Bethany's curiosity is causing some trouble in a harmless sort of way so that I get the feeling that I have been cast as the hapless father in a mid afternoon sit com. All the oft observed scenes in such programmes are ticking themselves off from quickly running upstairs to grab something only to find the child half way up them as you come back down. She started to do this round my parents' house where they don't have a gate but upto that point was not too interested and would rather run around in circles or open the drawers in the hall units and pull everything out. Bethany has also managed to smash a bowl and an ornament at my parents' by flinging them on the floor. Lest I forget the torn wallpaper in our dining room I look forward with some trepidation to the time when she starts to colour it in with crayons.
   Next on the list is the video (yes we still have one as we have a lot of cassettes - I spent most of the eighties taping films off the TV) with a cassette jammed in it, which along with two missing remote controls (including for the DVD player) means it's more of a chore to sit down and watch a film than to not bother. Climbing in general and not just stairs is a preferred activity and likes to climb onto the sofas, usually kicking off any cushions that may be in her way. Once up on the sofas in the dining room she can then get her hands on the horizontal blinds, the rattling and bending of which appears to be highly entertaining.
   Whilst we were away she found a new game in the hotel in which she would run to the automatic doors in reception and get them to open. As this meant that she felt the need to run outside it meant that one of us had to keep bringing her back before she got close whilst the other finished their meal. This, of course, became a new game whereby we chased her to the doors before carrying her back to the table and begin the process over again.
   Thankfully this morning she has got bored of kicking her football around the house and has moved on to pushing her truck around but not gently working her way from one room to another rather she is shoving it into the furniture and kitchen units. Hopefully she will soon tire of that activity for something more sedate.