When summer feels short in the valley of the sun

It’s October in Barberton, a time when the Lowveld usually comes alive in full summer glory. The days are long and golden, the air is thick with the scent of wildflowers, and the hum of insects is almost constant. But this year, things feel a little off. Just as we were settling into the familiar warmth, the chill returned, sharp, unexpected, and lingering.

In a town known for its sunshine, it’s strange to find ourselves reaching for jerseys again in mid-October.

Barberton, tucked so snugly in the basin of the De Kaap Valley, has always been famous for its heat. The kind of heat that makes the mountains shimmer and turns the days lazy and slow. Yet lately, the weather seems confused. One day we’re basking in 34 degrees; the next, the clouds roll in and the air feels like midwinter.

Everyone seems to be talking about it. In the queue at the shops, at the coffee tables, on the sidewalks. The same line repeats itself: “This weather’s not normal, hey?” We shrug, we laugh, we blame it on “climate change,” but there’s something more to it than just science. There’s a feeling that the rhythm of nature, the one we’ve always trusted, is shifting.

The farmers are noticing it too. The rains that once arrived faithfully now hesitate. The sun burns harder when it shines, and the cold cuts deeper when it comes. Even our gardens seem uncertain, one week bursting with new shoots, the next wilting from a sudden cold snap. For a region that thrives on its predictable seasons, this new pattern feels unsettling.

Perhaps this is nature’s way of reminding us of her power and her mystery. The earth doesn’t move to our calendar. She doesn’t promise us endless summers or mild winters. She changes, subtly, sometimes abruptly, and in that change lies both challenge and beauty.

In Barberton, we’ve always been resilient. Our community has weathered gold rushes, economic storms, and the test of time. Maybe these unpredictable seasons are another lesson in adaptability? The mountains that cradle our town have seen countless ages of change, from prehistoric upheavals to the green slopes we call home today. And through it all, life has continued, evolved, and found a way to thrive.

So yes, summer may have felt short this year. The mornings may be colder than we’d like, and the sun a little slower to show its face. But as always, the warmth will return, in its own time. Until then, perhaps we can learn to appreciate these strange in-between days for what they are: a quiet reminder that nature moves to her own rhythm, and we are but passengers on her journey.

After all, Barberton has never been just about the weather. It’s about the people who greet each other in the streets, the laughter that fills the coffee shops, and the steadfast mountains that remind us, no matter the season, that beauty endures.

𝓛𝔂𝓷𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮.