Sand-between-the-toes

This last weekend, we went down to our favorite beach. The day was hot and bright as we left home, and cool and grey as we reached the coast. Skeptical about the weather, we trudged to a spot on the sand, settling down our kite, our towel and our toddler. She set to work on her sandcastle, but was bored quickly. Then, distractedly, she buried her toes in the sand, and ran her fingers deep in it, and let out a squeal only a happy kid with sand between the toes lets out. This one, an old childhood favorite. By A.A.Milne. Remember this?


I went down to the shouting sea,
Taking Christopher down with me,
For Nurse had given us sixpence each-
And down we went to the beach.

We had sand in the eyes and the ears and the nose,
And sand in the hair, and sand-between-the-toes.
Whenever a good nor'wester blows,
Christopher is certain of
Sand-between-the-toes.

The sea was galloping grey and white;
Christopher clutched his sixpence tight;
We clambered over the humping sand-
And Christopher held my hand.

We had sand in the eyes and the ears and the nose,
And sand in the hair, and sand-between-the-toes.
Whenever a good nor'wester blows,
Christopher is certain of
Sand-between-the-toes.


There was a roaring in the sky;
The sea-gulls cried as they blew by;
We tried to talk, but had to shout-
Nobody else was out.

When we got home, we had sand in the hair,
In the eyes and the ears and everywhere;
Whenever a good nor'wester blows,
Christopher is found with
Sand-between-the-toes.

- Sand-between-the-toes, A.A.Milne