Friday 1st It was very calm and fine in the morning, but in the latter part of the afternoon it came over very dull and it commenced to blow from the NE, you would think it was going the rain, but it kept off.
I was working in the flower garden all day, I weeded and broke the ground up in the border next the pigs paddock fence, also planted out 5 Cosmea plants & 1 Salpiglosois.
Jane, Willie & Grace went over to the annual new years picnic at Whangateau Domain
Saturday 2nd It was a beautiful day. In the morning I went down to the flat to sieve some black soil and carried some home, I went up to John Wyatts to take them a geranium plants & some pansy flowers. We had an early lunch & afterwards we all went to the Whangateau Domain. Willie & Grace walked & Jane & I rode, there was a cricket match between Omaha & Warkworth clubs, they had two innings and & Omaha beat by over 80 runs.
Sunday 3rd It was a fine day, but the wind was blowing very strong from the W in the pm & evening. I staid at home in the morning and in the afternoon I went up to Mr Handbys where I staid tea. Jane, Willie and Grace went to Ti Point in the morning to go to Pink Beach with Mrs Knaggs.
Monday 4th It was a fine day, but the wind is blowing strong from the W. Willie & Ernest were thrashing Danthonia. George & Gertie Davey came over to spend the day.
Tuesday 5th It was a fine day. In the morning I went down to the
P. O to get the mail, received letters from my sister Fanny & brother Henry. I found that two magazines had come up by the Steamer, so I went down to the wharf for them, also carried up some sand, the remainder of the morning I was weeding the kumeras, cabbages and cauliflowers near the back gate. In the afternoon I was weeding under the dining room casement, afterwards cut the grass on the path near the steps.
Wednesday 6th It was a fine day. Willie took a day off to pick fruit.
In the morning we picked one Case Early Orleans & 5 Cases Burbanks. Willie hauled the 6 Cases & 1 Box Eggs & Butter down to the wharf in the pm. Afterwards he and Grace went out fishing and caught 2 schnappers, I brought the horse up with 12 fruit cases & a bag black soil & a bag of sand. Mrs Alf Fenton & child were here for dinner & Jessie Neeley & Bertha Darroch were here for tea.
Thursday 7th It was a very hot day. In the morning Grace went down to the wharf to see George & Gertie who were going away by the Steamer this morning.
I was working in the flower garden.
May Dunning was here for tea.
I went down for the mail in the evening, also attended the Library.
Friday 8th It was a fine day. Willie & Ernest finished thrashing the Danthonia seed early in the afternoon. In the morning I tied up & stopped the Tomato plants near the front gate. In the afternoon I transplanted some flower plants, and watered in evening.
Saturday 9th It was very dull all day. In the morning Willie dug the last of the Potatoes below the house, they turned out very well. I was hoeing round the row of beans & kumeras and round three Diamond Plum trees. In the afternoon I transplanted 1 Dark Red Geranium, 2 Pansies, 4 Rhodanther and 2 Corn Flowers, it came on steady rain and I had to come inside. Revd S. Entrican called in the pm and staid tea.
Willie & Grace rode over to the Claim to a cricket match between Omaha and the Claim, the latter beat by 24 runs. W. & G. got very wet coming home.
Sunday 10th It was very dull in the morning, but although dull it did not rain during the day. Revd S. Entrican held service in the Hall in the morning, Jane & I went, there was only a small congregation on account of the threatening state of the weather. Willie & Grace rode to Ti Point to spend the day returning in the afternoon.
Monday 11th It was a fine day, tho’ dull, wind blowing strong from the SE. In the morning I went down to the Library to meet Mr R. Matheson who came to audit the Accts of the Library, afterwards I went to the P.O to get the mail and then to the beach to get some sand.
Grace returned to Auckland in the “Kawau” in the afternoon, Willie took her luggage down on the sleigh and hauled up 24 Fruit Cases.
Jane also went down to see Grace off. In the afternoon I was working in the flower garden.
Tuesday 12th It rained steadily all morning and the wind was blowing strong from the E.
In the afternoon I went down to the village to meet the Steamer as we expected Mrs Wallace, after waiting down there for some time and the steamer did not put in an appearance I came home, heard afterwards that she went into Big Omaha just before dark without calling in here & Mrs Wallace & family were not on board.
Wednesday 13th It was dull first thing in the morning, and a slight misty rain was falling, but afterwards it cleared up and was a very fine day.
In the morning Willie & I picked 9 Cases Burbanks & 2 Cases Jargonell Pears, we had an early dinner and Willie hauled the fruit down to the wharf, it was nearly 1.30 when the “Kawau” got away as she had so much cargo to put out and fruit &c to put in , I also was down to the Steamer & when I came back I was working in the flower garden.
Thursday 14th It was a fine day. wind from the SW & the sea very calm. In the morning I cut the grass on the path leading to the wc. and dug up Willies garden in the corner. In the afternoon I was working in the flower garden. In the evening we all went down to meet the Steamer a quantity of passengers were on board for here. Mrs Wallace, Alma & Bert came up to stay with us.
Friday 15th It was very showery in the morning , but the weather improved in the pm. We picked 8 Cases Burbanks in the morning and Willie hauled them down to the wharf in the afternoon and brought home the last of the fruit cases & a bag of sand for my flower garden.
Saturday 16th There were several showers during the day. We got over 30 Sheep in from the farm and we killed a wether in the afternoon. I put stakes & trained up the 6 Tomato plants in the garden. (Mr Wallaces sort).
Sunday 17th It was a fine day. Mr & Mrs Duncan Knaggs came to spend the day. Harold & Flo came in the afternoon and staid tea.
Monday 18th It was a fine day. Willie, Bert & I were picking fruit in the morning & part of the afternoon. We picked 19 Cases Burbanks,
1 Orleans and 1 Jargonelle Pears, Willie & Bert hauled them down in the afternoon and afterwards went fishing, and brought home 1 hapuka & several schnapper. Jane, Mrs Wallace & Alma went down to John Wyatts and had tea there.
Tuesday 19th It was a fine day. In the morning Willie, Bert & I were picking fruit. We pick 5 Cases Burbanks, 3 of Jargonelles and 1 of Irish Peach Apples . Minnie, Mrs H. Brown , Mrs Dale were here for dinner.
I went down to the P.O in the pm to get the mail. Willie & Bert took the fruit down to the wharf later in the afternoon.
Jane, Mrs Wallace & Alma went to spend the afternoon at Mrs Dunning Senr.
Wednesday 20th It was a fine day. Willie & Bert went in the boat round to Big Omaha fishing. Jane, Mrs W and Alma walked over to Ti Point to spend the day, they all returned in the evening bringing Alma, Agnes and Arthur with them.
I staid at home all day.
Thursday 21st It was a fine day. First thing in the morning we picked 6 Cases Burbanks. Afterwards all of us went to a picnic to Goat Island beach, we took the horse & sleigh to take the provisions, I rode Empress and carried Arthur in front of me. There were about 40 of us including children, some went out in a boat fishing and caught a lot of fish. In the evening I went down to the village, the Annual Meeting of Subscribers to the Library was held, the old Committee were re-elected.
Friday 22nd It was a very hot day. I picked 3 Cases Burbanks before breakfast and after breakfast we hauled the 9 Cases of Burbanks down to the wharf. The Steamer took in a big lot of fruit. Hauled up a bag of sand.
Saturday 23rd It was a fine day. We were picking Burbanks & Orleans. June, Mrs W. & Alma went to J. Wyatts in the afternoon.
Sunday 24th It was a fine day. Joe & Minnie came over to spend the day. Mrs Wallace, Minnie & I went down to the Hall in the pm to the Wesleyan service. Mr Jebson officiated.
Monday 25th It rained last night, but it did not go very deep into the ground. It was a very fine day. Mrs Wallace, Alma & Bert returned home by the “Kawau” which left here a little after noon, we all went to see them off. Willie hauled down 16 Cases Fruit and their luggage and brought up a bag of sand.
Willie and I picked 5 Cases of Orleans in the farm orchard in the pm.
Tuesday 26th It was a very hot day. We were picking fruit. In the afternoon I went down to the village saw the arrival of the “Kawau” from Auckland, got the mail, and a bag of sand. Heard down there that the Fruit Inspector was coming round this week, so when I got back home Willie bandaged the Apple & Pear trees & I picked up all the apples from the ground.
Wednesday 27th It was a very hot day. Willie hauled 19 Cases Fruit & a box of Eggs down to the wharf and he brought up a bag of sand, do of grit.
I boiled all the picked up apples and then buried them the top side of the house, afterwards cleared the yard of all docks and burned them.
Thursday 28th It was fine in the morning , we were picking Orleans in the farm orchard, in the pm it came on to rain and we had to come home. In the evening Willie went down for the mail & attended the Library for me, it came on to rain pretty heavy and he got wet.
Friday 29th It rained nearly all last night and it was showery this morning, but it cleared up and was very hot.
We picked 4 Cases Orleans in this orchard and Willie hauled the 10 Cases down to the wharf in the afternoon, and he brought me up a bag of sand.
We got the Sheep from the Barley Paddock late in the pm & killed one.
Saturday 30th There was a misty rain falling when we got up, and it continued most of the morning, but towards noon the sun came out and it was very hot . There were two cricket matches at the claim between the senior and junior teams of Omaha & Matakana clubs, it came on a mist rain in the afternoon and they had to leave off, but Omaha won on the first innings in each grade, Jane & Willie went after an early lunch, Willie returned home in time for milking, but Jane staid. I was working in the flower garden.
Kiri Brown came up to tell me that Jimmy Fairburn had died early this morning at the Pa, so I went down with him to the P.O and rang up Constable Johnstone to ask if he thought it necessary to have an inquest, but he replied that he did not think so.
Sunday 31st It was a fine day. Willie hurt his thumb last night & he thought he had put it out of joint, so he started for Warkworth in the morning to consult Dr McCreedie, the latter told Willie that the thumb was not put out of joint and it would soon get all right again.
In the afternoon I went over to the Pah to read the burial service over Jimmy Fairburn who was buried in the Maori Cemetery, there a good many from this side of the harbour went over to the funeral, a boat was sent to take us over and bring us back. I have to milk the Cows now Willie has hurt his thumb.