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Odd BiL

80 replies

WattsandAwl · 07/03/2020 16:08

Name change. Pom bears, wolef, Brian yoni, etc.

DH's brother is staying with us for a few days, while there's some structural work going on at his flat.

I just need to come here and vent.

He's harmless, but odd to the point where I wonder how I'm going to get through this!

He arrived afternoon, rang the doorbell and shouted through the letterbox to not worry as he was going to cook dinner as a thank you. I opened the door and he turned around and and said he was dashing off to Asda.

Three hours later he came back and made baked bean toasties with a "side order" of pickled beetroot. DH, I and DS (14) and DD (12), sat down and genuinely enjoyed the eccentricity of it.

BiL then presented (with a flourish) a flan base. We all just sat there bemused as he ran back into the kitchen. He then ran back in and tipped a tin of pears onto it, saying "Shit! That was supposed to be apricots". BTW, DH never swear in front of the DC, but we just sat with fixed smiles.

We ate it, but BiL just sat and angrily berated himself for buying the wrong tin.

Later on, he said he had a film for the "grown-ups" to watch. Apparently nothing offensive, but the children "wouldn't get it".

We were all sitting in the living room chatting, when he jumped up and said that he could hear the ice cream van. He couldn't. We live on the edge of a very rural and very tiny village. We've never had an ice cream van here.

BiL pressed £10 into DS's hand and told him to run outside and treat him and his sister to whatever they wanted. He said that they should catch the bus and go swimming afterwards. There is no bus.

In the end, DC went upstairs anyway, so BiL took the opportunity to put on is DVD, which was King Ralph, starring John Goodman.

Not my cup of tea, but DH and I sat and watched it. All the time BiL was excited (shuffling in his chair and saying "nearly there now") about a scene that we absolutely had to see, as it was so hilarious.

It wasn't remotely funny. An African king was visiting the court of King Ralph, leading to outdated and cringey 'humour'.

BiL rewound the scene for us twice, as he didn't think we "got it". He was doubled up with laughter the whole time.

After that he got a wodge of paper out of his bag, called the DC downstairs and asked if we know any origami. We all said that we didn't, but would like to see what he can do. He said he didn't know any and was a bit disappointed about that!

DD woke up in the night a bit frightened because there was 'screeching' coming from his room. It was a recording of monkeys that he likes listening to because it reminds him of "happy days" in which he volunteered at a woolly monkey sanctuary. Unfortunately he's now made a recording for DD, as he thought she would like it.

There are so, so many little oddities, but too many to go in to.

He's a lovely, kind and intelligent man. He works very hard for a refugee charity and is very passionate about looking after everyone who is vulnerable. But this is going to be a tough week!

OP posts:
OnoAnotherNC · 07/03/2020 16:12

Yeah. He's nuts. Good luck.

youareatwatadmitit · 07/03/2020 16:14

Is your BIL Dale Ashbrick, off Cuckoo? Grin

CormoranStrike · 07/03/2020 16:14

Gosh.

He doesn’t sound well.

whyisitsoflammingdifficult · 07/03/2020 16:14

Aw! He sounds lovely 😊

JKScot4 · 07/03/2020 16:15

He sounds great 🤣
You lot sound very uptight, I’m sure your 14 & 12 year olds have heard shit and other swear words 🙄

picklemewalnuts · 07/03/2020 16:17

It is! Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Your DC won't learn any new words from him, they'll have heard worse on the playground. They are also old enough to understand eccentricity, and not go off in search of a non existent ice cream van, so that's one less worry.
It's lovely that he wants to share his enthusiasms with you- does he have interesting stories from the places he volunteers?

He's trying so hard.

WattsandAwl · 07/03/2020 16:20

I haven't seen Cuckoo. Might have to though!

He's just back from Asda (it's Tesco, but he always called supermarkets Asda) again and has bought us all a magazine each.
DD: classic cars
DS: gardening
DH: writing (actually, DH is pleased with his)
Me: steam trains
I have absolutely no interest in any trains, but the DC are laughing (privately) at his choices for them.

He's bought himself a shirt with an anchor on the sleeve because he "likes anchors".

Believe it or not, this man has a masters degree and has managed to have several romantic relationships.

OP posts:
WattsandAwl · 07/03/2020 16:23

Of course they've heard swearing before! His outburst just added to the weirdness of it all. :)

He's a really lovely person. Genuinely kind and caring. But very odd!

He has friends from all over the world, as he's travelled a fair bit and he's the sort of person who would strike up a conversation with anyone in Asda.

OP posts:
HowDoesTheCow · 07/03/2020 16:24

Surely he's winding you up? He's seeing how far he can go until your head explodes with WTFedness.

WattsandAwl · 07/03/2020 16:24

Yes, maybe we are a bit uptight. DH is particularly reserved, which adds to the incongruity of their brotherhood!

OP posts:
LadyMonicaBaddingham · 07/03/2020 16:30

King Ralph is a great film! I wish I had some 'batshit in a good way' relatives...

Lovebug06 · 07/03/2020 16:38

He sounds hilarious.

WattsandAwl · 07/03/2020 16:41

No pickled beetroot tonight. He got talking to an elderly couple while he was out walking our dog and has invited them out for a Thai meal, with us all. Apparently he spotted a restaurant on the way back from Asda and has booked a table for seven. Cue more excited chair shuffling.

OP posts:
Bezalelle · 07/03/2020 16:48

Sounds irritatingly "eccentric" and needs to grow the fuck up.

picklemewalnuts · 07/03/2020 16:54

Well, it will be a long week but an interesting one!

calamariqueen · 07/03/2020 16:56

Oh please do live updates on dinner tonight Grin

PeterPanGoesWrong · 07/03/2020 17:01

Oh please do live updates on dinner tonight

I second this, thank you to @calamariqueenfir a great suggestion.

0blio · 07/03/2020 17:05

I'd love to hear more about your BIL op, let us know how the week goes Grin

Bluntness100 · 07/03/2020 17:10

If you’re married with children have you never met his brother before? Because you’re writing like this is all news to you and he behaved completely mundanely before. He sounds like he is not nt, but again, haven’t you met this man before? Spent any time in his company? Has your husband never commented on his behaviour before?

Katinski · 07/03/2020 17:23

Cracked up at the mag.about steam trains for you!Grin
Secong Oblio - you're duty bound to tell us how the week progressesGrin

WattsandAwl · 07/03/2020 17:29

Yes, I've met him many times. I could bore you with millions of stories of his oddness.

BiL keeps repeating the fact that the dog walking couple mistook him for DH, which apparently is "hilarious". It's really because DH is the only non-white in the village, their aged eyesight is probably not what it was, and the fact that he was walking our dog. He said they should secretly swap places in the restaurant and see how long it takes them to work it out. I'll convince him not to.

I think DH and I vaguely know them, so tonight might not be so awkward after all.

OP posts:
youareatwatadmitit · 07/03/2020 17:31

Dale off cuckoo 🤪

Chouxalacreme · 07/03/2020 17:33

I think he sounds very endearing and he’s trying very hard to please !

Chottie · 07/03/2020 17:34

OP - please come back and update us. Your BiL sounds a really fun and young at heart person. It's great for your DCs to experience some off the wall thinking :)

ZoeandChandon · 07/03/2020 17:34

Genius is next to madness.

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