There’s a whole load of counting going on here now.
Counting the number of sweets in a packet; grapes in a box. How many sleeps til this, and how many seconds til that.
It seems only fair to respond with some numbers of my own. With the beginning of term just upon us, here is the summer in numbers.
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One: outing on which we spontaneously bought ice cream cones. (But there have been plenty of ice lollies at other times.)
Two: different softplays visited. (Thank goodness for sunshine, and not needing to go there much.)
Three: sets of good (kid) friends seen – the ones where it’s always a treat to catch up, especially when we don’t live near each other.
Four: pots of playdough open at any one time. But No More Than That!
Five: the minimum number of minutes left when it’s time to leave the park. (Don’t even think of making it any fewer.)
Six: children on a bench. How many could we get to look at the camera at one time? (Maybe four.)
Seven: ways to come down the slide at the park. I’m sure it must be that many. I know I’ve been told to watch all of them.
Eight: the number of episodes on a Shaun the Sheep DVD. (Good to know. Shaun can cheer up anyone, even if their tea has arrived a bit late that night.)
Nine: sleeps until…well, anything really. Because counting sleeps is very important.
Ten: different outdoor places visited. Parks, beaches, botanical gardens. Several of them have been visited umpteen times, even in the rain. (Because there has been rain. But it certainly hasn’t stopped play.)
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I count a few other things myself. The number of new foods tried. The number of days of new beginnings.
The number of freckles on a nose. The number of stories needed at bedtime before it’s time for sleep.
The number of times you can read the same book – and find different things to comment on.
The number of new soft toys acquired over the summer – and the limitless love that lies behind the people who gave them.