Meanwhile, back at home

A brisk and chilly run this morning, with the frozen hills looking utterly beautiful in the clear light.

And a cautiously optimistic statement by the Scottish National Party, reported appropriately in the Independent (ref). They are suggesting that, in the event of a successful referendum for independence from the UK, Scotland would actively seek stronger ties with Scandinavia, to redress the more southerly bias which has prevailed since the Act of Union in 1707. That union has always been more of an arranged marriage than a love-match and, by looking north and eastwards the SNP are reflecting the greater geographic and ethnographic compatibilities between Scotland and, say, Norway. Bring it on !