25 Nov 1958 - 4 Dec 2024

Thank you to all the wonderful commenters and well-wishers who responded to the post on Monday. To those with whom I exchanged private messages on Gail's behalf, your support and Love with the capital 'ell' has surely been a salve. Although it is deeply sad, it would be unfair to say that there is not also some gladness that Gail has been relieved of any further pain, having passed peacefully yesterday early evening.

One day, thirteen years ago, almost to the day, I decided to start blogging. In doing so, I also followed some others already established. One of those was Bouncing Bertie. The late, great Bertie (and his human, Gail) followed me back. In fact, they were my second subscribers. 

Nearly three years and three countries later, I finally met them "in the furs." Having become rather good penpals through emails outside of comment exchange on our blogs, Gail and I were keen to see if the connection stood up IRL, as the acronym goes. (In real life.) All of you reading here who have been our followers for the past ten years will know it was a success.

We visited each other's homes at least twice yearly and had weekends away in different parts of this Bonny Land, including, of course, Torridon, where Gail and her dogs immersed themselves in Highland living.

If you want to see all my posts about my adventures with Bertie, click here. For all posts with Nobby, click here. (For the unfamiliar, you may find that the posts do not run in any particular order when using labels—a quirk of Blogger.)

While we were physically polar opposites, Gail and I found strong similarities in intellect and curiosity—and a mutual love of dogs! We were never stuck for topics of conversation, but we also grew familiar and comfortable enough, as true friends do, to sit in silence from time to time. Over the years, I learned that Gail had a wide network of friends and acquaintances in all aspects of life. Possessing a deeply scientific frame of mind, Gail also embraced sport and the arts and was a fine knitter and a very decent cook. Not only did Gail enjoy watching sports, but she also engaged in serious hiking, cycling, swimming, skiing, kayaking, and Pilates. Quite often, her travel overseas involved at least one, if not two, of these activities. I admitted to her more than once that I was a tad envious of her prowess. In turn, though, she was very respectful and careful of my physical limitations.

Gail was a steadfast and loyal friend, not just to me but to many others. This became very clear during the last two weeks. One of her skills was to make us all aware of one another so that names became familiar. Slotting them into the cycle group, the book group, the magazine crowd, the pub quizzers, etc., proved a valuable index. Meeting a few and putting those names to faces has been a bittersweet delight. In particular, to have shared a few hours each day with Gail's brother, Max, has been an honour and privilege. Would that we could have met in better circumstances.

Among all these threads of connection, though, I was the only blogger. Indeed, during that last stay before this one, Gail commented that I was the only one with whom she could properly share her blogging interests in any depth—that was when we touched upon my helping create the posts you saw earlier this week. 

The blogging community is surprisingly close, given that, in most cases, everything is online only. Gail and I both developed true pen-friendships out of those who comment (and even one or two who are readers only but reached out via email). The sorrow I know the readers here will now feel is as real and stinging as it is for those blessed to have known Gail in person. On an entirely personal note, there is now a void in my life that will take some time to fill. I have not lost only one friend, but two for Nobby is a part of this picture. 

On that, I had word that Nobby's new humans may be interested in continuing his online adventures; it is yet to be confirmed, but that would be wonderful if they could. If it bears fruit, I'll place a link from the existing blog.

I have no more words to ease this news. A bright, highly intelligent, wise, and wonderful lady has been taken from us far too soon. I am profoundly grateful to have counted her as a friend, and the best memorial stands through all the posts on our blogs. All I can do to finish here today is provide just a few of my favourite portraits of Gail (and Bertie and Nobby).

R.I.P.