It is with great sadness that I am telling you that Blogland has lost one of its earliest members who was known to some of my longer-term readers of this blog.
CJ, otherwise known as Scriptor Senex, my younger brother died peacefully in hospital last night having had a massive stroke earlier in the week.
CJ started started blogging over 20 years ago on a subject dear to his heart: insects and wildlife mainly in his garden. The original blog, which unfortunately I have been unable to locate, was on Angelfire.
Then on the 15 August 2007 he changed to Blogger and started the blog Rambles from my Chair. He also had various other blogs over the years.
More recently a message on his blog made it clear that he was using Instagram and Facebook a lot more and sometimes they were replacing posts on the blog. In reality his poor health meant that in recent years he spent most of his time reading. He was one of the most voracious readers I've known. He had the advantage of being able to concentrate absolutely and speed read but also remember what he had read.
I owe my blogging career to CJ who introduced me to Blogger in its infancy in 2007.
I am sorry to hear this, Graham. I did not know of your brother's blog and am glad to be able to go back and read his posts and find out more about him. I hope you have happy memories to share with family and friends to comfort you during this sad time.
ReplyDeleteEllen, we are foprtunate enough to have a lifetime of happy memories, thank you.
DeleteI just looked at his blog, Graham, and wish that I had known of it earlier. May his memory be a blessing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, David.
DeleteI'm sorry that you lost your brother CJ. My sympathy to you and your family. I will check out his blog. I get the feeling that I missed a very good blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Red.
DeleteMy condolences, Graham. It would seem that we all owe your brother a debt of gratitude. He facilitated the meeting between us and you.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Debby, it would seem so.
DeleteI am very sorry to hear of the passing of your brother, Graham. I remember him coming to stay with you a couple of years ago and you emailing me at the time. I did not realise he had a blog too. I am sure you have many happy memories. I think you were probably quite different to each other but nevertheless great friends throughout your lives.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely correct, Rachel, and very astute.
DeleteYour brother had a great mind, and a superb sense of humour - from what I can tell after having followed his blog for years. In fact, had it not been for him, I might have never "met" you, Graham.
ReplyDeleteI particularly enjoyed CJ's posts about unusual or rarely used words, and had a lot of fun creating silly sentences around them.
My sincere and heartfelt condolences to you, CJ's wife and son and everyone else who misses him now.
Meike, it was, indeed, through CJ that you and I met. Thank you CJ!
DeleteIm so sorry to hear this Graham - I only realised it had happened when I read Meike's blog tonight - was working my way through all the weeks posts and saw her comment to you. I have enjoyed CJ's blog and Facebook etc for many years - my thoughts are with your family at this time.
DeleteGraham, I should like to add my condolences to those offered above. Thank you for the link to your brother's blog. I was not aware of it before but shall spend some time reading his posts. My very best wishes to you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, JayCee.
DeleteSad news indeed. Like Librarian, I too would never have found you had it not been for CJ.
ReplyDeleteJill, for that I am very grateful.
DeleteI am so sorry to read this, Graham. My sincere condolences. Xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jules.
DeleteSuch sad news, Graham. My condolences to you and to his family and friends. I shall follow the link, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janice.
DeleteI am so sorry to read of your loss.
ReplyDeleteYou and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers, xx
Thank you, Jayne.
DeleteSad news..like many others I wish I had found his blog before now.
ReplyDeleteHappily we can follow your link and enjoy his writing and photography. Thankyou
You are very welcome, Gwynneth.
DeleteGraham, as you already know, CJ's blog was one of the first I started following after having started my own in 2009, and we also became more personal friends when we started exchanging postcards in 2012 - a correspondence that has continued over the years since then. I just put in a short post on my blog where I do not mention him by name (as I had not discovered yet that you had already published this post on yours). But it is of course him I'm referring to there - along with a Swedish friend who passed away one year ago. I'm thinking I might write some sort of memorial post based on his postcards another day... But there are so many to choose from! ♥
ReplyDeleteI'm sure, Monica, that he would have very much appreciated that.
DeleteI am so sad for you. I followed your brother's blog, and read Dawn Treader's post (her comment above) just before reading your post just now. You and I began blogging in the same year, time goes by so fast. I am sending prayers of comfort for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Terra.
DeletePrayers from my heart goes out to you, your family and friends. CJ's passing is sad news.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maywyn.
DeleteI am so sorry for your loss Graham and if I was on The Isle of Lewis right now I would drive over to Eagleton to give you a big hug.
ReplyDeleteWell that's interesting to know, Neil.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear this Graham. It is always sad to lose a loved one. I hope you have many happy memories that you can cherish of the times you spent together. Hugz Mxx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Margaret, we've been fortunate to share many memories over our lifetime.
DeleteMy heartfelt condolences to you Graham, and family. I was a longtime follower CJ's blog. Such a lovely gentleman.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
~Jo
Thank you, Jo. I recognise you from his blog quite a while ago.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear this Graham, made a little harder by him being younger, I expect. Sincere best wishes.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrew. One generally expects the older to go before the younger in the normal course of events but normal events seem to be coming fewer and fewer.
DeleteGraham,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry.
I was unaware of CJs blog but I remember that you corresponded by mail and often illustrated the envelopes. What a delightful thing to have shared.
Love to you and the wider whanau
Thank you Kylie. Many of the whanau will pick your wishes up from this. Ironically his last missive appears to hand been posted on the day of his stroke - probably one of his last missives.
DeleteI'm very sorry to hear of your loss Graham. I didn't know of his page, which was a pity. I send my most sincere sympathies.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cro. I think you'd have enjoyed some of his earlier posts in particular.
DeleteWow it is amazing how long some of us have been blogging and how many have disappeared. So sad for you losing such a dear friend.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Diane, so much water has flown under our metaphorical blogging bridges.
DeleteSorry to hear of that. It was not I blog I was aware of, but I fear our numbers will gradually diminish in this way.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Tasker, I don't see any sight of much new blood in Blogland.
DeleteI'm very sorry of hearing this. Although we weren't close friends, John and I had been exchanging postcards, letters and mail art since 2012, and reading each other's posts. I'll miss him, and especially his sense of humour.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mail Adventure, for letting me know. I know that there are many who knew him originally through Postcrossing and exchanging Postcards. I shudder at the thought of the many many thousands of postcards he must have received and sent.
DeleteI am so sorry for your loss Graham, your brother sounds like he was a wonderful man. Thinking of you here.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amy. He was a great friend and brother.
DeleteGraham. that is such sad news. My sympathy to you, Jo and CJ's family. I know you will miss him horribly.
ReplyDeleteI remember him most for his sense of humour and his photography.
Thank you, Pauline. It's a going to be a big void in my life. And a huge void in my encyclopaedic help when it came to identifying wildlife.
DeleteSorry about your brother. Brenda
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brenda.
DeleteDear Graham,
ReplyDeleteThat is such sad news.. My heartfelt condolences to you and to Jo and his children and grandchildren.
Similar to Eva (Mailadventures) I knew John from his Scriptor Senex blog and especially from exchanging postcards, in which he always was so thoughtful.
And he made and sent some beautiful drawings on envelopes, while on his instagram he showed some of your drawings and it was clear he was proud of his dear brother.
Also we will miss him, his humour, his kindness, his rambles and musings, the photos on his blog and instagram, the sunshine he brought into our mailboxes.
Sending you and the family my sympathy and big hugs,
Heleen
Thank you, Heleen. I know that he found comfort in the friendships he made through exchanging postcards and correspondence and social media. Particularly as he hadn't been able to travel easily for some years.
DeleteOur mutual friend on your island told me of your brother's passing. I feel as if I have lost a brother. I am trying to write a post to honor John but it's hard to type through tears. Instagram was great for him, he could quickly send a reel of whales swimming closely to a boat or a photo of a magnificent mushroom. I am very honored to know that I was one blogger that he encouraged along with so many others. The comments above show this! Please know I am thinking of you and all the family. I'm like the commenter above, wishing I could be on your island and give you a big hug. x
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Kay. You thoughts and friendship mean a lot to me.
DeleteCondolences.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tigger's Mum.
DeleteAdding my condolences to those already expressed, Graham, on the passing of your brother. Thank you for including a link to his blog as I plan to read some posts, but unfortunately did not know of his blog earlier.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Beatrice. Although he was a prolific blogger in the early days of blogging letterly he was more involved with Instagram (which I have never really followed) and individual friendships.
DeleteI am so very sorry to hear this. I read his blog for a long time. I found your blog because of his.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nan. You were one of the very earliest Bloggers and have been consistently one of the most prolific.
DeleteDear Geeb,
ReplyDeleteAmong all the qualities that made CJ one of my dearest friends, one of the foremost was that he introduced me to you. When I think of his kindness, his effect on the world at large through PostCrossing, writing and receiving mail from people all over the world, and his funny, wry sense of humor in all the emails and letters he exchanged with me personally over the years, I can say with no reservations that the world has been diminished with his exit from same. I am glad that he has escaped the constant pain and illness that he suffered, but I am so sad that I will never again hear him curse "spillchucker" while writing an email. He was one of the most emphatic quiet people I have ever met, and he leaves a large empty space, reversely exponential to his physical size. He will be missed, and I'm forever grateful for that trip we took across the pond to meet him - and you. Know that we are holding you in our hearts, dear GB, and think of you every single day.
Marcheline, thank you for such a heartfelt tribute. I shall forever be grateful to CJ for asking me if I would "look after you both" - and your Mum of course - when you came to Scotland. I value your friendship very much.
DeletePlease accept my condolences. I did read your brother's blog but had not heard from him in a long time. I'm very sad to hear about his passing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, messymimi, he hadn't blogged for a year or more having concentrated on Instagram and Facebook.
DeleteSo very sorry, Graham. A deeply felt loss for you in so many ways. Mary
DeleteThank you, Mary.
DeleteGraham, I didn't know you but I did know John through blogging. His posts were always interesting and fun. We exchanged post cards also. He always sent one for Christmas and I wondered why I hadn't heard from him. I'm so very sorry to hear of his passing and my condolences go out to you and to his family. RIP John..you will be missed.
ReplyDeleteThank you Yaya. I remember your name from his blog. For some weirdly odd reason I came across a reference by CJ to you using the term "a set of grandchildren" some time ago and it stuck in what passes for my brain.
Delete