Capepole.

The nice thing about being single is that I can a) spend too much money on Country Road pyjama pants without being judged and b) don’t have to care that they are the unsexiest item of clothing I now own. They are soft, comfy, and warm and go perfectly with my equally unattractive sheep skin slippers. I’m not wearing them out of defiance and to show the world that I don’t care I’m single. I NEED them. Something I finally accepted by taking ‘Winter Essentials in SA 101’ after freezing throughout my first Cape Town winter. Same goes for a cashmere pillow. Essential!

The trinity of winter essentials.

People look at me like I’m a crazy person when I tell them – I have never been as cold during any winter as I have been in Cape Town. Yes, that does include 19 winters in Bad Hersfeld, 2 in Hamburg, 1 in Cologne and 6 in New York. Cape Town takes it home, winner of the coldest winter ever contest. No, I’m not kidding. Cape Town winters are just particularly nasty for me. And just because there are good reasons for it i.e. much more rain = wet creeping cold, bad isolation, not enough choices in quality cashmere jerseys; doesn’t make it okay or any easier to bear.
Admittedly I get cold easily. As previously discussed I do think it’s the reason why I started doing Bikram yoga. It doesn’t matter whether I practise or teach, it gives me an hour and a half of not freezing at some part of my body. Imagine my sorrow when I came to the studio Friday evening for class to find out that we had ran out of gas and I would have to take a cold class. By the way – cold class is a proper term in this case, not me being whiny. So we started with 29 degrees, which at best could be described as balmy. Glad to know I’m not the only one who is addicted to the heat fix. I had to tell people to stop giving me dirty looks as the lack of warmth and sweat really wasn’t my fault and I was the one, freezing most in my little shorts.
Saturday morning was marginally better as the gas was renewed, but the heat came on too late for my taste so I was still moping. Sunday evening I was finally a happy girl again, as I had ventured to Constantia for a class and the room was steaming hot so people actually complained after class. Obviously not me, being the teacher’s pet and asking them to turn it up even more. Yes, I often do get annoyed with myself...

Winter view from my window.

I briefly wondered whether it was overkill to take my cashmere poncho to wrap myself afterwards, but it turned out it wasn’t. Due to the stupidity of leaving my lights on, I had to first beg my uncle to come and then wait for him for 40 minutes in a chilly car. Poncho came in handy. So would the slippers. Unfortunately I assumed people would think me even crazier if I’d wear them out, so I left them at home and warm.
It’s at least warm in my flat as last year I managed to find the unthinkable: A flat, not only across the street from work, but with a built-in heater and a mezzanine level for my bed right under the ceiling, which keeps

toasty all throughout. Happiness, because believe it or not once the cold inside is gone, I quite enjoy watching the mist, rain, clouds of Cape Town winter outside.