The picture shows our darling granddaughter Phoebe on Filey beach on Sunday afternoon. The tide was high so none of the little Yorkshire resort's wide expanse of sand is visible. I love this picture even though we cannot see her cheeky little face. She seems to be entranced by the incoming wavelets. Our Frances took the photograph and I like the fact that she has put Phoebe in an off-centred position. Typically, she must have insisted on wearing her wellington boots on Sunday.
Somehow this image reminds me of a painting I once saw in The National Gallery of Scotland - of a little girl crouched on a pebbly beach admiring a stone in her hand but around her were thousands more pebbles waiting to be picked up and examined. It's funny how that picture has remained in my head for forty five years.
Frances was staying in a little inland town called Norton-on-Derwent with her two girls and a friend called Helena who also has two small children. Co-incidentally, Norton-on-Derwent was where my father grew up. and it is where my paternal grandparents Margaret and Philip are buried. Of course they are Frances's great grandparents and Phoebe's great great grandparents.
They were both born in the 1880's, around 140 years before Phoebe came into the world. Also in the grave is my Uncle Jack who died at the tender age of twenty three aboard an RAF Bristol Blenheim bomber that came to earth on November 16th 1940 in a farmer's field in Essex.
Here's Phoebe at the grave:-
I am not sure where the next photo was taken this past weekend but in it you can see Phoebe, six month old Margot and a bloody great big rabbit!
What a sweet little girl she is. So interested in everything ...... and determined to forge on in her own way. I bet she will be a grand big sister!!
ReplyDeleteShe is such a little character! We love her entirely.
DeleteI'd probably frame a copy of that first photo. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteGood idea. I will do that Jennifer.
DeleteI like the first photo where she is concentrating on the incoming water. This little old prairie boy would be right with her.
ReplyDeleteHow old were you when you first saw the sea Red?
DeleteI was eleven years old. But in 67 to 69 I lived on Hudson strait. the tide was about 40 ft. The Bay and the strait iced over. the bay froze over in November and melted in July.
DeleteI love her pose on the beach; so free.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bob. That is how it seemed to me too Bob. Free.
DeleteIt doesn't look like the Easter Bunny, so I'm guessing maybe Peter Rabbit from the stories? I love the beach photo and wonder if Phoebe knows her ancestors are watching over her.
ReplyDeleteIt might be The Killer Bunny.
DeleteThe photo of Phoebe on the beach looks like a painting, as you suggest. Of course to you its a photo of your beloved grandchild but from a broader perspective it evokes the innocence and wonder of childhood, it's a great capture
ReplyDeleteHow interesting to have such long connections to a place. I have never seen the graves of my New Zealand grandparents, let alone great or great, great grandparents
I appreciate your reflections on this photo Kylie.
DeleteLovely photos of your two beautiful granddaughters. The first photo is a winner, and Phoebe seems very impressed holding the rabbit's hand.
ReplyDeleteI hope she does not have nightmares about The Killer Bunny.
DeleteIt is indeed a lovely photo at the top. Your happiness and pride shine through when you talk about your grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, and wearing wellies seems totally appropriate on that beach :) As for giant bunnies, 'tis the season for them. (If that does not make sense to you, see my post "Wonderland" posted on the same day.)
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite things are watching dogs and little kids at the beach. Their joy makes me smile inside and out.
ReplyDeleteIt's her hands that make the picture. Almost as if she is about to take flight. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteNow that rabbit- most children would be scared to death, I think.
You'll have to visit that rabbit for your Geograph project. I bet you haven't got it yet.
ReplyDeletePhoebe looks a bit wary of that rabbit. I don't blame her.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos but I do have to wonder what you lot feed rabbits in Northern England.
ReplyDeleteLove the first photo of Phoebe on the beach!
ReplyDeleteThe last photo with Phoebe, Margot & Peter Rabbit is adorable also.
Isn't there a theme park or something similar with a Peter Rabbit component not too far from Maltho/Norton-on-Derwent?
The photo of Phoebe on the beach is a winner. Love the wellington boots too!
ReplyDeleteQuite lovely x
ReplyDeleteThat first photo is wonderful. Phoebe is a born model, I think.
ReplyDeleteI'll believe you about the wide expanse of sand.
ReplyDeletePhoebe on the beach is a picture worth framing and displaying. Last but not least, I love her dress with the fox print - is it available in my size, you think?
ReplyDeletePS: Connecting with the past of one's own family by being in a place where they lived and are buried is special.
ReplyDelete