This week my thoughts are with our children.

Six-and-a-half weeks into their summer holidays and the latest dark cloud on the horizon is the dreaded return to school and what seem like endless days of hard work and study ahead.

I feel particularly sorry for them given the majority of their time off has been wet, windy and quite frankly pretty miserable – plenty of other dark clouds to dampen the spirits.

Some parts of Scotland were swamped with double the normal rainfall last month, with weather stations recording the wettest July on record.

The summer’s also set to be the windiest for over 20 years.

Parents have faced the challenge of keeping their kids entertained – often on a budget – despite the deluges. I take my hat off to them.

On a positive note the academic year ahead promises to be another successful one for Inverclyde and an exciting time for education in general.

Once again, our schools have performed exceptionally well in exams and our children and young people continue a long track-record of extracurricular and local activities, putting our schools at the heart of their communities.

The council’s multi-million pound investment in schools has given us some of the best facilities in Scotland and the ideal environment to teach and nurture as we aim to get it right for every child – putting children, young people and their families at the heart of everything we do.

The dark cloud of returning to school on Monday may seem ominous – particularly for the little ones starting primary or the children heading to secondary school for the first time.

But the latest chapter opening in their lives next week promises to be an exciting, rewarding and enjoyable one.

Oh yes. I was talking about the weather. So I would like to leave you with part of a poem by the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh – A.A. Milne: Is it raining? – never mind – think how much the birdies love it!

See them in their dozens drawn, Dancing, to the croquet lawn.

Could our little friends have dined If there’d been no worms above it?

Is it murky? What of that, If the owls are fairly perky?

Just imagine you were one – Wouldn’t you detest the sun?

(Probably not)