The games we play…

I’m aching in muscle I forgot I owned courtesy of cramps in my toes, my left arm and some weird place in my back. My heart rate’s still elevated and I could eat a horse I’m so hungry. I’ve jammed myself in wardrobes and cupboards, hidden under duvets and pillows, inspected the dust at the rear of a couch and made the startling discovery that the toaster will no longer provide adequate cover as it used to 40 years ago. I’ve counted to 20 in four different languages and laughed ’til my stomach hurts.

Why?

Because I played Hide and Seek with my 9 year old nephew, Harley (now rechristened Houdini!), for two hours this afternoon.

I’d dropped in to see Mum and found she was on childminding duties for the day. Since she’s ten times as old as her grandson she’d quite run out of puff and in strolled the unsuspecting cavalry. If only I’d known what awaited me…

I did have an unfair advantage as I was always pretty darned good at hide and seek as a child and the house hasn’t really changed much in 40 years. The wardrobes have silent doors and musty coats to hide amongst – for a brief instant I even looked for the way into Narnia. The beds may have sagged a little more, but they still have slither gaps underneath – although there was less slithering and more brute force required today… The broom cupboard is more cavernous than I remember and so a perfect hidey-hole for an adult. And when all else fails, there’s still the back of the couch.

But the best part about the afternoon? Playing hide and seek was deemed infinitely preferable to playing on an iPad.

Who knew old fashioned fun could be cool again 🙂