My wife's younger brother's wife 25 5 1
I have come always to think of my younger brother-in-law, W. and G. his dear wife whenever the Eve of the 1st of May comes around because for so many of the last 37 years of living here we used to celebrate it with these members of our family. And even before that we could each remember their wedding in the spring of 1972, when for 2 years 1971 to 1973, we resided in Finland and got to socialise with them, and other members of my wife's Finnish family.
Then, from 1978 until 1984, I used to visit Finland for my British company in England, beginning in September when I decided that if the company wished to send me for 2 nights business, I would take the opportunity to stay a further 4 nights on my own account, so I could also visit with the four couples who made up the main members of my wife's family: her two brothers and their wives, my sister-in-law and her husband, plus my parents-in-law. And what I thought would be a one off visit continued with autumn and spring visits for the next 6 1/2 years: until the company hired a new Sales and Marketing Director who dispensed with my services.
So it was, following my business here in the south of the country and then another night in the capital, Helsinki, to visit other customers or potential customers, I would journey to Järvenpää to visit P and J, my wife's elder sister and her Finnish speaking husband, before the next day proceeding to visit K-W (as he was then) and G, and their young family in Nastola, a train journey away to the north east, thence returning to the area of the capital: to stay my last two nights first with K-J and K, my parents-in-law, and finally on the last evening a walk across the farm-yard to visit K-J and R, the by that time, the new owners of his parents' farm.
It was during these visits that her younger brother and his wife ran into a spot of trouble, which was brought about by the affections of W's secretary, in the company he would purchase from his position as Marketing Director, when unsurprisingly I was unnable to condone his behaviour, but instead gave vent to my support for his wife, G, who by that time had given him their 3 young children boy, girl, boy in fairly rapid succession.
A consequence of the latter perhaps was that forever thereafter in family gatherings in which typically 2 if not 3 languages were used I could always rely on G, W's wife for switching the language from the main family language of Swedish into the minority language of Finnish,for my sole benefit since P's husband also understood Swedish though he never spoke it it.
As the two youngest members of my wife's family she and her even younger brother were the ones we spent most time with during the last 20 years: with innumberable vists to the Baltic states, etc., as I have recounted earlier in these blogs.
But when after W's death last year in the beginning of February I wrote one last message to G to congratulate her on reaching her 75th birthday, which coincided with what I have calculated was my date of conception 10 years earlier, i.e. in 1949 when she was born, she did something most unusual for a Finnish lady when she replied with a thankyou note, signing off with "Love G." Have a good 1st of May everyone! as we remember memorable parties from many years past!
N.B. Now I can see I have written on this same subject on my main BlogSpot site not on this particular one so I shall leave it in place for maybe a second reading for some viewers but as the saying goes nay bother: if it was of any interest the first time round it may well remain after a second reading?
Then, from 1978 until 1984, I used to visit Finland for my British company in England, beginning in September when I decided that if the company wished to send me for 2 nights business, I would take the opportunity to stay a further 4 nights on my own account, so I could also visit with the four couples who made up the main members of my wife's family: her two brothers and their wives, my sister-in-law and her husband, plus my parents-in-law. And what I thought would be a one off visit continued with autumn and spring visits for the next 6 1/2 years: until the company hired a new Sales and Marketing Director who dispensed with my services.
So it was, following my business here in the south of the country and then another night in the capital, Helsinki, to visit other customers or potential customers, I would journey to Järvenpää to visit P and J, my wife's elder sister and her Finnish speaking husband, before the next day proceeding to visit K-W (as he was then) and G, and their young family in Nastola, a train journey away to the north east, thence returning to the area of the capital: to stay my last two nights first with K-J and K, my parents-in-law, and finally on the last evening a walk across the farm-yard to visit K-J and R, the by that time, the new owners of his parents' farm.
It was during these visits that her younger brother and his wife ran into a spot of trouble, which was brought about by the affections of W's secretary, in the company he would purchase from his position as Marketing Director, when unsurprisingly I was unnable to condone his behaviour, but instead gave vent to my support for his wife, G, who by that time had given him their 3 young children boy, girl, boy in fairly rapid succession.
A consequence of the latter perhaps was that forever thereafter in family gatherings in which typically 2 if not 3 languages were used I could always rely on G, W's wife for switching the language from the main family language of Swedish into the minority language of Finnish,for my sole benefit since P's husband also understood Swedish though he never spoke it it.
As the two youngest members of my wife's family she and her even younger brother were the ones we spent most time with during the last 20 years: with innumberable vists to the Baltic states, etc., as I have recounted earlier in these blogs.
But when after W's death last year in the beginning of February I wrote one last message to G to congratulate her on reaching her 75th birthday, which coincided with what I have calculated was my date of conception 10 years earlier, i.e. in 1949 when she was born, she did something most unusual for a Finnish lady when she replied with a thankyou note, signing off with "Love G." Have a good 1st of May everyone! as we remember memorable parties from many years past!
N.B. Now I can see I have written on this same subject on my main BlogSpot site not on this particular one so I shall leave it in place for maybe a second reading for some viewers but as the saying goes nay bother: if it was of any interest the first time round it may well remain after a second reading?
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