29 years ago...In South, South Yorkshire

Do you ever feel like a dark spectre creeping through a forest in the dead of night? If so you may feel an affinity to a character that used to go by the name of Jeff Wode.

Jeff made himself known to our family one autumn afternoon; we were all sat around the dining table watching my father dishing out brussel sprouts when we noticed him out in the road staring in through the window. He stood there stock still for the rest of the day. The next morning he was gone, but where he stood was a single brussel sprout. He later re-appeared this time in the back garden, once again he stood totally still and was gone in the morning. This went on for a couple of months; he’d appear from out of nowhere and just stand silent and motionless for hours.

On Christmas day he appeared in the front garden – feeling charitable my father invited him for dinner which Jeff accepted, we all got on very well and discussed many subjects. We found out a lot about Jeff that afternoon, he was a keen fisherman and cartographer, he was equally happy to talk about local Sheffield politics or the perils of human exploration into deep space.

After dinner Jeff asked if he could stand in the corner for the rest of the day, we took him up on this kind gesture and so there he stood like a statue in the corner. At first his silent presence unnerved us but after a while we all agreed that it actually added to the festive mood. Jeff stood there all night and quietly left in the morning, he came back off and on over the years but as time wore on his visits became less frequent. A desperate feeling filled our souls when we all came to the realisation that Jeff was never coming back. I don’t think we have really ever recovered from the profound sense of loss.

I probably knew Jeff Wode myself.Ive always liked sprouts but often wondered where they originated from.Did Jeff actually drop the first seed that started the very first sprout off ? Also I like green(the colour of sprouts),and my favourite dress is actually the shape of a blown sprout.I notice this year sprouts are being sold on the stalk,in most supermarkets,and this makes me realise that i like to walk about with a stick tied to my back,that looks like a stalk.With my green dress on,and this stick,I feel very close to Jeff Wode at times.

Is there a virus doing the rounds on here?

Is there a virus doing the rounds on here?

There may well be. One wonders if Sir Jabberwocky of Longley Hall,will be joining our meanderings, as he has the same style of writing as our good selves.In fact I believe he was given his title in The New Years Honours List,but Ive decided to let his secret out early. "Arise Sir Jabberwocky"