September is a transitional month, the short chapter between summer and the rest of the year.Heralding new beginnings for pupils and students, it is the time to cast aside frivolity and get down to some seriously hard work.

The temperature can be unreliable, so justwhen we'vepacked away oursummer clothes, along comes a mini heatwaveto scorch us, but not this year, not yet, anyway.

The skies have frowned hard all day, splattering raindrops at will and being generally annoying. No sign of 'Haf Fach Mihangel'or 'Indian Summer' for us, just loads of 'Ugg' boots andlittle sign of the poetic 'mellow fruitfulness'.

I've a copy of 'The Cloud Spotter's Guide' which I've not read, yet. My interest in'Cumulonimbus', red skies andmackerel skies, tends tovary.

If I'm painting, the sky can be aproblem to get right.Prince Charles says he was advised to use a paper tissue to create texture in the sky for a watercolour painting, but I have decisions about how much sky to allow into the painting.

John Constable, thepainter, lovedSeptemberskies, describing them as 'silvery, windyand delicious'.

Kyffin Williams's skies are heavy, ponderous very often, and I like the confidence with which he paints them.

Some years ago, a man who lived ten miles from Haverfordwest was inhis garden when he noticed clouds rolling swiftly across the sky, as night was drawing in. He immediately called his family to look.Pointing out significantcloud shapes, hesawa war looming, with massed armies gathering.

Not long afterwards World War 11 broke out. Makes you look atclouds in a different way, doesn't it?