Wednesday 30 March, 5pm
By Lee Cameron

A night at Cris and Janine's

As the summer season ends and the weather shows the first signs of autumn, the Melbourne Cameron community has begun to celebrate the birthday season - the winter months in which so many of the family birthdays are held. Lee Cameron describes one such typical birthday afternoon.

Kiana Frede (left) and Annette Cameron (right, foreground) blow out the candles on their birthday cakes while the family looks on. (Photo: Virgil Cameron)

Tonight there is a party to celebrate Annette and Kiana's birthdays. At Janine and Cris's I greet the larger family and help Janine prepare a large, fresh salad with zucchinis, cucumbers, spinach, cos lettuce and tomatoes, and a bowl of snow peas. I enjoy some slices of camembert whilst preparing the vegetables. On the table are grapes, peanuts, homous, bread and bread buns, camembert, dip made made my Yukima, biscuits for dip, butter and snow peas and celery. The atmosphere is festive, filled with talk and laughter. Angelica is doing her German homework, reading to Arno. On a table we put our birthday gifts. James, Annette, Sasha and Bianca arrive, Annette looking a radiant and happily healthy almost-42 year old.

Now there are two candle-bedecked birthday cakes. We sing "Happy Birthday" and Annette and Kiana blow out the candles. Starburst lollies are handed around.

Earlier I have a good conversation with Annette who is working full time this year at Little Yarra Steiner School as a kindergarten teacher. Kiana hands out beautiful books she has made and illustrated for the travelers John, Yukima, Virgil, Maria and Edwin, who have returned home.

Then Kiana and Annette open their lovely presents. Annette is given flowers from the Rosanna household, my painting of the bush at Nungatta, and a lovely picture from Virgil. Kiana gets a cup and ball game, a treasure box from Angelica, which contains various delicate little treasures, a soft, fluffy toy penguin from Maria and Edwin, and a beautiful bunch of flowers. Kiana explains to me what her picture book for Maria and Edwin is about. I see a splendid picture of a double-decker bus, with a driver, suspension, and a passenger.

There is an appetising smell of roast potatoes and hamburgers cooking. Dinner is ready, and I enjoy salad, bread rolls, an apple and a delicious sip or two of red wine. It is a beautiful meal. We see a brochure of Arno's school in Graz, Austria, containing a picture including Arno's mother as one of the teachers. I have a lovely conversation with Edwin. He is delightfully warm, friendly and intelligent to speak with.

Kiana shows me her two treasure boxes, one for her birthday, from Angelica, and one from Cris, a wooden box lined with deep red plush, and containing various beads, toys and trinkets.

There is cake and ice cream time. After dinner the musical instruments come out. Maria and Edwin snuggle together on cushions on the floor to listen. Jarrah has an accordion, Bianca her cello, Sasha and Virgil their violins, Yukima a guitar. Lively melodies begin to fill the living room with infectious rhythm, Bianca playing her cello as if it were a huge guitar. Maria joins in with Jarrah's little guitar, while John takes over guitar from Yukima.

Greensleeves and Pachelbel's Canon are played really beautifully. Autumn Leaves begins, bringing to mind the gold, green, brown and red patterned leaves on our pear tree at present, and the red berries on the hawthorn tree across the road from our home. Everyone joins in singing, Sasha and Bianca play very spirited music together. I think as I listen of dancing on a beach at sunset. It is wonderful!

Don and Janine tango to some more music. Laurie asks for a czardas. Then to my delight Bianca plays solo cello. Her music is magnificent, filling the whole house with rich, resonant and expressive tones. John's new song Photos from Norway is then played and sung, after which Bianca plays little selections from the Bach unaccompanied cello suites.

Then Virgil prepares to show computer pictures. We see colourful views of life in Norway, Sweden and New Zealand. Janine brings me a cup of herb tea and I enjoy some more of the delicious buns filled with seeds.

What a lovely evening we have shared!