Saturday 1st It was very dull first thing first thing in the morning.
I helped Mr Grigg select his exhibits, and then we took them down to the show, it was very misty and then it set in a fine rain, the sun came out and then it cleared up, it was only tempory as it came on a light rain. I had dinner with the judges at the hotel. A good many excursionists came by the steamer. The exhibits of fruit were not so numerous as other years especially in peaches and plums. The vegetables occupied about the same space as usual , the onions and kumeras were numerous and good , the carrots and parsnips were not so good in quality, and beans & tomatoes were not well represented. The jams, jellies & cookery were good, the weather cleared up in the afternoon . Jim exhibited some cattle which he & Hector drove over, Jane, Lily, Jean & Peter drove in the sulky.
We had tea at Mr A. Dunnings, afterwards we drove home.
The Warkworth band played during the day and for the dance in the evening.
Mildred was left with Dolly during the day and she & Jean slept there to keep Dolly company until Pat came home.
Sunday 2nd It was a fine day. Lily & Peter returned to Auckland in the “Gael“, Jim drove them over to Leigh in the morning, I am afraid they would have a rough trip as the wind is blowing strong from the E. Revd Roupredit the new Presbyterian minister held his first service at Leigh. There was no service here. Spent a very quiet day reading.
Monday 3rd It was threatening for rain, but we did not get any. Jim took all his onions in. I took all my onions up and put them on the piece of ground I had trenched.
Mrs Whitaker & Mrs Charlie Whitaker came in the pm.
Tuesday 4th Weather still threatening, I sowed a double row of Homestead Beans where the onions came out. Pat carted a load of fowl feed here. Jim was burning heaps.
Wednesday 5th It was a dull morning. Jane & Mildred went round to Evans’ to take the mail & to pick some blackberries, it came on to rain just after noon and rained steadily until the evening.
Thursday 6th It was a very fine day. Jim was working at Jack’s putting the telephone into his house. In the morning I went round to the shop to get a few things. Dolly & the baby were here in the afternoon. I sowed a short row of Red Beet.
Friday 7th It was a very fine day. Jim was working at Jack’s putting in the telephone. Dolly was up here helping Jane with the washing as Jane has a bad thumb. I weeded between Janes tomatoes.
Saturday 8th It was a fine hot day, but there was a nice breeze blowing.
Hector was flat fishing with Tom Greenwood in the afternoon, but they did not get any. I made a wood culvert at the back door and cut out the weeds where the cucumbers grew.
Jim rode to Warkworth to witness a cricket match, Franklin challenged Rodney who are the holders of the Walker Shield so the match was played at Warkworth. Rodney won the match so are the holders of the shield.
Sunday 9th It was fine in the morning ‘tho dull. Revd Addenbrooke held service in the hall in the morning, there were 21 present. Collection 12/7. Mr Addenbrooke came here for dinner. As he had to go to Matakana to hold service in the afternoon I went with him in his sulky as far as big Omaha. Went to Mr Dales, Mr & Mrs Lew Meiklejohn and family were there. It came on to rain heavily soon after I got into the house and continued all evening. I staid at the Dales the night.
Monday 10th It rained heavily this morning when it cleared up at 10.30 I left Mr Dales having spent a very pleasant time and walked home arriving about dinner time. In the afternoon I rooted out the seed onions as I had taken all the seed in, did come weeding.
Tuesday 11th It was fine in the morning. In the morning I went round to Whitakers & Birdsalls to tell them about the Bishop coming on Thursday afternoon, I spent a pleasant time chatting with Bowden & dined there, after I returned home it thundered, lightened & rained heavily.
Wednesday 12th It was a very fine day, wind S. I was working in the garden, I dug out the cosmas as the horse had eaten the tops off, did some weeding & shelled beans. We were expecting a wire saying that Mrs Wallace was coming by the steamer today, but there was something wrong with the wire and could [not] get Warkworth, Arthur Torkington and Mrs Edgar Meiklejohn came in the evening in the motor lorry, Jane made supper for them. I went round to Whitakers & Birdsalls in the morning to tell them about the Bishop coming tomorrow. I staid for dinner at Mr Birdsalls.
Thursday 13th It was a very fine day. In the morning I went to Arthur Wilsons to witness Mrs Addisons signature to her will.
Jim drove Hector to Matakana to consult the Dentist & Doctor. Bishop Arevill, Archdeacon Hawkins & Revd Addenbrooke arrived in a car from Pakiri at about 3 pm, there was a short service in the hall the Bishop giving a splendid address, afterwards the ladies entertained the guests with afternoon tea, in response to a welcome the Bishop and Archdeacon gave humourous addresses. The guests returned to Warkworth where they were going to be entertained at a social this evening.
Minnie returned with us for tea and Arthur called for her in a car to take her home.
Friday 14th It rained heavily & thundered in the morning. There was a picnic on the Domain of the 3 schools, Leigh, Ti Point & Big Omaha in charge of their several Teachers, Jim, Jane and children went in the morning. There was thunder and slight rain in the afternoon. I staid at home and was working in the garden, but went down to the Domain in the afternoon when the weather had cleared up.
Saturday 15th It was very fine in the morning, but there was a heavy shower at about 2.30 pm. Hector, Jean & I staid at home, I was working in the garden. I re sowed Garden Swede Turnips, formed beds for sowing for onion plants, took the sticks of the first row Homestead Beans and was intending to stick the last sowed Homestead Beans, only the heavy shower made ground too soft to trample on it. There was a Cup Cricket match at Warkworth between the local club and Omaha. Jane & Mildred went in Jack’s car and Jim drove Joe Torkington in the sulky.
Sunday 16th It was a beautiful day. Mr Redwood took me & Hector in his car over to Leigh to the Confirmation, Jane drove Jean & Dolly, Pat rode. The church at Leigh was crowded, there were 18 candidates, from Leigh, Pakiri, Whangaripo & 1 from Kaipara Flats.
Bishop Averill, Archdeacon & Revd Addenbrooke took part in the service. The Bishop gave a splendid address to the candidates, after the confirmation there was a Communion service, 10 old members of the church received first, and the 18 confirmees afterwards. The collection was £2 . 5 . 0. Mrs Gravatt entertained the clergy to dinner, I dined at Mr A. Dunnings. The whole of the Dunning family were present, after dinner Mr Dunning showed me his new house.
I called at Arthur Greenwoods , as he was laid up in bed with his back, I had tea at Mr Griggs, where the Redwoods had spent the day and they took Hector & me home in the car. Jane & Jean spent the day at Mr Stewarts and they called for Dolly, who was at Mr Dunnings, coming home.
Jim & Mildred staid at home. Unfortunately Mr & Mrs Bromley called here in the afternoon. Jim showed them the garden but would not let him make them any tea.
Monday 17th St Patricks Day. Weather fine, but wind easterly. Received a wire from Alma Wallace that her mother & Mrs Simpson were come by steamer to Matakana today . So Jim took the sulky to meet them and brought them here to stay,
I stuck the last row of Homestead Beans and finished forming the beds to grow onion plants.
Tuesday 18th It was a fine day, wind still E. Jim & the 2 Whitaker boys were working on the road filling up holes. I was working in the garden. Sowed cabbage seed in a box.
Wednesday 19th It was fine in the morning. Jane, Mildred, Mrs Simpson, Mrs Wallace, Dolly the baby & I went to Mr Whitakers to spend the [day] we were hospitably entertained & we had a good time. Just before we came home in the afternoon it set in a light rain and we got wet.
Jim was working on the road.
Thursday 20th There was a heavy shower in the morning and also in the evening, but fine during the day. Jim worked half a day on the road. I took out the sticks from the sweet peas, tied them up into bundles and cleared the ground of weeds.
Friday 21st A very fine day. In the morning I was shelling beans & putting away seeds. Wrote letters and posted them to Mr Bromley and Arthur Greenwood. Sowed Cauliflower seed in a box.
Saturday 22nd It was a very fine day. There was a cricket match at the Domain, Matakana V Omaha. Matakana batted first and made 119 runs. The chief scorers were J. Matthew 39, A. J. Campbell 20, Mumford 18, W. Crocker 13, Thomlinson 12.
Omaha then went to the wickets and only made 48 runs. In Matakana’s 2nd innings they only made 46 runs only one getting two figures, J. Chitty 15. The stumps were drawn at 4.20 pm. Had they been playing longer Omaha may have won. The cricketers entertained the visitors to lunch and tea.
Sunday 23rd It was a very fine day. I went with the cream cart to Big Omaha, I called at Whitaker Bros and Laurence showed me the new house he is building, and then I walked to Lew Meiklejohns & spent a very pleasant day there. I have known Lew since boyhood & we talked about old times, he showed me his farm and I was surprized that there was such an extensive valley at the foot of Tamahunga. Lew very kindly drove me home in his buggy.
Jim had driven Mrs Wallace & Mrs Simpson to Harold Torkingtons at Ti Point, Mrs Simpson remained there, but Mrs Wallace returned with Jim. Laurence Whitaker called in the evening.
Monday 24th It was a fine day. Jim was burning fern for W. Darroch’s land on the hill. I was working in the garden, set fire to the puriri stump. Mabel, Charlie & Lizzie Mills were here.
Tuesday 25th It was a fine day. Jim was burning fern for
W. Darroch. As Harold Torkington & Flo ‘ went to Auckland today, Mrs Simpson came back here, Jane drove Mrs Wallace to Big Omaha to see Laurence Whitaker’s [house] which is being built.
Mrs Whitaker & Lucy O’Driscall came to spend the evening, we played 500.
The puriri stump that I set fire to was still burning this morning so I put out the fire and took out what remained of the stump, filled in the hole and levelled the ground.
Wednesday 26th It was a fine day, but the wind is still blowing strong from the E. Jim was burning fern for W. Darroch. Jane & Mrs Wallace & Simpson went to spend the afternoon at Mrs Evans.
I pulled out the plants in the row of Tomatoes and commenced to dig the ground.
Thursday 27th It was a fine day. Mrs Wallace & Mrs Simpson left here to day. They got Jack to take them over to Warkworth in his car to go from Kaipara Flats to Auckland, Jane & I went part of the way with them, Jane got out at Matakana and I at Laurence Whitakers house, Jim had driven in the sulky to Matakana taking Hector & Jean to the dentist, Jane & the children returned in Jack’s car picking me up at Laurence’s house. I went up to Birdsalls and had dinner there. I was digging early in the morning and after I came back.
Friday 28th It rained all day, none of us were able to do anything outside. In the evening Jack went in his car to get the mail from this p.o. – to avoid the cemetery hill, the tide being out, he went and returned by the beach , in returning the car got stuck in the soft sand and Pat & Jim went to his assistance and got the car out.
There should have been a Leap Year ball this evening at Leigh and all preparations had been made, but on account of the weather it had to be put off.
Saturday 29th It was a fine day, but everything was very wet and gardening out of the question. There should have been a Cricket match at the Domain today between Omaha & Puhoi, but on account of the bad weather it was put off. There was a cricket match at Matakana, also Tennis match, Jim rode over in the afternoon.
Sunday 30th There was a heavy shower in the morning, but the remainder of the day was fine. Mr & Mrs Bromley & their little girl came in the pm, we had a great talk about Leicester where I and they came from, I showed them pictures of the dear old home. They staid for tea.
Monday 31st It was a very fine day. I finished digging the piece of ground I started last week. There was a fancy dress ball at Leigh in the evening. Jim & Jane went.