>>15841079The way I believe it works is that there -are- years as we understand it (the earth going round the sun once) and these -are- marked by a version of our own seasons - so people do plant early in the years, and harvest late. In the books, they talk about trying to have as many harvests as possible before the coming of the next 'winter'.
However, over and above this cycle, is one in which what the Westerosi call 'seasons' occur - each of these seasons lasting between two and ten years (approx). During the 'summers', the winters are very mild, and in the south are barely noticeable. The 'winters' are horrible, and there is a general folklore that the longer a summer is, the longer the winter that follows.
Also, the Wall represents a sort of Arctic Circle, beyond which there is perpetual ice and cold. The Summer Isles, way to the south, represent a sort of equatorial climate, perpetually hot.
I'm looking forward to Martin actually explaining these longer 'seasonal' cycles - I'm hoping he does, though again, since he writes from the POV of medieval ignoramuses, it may well be it remains a mystery. But I do believe there is a logic to it, and I don't think the overarching idea of these multi-year 'seasons' is incompatible with a yearly cycle when you read the books.