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Six on Saturday | Heatwave
Heyjude· cornwallincolours.blog· May 30, 2026
Well that was some week! Even down here in West Penwith where the sea is no more than 10 miles away in any direction which usually means a good deal cooler than the rest of Cornwall, it reached the dizzying height of 25°C which is too hot for this fair-skinned English rose. Needless to say despite the nearness of the sea I stayed at home where I could linger in the relatively coolness of my home. Wednesday saw the return of high cloud and a breeze which was very welcome.
Some of the flowers didn’t like the heat, Dutch irises wilted quickly and my Clematis montana was suddenly bereft of flowers. But the hardy geraniums and Sweet Williams were happy. And I had a wonderful surprise when I went to the back of the garden.
And the surprise?
Newspapers Now
Paul Deaton· blogforiowa.com· May 31, 2026
Not long after the Kennedy assassination, Mother found me a job as a newspaper boy. Before dawn, I rode my bicycle to pick up a bundle of Des Moines Register dailies and deliver them. The homes were spread out because the Register was not our local paper. It was the route that was available. My goal was to take a paper from my bag, fold and toss it on the porch, as close to the door as possible, without getting off my bike. I could do it most of the time. I almost never saw my customers because the Register had centralized billing and I did not have to do collections. It was just me, my bicycle, and my newspaper bag in early morning darkness.
Even though I delivered newspapers for the Register, then the afternoon Times-Democrat, until starting high school, I seldom read them. I preferred to read books I selected at the public library. Once the job provided money of my own, I bought books at the drugstore near the end of my route. My customers did read the paper, though.
In 1965, the Des Moines Register, under the Cowles family who bought the paper in 1903, had become one of the nation’s premier regional newspapers, famous for statewide reporting, editorials, and investigative work. By the 1960s, it had national stature beyond the readers on my paper route. Newspapers weren’t “media” as we define that word today. They were the physical labor of printing and distributing newsprint, a community ritual. The ritual aspect was evidenced by some of my customers coaching me on where exactly on the porch they wanted to find their daily newspaper. Newspapers were part of the infrastructure of Midwestern life.
To David
Heyjude· cornwallincolours.blog· May 31, 2026
Although I don’t believe in wishing someone a happy birthday when they are no longer with us, I do believe in acknowledging that date and remembering the life they had. Today I raise a glass to David and I’d like to share another of his collaborations with his old friend.
David A Harley 31st May 1949 – 29th October 2025 (deeply missed)
Lyrics credits Words and Music by Don MacLeod
David Harley: vocals, acoustic lead guitar, keyboards
Don MacLeod: acoustic guitar, piano
Recorded at Centre Sound, Camden 1980s © all rights reserved
Why a Normal Life Isn’t Enough Today
annmary0723· annmary0723.com· May 31, 2026
One can constantly argue about the pros and cons of social media, as it sure has both. I have now come to talk about yet another downside of it: how having a simple, normal life is now considered boring and not enough today. Everything started a couple of days ago, as I was browsing through […]
Mardi Himal Trek
Trekntrails· trekntrails.org· May 28, 2026
The trek is very suitable for novice trekkers, as it is a shorter trek with relatively low elevation. The immense beauty offered by the Mardi Himal trek is also a reason for the growing popularity of this trek in recent years.
Throwing out a bit of light (in Kiama)
bushboy· bushboy.blog· May 28, 2026
Dans Thursday Doors Last week was a door from Gerringong, the first place we stopped on a road trip. For the next few weeks, I’ll show some of the doors of the historic town of Kiama, a place I went on a few holidays with the scouts. As the weather wasn’t the best, we had […]
An Elderly Barn
margaret21· margaret21.com· May 29, 2026
Near to us is an ancient barn, unused apart from housing bits and pieces that somebody at sometime, decided needed storage space, and has probably long forgotten. The windows are broken, the woodwork rotten, the paintwork peeling. It’s ear-marked for development sometime soon and will be treated sympathetically and with respect. That’ll be good for its long-term future, but meanwhile, I’m rather fond of this distressed and decayed old building, and have chosen it for Egidio’s Stuck in Place challenge, where he invites us to stay close to home, and to spend a good half hour wandering nowhere very much, to see what we can see.
“A Few Milestones Along the Way”
ivor20· ivorplumberpoet.press· May 24, 2026
When It All Began. In September 2000, I suffered my first stroke. After a stretch of intensive rehab, I was finally allowed to return home and resume caring for my wife. I was still healing, still unsteady, and not yet permitted to drive. With the patient guidance of my wonderful speech therapist, I slowly relearned […]