At best, January in particular can seem miserable in the suburbs of big northern cities. The colourful lights of the holiday season have been dimmed, snow if there is any, is slowly turning grey with slush, trees are bare and the days short. Is there any wonder why travel to warmer climes provides such a burst of energy and a jolt to our outlook? The warmth of the sun aside, bright and bold colours can go a long way to helping mood until the first sight of new, spring-green grass appears. This was early early one Sunday morning at a Muizenberg Beach in Cape Town when all the elements came together to create a picture with energy despite very little actually happening.