Friday 1st It was a very fine day. I got up about 4.15 and went out in the garden picking Roses, took them down to the Hall, arranged and entered them, returned home for breakfast, afterwards picked some more flowers and went down to the Hall for the day. The exhibits in the Industrial and Flowers sections were very numerous and good, also the childrens department, but the other sections were rather deficient.
Messrs A. E. Grindrod & J. T. Atwood judged the Flowers, Miscellaneous and Childrens department, Miss Revell the Dairy Department & Mrs R. Williams & Alf Woodcock the Industrial.
We got a lot of prizes. I got 1st, 2nd & H.C for one Rose, 1st for 3 Roses, 1st for 6 Roses, 1st 12 Roses, 1st for Collection of Roses, 1st & 2nd for Fuchsias, 1st for Pelargouamis, 1st for Verbenas, 1st for Collection Pansies, 2nd for Broad Beans. Willie & Grace also got a lot of prizes, the Judges & Committee had dinner at Harpers, the Committee provided a very good tea and supper in the Hall and there was a very good concert of local talent with the exception of Mr Grindrod who sang several songs very nicely, George Brown & Joe Dennis played for the dancing, there were not many in the afternoon, but a good many came in the evening, the takings for the day was £15 . 15 . 0 .
Jane and Flo returned with us and stayed the night. Mr F Mander our lasote M P addressed the electors outside the Hall in the afternoon.
Saturday 2nd It was a very wet day so we were congratulating ourselves on having it so fine yesterday Grace, Willie & I went down to the village to see Miss Revell of by the “Kawau“, Mr Grindrod also returned to Auckland in her we were too late to help clear up the Hall Charlie Wyatt, John Greenwood & Sid Rhodes had finished doing it when we got down.
Sunday 3rd It was a fine day, Flo returned home in the morning, Willie took Jane over to Mrs Dunning Senr in the morning and Jim was there with horses to take her home.
Revd Paris held service in the pm , I was the only one from this house who went.
Monday 4th It was a fine day, but the wind was rather squally and broke down some of my flowers. I was working in the flower garden.
I planted 2 Dahlias, (Clincher) heliatrope shading almost white, (Gondola) rose pink. Willie was digging the Potatoes the lower of the house to give the Tomatoes a chance that are planted between them.
Tuesday 5th It was a fine day and much calmer than it has been for some time. In the morning I was working in the flower garden, I sowed some plant food round the Bouvurdias, pointed it in, watered them and then mulched them with sieved stockyard manure. In the pm I was weeding the Onions, carried up some sand from the Koeroa creek. In the pm Willie hauled the 10 boards of mine up from the wharf, they are for building a summer house in the garden.
Wednesday 6th It rained nearly all morning, but it cleared up in the afternoon. In the afternoon I went down to the village to get the mail, Willie took the horse down and hauled up some fruit cases.
Thursday 7th It was a fine day, but rather windy. The General Election Poll for Electoral & Licensing was taken today, I acted D. R. O for taking the former and J. C. Wyatt for taking the latter. The returns for the three Districts in the Omaha Riding were as follows
Mander Purdie
Leigh 50 18
Pakiri 43 6
Whangateau 40 17
Totals 133 41
Licensing
Cont No Lic Agt Pro For Pro
Leigh 21 46 18 49
Pakiri 10 39 12 36
Whangateau 19 37 15 42
Totals 50 122 45 127
Friday 8th It was a fine day. Willie was cutting Danthonia in the morning, in the pm he was hauling fruit Cases. I was getting fire wood and working in the flower garden. In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library, there was a full choir to practice the service of song, 5 having driven over from Pakiri.
Saturday 9th It was very fine in the morning. Arthur Reece went to Auckland in the “kawau“, he is leaving NZ for England by the SS “Remuera” next week. Willie was hauling Cases in the morning and cutting Danthonia in the aternoon. There was a test Cricket Match at the Claim between Omaha and Matakana, I rode over, left my horse at Jims had lunch with Minnie [sic: perhaps he means Jane] under the trees near the beach, there were some showers during the pm which necessitated stopping the game for a while to take shelter. I got home before dark. The result of the match was as follows,
Matakana 1st Ings 71 Omaha 1st Ings 252, D. Knaggs made 103.
Sunday 10th It was a very fine day. Johny & Willie Greenwood came to have a look round the garden and staid for dinner and they went down with us to the Hall to service.
Revd McDonald officiated. Collection 12/7.
Monday 11th It was a very fine day and warm in the morning, but in the afternoon it clouded over and there were some slight showers.
Willie was cutting Danthonia all day and Jim D came over to work with him.
I finished weeding the Onions, and was working in the flower garden, planted 2 Dahlias & 1 Nasturtium. In the evening I went down to the village to get the mail.
Tuesday 12th It was a very fine day. Willie & Jim were cutting Danthonia in the Barley Paddock.
Revd MacDonald called in the morning and staid for lunch.
Mrs Gravatt & Miss Smith called in the pm, they had a look round the garden and I gave them some flowers to take home.
I wrote a letter to Ken Wallace and took it down to the P.O in the P.m, carried up a bag of sand.
Wednesday 13th It was showery the first thing in the morning, but later on it rained steadily but held up later in the afternoon and then it began to blow. Jim did not come over on account of the threatening weather.
I was cutting the grass on the paths in the garden, but had to leave off.
In the pm I went down to the village to post some letters & get the mail.
Willie took the horse down to the wharf and hauled two loads up to the house.
Thursday 14th It was a showery day but finer in the afternoon,
I went down to Charlie Wyatts in the morning and had lunch there.
Friday 15th It was a very fine day. Jim and Willie were cutting danthonia. I went down to the village in the morning to post some letters, carried up a bag of sand, when I returned I was working in the flower garden, I planted a Dahlia (Revd R. D. Williamson) near the front gate. In the evening I went down to the village for the mail & to attended the Library. There was a meeting of the Library Committee to choose new books.
There was also a choir practice, Willie & Grace attended it.
Saturday 16th It was a very fine day. Jim & Willie were cutting danthonia all day. In the morning I wrote a letter to Jack. Also sent them a Xmas supplement of the Weekly News, also wrote an order to Messrs Wildman & Arey for some new books, afterwards planted a Dahlia (unknown) near the bleeding heart. In the evening I rode down to the wharf to get the meat that came from Mangawai.
Sunday 17th It was raining when we got up and it rained the greater part of the day, cleared up towards evening, the wind was blowing strong from NE to NW. There was no service in the Hall today, so none of us went out anywhere.
Monday 18th A very disagreeable day, wind blowing with hurricane force from the NW it was very showery in the afternoon. Jim came over and he & Willie were cutting danthonia, but very disagreeable working in the wind and showers.
I was preparing kerbing and fixing it.
Tuesday 19th It was much finer today, but the wind sprang up in the afternoon, After breakfast I took the horse & sleigh with a case of Plums down to the wharf hauled up a bag of sand and some wheat from the Store, the remainder of the day I was preparing kerbing and fixing it. Jim and Willie were cutting danthonia.
Wednesday 20th It was a very fine day and for a wonder is was very calm. I got a lot of firewood and then got tea tree and made kerbing and finished fixing it round by the rubbish heap and joined it to the other near the Sweet Peas. Late in the afternoon I went down to meet the Steamer, there was a parcel of books for the Library, Mr Handby hauled it up to the Library for me.
Willie & Jim were cutting danthonia and in the afternoon they commenced thrashing as they thought there was going to be a change in the weather.
Thursday 21st It was very fine in the morning. I walked over to Ti Point called in at Harolds and then went on to Joes, had dinner there, it came on a misty rain, on returning home I called in at Harolds again, Mr Ashworth was there and we walked home together, Willie & Jim were cutting danthonia but they had to knock off early on account of the rain. After I got home I took some flower plants down to Mrs Charlie Wyatt and in the evening I planted some Phlox plants that Minnie gave me.
There was a Xmas Tree in the Claim Hall this evening and the children at the Point were looking forward to going.
Friday 22nd It was a very fine day, in fact very hot in the middle of the day. There was a very heavy dew in the morning so it was mid-day before Willie & Jim could thrash danthonia.
I was working in the flower garden, I pulled up the Sweet Peas growing near the rubbish heap and commenced to dig from that path, cut the oats and dug it in the trenches as I went along.
In the afternoon I went down to the village to catalogue the new books for the Library, I went down to the wharf to meet the Steamer from Auckland, a lot of passengers landed here coming to spend their Xmas holidays, I got the mail and attended the Library, there was a final meeting of the Flower Show Committee the Acts were audited & passed and I was authorised to hand over the balance £6 to be divided between the Hall & Library.
Saturday 23rd It was showery in the morning and heavy rain in the pm and evening. In the morning Jim came over to bring us a plum pudding & some peas as it was not fit to work at the grass seed. In the morning I went down to the village to post some letters, also went to the Steamer for the meat, but the butcher did not send us any this week.
Willie & Victor went down to Harpers in the afternoon to try and get some mutton.
Sunday 24th It was very fine in the morning. Revd Blundell conducted a Xmas Service in the Hall in the morning, Grace & I went. Alma and Agnes were here for dinner.
in the afternoon I walked over to the Claim to Mr Blundells service in the Hall, Jim & Jane were there, I went home with them and had tea there, coming home in the evening it set in a steady rain and I got very wet and I had to change every thing when I got home. Victor had ridden to Ti Point.
Monday 25th Christmas day. It was not very nice weather, It was blowing very strong & showery. Jim & Jane came to spend the day with us. Victor also returned from Ti Point. It rained steadily in the evening.
Tuesday 26th It was showery in the morning, but it was very fine in the pm. Grace was going to a picnic at Ti Point, but on account of the weather she did not go, Victor rode over to Ti Point in the morning. I was digging in the Oats in the front garden, and in the afternoon I helped Willie pick 7 Cases Tibbetts Plums & 1 Case Wrights Early Plums.
There was a dance in the Hall in the evening, Willie & Grace went.
Wednesday 27th It was dull first thing in the morning, but it turned out a very fine day, although about 3 pm it came over cloudy and commenced to rain, but it cleared up again although dull.
I finished digging the piece of ground below the round bed, planted two Dahlias that I got from Mr Whitaker.
I went down to meet the Steamer, got the mail and carried up a bag of sand. Willie & Jim were thrashing Danthonia.
Thursday 28th It was fine in the morning ‘tho threatening. Willie hauled the 8 Cases of Plums down to the wharf and brought up a load of Cases.
After he came back it commenced to rain and rained for the remainder of the day, Jim did not come over.
Friday 29th There were a few showers in the morning. Jim came over, but as it was not fit for thrashing after having dinner here he went home. I went down to the village in the pm to post some letters and to get the meat that came by the Steamer. I also came down in the evening to get the mail and attend the Library. There was a practice of the service of song, Willie & Grace were down to it.
Saturday 30th It was a very fine day, Willie & Jim were thrashing all day, but the danthonia was rather damp. I was sticking & tieing up my five Tomato plants and I dug up the ground round them burying all the weeds.
Sunday 31st It was a very fine day. Willie, Grace & Victor went to the Goat Island in the morning to spend the day. Revd Paris held service in the Hall in the pm, I attended. After service I walked over to the Claim had tea at Jims and he & I went to Mr Paris’s service in the Claim Hall in the evening, at both services Mr Paris preached a very suitable and excellent sermons suitable for the closing and the entering of a new year. Returned and slept at Jim’s.