Three

Shirley and Phoebe at the millstones below Stanage Edge

We look after our granddaughter Phoebe every Thursday. She is with us all day and most weeks her parents join us after work for their evening meal after picking up little Margot from nursery school.

It used to be that Phoebe needed assistance with her attire but today I noticed that she put on her own coat, put on her own boots and later put on her hat and gloves. She's really growing up. With regard to vocabulary, today I asked her if she could say "Lincolnshire". She mimicked me perfectly and added, "I can say anything Grandpa!"

It was a clear and sunny autumnal morning  but chilly too. We decided to take Phoebe up to nearby Stanage Edge for a walk. Stanage Edge is a three mile long ripple in the landscape - an escarpment made from millstone grit . First of all, we headed for a much photographed cluster of  abandoned millstones before climbing up onto the edge itself.

Up there, a German woman asked me where Stanage Edge was and I said, "This is it! You are standing on it!" Then I gave her some other guidelines. Soon, to my surprise, I noticed her putting on a knee support brace  ready for  her hike along the rocks with two friends.

Phoebe was somewhat over-confident on the edge and kept saying, "I'm all right Grandpa! I can do it!" or "You don't need to hold my hand! I'm a big girl now!" Luckily, she didn't fall. In spite of her assertions, she was closely shepherded.

Back on the main path back  to the car, Shirley let Phoebe change into her wellington boots specifically so that she could splash through the puddles. She enjoyed that.

It used to be that she would never communicate with strangers but today I noticed another change in her. She confidently greeted passing ramblers with a cheery "hello". This was so nice to witness.

We came home for lunch and then afterwards, Shirley took our little princess  for her weekly swim at Dronfield Sports Centre. "I'm not a princess Grandpa! I'm Phoebe!"

The evening meal was pork sausages with fried onions, baked beans and jacket potatoes followed by sticky toffee pudding with vanilla custard but instead Phoebe finished off with  a mini ice cream lolly covered with milk chocolate and nuts. Of course, she got some of this around her mouth. Well, she's still only three.