I felt as though I was living under a dark cloud for the past several days which left me with little interest for Pbase, other than going through pics from last weekend's agricultural show.
We've been going through the painful process of voluntary redundancies at work. While my job was safe, I was conflicted when two good friends and colleagues applied for the package.
I knew they wanted the chance to start afresh but at the same time I didn't want them to leave.
As it turns out their applications were refused and a colleague in our sister newsroom 30 miles away is leaving - she knew if she stayed she would have had work from our office, which wouldn't have suited her family life and would have left her carrying a hefty fuel bill for commuting.
It's been a bruising process and is one which is being repeated in newspapers around the globe.
This week the Scottish group Johnston Press announced that they are closing a paper in Co Offaly with the loss of eight jobs.
Studies have shown that local communities suffer when local papers close. People become less connected, and local democracy suffers with people less likely to vote in local elections.
The digital age is proving difficult for newspapers with so many alternative, but not always reliable, sources of information out there.
Couple this with the recession and the industry is certainly under a dark cloud.
But the golden light on the horizon is that I am now on holidays, looking forward to seeing a dear friend for the first time in nine years later today, and a wee trip in the offering as well.
Not sure when I'll catch up with regular posting and commenting- but watch this space.