Last night I fell asleep at twelve or one. The house felt empty, and too hot because I’d built a fire earlier in the day and sat on the sofa and read a book with Gamma and the fire really heated up the house. Around ten at night I made Beta shut off the DVD we were watching – Braveheart – in the middle and get to bed because she has an English test today. Around eight I got Gamma to bed, letting her sleep in the big bed because she often gets to do that when her mom is out of town, then I started watching Braveheart with Beta. She says Mel Gibson was better looking when he was younger.

Around six or so I warmed up some food for the girls, then played cards with Gamma and tried to practice cello and played along with her when she played a Christmas song on the piano.

Fourish I drove to the in-laws and picked up Gamma, where she’d spent the night, then went down the hill to the Advent market in the village center, where a number of women greeted me. I must have a doppelg