Thursday

"Grandpa! Grandpa!" sang my three year old human alarm clock.

Little Phoebe was shouting up from downstairs as I surfaced from sleep.

I donned my stripey dressing gown, stumbled to our landing and looked down the staircase. There she was at the bottom still in her coat and floral wellington boots. It was half past eight this very morning.

"Haven't you got dressed yet?"

"No I haven't! You just woke me up and now I am coming down to see you!"

After a hug and a cuddle, I was soon fulfilling her second breakfast order. She wanted malted wheats with hot milk - just like grandpa who also made his habitual pint of tea in "The Big Mug". Perhaps that is who I am these days - just the big mug.

After the breakfast, our lovely princess wanted me to read "Chicken Licken" with her. It's funny how I never tire of reading that book. You know the one I mean - containing Henny Penny, Goosey Loosey, Cocky Locky and Turkey Lurkey amongst others as well as the cunning Foxy Loxy who just wanted to make a big poultry pie. Phoebe now knows this story so well that she could almost recite it by heart. Funny there's no Trumpy Pumpy or Bibi Wibi (Netanyahu).

I also read a second, longer version of "Chicken Licken" and a book about a little yellow star that fell to earth - specifically into a zoo in which fortuitously the animals did not attack or eat each other. Thank heavens for the ants who through co-operation and teamwork built a tower so tall that they were able to put the little star back in his rightful position  in the heavens above. Take that Lion! Take that Giraffe!

I also read a book called "Peppa's Holiday Cruise" starring the worldwide children's literary superstar - Peppa Pig. What a phenomenon she has become with dozens of books, clothing items, confectionery,  toys, games, jigsaws and of course the endless videos. Peppa Pig's world is always nice and friendly with hardly any upsets and of course no school shooters, drugs or social media trolling. Nothing like that. Life is all hunky dory in Peppa Pig World.

All too soon, it was time for Phoebe to go to Dronfield swimming pool with Grandma. In the meantime Grandpa Pig had a shower, got dressed and drove Clint to the recycling centre at Gleadless Valley. He was already filled with severed planks of old decking wood. I also took some redundant electrical items including our deceased "Sage" kettle and "Dell" monitor.

Back home the swimming party returned at one fifteen. We had some lunch and tired Little Phoebe then wanted to do  some binge watching of Peppa Pig. "Another one! I just want another one!... I promise - last one!" Oh yeah!

Later Grandma Pig took Peppa Pig to Chelsea Park for an hour while Grandpa Pig got on with preparing the evening meal. A homemade chicken bhuna with coconut milk, boiled basmati rice, mini peshwari nans and onion bhajis with mango chutney.

Mummy arrived with the still thriving Baby Margot and Daddy came along at five thirty. He had been working in the city centre office today. Before six thirty the satellite family were ready to leave but Little Phoebe would not give Grandpa his customary big smackeroo of a  goodbye kiss. The glint in her eyes was like that of Foxy Loxy just before the end of "Chicken Licken".