Photo Post: Joburg Graffiti Bonanza

15 October 2021

Last weekend I did something I used to do all the time but haven’t done for ages: An art and graffiti walk through downtown Joburg. The walk was hosted by Goethe-Institut Südafrika and a group of Joburg graffiti artists, led by Dr. Foodz.

Read More

Jozi Getaways: The Donkey Dairy, Magaliesburg

12 October 2021

I love donkeys. There’s something about their diminutive stature, their huge, liquid eyes, their long faces, their big, fuzzy ears…Every donkey I meet turns me into a squealing little girl. Donkeys are so charming and adorable, they actually destroy me.

Read More

2Summers Moves to Brixton

07 October 2021

Last week I moved from Melville, the central Joburg suburb where I’ve lived for the past 11 years, to Brixton, another central Joburg suburb about five minutes away.

Heather in Brixton
Here I am in a Brixton alleyway not far from my new house. I didn’t realize until afterward that my shirt perfectly matched the graffiti. (Photo: Thorsten Deckler)
New house in Brixton
Thorsten in front of our new house. It’s a semi-detached house (Americans would call it a duplex), meaning it’s two houses attached by one wall. Ours is the one on the left. The house is at least 100 years old, possibly older, and has just been renovated.
Thorsten’s watercolor of Brixton semi
Thorsten coincidentally made this watercolor sketch of the house a couple of years ago, long before we decided to move there, as part of a series he created on old Brixton houses. See more of Thorsten’s artwork at @thethinking_hand.

Moving five minutes up the road should be no big deal, theoretically. People move all the time. But this move is, in fact, a big deal for me. It’s a huge fucking deal, so much so that I haven’t been able to figure out how to blog about it.

Read More

Jozi Getaways: Farmhouse@58 in the Cradle of Humankind

29 September 2021

Last week I stayed at two lovely getaway spots within an hour (give or take) of Joburg: Farmhouse@58 in the the Cradle of Humankind and the Donkey Dairy in Magaliesburg. It felt incredible to get out of the city after two months of no traveling. The pandemic makes me forget how essential it is to recharge my batteries in nature every once in a while, and I couldn’t have chosen two better (or more different) places to do this. I’m blogging about the Farmhouse today and the Donkey Dairy is coming next week.

Read More

Diepkloof, Soweto, on a Sunday

21 September 2021

I’m really distracted right now, planning a mini out-of-town getaway this afternoon and a move to a new house (and a new neighborhood!) this weekend. My blog will soon be filled with news of these events, but in the meantime I’m experiencing a blogging malaise. I can’t seem to motivate myself to post much here right now.

Read More

Spectacular African Art at the Wits Art Museum

08 September 2021

Looking at art was one of the activities I missed most during the strict covid lockdown. It’s not like I visit art galleries every day, but I like knowing I can see art whenever I please. It sucked when I couldn’t do that.

Read More