Scent mastery: In Duncanville, Texas USA, a small barbecue spot is run by a barbecue cook who works without sight. After losing his vision, Christopher Jones learned to depend on his other senses, checking heat, seasoning, and timing through touch, sound, and especially smell. Family recipes gave him a starting point, refined through practice instead of exact measuring. Many customers are surprised to learn the brisket and ribs were cooked without the chef seeing the grill or the meat. The kitchen is kept simple, built around routine and familiarity. Cooking became both his livelihood and a way to show how people adapt. Guests often leave thinking about the care put into the food as much as the flavour.

Grain revival: In Skowhegan, Maine USA, an old county jail has found new life as the centre of a growing regional grain economy. Maine Grains operates its stone mill inside the former Somerset County Jail, producing wheat, oats, rye, buckwheat, and other grains sourced from Northeast farmers. The company grew from efforts to revive a New England tradition that had faded as grain farming and milling scaled in a more corporate direction. By creating vibrant new markets for locally grown grains, Maine Grains supports farmers and food businesses throughout the region. Visitors can tour the mill and then taste the results at The Miller's Table, a caf in the same former jailhouse featuring Maine Grains products.

Snail revival: On Norfolk Island,a snail species once written off as gone for good is getting a second chance. After years without sightings, a sharp-eyed local shared a photo that caught the attention of researchers who recognised the snail right away. A small group was later found living in a protected patch of land and moved to a zoo for careful breeding. The work moved slowly, but the population steadily grew. Once numbers were strong enough, the snails were brought back to the island and released into sheltered areas. Rangers now keep an eye on the habitat while managing threats from invasive animals. The snails have become harder to spot, which is often a sign they're spreading out and settling in.

Shared card: In the USA, two childhood friends have been sending the same birthday card back and forth for decades. It started when one girl gave the card to the other after they became friends at school. Each year the card is signed again and mailed back, slowly filling with notes and dates. Even as they moved to different places and life changed around them, the card kept making its trip. The picture on the card never changed, but the meaning did. Most birthday wishes today are done through social media, but this card still arrives through the mail. It gives them a reason to reconnect, pause for a moment, and remember how their friendship began in a much simpler time.

You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you. ~ Mary Tyler Moore

You cannot find peace by avoiding life. ~ Michael Cunningham

Free notices for not for profits rudy@coffeenews.co.nz

1. Which actress stars as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series Wednesday?

2. Which tennis tournament is played annually on grass courts in London?

3. Which baseball legend was nicknamed The Iron Horse?

4. A group of lions is called a ______.

5. Which UK board game includes Euston Road and Northumberland Avenue?

Seafloor furnaces: Some deep-ocean vents blast out mineral-rich water heated far beyond what the sunlit surface ever sees. These openings in the seafloor can reach temperatures high enough to liquefy lead, creating pockets of extreme underwater heat.

Online origins: The letters HTTP stand for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the familiar text seen at the start of many web addresses. It's a simple system that helps computers load information, becoming one of the basic tools behind early web pages.

Midnight miles: In Troms, Norway, runners take part in the Midnight Sun Marathon, a race held late at night during summer. Because the town is so far north, the sun stays visible even after midnight, so the course is run with the sun overhead.

Tropical ice: Even near the equator, glaciers can exist in warm regions. They survive by forming high on mountaintops, where temperatures stay cold enough for snow to compress into slow-moving ice despite tropical conditions below.

Stone pioneer: Africa's oldest standing stone building is the Pyramid of Djoser. Built as a royal tomb, its stacked design introduced a new approach to monument building and later shaped how Egyptian pyramids were made.

What do sea monsters eat for lunch? Fish and ships.

I have a friend who is a very tall blade of grass. He's easily swayed.

Did you see that movie about punctuation? It was a period piece.

Father: Did you do well on your spelling test? Son: Sorry, words failed me.

Why did the surfer wear a baseball glove? Because he wanted to catch a wave.

1. Jenna Ortega 2. Wimbledon 3. Lou Gehrig 4. Pride 5. Monopoly