The January storm.

50 mph winds coupled to a high tide have whipped the sea into a fury. Waves crash theatrically over the end of the pier. Faced with the elements the fishermen and their boats have opted to remain in the safety of the harbour.  An engineer in bright red oilskins is nervously monitoring the temporary repairs that were done to the stonework after last years storms. He tells us that the high tide  has done serious damage to the flood defences on the other beach. Later on today we'll head down there to see the state of play. This serves as a little reminder that rising sea levels are indeed a thing.

Even the fulmars - usually dismissive of the elements - have opted to remain ledge  bound. 

The front door of the exam hall is open. The sound of a full fiddle and accordion band can be heard. The chairs have all been cleared away and a hundred or so youngsters are perfecting their dancing techniques for Burns Night. Although it's barely eight am they are having a whale of a time. Their laughter is infectious and we find ourselves chuckling as we head back to the car.  A day that starts with dancing is by definition a 'good' day.

This is the weather for staying at home and catching up with 'paperwork'.  On the radio the Chair of the Danish Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee says his country has been treated with 'contempt' and that the claims on Greenland are ' majestic in their apocalypticism'. That's not a word you hear every day and is pretty strong language for an undemonstrative Scandi. We're left wondering what has practically been gained by all the recent drum beating.

This is the song the students are dancing to.  You can perhaps understand why anyone who hears it chuckles. This clip also gives a pretty good feel for what the village celebrations will be like :https://youtu.be/KPERf-9shf0?list=RDKPERf-9shf0&t=123

That state to the North of Texas is almost 100% :https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/a-very-detailed-map-of-trumps-job-approval

One of the best economists around writes this rather unusual report from Davos where he was a speaker and shared a platform with Howard Lutnick. The comments ( or at least some of them ) are also quite insightful :https://adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-250-after-the-thugs