Guess who's 40???!
..... Rob is!!!!
On 21st of May 2003 Rob celebrates his 40th birthday. As usual, I (Hild) am not at home to make a fuss of him or bring breakfast in bed or anything. On the day he'll get a phone call, a couple of e-mails and that's about it!
Instead, here are some photos just to remind you and the rest of us of your life - should you start to forget....
Instead, here are some photos just to remind you and the rest of us of your life - should you start to forget....
Three siblings: Liz, Rob and Martin! Rob and his big black hair - from day one he was born with it guys! That explains a lot... |
Rob at age 3 doing some DIY (do it yourself) on the garage - with some help from Martin and Liz! |
Rob playing with his favourite bunny rabbit! (or so I've been told - let's play "spot the rabbit"). The story is that the rabbit later met with a large dog and ended up in a delicious stew... but that could all be an urban legend. |
Rob in his first suit. |
His first car, as seen from above. |
 
A big mop of hair from the start... continues as big mop of hair and of first beard!!! |
Rob graduates from Leeds University with no beard, proud parents and lots of genetics in his head. |
 Rob dabbles in cross-dressing at Matt & Jak's wedding and... 
... then he graduates in cross-dressing as Frank'n Furter, the sweet transvestite from Transylvania - with strong support team! Here entertaining at a social function at Rothamsted Experimental Station, UK, 1988. |
Rob graduates with a PhD as a Henry the 5th look-alike in 1991 - and with lots of knowledge of the secret life of potatoes! |
Talking about dressing up... Nah nah nah nah - nah nah nah nah - BATMAN!!! |
Three siblings doing "the waiter the porter and the upstairs maid". Cute! |
Rob trying to get the 'wig' in place to imitate Jackson 5 - all on his own. He got 'F' for 'Fine Effort' during a New Year party |
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SPORT  Cricket - Little Robbie swinging that bat! 
Rugby - Little Robbie ready for action, and then years later playing front row position for Murdoch Rugby Union Football Club in Perth. Now in the US, he could potentially get into American football (as in gridiron), but he has chosen to follow that from the sidelines or even from the comfy chair!
Look at that wrist-action - go Rob, go frisbee! |
SPORT 
Rob, Erik and Nicolaj enjoying downhill skiing at Hovden. 
Rob, Kenna, Alyssa and Brandon watching baseball at Yankee Stadium in New York. Boston beat the Yankees, which Rob was quite pleased about as he is a true NY Mets fan!!
While in the US, Rob also gets plenty of cross-country skiing in - here at Connecticut Hill with Mrs. Hamilton the tag-along semi-stray dog. |
SPORT 
Rob jumps off the jetty for his first real dive in Fremantle. Then he passes the tests and gets his open water diving certificate.  The gang passes their first shore dive. Rob, Anne, Mynd, Lisa and Linda the instructor.  Rob is posing and getting ready for rafting on the River Tae in Scotland - in October!! |
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ACTION  Rob with our latest car: Yogi (named after the bear that 'killed' our previous car). 
Rob riding along on Matt's big bike. 
Most of all Rob loved Lionel the Landcruiser before we had to sell him - here at Mt. Rob in Western Australia. |
ACTION 
Sailing is also on his list-of-loves - here the catamaran 'Wild Thing' off Coral Bay in Western Australia. All action - Rob chopping wood at Rygnestad. Anger management? More action - Rob catching the Christmas tree at Rygnestad. Satisfying the hunting instinct in a less violent way? |
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THE GREAT INDOORS!  Rob kicking back in the livingroom in Ithaca, playing on his Palm organiser and watching TV. |
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THE GREAT OUTDOORS! You meet great people in the great outdoors!!! (View over Cayuga Lake, Ithaca)  
Rob loves the outdoors whether it is in walking the Australian outback, swimming like a fish (at least with floatation device at hand/foot), catching fish in the lake, or catching birds (or getting hooked?). 
Outdoor attire varies: - Looking the part while crossing the Bridge over the River Kwai, Thailand. - Dressed for outback-Australia adventures at El Questro Gorge, Western Australia. - Dressed for cold New York City adventures... with the Statue of Liberty in the background. - Then we get a quick lesson in how to put on and/or remove a lycra suit on Rottnest Island, Western Australia |
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WORK  First there was the lab (here with radioactive stickers all over!!).... 
.... and the lab bench/desk/office where everything is filed by date (on top of the desk)....... and now there is the office with the flying pig above his desk (as in "I will tidy up my desk when pigs fly"?). |
WORK  Then there was the potato field trials... (this won't feed a family!)  and checking wheat fields in Mukinbudin, Western Australia (this will probably feed a few families!)  and working out if there is enough 'punch' in the punch... |
WORK 
 Domestic work is also on: Rob is good at ironing (on demand). He is also an excellent cook - here outperforming himself with 'Toad in a hole'.  Rob performs outdoor work as in minor/major track maintenance clearing trees from the ski tracks. |
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PRE-CELEBRATION of the birthday boy 
We celebrated Rob's birthday early - actually on the Norwegian national day (17th of May). It was nothing fancy. All he got was hotdogs in buns with corn-on-the-cob... and he had to cook it himself!!! (you know men and their BBQs). At least I was there to keep him company and help him eat. | ||
Rob, I love you lots, and had I been more organised I would have requested more photos from more sources. They would no doubt be even more revealing and/or embarrassing (so you probably don't mind too much).