Housemamma Mia

Whoa. Life.

After the Poole's left, I finished doing some chores around the house, then cooked a lunch of cabbage and spaghetti and carrot salad. Anthony came home around half past 11 freaking out and crying and I figured someone had told him off in the woodwork shop (a regular occurrence) but I eventually understood that he was furious about Nick and Paule leaving. He was totally confused and upset and I spent ten minutes placating him and trying to explain that Nick and Paule are only gone for a week and he will be taken care of in the meantime. Eventually he calmed down. Then we had lunch, then I washed up, then I gave Stephanie a bath and dried her hair, then I did my laundry, and then I had a bit of time to go for a walk. I stopped by Rowan to say hello to Ben and he and Andreas were just about to take a short drive to a nearby town to get some petrol for Andreas's motorcycle. So I came along and Ben and I went to the Co-op and got some vodka and Red Bull and wine and chewing gum. Andy had to milk when we got back, so Ben and I went up to the woodwork shop and he showed me some stuff he's working on and made me a gnarly candle holder in like ten minutes. There was an incredible sunset, and the colors were so undeniably anthroposophic, it looked like the eurethmy students' paintings.

I came home and Donna still hadn't come even though it was ten to six and we had told her to come late-afternoon. So I gave Felicity her bath, and then Donna arrived and helped me make supper and I showed her how we do things (every house is so different in the details, she basically learns anew every new house she sits) and Andreas came for supper as well. After supper the house was going to watch a film, but when I tried to set it up it wasn't working and we thought we were missing a cable, and the next thing I know Phil is shouting at me at the top of his lungs about which bloody cable I DO have and what sort of cable I still need! He was totally out of line and shouting like such a maniac!! Everyone was like whooaaaaaaaaa what the fuck Phil chill out. Eventually Donna found a button on the side of the TV, and it worked. I needed a shower, and also to chill out after this weird Phil-shouting thing. I just HATE being yelled at, no matter the circumstance; it makes me go all shaky and silent for a bit while I freak out in my head. Andreas watched the film (Handcock) with everyone while I showered, and we left around 10:30 to go to Rowan. I got absolutely trashed with one small vodka/redbull and conked out on a couch, only to wake up totally wired around 2:00. I heard Ben say at one point, "Oh look, Robin's asleep, now we can speak German!" I listened to them for a while, stuck in a half-sleep state. Slept at NBF, and woke up at 7:00 to walk home (in the daylight! It gets light around half six now!) and didn't go back to sleep. Made breakfast, ate breakfast. It was a glorious day outside, so after a bit of ironing and laundry work I borrowed Phils canteen, filled it with coffee (second cup of the day), borrowed Phil's backpack and hiked over to NBF. On the way I saw Ben sitting on the patio at Rowan, basking in the sunshine in his PJ's. We talked for a bit, then I went on my merry way. When I got to NBF, Andy was of COURSE still sleeping, but I eventually persuaded him to go hiking with me, disguising it as "walking," to make it easier to digest. We didn't go very far; we ended up sitting in a field drinking coffee and talking for a while and enjoying the lovely sunshine, and then going to our separate homes for lunch. My lunch is sitting in my belly and making me sleepy, so I must now have a nap.