The Easter weekend lies ahead. Hopefully the sun will shine, the birds will sing, and the chocolate will be plentiful.

While having no wish to make ludicrous pronouncements a` la Alistair Darling, I have to say that Q1, while hellish, hasn't been quite as big a bloodbath as anticipated. That could just mean there's a backlog of casualties about to enter the emergency room, but talking to various people in the industry this week, several have commented that March "wasn't as bad as expected" and that things are - relatively speaking - picking up a bit.

Earlier this week the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) also issued its quarterly Bellwether Report with the surprisingly upbeat headline "Bellwether shows business confidence recovering". The report still makes sobering reading, but IPA president Moray MacLennan said the survey results supported the view that the market had bottomed out, and this could be the turning point. Marketing budgets are still being cut, of course, but the rate of cuts has at least slowed.

There appears to be a teensy glimmer of hope that the second half of 2009 won't be as bad as the first. The upcoming Northprint and Sign UK expos later this month will provide an early opportunity to take the industry's pulse and examine it for signs of life.