09-09-16 Nona Marlen’s Birthday

Friday 9th September 2016

Try as we might, we just could not get through to Marlen this evening in order to wish her / sing loudly “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU”. We figured she was among family and friends at one of her usual groovy Thai restaurants. And she was; Sylvia wrote then Marlen did and I could tell plenty of wine bottles were being drained in the birthday girl’s honour.

Meanwhile our day in Dubai was magnificent. Apart from waking at leisure, slothing at home in pyjamas, skyping with Erroll (Auckland layover) while still in bed and napping in the late afternoon, we did actually do something sociable: we went out this evening. Nothing wild, however lots of fun because the two of us met up with long time Dubai friend Lena at our local – Shakespeare – for coffee and chats, and best of all, Kingsley behaved impeccably. Lots of laughter, sweetness, hugs, naughty fun and adorably insisting on kissing Lena non stop. He impressed us no end with offering us cookies before he bit into one, and stunned us both by declaring he needed to do a wee. Off I took him to the loo, and lo! he did his wee in the toilet. Breakthrough!

Happy birthday Nona Marlen; your birthday pressie from your godson is with mum in Greece. However below is a homage to you, taken during our long five month stay with you at Coogee during 2015. Here you are teaching Kingsley all about nature in our back yard, and introducing him to the loud world of the urban cicada…

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