I remember driving up to Vanrhynsdorp in Namakwaland just before autumn began. It was hot up there. So hot that during the day it was more comfortable to sit under the shade of a tree than go out into the sun.
This was weather I like: hot, dry, and being able to dress in a T-shirt, shorts and slops. It was a wonderful time up there in the heat.
Coming back to Cape Town, there were still some hot days, but then autumn came. The days began to get shorter and the nights cooler. Then I knew winter was coming. I could feel it in my bones.
By the middle of winter, with its lashing gale-force winds and driving rain, the dreaded part of winter had arrived.
Winter has its own character and beauty, but the main problem is the cold. The cold nights that seem to start at about five in the afternoon, and the freezing mornings when you have to dress in several layers just to keep out the chill.
The other thing about winter is that wherever there is a weakness in your system, it is likely to show itself. It is like a boat. If there is a weak point in the hull, water is going to get in — sometimes trickling, sometimes pouring.
This winter of 2026 brought its own share of illnesses and life-threatening situations, but let’s not dwell on that. It’s part of winter. We only have four seasons in a year, and winter is one of them.
And in your life, you will only have so many winters. If you are 60 years old, you have already experienced 60 winters, and you begin to wonder how many winters you still have left.
That suddenly gives you a different perspective on winter.
So perhaps the thing to do is embrace it. That’s difficult, of course, if you don’t like winter and prefer spring and summer. But when you reach the midpoint of winter, as we have along the Cape coast, hope springs up because the days are suddenly getting longer. There is more light.
Even so, winter never seems quite ready to let go.
Here in the Cape, well into September, it can still be cold at night, still raining, and still blowing those north-westerly low-pressure gales.
I lived in Johannesburg — actually Randburg — for more than 40 years, and you could be pretty sure that by 1 September the warmer weather would start. The public swimming pools would open, and you could begin enjoying those long hours of sunshine.
Of course, that doesn’t happen anymore in the way it once did, partly because of the dire municipal crisis. At the moment, Johannesburg is enjoying temperatures of up to 24 degrees Celsius.
Here in the Cape, the best we have managed over the past week has been about 16 or 17 degrees at the warmest part of the day.
People say summer is starting later because of global warming and climate change. Another way of looking at it is that winter seems to be extending further into the year, sometimes towards October.
And that’s a pity because we’ve had our fair share of winter months with miserable weather, overcast skies and dark days. Now we want to embrace the sunshine.
Soon, the winter of 2026 will be gone and the summer sun will arrive with spring.
My coastal cottage will dry out. I can start repairing the wear and tear caused by winter. I can start going for swims at the nearby beach again and enjoy those long, lovely summer evenings.
But make no mistake: even in the best parts of summer, somewhere in the back of my mind will be the thought: What will the next winter be like?
So, make hay while the sun shines.
Enjoy the warmth, the light, the swims and the long evenings while they last.
Because eventually winter will return, grip the earth again and stay — sometimes longer than welcome, as it seems to have done this year.
