Thursday 1st The fourth Anniversary of the Declaration of War on Gemany. It was a fine day, the wind was blowing cold from the SW.
After breakfast I went down to the Library to change my books. Called in at Mr A. Dunnings to see the war news. Willie took a box of Eggs down to the wharf and hauled up 2 Sks of fowl food. The remainder of the day I was chopping wood.
Friday 2nd It was a fine day, but the wind was blowing cold from SW. After breakfast I went down to the village to get the mail that came last night.
Cut dry branches off pine trees & cut fern. Willie was fixing up the gate near the pig sty.
Saturday 3rd It was a fine day, wind SW. After breakfast I went down to the barley paddock to pull tea tree, but the wind blew so cold that I had to knock off, so I cut fern below the sulky shed. In the afternoon I called on Mrs Gravatt & Arthur Greenwoods, Arthur was in bed very bad with influenza. Willie hauled up a Sk Sharps from the wharf in the afternoon, he went fishing, but had no luck.
Sunday 4th It was a fine day, but the wind is still blowing cold from SW.
Revd Orchard conducted service in the Hall at 2.30, it was the day appointed by the King for united prayer to God to give us victory, he also spoke of the drink traffic interfering with efficiency in winning this war. I attended, but I am sorry there were so few present to hear the parson’s discourse. Willie, Grace & Mrs Simpson went to James Greenwoods and staid tea, Flo’ was at Church and she came up here and staid the night.
Monday 5th It was a fine day, wind SW. I was cutting and burning fern out in the front paddock near the sulky shed.
Willie cut a pine tree down near the old pig sty so as to get a good road through the new gate.
Tuesday 6th It was a fine day, wind N. Willie was away all day getting wood for the Teacher. I cleared out the store and afterwards loosened round the Cabbage & Cauliflower plants the upper side of the house, digging in fowl manure round them.
Wednesday 7th It was a fine day, ‘tho dull, wind strong from N.
Willie was working up at the school house. I was working in the front garden. I planted the following Roses I got from Lippiatt.
Queen Mary HT Yellow
Alfred Colomb HP Bright Rose
Genl Jacqueminot HP Scarlet
Lieut Chaure HT Crimson Red
Instituteur Sirday HT Golden Yellow
Souvenir of Stella Gray T Apricot
I went down to the steamer in the afternoon, received a letter from Jane who is spending a long holiday at the Wallaces, Devonport.
Thursday 8th I was cutting up pine branches & knocking off pine cones, Willie was going down to the Church to put the pane of glass into the broken window, so I went with him to help. While we were down there there was a very heavy driving shower of rain, but after that it was a fine afternoon. When we had finished the window Willie went fishing and brought home a nice lot of fish. When I came home I had my lunch and then finished cutting up the pine branches, and afterwards went the other side of the hill and got some firewood.
In the evening there was a meeting in the Hall called by Mr Tancred A. Cooper, Organiser of the Farmers Union to endeavour to form a branch here. Neither Willie or I went.
Friday 9th It was a very showery day. After breakfast I went down to the P. O to get the overland mail that came last night, afterwards I called at Mrs Gravatts and Arthur Greenwoods.
Willie was working in the store, he put new handles into hammers and made some pigeon hole[s] to stand on my office table.
Saturday 10th It was a beautiful day., wind S. In the morning I cleared my office table and arranged the things in the pigeon holes.
Sunday 11th It was a fine day, ‘tho dull & cold. Mr Macdonald sent a wire yesterday that he was unable to take the service to day, so I held service in the Church at 2.30, there were 24 present, the Collection was 8/3 .
Monday 12th It was a very fine day. Willie was transplanting carrots in the garden. I was fixing up the piece of ground the upper side of the closet to cultivate again. I had to get rails to mend up the fence & I started to dig it, it was full of rank grass, bones and pieces of wood & blackberries.
Tuesday 13th It was a fine day. Willie and I were planting Potatoes (Northern Star) in the new garden.
Wednesday 14th It rained heavily last night and early this morning, Willie & I continued planting Potatoes in the new garden, there were a few slight showers . In the afternoon I went down to the steamer, Jane returned home and Jim came to meet her, but as the roads are so bad he thought it best for her to go round to Ti Point in the steamer and he would take a sulky to meet her at the pipi bank.
Willie took a box of eggs down to the wharf and hauled up groceries and ½ Cwt Seed Potatoes (Up to Dates). It rained heavily in the evening.
Thursday 15th My 75th birthday. It was a fine day. Willie continued planting Potatoes in the new garden.
I chopped up a lot of puriri wood the other side of the hill.
Friday 16th It was a very fine day. After breakfast I went down to the P. O to get the overland mail that came last night, afterwards helped Willie plant Potatoes in the new garden.
In the afternoon I sowed seeds of Lettuce in a tin near the front veranda, earthed up the Cabbage & Cauliflower plants, and loosened round the Daffodils in the daimont [diamond?] bed and sprinkled shell sand round them. Flo’ came over from Ti Point in the afternoon and took her mother (Mrs Simpson) back with her.
Saturday 17th It was a very fine day. After breakfast I went down to the village to get the mail called in at the Church and arranged the flowers in the vases . Afterwards helped Willie plant Potatoes, we finished planting them by evening. There are now planted 12 rows, ½ Cwt of Northern Star and ½ Cwt of Up to Dates.
Sunday 18th It was a very fine calm day. I read service in the Church in the afternoon. There were 29 present Offeratory 10/-
After Church I went up with the Jas Greenwoods and had tea there, they have made great improvements round the house, concrete paths and steps to the front veranda. I was sorry to hear that they are leaving the place to Ernie who is to be married shortly to Irene Dunning, and are going to live near Auckland.
Monday 19th It was a very fine calm day. Willie planted out some young Lemon trees of his own raising in the farm orchard. I was pruning roses all day. In the evening I had a slitting headache and was glad to get to bed.
Tuesday 20th It was a very fine day. Grace went up to John Greenwoods with Mrs Jas Greenwood to spend the day returning late in the evening.
Willie planted out some more Lemon trees in the farm orchard in the morning. and in the afternoon he went fishing on the reef and brought home a lot of fish. I continued pruning roses.
Wednesday 21st It was fine in the morning. I went down to the beach and sieved some sand and carried three bags of it over to the wharf. Mr A. Matheson came in the morning and staid for lunch. There was a slight shower in the pm. Willie took a box of eggs down to the wharf in the afternoon and brought my sand up. I dug a strip of ground the top side of the house to plant a row of cabbage.
Thursday 22nd It was a very fine day. Willie was digging ground in the new garden. I dug between the cabbages, cauliflowers & peas the top side of the house, also planted 6 Cauliflower & 12 Cabbage plants.
There was a meeting in the Hall in the evening to consider the advisability of making a presentation to the boys going to the war. Willie & Grace went, the discussion was very heated, when the motion was put to the meeting it was carried by 15 to 8.
Friday 23rd It was a very fine day. After breakfast I went down to the village to get the mail, the remainder of the day I was working at the top side of the house, I prepared a trench to sow a row of peas, I replanted the row of Peerless peas that came up badly, also sowed 12 seeds of some old Stratagem peas to see if they would grow, also dug between the cabbages. Willie was digging up ground in the new garden. Mrs Simpson returned from Ti Point in the afternoon, Grace went down to meet the steamer & got the mail.
Saturday 24th It was a fine day. In the morning I sowed a row of Stratagem Peas the top side of the house. Also sowed some Trophy Tomato seeds in a box. Willie was digging in the new garden.
In the afternoon I walked over to the Claim to stay the weekend with Jim & Jane. There was a working bee at the domain, there were four teams discing the paddock preparing it for oats, the ladies gave the men afternoon tea, I called in at Mr Holders to take Miss Bond some Rose cuttings. They gave me pm tea and had a long talk with Mr Holder about old times. He showed me a bound number of the Albertland Gazette the first & the last issues.
It rained pretty steadily during the night.
Sunday 25th It rained last night and it was showery this morning. Revd Gould conducted service in the Hall in the afternoon, Jim, Jane, the children & I attended, there were only 12 present. Going back to Jims there was a shower and we took shelter on Mr Holder’s veranda, we got home dry, but it rained steadily all evening.
Monday 26th It was fine in the morning. The cream cart driven by Gus Neeley commenced to run from Ashton’s creek to Matakana.
I returned in the morning, called at Mr Holder’s for some schalotte plants. The roads were very heavy with the rain last night.
Willie fenced in the piece of ground above the closet. I did some odd jobs but was tired with my walk this morning. It rained again in the pm.
Tuesday 27th There were several showers during the day. After breakfast I went down to the beach to get some sand, but I found that the tide was in so I got some gravel and shells and put them in the shed. I sowed seeds in shallow boxes of Centauria, Imperlalis, Antirrhinum, Calliopsis Tinctyra, Calliopsis Drummondi & Blue Larkspur.
Wednesday 28th The wind was blowing strong from the S. which will dry the ground and roads up. I took some flowers down to the Hall for the wedding. I found them busy there, cutting up sandwiches & putting up tables. Willie took a box of Eggs and he brought up my bags of gravel.
The marriage of Gladys Irene Dunning youngest daughter of Mr & Mrs A. Dunning to Ernest Walter Greenwood 5th son of Mr & Mrs James Greenwood was solemnized in the Leigh Hall this afternoon. The Hall was nicely decorated with nikau and flowers, the bridesmaids were Miss Dorothy Greenwood & Miss Hilda Dunning, the best man being Mr Alf Greenwood, brother of the bridegroom. The bridal party stood under a floral bell, the ceremony was performed by Revd Gould (Presbyterian) of Warkworth, the hall was packed with invited guests. Mrs Gravatt played the wedding march as the bridal party filed up the hall, the bride was given away by her father, after the ceremony photographs were taken of the bridal party and also of a larger group when all adjourned to the hall again to partake of the wedding breakfast, the tables were laid on the stage and were loaded with all the appetising & dainty viands usual to such occasions, a beautiful three decker wedding cake being on the table occupied by the happy couple & near relations. The following toasts were proposed, The King, the bride & Bridegroom, the parents of the above and the guests, it took several relays to provide for such a large gathering.
A reception was held in the evening when the company was greatly augmented. Mr Schollum & Mrs S. Smith supplied the dance music , the seniors played cards on the stage, supper was served early as the bride & bridegroom were leaving by steamer at midnight to spend the honeymoon at Rotorua, A vote of thanks was passed to Mr & Mrs Dunning for their hospitality which was carried by singing ‘For they are jolly good fellows’, Jane & children & Flo’ returned here and staid the night.
Thursday 29th It was a fine day. Jane & children & Flo returned home after breakfast. Willie was digging in the new garden.
I dug and manured a trench for another row of Peas.
Friday 30th It was a very fine calm day. Willie was digging in the new garden in the morning and he planted 60 strawberry plants in the piece of ground he fenced in near the closet.
I dug and manured a trench for Schalotts also cut grass on the path.
Mr & Mrs James Greenwood called in the afternoon.
Saturday 31st It was a very fine day. Willie went fishing with Mr A. Dunning and Leslie Machardo and came home late in the evening with a lot of fish.
I was digging in the flower garden and I planted 30 Schalotte plants