The Chancellor was on a early flight to North East Scotland on Wednesday to announce new North Sea energy approvals as the last set of major economic figures dropped.
From a mile high, as well as close up, the figures for inflation and for the public finances set out his Budget balancing act in clear terms.
The National Debt has topped £3 trillion for the first time in the official figures.
The headline rate of inflation has hit 3.5% and is surely heading back up to 4% in the coming months.
Borrowing is running ahead of forecasts, as spending and interest costs increase.