Gail Ann Laughlan (4 Aug 1979 - 13 Jan 2020)

In loving memory of Gail Ann Laughlan who sadly passed away on 13th January 2020, aged 40.

Gail loved to blog (https://weegeemcscot.com/), and as part of her blog she wrote a little blurb about herself last year - so it's probably best if she tells you who she is. So, in Gail's words:

As is customary, I’ll start at the beginning: I was born in Paisley in 1979 making me 39 years old as I write this but possibly an older age by the time you come to read it. It also makes me Scottish. I am very proud to be Scottish although I no longer speak with a Scottish accent most of the time.

I am of the female persuasion and I live in Market Harborough in Leicestershire with the love of my life Mr Awesome Thing Number Five and the other love of my life, Gryff. Gryff, you should know, is the best cat in the world.

I’ve studied English, Information Management and Law* and have amassed an embarrassment of qualifications over the years. Despite this, I am still trying to figure out what I’d actually like to BE when I grow up. For now I’ve settled on being an Information Governance Manager in the public sector – a job I sort of fell into before realising I sort of loved it.

I’m not very tall, I’m a big fan of tidying up and I write a lot of lists. Sometimes the lists get out of hand and I have to make a master list to manage the rest of the lists. I have a fairly expensive stationery habit: if you need to get hold of a novelty post-it note in seconds flat, WeeGee is very definitely your girl.

I tend to get a bit over enthusiastic about things and I tend to SHOUT IF SOMETHING IS IMPORTANT to me. I love jelly tots, and penguins, and TS Eliot, and Canadian writers and fiction in general and cooking and kettle chips and the rock and roll music**. I hate unkindness and unmade beds and windy weather and moths and bare feet and mushrooms.

In my late teens I went into battle against myself. I had an eating disorder and suffered from bouts of depression for what felt like the longest time. In the end, I found a way through it all somehow and I’m better now. I learned an awful lot along the way not least how to take things in my stride. That’s the thing about fighting off your own horrors – you end up with a whole lot of kit in your kit bag…

In December 2018, aged 39, a new chapter in my life started to unfold when I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. I’m still figuring out how I feel about that….. I’ll keep you posted.

Love you lots, like Jelly Tots,

WeeGee xoxoxox

*Not all at the same time