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Hannah goes shopping

Once upon a time there was a little girl called Hannah Wallace who lived in Edinburgh with her mummy, daddy, baby brother Arun and their cat, Roger.

One hot summer morning Hannah was playing in the back garden and mummy was busy in the kitchen. She kept smiling out of the window to Hannah.

Roger was sleeping under a bush beside the fence.

Hannah’s granny and granddad came to visit and Hannah, mummy, granny and grand-dad sat outside having a drink of juice in the warm sunshine.

After a little while, granny said,
“Hannah would you like to come shopping with us? I have something special to buy.”

But granny wouldn’t say what she wanted to buy. It was a mystery.

Hannah said she’d love to go shopping with granny. She went to collect her shopping bag but granny, wearing a big smile, said,

“No, Hannah. You won’t need your bag. Mummy has got everything we need ready.”

And sure enough mummy was standing at the back door holding out quite a big, brightly coloured bag.

Mummy, granny and granddad took Hannah out to granny and grand-dad’s car, loaded in the big bag and fitted Hannah into her seat in the back. This took a few minutes but soon everyone and everything was ready.

Hannah, granny and granddad waved ‘bye ‘bye to mummy who was staying at home to look after Arun.

Hannah thought that granddad would drive to the supermarket but he didn’t. Instead they drove for a long time.

Hannah was puzzled.

She kept asking, “When will we get there?”

Granny just smiled!

At last granddad parked the car in a place Hannah had never been before.

“Where are we, granny?” asked Hannah.

“We’re in Portobello and we’re going to the beach,” replied granny.

They all went into a little shop which had all sorts of exciting things hanging outside of it – brightly coloured buckets and spades, of all different sizes, fishing rods, goggles and big, round brightly coloured balls.

This was the big secret!

Granddad bought a lovely bucket decorated with shells and a little spade.

Hannah, granny and granddad went down the street, crossed the pavement and there, in front of Hannah was the beach!

Granddad lifted Hannah down from the pavement very carefully and Hannah’s toes touched the sand for the first time ever!

Tiny grains of warm, golden sand tickled Hannah’s toes. She sat down and the sand settled itself round her. She reached down and picked up some sand but she couldn’t keep it in her fingers! It trickled and tumbled and slipped out of her fingers and back on to the beach.

Then granny reached into the big bright bag and brought out Hannah’s bathing costume and put it on. Hannah felt excited.

Granny and granddad took Hannah’s hand and led her down to the water’s edge. They all put their toes into the water and jumped back because it was cold… and tickly… and wet!

It was such fun! They ran into and out of the water, making little splashes.

There were lots of other people on the beach, too and they were all doing the same things; tiptoeing in and out of the water, splashing and laughing.

Hannah was having a good time but suddenly began to feel hungry and thirsty.

“Time for our picnic, I think,” said granny.
Mummy had made sandwiches, and had packed fruit and juice for Hannah. Granny and granddad had brought a flask of tea.

They all sat on the sand and had a lovely lunch.

Soon granddad said, “Why don’t we make a sandcastle with your new bucket and spade, Hannah?”

Hannah couldn’t wait to get started!

First they moved down from the soft, dry sand to the wetter sand on the shore. They filled Hannah’s bucket up to the brim with damp sand, and turned it upside down. It stayed there like a big pie!

Granddad told Hannah that if they made lots of sand pies they could make a sand castle! So Hannah and granddad put one sand pie on top of another until they’d built a sand castle!

Then granny said, “We’ll go and pick up some shells to decorate the castle.”

So, hand in hand, Hannah and granny searched the beach until they had filled their bucket with lovely shells of different shapes and sizes.

Then they put them round the castle. It was beautiful.

Granddad said, “Every castle should have a moat around it.”

So he and Hannah set off down to the water’s edge to fill her bucket with seawater. When they got back to the castle they dug a trench all around it and filled it with water.

“There!” said granddad. “It’s perfect! It’s your first sandcastle!”

Even when it was time to go home there was another surprise for Hannah. On their way back to the car they went into the little shop where they’d bought the bucket and spade and granny and granddad bought Hannah an ice cream cone. It was yummie!

When she got home Hannah told her mummy and daddy about her day with granny and granddad and said that it had been the best shopping trip ever!

Contact Lovina@yourstory-biographies.co.uk or telephone 07721777243

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