Aquila Online

Fix our roads please

// April 17th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Cars & Bikes

We all know that Johannesburg roads are riddled with potholes at the moment. I think it was the Minister who said in a report this week that approximately 70-80% of South African (read, not just JHB) roads are in a really bad state.

Since I’ve had my first (of three) Volvo’s* I’ve been a magnet for tyre problems. This is not to the fault of Volvo mind you, but more the state of the roads in and around JHB. The only reason why I’m bringing up the Volvo thing, is the cost of replacing tyres.

Having a “high performance” vehicle, means “high performance” tyres, which means a big dent in your wallet. But I’m digressing.

Bellairs drive in Northriding must be one of the worst ever roads built by man. There’s no storm water drainage and the road is in a perpetual state of potholedness**. The latter is largely due to the housing developments that have sprung up in that street and area over the last 6 years or so.

Too many complexes went up without adequate planning. The traffic is a nightmare and it could take anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours to get to Sandton. Not fun.

The storm water drainage problem is seemingly being attended to at the moment, which is causing its own set of problems. For one, they have closed one lane of the road and created a one way only. Just imagine the chaos when hundreds of drivers suddenly realise that there’s only one way (and that’s down).

You’re being diverted to Hyperion, which in itself is chaos. The road is also in constant repair and the one side includes a low bridge, which floods when there’s a bit of mist in the air. Sediment and all kinds of building material seems to collect at the bottom whirlpool pit that is Hyperion drive.

And this is exactly where I picked up a nail, driving through this muck. Obviously only realising this on Thursday morning, being greeted by a flat tyre.

Lucky for tyrefix (the tyre fix solution) that saved the day. Two cans of that stuff inflated the tyre enough to get to the nearest service station, pumped up the tyre to 220 and drive off to work (by this time more than an hour late).

Perhaps not surprisingly, this stuff did the trick and held the tyre together. This morning (Saturday, 2 days later) I went to Tiger Wheel & Tyre in Fourways to get it checked out properly.

The nail was firmly lodged in the tyre, but mend-able. The muck created by the tyrefix cleaned out and a wheel rotation, balancing and alignment later we’re on the road again.

This tends to be a costly exercise, but very necessary. You don’t want to play with your life. Especially if it’s being held by something generally not bigger than the width of the palm of your hand.

Although accidents do happen, my plea therefore is to the Johannesburg Roads Agency and the Minister of Transport. Fix our roads please. People’s lives are at stake, the economy is at stake and South Africa’s image is at stake.

* Volvo’s tag-line is Volvo for life (there’s a reason for that – you can’t get rid of them once you have one. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great cars, but no resale value)
** Some days I make up words – potholedness is one of them – deal with it

Grandma’s pancake recipe

// April 5th, 2010 // 7 Comments » // Food

This recipe has been in our family for ages, and while it’s a fairly basic one, it’s practically fool-proof.

As a kid, I especially remember the rainy days, confined to the house and slowly running out of fun things to do. Just as cabin fever would set in, mom would gather the kids and start baking pancakes.

As the scent of cinnamon sugar lingered through the house and our tummies duly filled, we would actually wish for more days of rain.

So without further ado, here’s the recipe for fool-proof pancakes.

Ingredients
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 250ml milk
• 50g butter

Method
1. Sift the dry ingredients, flour baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Mix the eggs and milk together and combine with the dry ingredients.
3. Whisk the batter until all the lumps disappear, it should be the same consistency as thin cream.
4. Melt the butter in a pan (or nuke it briefly in the microwave).
5. Spoon 2 tbsp of the butter it into the batter and whisk it in, then use the rest to oil your pan (even non-stick pans need a little when making pancakes).
6. Heat a bit of water in a pot and place a plate with the pot’s lid on top. The steam will heat the plate and keep the finished pancakes hot.
7. Get your pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you’re using the correct amount of batter.
8. Ladle the batter into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the pan, roll it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter.
9. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a spatula. Flip the pancake over and cook the other side for only a few seconds. Now simply slide the pancake out of the pan onto the heated plate.
10. Stack the pancakes on top of each other, remember to sprinkle your mixture of cinnamon sugar between each layer.

Serve
To serve, sprinkle each pancake with some freshly squeezed lemon juice and the cinnamon sugar mixture and simply roll them up. Of course you could go completely overboard decadent by adding any topping of your choice, think whipped cream, maple or golden syrup, slices of banana, chocolate flakes (Aero, Flake or Crunchy works well). Enjoy!

Eugene Terre’Blanche murdered

// April 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // News

According to many reports – the leader of Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) Eugene Terre’Blanche was murdered at his farm 10km outside of Ventersdorp on Saturday. (more…)

If cats and dogs blogged

// April 2nd, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Funnies

Excerpts from a dog’s blog

08:00 – Dog food! My favorite thing!
09:30 – A car ride! My favorite thing!
09:40 – A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 – Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 – Lunch! My favorite thing!
13:00 – Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
15:00 – Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
17:00 – Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
19:00 – Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
20:00 – Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
23:00 – Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a cat’s blog

Day 983 of my captivity

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomited on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies’. I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now…