I am a long time lurker and occasional poster but I have to stick my head above the parapet and say that I am truly gutted that wickedwaterwitch has been hounded off of MN. I've been a member for 2.5 years and time and again, I have seen her help numerous posters (myself included) and generally post in a generous, thoughtful and funny way.
Many posters have said "oh, we always have phases like this, it'll calm down again" but tbh, I wonder whether it will. The aggression with which many people are posting at the moment quite literally takes my breath away - for example, it used to be that swearing at someone on a thread was a last resort; now, it's normal and quite often, it's the first thing people contribute.
For me, I think Enid's right - it's time for a break. I really hope www returns - if she leaves for good like aloha, MN will be a poorer place.