On Tuesday, 26 January 2021 at 11:11:34 UTC, JGD wrote:
Definitely OT, but may be of interest (if you haven't come across it
already):

There's a lady living on Svalbard who publishes regular (eg weekly)
YouTube videos about life on Svalbard. The weather is relatively extreme
of course, but plenty of modern amenities too (at least for those that
live in the village). Here's one sampler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMqm-bCO4Ec

Yes it is interesting, thanks.

Getting supplies there in winter must be quite an issue, I must watch more of her videos. It's bad enough out on Scilly (Population 2,000 of which 400 live on the 4 inhabited off Islands). There is no Ferry in winter, just the freight ship 3 times a week. There is an air service from Lands End in Islanders, but clearly that is not the way you're going to get emergency supplies like potatoes & beer in. Going by air or boat in winter can be a very interesting experience. In fact, out in the Atlantic the weather frequently verges on the frightening,

2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl3_2bkYfOQ
That sea wall, middle distance, is higher than the centre of High Town, the only 'town' on the Islands. The road slopes down through Hugh Town to the Harbour, so if that wall is breached . . The very high sea level early in the clip is a good example of a wave setup surge, the level starting to drop back towards the end. In a normal Spring tide, the waves are some way from reaching even the base of the sea wall.

I loved my days when I could visit the Islands regularly at the Steamship Companies expense!

Graham
Penzance