Angus the Intrepid

If Rowan is incorrigible then Angus is undoubtedly intrepid. Since his return from Ireland and taking to walking, he has been fearless in exploiting his new found ability. First were the turns, partly through necessity as his baby balance often dictated the direction he should be taking but he soon learned to adapt and avoid crashing into doors, walls and stairposts, most of the time. If only Rowan could learn that.

Next was walking sideways and then walking backwards. The latter is no great surprise, as he was already adept at crawling backwards, which has served him well in his many descents, as you shall read. When he walks backwards he gives a cheeky, twinkly smile as if to say, "Look at me, I know I shouldn't be doing this but I can!" The stairs proved little bother to Angus, even with our rudimentary stair gate. It was simply cast asunder as he manoeuvred under and around to achieve his goal of getting upstairs.

Finally there has been the climbing. His ability in this discipline is aided by his massive mitts. Angus has big hands and, allayed with his strength, he puts them to good use. Once he gets a decent grip on something he can generally haul his, not inconsiderable, bodyweight up on to the obstacle of his choosing. He was found this morning, after breakfast, sitting on the kitchen table. He is 15 months old. He evidently availed himself of the opportunity to grasp the seat of a chair, heave himself up and, from there, it was short trip on to the table. His brothers, engrossed in some Lego, didn't even notice.

A couple of weeks ago I spotted him using the small trampoline as a staging post to launch an attempt to grab the springs of the big trampoline and haul himself in there. He was successful. The boys' new "castle," now built and positioned where the beds used to be at the foot of the garden, was another challenge. Going for the third rung of the well-spaced ladder he finally slipped and found himself swinging from the rung, before falling to the bark below, via a clunk from the second rung. That seems to have dissuaded him for the time being, although he had previously climbed all the way up to the five-foot-high platform unaided.

Add to this: falling out the bath in Ardilaun at 13 months; going over the rail of his cot one morning at a similar age (the cot base was then lowered as far as it could go) and following that up by planting his face on the carpet after going head first over the end of Finn's bed, and it's a wonder he hasn't ended up in casualty yet.