It was a difficult week north of the Brechin line.
Despite being entirely expected, the decision to close the Mulberry mental health unit was no less palatable for Angus residents.
Health bosses who put the Stracathro ward into an induced coma a year ago finally decided to switch off its life support as it became the victim of a Tayside-wide services review.
In a twist of irony, that final say was taken in Perth, to where families of some vulnerable patients will now be forced to make the tortuous journey by public transport to visit loved ones.
But as one fight lost was met with a sense of resigned anger, fresh battle lines were being drawn a remarkably short distance away.
Education chiefs have unveiled a schools strategy with a 2047 horizon which will leave not a single Angus school either revamped, rebuilt – or closed.
It’s a bold vision and includes plans for a new Monifieth High as well as a single campus for Arbroath’s two secondaries.
But the hottest tattie councillors have found in their hands is the idea of shutting 17-pupil Stracathro primary, whose youngsters would go to an enhanced Edzell school – along with glens kids for whom empty Tarfside and Lethnot were once the clear choice.
One might share the incredulity aired by furious Stracathro parents that the council’s pre-consultation on this grand plan was broad brush and gave no hint their school was in the crosshairs, especially when the range and scale of the proposals is taken into account.
Equally, it’s difficult to argue against the council being in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” position.
There have been school estate changes in Angus before and some – such as Isla primary – have been handled remarkably well.
Others – the Arbroath superschool plan – were an unmitigated fiasco, so it seems lessons may not have been properly learned.
And there is also a very large elephant in the yet-to-be-built classrooms.
The council don’t know where all of the money for this 30-year vision is going to come from.
In an era of impecuniosity, maybe some more time needs to be spent on doing the sums.
