photo © Chris Scott

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The calendar says it’s spring. The air suggests it’s still winter. October 1st in St Francis Bay is less a clean turning of the season than an awkward shuffle, the kind where nobody is quite sure whether to pack away the jackets or light the fire.

The mornings remain pretty dark, cold, and windy enough to discourage even those few ‘enthusiastic’ joggers. But by midday, people have convinced themselves it’s warm enough for shorts, and the hardware stores report a sudden spike in sales of fertiliser and pool chemicals. Seasonal optimism, St Francis style.

Some residents take no chances: board shorts with a beanie. A practical compromise that says, “Legs are ready for summer, but head doesn’t believe it.” It’s not fashionable, but it’s a uniform of belief, summer is on the way, even if the wind is cutting in sideways.

The beaches begin to fill again. Surfers debate wetsuit thickness like it’s geopolitics: 4/3 or 3/2? Booties or bravado? Nobody wins, except the wetsuit companies.

Everyone claims to be tired of winter, but winter had its perks, didn’t it?  Quieter beaches, not full pubs, and traffic that meant waiting behind exactly one bakkie at the stop street. October threatens all of that with its slow trickle of hopeful holidaymakers and the “just down for the weekend” crowd.

And yet, despite the grumbling, there’s no denying that it feels better. The days stretch longer. The ocean looks a shade more welcoming. The sky carries just enough promise that someone, somewhere, is already lighting the first braai of the season at 3:30 p.m. unnecessarily early, but symbolically important.

We have a small window before the holiday makers start arriving, and an even smaller window before every tradesperson in the village becomes too busy to answer their phone. Make the most of it. October is a great month in St Francis Bay