It’s 2Summers. Hi.

It’s Me. Hi. I’m 2Summers, it’s me. I apologize for not having posted in a really long time. After publishing at least once a week on average since 2010, I had to take a several-month break. Here’s why:

After 15 years of non-stop blogging, posting 1,300 entries with hundreds of thousands of words and nearly 13,000 images, while paying relatively little attention to the IT side of things, I recently learned that my blog was at risk of collapsing under its own weight. To avoid losing my life’s work – all the experiences, all the stories, all the people, all the memories that exist nowhere else except in this online domain – I had to stop posting, hire a new web developer, and invest a lot of money and time to rebuild 2Summers from scratch.

I’d been feeling burned out for a while, so maybe it’s good that the universe forced me to take a break. But the first quarter of 2025 was a weird time to be idle. Thanks to America’s Psychopath-in-Chief and his chainsaw-wielding South African billionaire sidekick, the part-time communications consulting job (with a U.S. government contractor) that I’d had for three years ended abruptly in January. I suddenly had no blog, no paid work, and far too much time to consume the endless supply of fresh horrors darkening my newsfeeds.

On top of that, I turned 50-and-a-half years old and perimenopause kicked in. My body felt completely unrecognizable to me, I couldn’t sleep, I started overheating every five minutes, and I no longer fit into my clothes. I kept bursting into tears because everything is horrible and what’s the point as the world is surely speeding toward a tragic and fiery end.

Anyway. I’m still 50 and-a-half, my ovaries are still shutting down, and the world is still a blazing dumpster fire of a shitshow with no sign of improvement in sight. But the good news is that 2Summers is back, and I’ve invested a significant portion of my savings to ensure this blog will last forever. Thanks to my web developer whiz, Pascal, every blog post I’ve ever written is preserved for posterity. The site runs lightning-fast and 2Summers should never crash again – at least not until the entire internet crashes in an AI-induced apocalypse.

Also, this forced break has made me excited to blog again. I have a bunch of past adventures to catch up on and my office wall is covered in Post-its scrawled with Joburg/Gauteng blog post ideas. I’ve got a few fun trips on the horizon, including a five-day journey into the Karoo with no electronic devices, a trek to Durban to watch (not run in) the Comrades Marathon, and an epic Botswana road trip.

The blog has a new header design, courtesy of my talented partner Thorsten, a.k.a. @TheThinking_Hand. After many years of the previous design, created by my artist friend Fiver, I decided it was time to change things up and feature Thorsten’s sketches in the header and a new 2Summers logo. (Thanks to Thorsten’s intern, Tyla Bibis, for adding the font and brilliant color scheme to the logo.)

I think the new design does a great job capturing all the most important themes of 2Summers: The Joburg skyline; the South African countryside; hadedas; our cat, Trixie; and my beloved Suzuki Jimny, Greylene.

That’s about all that’s been going on in my life in 2025, but here are a few side notes…I was featured on a popular Boston Globe podcast called Love Letters and told a story about my romantic life that I’ve never fully told on the blog before. (Listen to the podcast on YouTube.) I went to an art class and started learning how to make mosaics. I joined TikTok. I spent a lot of time panicking about American politics and protested outside the U.S. Consulate in Joburg.

A 2Summers Blog Launch Competition!

(UPDATE: As of today, 8 May, the Caraci and Kokiville competitions have closed. The 44 Stanley competition is still open until noon South African time today. Hurry and enter now!)

Lastly, in celebration of the return of 2Summers, I’m hosting a contest! I’m partnering with three fabulous South African brands to give away three incredible prizes: a custom-made garment from Caraci Clothing, a two-night stay at Kokiville Homestead in Mpumalanga, and an absolutely massive prize from 44 Stanley Avenue with gifts from 13 different shops and restaurants. The details for all three giveaways are on my Instagram feed: You have until noon South African time on Wednesday (7 May) to enter the Caraci and Kokiville competitions and noon on Thursday (8 May) to enter the 44 Stanley competition. Act fast.

That’s all for now. Please expect a flurry of new posts in the next few days, before I embark on another big trip and disappear again for a bit. Also, I’d love your feedback on the new website! Please leave a comment with your thoughts – good, bad, or otherwise.