From the Melville Cat:

I know that I have lots of fans among the readers of 2Summers. Many of you may be wondering why I haven’t posted in so long.

The cat has had my tongue lately. Hahaha! I’m so funny.

Here’s why I’ve been quiet:

1) It’s Heather’s fault. She has been so busy blogging about other, “more important” things going on outside the boundaries of the Lucky 5 Star Commune that she has refused to hand the blogging reins over to me. How rude.

2) It’s cold, and I have been hibernating.

During winter, which is happening now in Johannesburg, I spend the majority of my time — especially during the evenings — trying to stay warm. (Most people around the world think that it is warm year-round in South Africa. This is untrue. Read more about Joburg’s winter weather here and here.)

One of my favorite strategies for getting warm is to wait until Heather decides to recline on  the couch with a blanket. I then leap up onto the couch, purring lustily, and proceed to knead my claws into Heather’s chest. Heather pushes me aside, wincing. I stop momentarily and then resume my kneading on Heather’s stomach. Eventually I tire of this game and curl up at the foot of the sofa, amidst the warm folds of the blanket.

When Heather gets up to go somewhere, the blanket inevitably falls around me, forming a warm, cocoon-like mound. I then proceed to hibernate for as long as possible.

 This is me, Smokey the Melville Cat, in semi-hibernation.

Sometimes I also like to hibernate on a mat next to the wall heater.

Cat on a mat.

Note: It is indeed cold in Joburg right now, but not THAT cold. In fact, the winter has been quite mild so far by Joburg standards. And even the coldest Joburg day would seem balmy to the average New Yorker. We’re actually very lucky when it comes to weather in this part of the world.

Even in winter, it’s warm enough for me to spend my afternoons outside. Joburg has a great climate for cats.

So, that’s why you haven’t heard from me lately. But over the last couple of weeks Heather seems to have fallen into a state of semi-hibernation herself. The early sunsets and cold nights make Heather want to stay home on the couch in front of the heater, rather than going out and doing things to blog about. I’m happy with this arrangement. It’s given me an opening to get back into the blogosphere. And I also like having Heather around the house more often so I can steal her body heat.

Heather says her hibernation will be ending soon though. Apparently there are lots of events happening in Joburg this coming weekend, including Fête de la Musique in Melville. I don’t know what that’s about but Heather seems excited about it. And once July is over, the weather starts to get warm again. Which means that Heather will inevitably be out doing things, rather than hibernating at home with me on the couch.

I don’t like it when Heather stays away from the Lucky 5 Star Commune for too long. This is the expression I give her when she returns from an extended absence.

In the meantime, good day to you. I am returning to bed.