The 26th of July - a special day

Every summer I like to sew something and this year I have made myself a skirt. I had some trouble with my sewing machine and thought that I had to give up, but close to midnight I could finish the skirt.

I really like the fabric which I bought at a shop in Olskroken, Göteborg.

I knitted socks when we were in Berlin,

I have knitted a Citron in Kauni yarn. I don't like the colour and would like to give it away. Do you know anyone who would be interested?

Lennart Mauritzson 1907-07-26

Today I would like to celebrate my grandfather on my mother's side. If he had lived he would have been 105 years old today. He started his life as the seventh child in the family and when he was 5 days old his father went to America and never came back. His family was very poor and he and his siblings had to help out. On the picture he's working at the brickworks where he worked every other day as a young boy. The other days he went to school.

He was christened Leonard, but was always called Lennart. His mother wanted him to be named Lennart, but as another rich family had two sons named Torsten and Lennart and my grandfather had a brother called Torsten the vicar didn't think it was proper to have the same names as the rich boys and proposed that my grandfather's name should be Leonard.

Lennart and my grandmother Greta lived in Kinna, but when summer came they took their bikes and rode to Varberg.

Eventually they bought a very small hut and often the big extended family came along and they put the furniture outside so they could all sleep inside. Later on they bought a bigger house on Södra Näs, Varberg.

I was born when Lennart was 50 years and 23 days old. The family has always had many birthdays during the summer and we have always celebrated in the summer house in Varberg, often on Lennart's birthday. I can never remember any rain on the 26th of July.

My grandfather never had a great graduation from school, he always worked, mostly in the textile industry with weaving and dying fabrics. Here he's trying on my hat in 1976.

I miss him so much, and as my other grandfather died when I was only 6 years old, Lennart is the grandfather I remember best and he was the most kind, cheerful and good-humoured man you could ever imagine and I have so many happy memories from our life together. He lived until he was 86 years old.

Happy Birthday!