Birthday Boy!

Thursday, May 14 Happy Birthday to Rob.

Don and I started the day with "morning tea" at Kiwi's. I better try to translate that for y'all back home. The thing is about this "tea" event is that there usually is no tea involved. Go figure. It's an Aussie thing. But since I've been here I have gone to "morning tea" with Don, Barry, and a small group of Veterans at a beach side cafe down in Rockingham. Still, there is no tea to be seen although Don tells me it is available. OK? There is some explanation that all this is a hangover from British customs, with Australian twists (which are inevitable and are found in every aspect of Australian culture) and soon enough no one seems to remember how it all got started in the first place. So tea is a very popular beverage, but the "morning tea" event usually involves coffee, and some kind of sweet goodie pastry to eat with it. Right.

Now, what about Kiwi? Well, morning tea at Kiwi's translates to going over to Kevin's house for coffee and treats at around mid-morning. So you ask "Who the heck is Kevin? and what happened to Kiwi?". Kevin is a bloke Don knew in the SAS Regt., another Vietnam Vet. But Kevin is originally from New Zealand, so to an Australian, anyone from N-Zed is known as "Kiwi". Right. Now you're asking what's a Kiwi? Besides a little green fruit full of seeds, it is a small flightless bird with a long beak, found only in New Zealand and...never mind, look it up.

Morning tea at Kiwi's was great fun actually. I got to see Kas again after 20 odd years, and a few other vets, and Kiwi was an excellent host and waiter. Lots of laughs, and war stories. And for those of you reading this that remember the story of how a friend of Don's managed to find me at the VFW in Kerrville shortly after I moved there in 2000, that was Kiwi. So, good on ya Kiwi.

Sorry, no photos from morning tea at Kiwi's.

Later we had the BIRTHDAY PARTY for Rob at the Miller mansion. A nice family affair with Jenny, Don, Marnie, Tony, Thomas, Sophie, Braden, and his girlfriend Nikki, Rob, Leeane and her parents Diane and George, and yours truly.

Happy Birthday Buddy! Tony, Bob, and Rob

The evening was one of those family events that happen and you wish it would never end. I wish I had the words to describe it better. Laughter, the stories, and just the wonderful feeling of being surrounded by family. "It don't get no better than this".

Diane, Jenny, Thomas serving up some delicious sausage rolls he made (Yum!), George, and Nikki.

Birthday Boy, Braden, and Uncle Bob

Braden, Thomas getting some advise from Gumpa, and Marnie.

...and George having a word with Rob, and in the background: Nikki having a heart-to-heart with Sophie.

Sophie and Robby trying to coordinate a shoulder wave.

Jenny in her best imitation of a Betty Miller pose.

Marnie, Rob, Leeazza, Diane, and Jenny.

Hey Gumpa, how about another cold one?

This photo needs some explanation, I don't want to get in trouble you see. Braden is taking the picture, Nikki didn't want him to or something, so she stuck her tongue out at him, not me.

Now it's Don's turn to see if the old Miller charm is still working.

Braden looking far too serious. Probably because he doesn't have a cold beer.

What's a birthday party without a cake. Rob displays the pecan pie cake which was delicious! Like everything we enjoy so much, the evening had to come to an end. I asked everyone to raise their glass in a toast to Rob, and Don gave a nice recital of a toast from Gen. George Patton. It ended too soon for me, as I said in my toast, "I would not have wanted to be anywhere else on the planet than right here, right now".