you can feel it right that chill in the air the cold mornings and evenings the crunch of the last leaves under your feet autumn is well on its way out and winter is certainly coming here s how to make sure you re prepared and ready to attack the cold like it s the battle of winterfell pack up the summer clothes the best way to keep your cupboards neat and tidy is to make sure they re season ready pack away your summer dresses flip flops and bikinis and make room for the chunky knits and boots you ve been hiding remember when storing clothes it helps to fold them and store them in sealed air tight stackable containers that you can label store them on the top of your cupboard until december prep an emergency car bag not to spark panic in your hearts but winter weather can be temperamental one minute you re going on a road trip the next you could be broken down in a windy cold rain storm so make sure you have an emergency box packed in your car fill it with a charged battery bank blankets a first aid kit snacks and water be energy conscious we know it s cold and you want to crank up the heaters but remember we re energy scarce in south africa so be conscious of that instead invest in warm blankets hot water bottles and gas heaters to help us save electricity get a flu shot spending winter sick in bed only makes it worse set up a time to get a flu vaccination which will protect you against the more dangerous strains of the illness and ensure if you do get sick you can fight it off quickly most pharmacies clinics and doctors offer flu shots so ask yours get some inside games in summer you can shove the kids outside to kick a soccer ball around or run in the garden in winter it s all i m bored indoors make sure you ve stocked up on arts and crafts paint glitter paper science experiments and fun movies that will keep the little ones busy when it s too cold to leave the lounge protect your patio furniture properly patio furniture needs extra protection in cold wet months properly cleaning it and storing away your pillows throws and chairs will help prevent mould and rotting issues if your furniture is wood never use soap use water and finish with furniture grade paste wax