The tough get going
NEVER underestimate the get-up-and-go of the folk of Zululand. A pothole appears in the road – they turn it into a tourist attraction.
A monster pothole has appeared in the main road at Kwambonambi. Do they fret about it? No, they take steps to have it registered as a World Heritage Site, like Isimangaliso Wetland Park or Drakensberg/Ukahlamba.
George Hutchison, of the Kwambonambi Club, seems to have taken on the role of director of tourism.
"Why not consider something different to do over a weekend by having a game of golf with friends at the local club, followed by a braai around the pothole. This should turn out to be quite an exhilarating experience .One could swim in the pothole whilst trying to avoid passing taxis; lorries; buses; flashing blue light vehicles and the odd cattle drive.
"No need to book for this experience, nor hurry, as this pothole is not likely to disappear in the foreseeable future."
That's what we like to see, some entrepreneurial spirit. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Oldest pub?
WHICH is Durban's oldest pub? The question arose in a local hostelry the other evening, arising from mention recently of the Black Horse in Pietermaritzburg, which alas is no more.
The same fate has overtaken so many of Durban's traditional watering holes that it's difficult to even remember what older establishments remain. It's odd the way they thrived for a century and more, then started going down like ninepins. Much has disappeared.
I always believed the West End, in Pine Street, to have been Durban's oldest, followed by the Royal. But today the West End is a Nando's so it doesn't count. The title must go to the Royal.
But who knows? There might be some obscure establishment in the Point precinct or somewhere with a better claim. Does anyone out there have information?
Meat scandal
A READER who calls himself Lionel from Cowies Hill has minced out some lines on the horse/donkey/water buffalo meat scandal.
We've tried donkey biltong -
A real mess of pottage.
But watch the lasagne -
It might be Sea Cottage!
Maths juggler
MOST of us struggle at the best of times with a Rubik's Cube . But American maths student Ravi Fernando doesn't just solve the puzzle one-handed, he does it while juggling it in the air with two balls.
Twenty-one-year-old Ravi, who is from Kirksville, Missouri, has become a sensation on the internet with his act.
Brilliant at maths - and juggling too. Some people are just gifted. Don't you hate 'em?
Pedal power
Students at the University of Maryland in the US are a step closer to claiming a sought-after prize for a human-powered helicopter flight.
The American Helicopter Society Sikorsky Prize was introduced in 1980 but has never been claimed. It requires a helicopter to hover under human power for 60 seconds without leaving a 10m square area.
The students' helicopter, Gameras II, flew for 65.1 seconds but strayed outside the zone. Now the students have built in a control system and are keen to have another go. The Sikorsky Prize is $250 000 (R2million).
Gamera II weighs 32kg and is powered by a combination of hand and food pedalling.
Of course, the first helicopter design was by Leonardo da Vinci, way back in the 15th century (though it never flew). A great Punch cartoon once had Michelangelo shaking his fist as he is almost swept off his scaffolding by the slipstream of an aircraft zooming past. He shouts: "Grow up, Leonardo!"
Tailpiece
AN AMERICAN businesswoman is driving home after a trip to northern Arizona when she sees an elderly Navajo woman walking at the dusty roadside. She stops and offers her a lift.
With a silent nod of thanks, the woman gets in the car.
Resuming the journey, the businesswoman tries to make small talk. But the old Navajo woman just sits silently, looking intently at everything, taking it all in. Then she spots a brown bag on the seat beside the businesswoman.
"What in bag?"
"It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband."
The Navajo woman is silent a moment or two. Then, with the quiet wisdom of an elder: "Good trade!"
Last word
I never met anybody who said when they were a kid: "I wanna grow up and be a critic."
No comments:
Post a Comment