Cape Town at its best

It's the 1st of March and we are easing into the best time of year in Cape Town - autumn. The evening light on the back of Table Mountain and down across the Sentinel at Hout Bay and Chapman's Peak in Noordhoek has a softer quality, less intense than in midsummer, and the cooler air in general makes it a delightful time to walk along the beach at the end of a busy day.

We expect the winds to abate now for a few months while we enjoy the change of season, although we all know how unpredictable the weather is here on the south-western tip of Africa. March can bring the first real rains of winter and Easter is guaranteed to be wet. We'll be able to cut back on the watering and start planting winter annuals and spring bulbs. Still no prospects for vegetables with the wildlife that roams through the garden.

You can tell that the days are cooler as the swimming pool is no longer being used next door; the excited shrieks of young voices as they bomb-drop and splash each other are now silenced, and the water is starting to turn green.

Despite these signs of days drawing in, the leaves on the trees and the creepers have not yet started to turn yellow and are still a long way from dropping, and Nature knows best, so perhaps the sunny days are not quite over. The migrant birds have not left, which is another sign of impending winter, but when they do, it will definitely be time to pack away the shorts and bring out the winter woollies again.

This is an ideal time to be a tourist in Cape Town. Perhaps a sunset trip up Table Mountain...