tangled plot that involves those interested in the inheritance, accidental witnesses, and a delightful array of Bellona Club characters.

Currently Watching: ‘Reacher’ Season 2 on Prime. Itinerant former military policeman Jack Reacher solves crimes and metes out his own brand of street justice. Based on the novels by Lee Child. I’m betting even a cyclone couldn’t push Reacher over - so this is a comfort watch during the weather madness.

Currently Singing Along To: ‘Rebel Heart’ by First Aid Kit. “You told me once I have a rebel heart - I don't know if that's true. But I believe you saw something in me that
lives inside you too. Now all I hear is the wind - there's a storm coming through ...”

Wishes for the Week

This has been a scary few days for a lot of people. Know that we’re thinking of you, and are here for any support you need. We might not be able to leave the house though.

Don’t be afraid to break out that snuggly blanket. We hear Alfred hates fleece.

You are brave, kind and loved. Even when Alfred has moved on, our eye will always be on you. Unless that weirds you out - then our eyes are just normal eyes and shut up about it.

Stay cool, punks.

“You are the wind beneath my wings” - Brisbane to Cyclone Alf (probably)

Jen x