Durban's eco-friendly loo
LAST week's report on Durban's super-duper new eco-friendly lavatory has stirred the muse in reader Andrew Dale.
A town official, Neil Macleod,
Said recently, it is avowed,
That human urine soon will be
Quite free from all impurity.
And after he had run a test,
This sentiment he then expressed.
He could state, without hope of personal pelf,
That the water was passed by the mayor himself.
Heh, heh!
Yes, I also had to look up "pelf". It means wealth obtained by reprehensible means. It's a 14th century Middle English word deriving from the Old French "pelfre", meaning booty (And I suppose "pilfer" comes from the same source).
As for the mayor - is Andrew playing fast and loose with some of the facts? Poetic licence. A rhyme's a rhyme, ek se.
Nyala encounter
CHRIS Taylor and wife Tookie were camped in the bush in Mkhuze Game Reserve recently. He was making the fire for the night at the braai area when he spotted a movement in the bush.
Next thing an nyala doe was there with her calf, come to drink at an adjacent water-filled concrete bowl under the tap.
"Apart from a casual glance she ignored me, came up alongside and commenced drinking – I could have stroked her. When finished, she looked up at me then wandered back into the bush.
"I found this complete trust by a wild animal for a human quite amazing. I wonder If any of your readers have had a similar experience."
Yes, these nyala are becoming very insouciant. Zebras also. If you're playing cards they come and look over your shoulder and snort with delight if you've got a good hand. It can spoil a game of poker.
Feline odyssey
ONE HEARS now and again of a cat taking a snooze under the bonnet in a car engine – nice and warm – and the car then driving off with it. Lynne Goodman now brings us the story of two cats.
Accountant Pravin Chunnilall left his office in Umbilo, unaware that he had under the bonnet a ginger cat and a tabby, strays that people at the office feed.
A few kilometres on, a colleague driving behind saw the ginger jump out and sprint across the road. Then the tabby rolled out and staggered across.
The reason for the staggering was that the tabby is "spastic" – neurologically damaged – and can hardly walk a step in a straight line.
Both cats are well known at work. The cat-loving Pravin spent three days searching the neighbourhood for them, with no luck.
But the ginger returned one weekend. Then on the Monday the tabby – known to the office workers as Limpy because of his gait – was there as well. The few kilometres must have been like a marathon for a cat with his handicap.
They were greeted with joy, not just by the cat feeders but by the rest of the feral colony as well. It's not known how many lives each now has left.
Related
THE BRITS consider their pets – dogs especially – to be part of the family. Research by ancestry.co.uk, a family history website, suggests that 90 percent think of their dogs as part of the family and a large number actually include them when they fill in government census forms.
Fifteen percent of those asked said they preferred their dog to their cousin.
But what's so strange about that when you think of it? I've got a number of cousins. They're OK but they're hopeless at catching moles and rats or scaring away monkeys. They're never around to bark at potential intruders.
Give me an Irish terrier any day.
Tailpiece
THE PRE-NATAL class is full of pregnant women and their husbands.
The instructor says: "Ladies, remember that exercise is good for you. Walking is especially beneficial. It strengthens the pelvic muscles and will make delivery that much easier.
"Just pace yourself, make plenty of stops and try to stay on a soft surface like grass or a path.
"Gentlemen, remember -- you're in this together. It wouldn't hurt you to go walking with her. In fact, that shared experience would be good for you both."
A male hand goes up: "Is it all right if she carries a golf bag while we walk?"
Last word
It is good to be without vices, but it is not good to be without temptations.
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