Rachel, Owen and Kathryn

I hope you like the blog in its latest garb. I've added a fixed page with a comparative table of Katy's vocabulary with mine at age 17 1/2 months. Might not be very legible in blog format, but it makes interesting reading. Since about 19 months her vocabulary has expanded too quickly for me to keep a list any more, and she's also linking words together in little phrases: Mummy sit here , or Daddy help . On the way home from nursery today she came out with Oboe, Mummy play . She's also demonstrating early signs of sharing the Kirkwood enjoyment at playing with language. I've been using her immediate environment to teach her new words and pairs of opposites, like the hot tap and cold tap in the bathroom. One morning we are doing the usual getting dressed routine, and we've reached the sock stage. "Left foot, right foot" I say. "Left foot, right foot" repeats Katy. "Hmmm. Hot foot, cold foot." Another time on the changing table I gave

Stockley Farm did have a few animals, but the indoor play opportunities proved more attractive in the end.

Katy has been described as "the brightest in her class" at nursery and will be moved up a class ahead of time. After I picked her up yesterday I had a nasty shock as she seemed to have developed a horrible scalp condition. After her bath she came clean: she'd tipped a load of sand over her head.

The Easter 'holidays' were great fun, but not very relaxing this year as we had 8 visitors in 9 days (and 3 of them stayed for 6 nights). Owen's brother Alan came over from Munich with his family, and this time Katy was of an age where she could really enjoy getting to know her uncle, aunt ("Mia" was the closest she got to "Maria") and especially cousin Jack. She loved having them all in the house, and was utterly captivated by her energetic blonde 6-year-old cousin bouncing around the place and talking a funny language. I took her to an Anglican church service on Easter Sunday, which proved to be a real multi-sensory experience: starting with the church in darkness we processed in, holding candles and chanting. Plenty of good music (and Peppa Pig books) during the service, and a slice of rich cake afterwards. Then I took her for a perambulatory sleeping opportunity down Hawthorn Lane and Chorlton Ees nature reserve, so I could enjoy some tentative Spr

I missed my opportunity to play Mahler I with the Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra when I was struck down by pneumonia (definitely not enough puff left for Mahler) but on March 27 I got another chance, this time to play Mahler VI with the Stockport Symphony - a far better orchestra, and conducted on this occasion by the assistant conductor at the Halle. Owen brought Katy along to the afternoon rehearsal on the day of the gig. "Mummy's going to play her oboe. Can you say 'oboe', Katy?". "Yeah", she replies confidently. It took several hours before she actually came out with the word, and since then it pops up at very unexpected moments. Actually I was playing cor anglais, but I thought that might be a bit much to get her teeth round.

On a tip from friends we visited Walton Hall Gardens (21st March), which offers a 'children's zoo' and a superior playground featuring a complicated tunnel installation which Katy explored very thoroughly, fighting off all the older children. The zoo was populated by some very dramatic peacocks, a motley collection of rabbits and guinea pigs, a couple of donkeys and ponies, invisible red squirrels, and a little herd of dwarf goats. Two of them wandered out of a barn and Katy announced "Two goats!". Impressive enough, thought I, but then another trotted out and she said "Three!" Blow me down, the child's not yet 20 months and she can count! Her parents were not as clever, however, as we managed to leave home without her coat. She had to wear my grey fleece with the sleeves rolled up, but it was so long on her she looked like a mini Gandalf wandering through the Shire.

Cotebrook Shirehorse Centre again. Here's a shire horse having a shower, and Katy displaying her mastery of balance on her rocking horse. The little piglets running loose around the fields caused her endless delight, and the soft toy pig we bought her has quickly become and essential sleeping companion.