It seems like months since I last saw a clear sky. Before I took up astronomy seriously, I never realised how repressive these clouds cloud be, now it feels like I'm living in some sort of cave. Still, it's given me plenty of opportunity to play Starcraft 2 late into the night!

As I've mentioned a couple of times, I'd been hoping to be buy something new like a nice eyepiece by now. I really fancied a Baader Hyperion to add to my collection, but as I've hardly made use of what I've already got, I may as well save my money until the skies clear up a bit.

As an act of defiance, I've started reading The Cloud Spotters Guide after a recommendation from a friend. If nothing else, it's at least been an eye opener. Who would have thought that continuous, flat grey expanse of suspended moisture could be classified into so many types. So while we're sat here lamenting the state of the weather and cursing our now useless expensive purchases, is there a forum elsewhere with cloud enthusiasts singing the praise or the most glorious summer of viewing in recent memory?

When the skies finally do clear and we can enjoy long cloudless nights again, spare a thought for the humble cloud spotter!