winscape 2227

Yep. The worst weather to have hit inland UK since 1703.

It started with a temperature rise from 11 to 19 degrees C in a matter of minutes, and torrential rains. This hit London in the early hours; and Scandinavia a little after lunch.

All trains in Oslo were shut down due to flooding, and I had to walk home, soaking wet. I did not freeze, it was a warm wind.

This warm wind is known in folklore here as a harbinger of disaster.

It is spooky the way the financial markets thend to have their spectacular crashes in mid autumn; and their "fizzle out" markets in march to may; and the way they follow in staggeres business cycles.

The 1860's boom was spectacularly bust, then there were two cycles that just slowly fizzled out, then a major war, then another spectacular boom-bust, another major war, and three "mild" cycles before another spectacular bust.

The 2000 bust was surprisingly protracted and much milder in financial terms than in fundamental terms.

And it all goes around in a cycle approximatly as long as the living memory is; 60 years for people in working age.

-- mrr