Some of you will remember Bruce Taylor (centre), the comic mastermind who produced "Oddball Observations" at his home in Prescott Valley, Arizona. Sadly, Bruce lost his wife Judith at the start of this year and then, as so often seems to happen with older couples, Bruce died on March 24th. I have kept his blog in my sidebar as a mark of respect but now it's time to let it go. Bruce is never coming back.
Fourteen months ago, my favourite Anglo-Irish blogger Dave (left) told his regular visitors that his wife Jean had died very unexpectedly. His blog was and is called "Northsider" because he lives on the north side of The Sheep's Head Peninsula in County Cork. Since that tragic time, Dave has only blogged once more and throughout this calendar year he has been totally silent.
Maybe "Northsider" is only mothballed and it is quite possible that Dave will return but I have the feeling that he may have left the blogosphere for good. If he comes back, I will be happy to reinstall his blog in my star-studded sidebar.
And then there's "Eagleton Notes", distilled on The Isle of Lewis in Scotland by senior blogger Graham Edwards (right). There was a time when Graham refreshed his blog twice a week but gradually his output has dwindled and I am afraid he hasn't added a new blogpost since Jume 22nd when he explained his reduced blogging commitment with this remark: "I keep getting sidetracked with life". He was just about to go down to Glasgow for another important hospital appointment so I am actually worried about him. Did he get back home?
Perhaps we will never know. Graham was always kind-hearted and sensible which is how he approached other people's blogs. Frankly, I miss him and I hope he returns to blog again. Then he will be reinstated in the sidebar faster than a ferret up a trouser leg which is a metaphor that would surely make Graham chuckle.
Nothing lasts forever and here in the blogosphere people come and go. Things change. I guess it's just the way of the world. In the meantime, as I cast those nice fellows off, I not only salute Bruce and Dave and Graham, I toast them too..."To life's incredible journey! Cheers!"
I miss them.
ReplyDeleteYou and me and Dave. For a while we were like The Three Musketeers.
DeleteBloggers are true witnesses, accomplished enough to appear between hard
ReplyDeleteand soft covers. And they stop writing for many reasons including ill health.
I enjoyed Eagleton Notes by Graham Edwards. Perhaps he needed rest time.
I liked the astringency and tenderness of Ursula, the Bitch on the Blog. Gone.
I miss Tasker Dunham the first blogger I ever read. His writing reminded me
of Ian Jack who wrote for The Sunday Times and Granta.
The world's in a period of uncertainty not seen since the 1930s.
I have been heartened by the hope and humour and resilience of all you bloggers.
Tillie Olsen wrote a wonderful book, SILENCES, about women in the 19th and
20th Century who wrote despite conditions that tried to destroy them.
Any creativity no matter how delicate is worth nurturing.
God bless Tasker Dunham. He was the best of us. I fear that his lung cancer took him in the end in spite of his fighting spirit.
DeleteTasker has gone ? I visited his sui generis blog a number of times,
Deletehoping to hear a word about his condition perhaps from his wife.
One evening I was looking up Stan Barstow hoping to see the BBC
film on him titled, Mind You I Live Here (unavailable).
That's when I found Tasker, he had posted on Stan.
I'm rereading The Right True End, the final novel in the trilogy that
began with A Kind of Loving. Now I'll reread all Tasker's posts too.
R.I.P.
It's official.
DeleteRobert Ward or Tasker Dunham has passed away.
I wonder if Tasker's local newspaper published an obituary ?
As Steve said, a farewell from Tasker would have been good.
Death is the end but not the end of thoughts we can't put into words.
Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince.
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
The middle one looks like the actor Brian Cox
ReplyDeleteI can see why you think that Traveller. Who do you look like?
DeleteI don't keep my blog roll on my page for others to see anymore. I keep it on my phone/laptop where I can click on those I want to check. I've had the dilemma of whether to remove someone still actively posting since I get the feeling I'm not really welcome there. It's an odd feeling.
ReplyDeletePerhaps keep Dave in your sidebar for now and send him an email to find out if he will blog again?
ReplyDeleteI hadn't noticed that Graham had been missing that long. There are others. Djan has been missing since her husband died. She had a large reader list. She put out a well written blog. I miss her. Joanne Noragon is missing There are others.
ReplyDeleteI carry four bloggers on my blog list who are lost. The first is David, or Tasker, I remember he wrote to me when sometimes I faltered at writing my blog. Then there is John, of 'Stargoose and Hanglands' and lastly courageous Joanne of 'Cup on the Bus' and not forgetting Weaver/Pat who always commented on my blog and who I still miss badly.
ReplyDeleteI do this with the thought that whilst they are mentioned they still live on with us in our thoughts. But then I can be a miserable depressed person at times;) Also I am glad Tom Stephenson is still with us after his stroke.
Jettisoning is a powerful word though?
I miss Graham, too. I sent him an email for his birthday but never got a reply, and although I know his offline life keeps him fairly busy, I worry about him; more than once he has written about health issues.
ReplyDeleteI also miss Tasker and, like you, I'm afraid he lost the fight he was fighting so bravely.
Our blogging friends, although rarely met, are part of our everyday life and through their blogs we get to know them really well, often better than physical friends that we don't see all that often. It is sad when someone stops blogging and you do worry about them and what has happened, but, as you say, there comes the time when you have to stop wondering and just let them float away.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to lose bloggers. I have a couple I need to move into the gone but not forgotten category.
ReplyDeleteI last heard from Graham about a month ago, so can at least answer the question if he got back home from the mainland. He did. Mid/late September he was at home on the Isle Lewis, with his sister-in-law visiting.
ReplyDeleteI tend to let them stay on the sidebar so I can revisit them if I choose.
ReplyDeleteThe blogging community is one that I've come to treasure over the last 10 years. When I think of myself before the internet, I would have never imagined in a million years that I would make cyber friends from all over the place.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame when people stop blogging for whatever reason. I always appreciate a final post, and I intend to make one myself if I ever stop -- but I suppose for some people and under some circumstances that's not possible. I also miss Tasker.
ReplyDeleteRuthless!
ReplyDeleteGood of you to remind us I miss Dave and his enthusiasm for his plants and music. Tasker, another I miss the memoir and yes worry about Graham as he appeared to be managing health issues. We were fortunate that Joanne had given her daughter access to her blog so we could know that Joanne had died. Peace and blessings to all of them.
ReplyDeleteIt's always a worry when people who posted regularly stop. Even more worrying when they seem to disappear for a long time without a formal goodbye. Maybe some of them intend to return to blogging but life gets in the way.
ReplyDeleteLike old friends , we are departing one by one x
ReplyDeleteYes, I miss them too. I still have some of them on my Bookmark list as I like to go back and read some of their old posts.
ReplyDelete