Friday 1st The wind is blowing from the E and it was showery all day. Henry went down to Mathesons beach and finished stacking the Posts, there are 338. I finished splitting the palings in the E.R. in the morning, and then carried some rails to mend up the fence round the orchard. I went to the Library in the evening. Emptied a bag of Flour into the bin.
Saturday 2nd It rained slightly in the morning so as to stop work out of doors. Henry went to the Pa to see W. Brown about loading with our Posts etc
It poured with rain in the pm, but cleared up in the evening.
Sunday 3rd It was a fine day. Revd R. McKinney held service in the Hall in the morning. There was a good congregation. Mr Greenwood came up here for dinner and he and I walked up to Mr Handbys where we had tea. There was a shower in the evening.
Monday 4th It was a fine day, with the exception of a shower in the afternoon. Henry mended the sleighs thinking that the “Ida” was going round to Mathesons to load our Posts, but when she went out of the harbour she went round to Pakiri. We took the two pair of bullocks to the top of the E.R. and brought home a load of palings.
Tuesday 5th It was a fine day. We were waiting about all day for the “Ida” to come from the Barrier to load our Posts, but she did not come until late in the afternoon and then she went into the Cove.
I was mending up the fence round the orchard. Henry split some posts up the hill near Mr Neeleys
Wednesday 6th The Ida went round to Mathesons, but it poured with rain early this morning, the heaviest rain we have had all winter, there was a fresh in the creeks and several land slips, it was too wet to load the Posts with the bullocks, Henry went down to Mathesons beach and they put the 5 Kauri logs on board. I chopped a lot of fire wood and pulled up ti tree when it was fine enough.
Thursday 7th We got up early and took the bullocks down to Mathesons beach and loaded the “Ida” with the Posts, we took 12 Posts down with us and with the 338 that were down on the beach before makes 350 Posts. We commenced putting them on board at 8 am and finished a little after 11 am. We had dinner on board the “Ida” went round to the Cove as she is not going to start for Auckland until tomorrow morning .
Henry and I were pulling up ti tree in the barley paddock in the afternoon.
Friday 8th We got up early in the morning and Henry went down to the Cove to go to Auckland in the “Ida“. She went out about 7.30 and she was soon around Takatea Point as there was a good breeze. It was a fine day. I was mending up the orchard fence.
Sowed some Cabbage Seed ( Manchester Defiance ) in a box near the closet.
Saturday 9th I pared all the bad weeds off the piece of ground the upper side of the house, and made a fire and burned them and commenced to dig the ground. It came on to rain in the evening. Willie came home from Tomarata in the evening, John did not come.
Sunday 10th When we got up in the morning it was raining, but it cleared up after breakfast to allow me to milk the cows and then it came on to rain again. It cleared up again after dinner so I took the Key down to the Hall but there was no School or Service, so I went up to Jos Wyatts. It was fine for the remainder of the afternoon & evening. The wind is from the NW.
Monday 12th (should be 11th) It was very showery. Willie went over to Ti Point in the morning to get his and John’s horse, he left them here and walked to Tomarata in the afternoon. I was pulling up ti tree and mending the orchard fence.
Tuesday 13th (should be 12th) I was mending the orchard fence. Mr Pratt & Clara Savage were here for tea, afterwards we all went down to meet the Steamer, she was very late coming in as she did not leave town until 12.30. Henry came up by her. There was a Theatrical troupe performing in the Hall. Most of the young people went.
Wednesday 13th Henry was hauling goods from the Wharf that he brought up from Auckland by the Steamer last night.
Thursday 14th It was a fine day. Henry and I were working in the E.R. – getting materials to make a Sheep pen.
Friday 15th We were splitting a Taraida into rails for the Sheep pen. Henry commenced putting it up while I was sharpening the rails. There were several showers of rain during the day.
There was a meeting of the Library Committee in the evening to choose new books.
Saturday 16th It was a fine day there was no rain at all. We were working at the Sheep pen in the morning.
Henry went gum digging in the pm. Willie &and John did not come home this week.
Sunday 17th It was very dull in the morning, and it came on to rain just before dinner and rained all afternoon and evening, so much so that we could not milk the cows in the evening. There was neither Sunday School or Church.
Monday 18th It was a beautiful day and very warm. We were working at the Sheep pen next the E.R.
Tuesday 19th Henry and I were working at the Sheep pen next the E.R. in the morning. I was making some fencing rollers in the shed in the pm. It rained very heavy in the afternoon.
Wednesday 20th It was a fine day. Henry and I were working at the Sheep pen next to the E.R.
Wrote a letter to Phillipson enclosing £10 as reduction of principal owing to S. Matthews Stone Church Building Fund, this letter will be posted on Friday morning
Thursday 21st It was a fine day. Henry and I were clearing away the rubbish from Matheson’s fence and we fixed barb and plain wire on it.
Willie Brown’s infant son died this morning of measles. We heard the firing of a lot of guns at the Pah.
Friday 22nd It was a fine day. We cut off a block from the Kaihakatea on the hill and split it into palings and commenced to nail them on the sheep pen. Emptied a bag of Flour into the bin.
Saturday 23rd It was a fine day and the ground has dried up very much. Contined splitting palings and Henry was nailing them on the sheep pen.
In the afternoon was the Annual Meeting of Ratepayers in the Hall, there was a good attendance. Mr Witten, Mr & George Ashton and Bowden Birdsall came up here for tea.
In the evening there was a meeting of the Farmers Association, there was a very good attendance. Mr Pearson read a paper on Tobacco culture, the desirability of the County Council striking a Poor Rate was discussed and was unamously condemned. Mr Lane came home with us and staid all night.
Willie came home from Tomarata, John did not come.
Sunday 24th It was a fine day. Mr Lane had a look round the farm with me and he then started for home. I read service in the Hall in the afternoon. There was a very fair congregation.
Monday 25th It was a fine day. Willie, Maud and the baby went up to Pratts in the morning . Willie has gone up to tail the Lambs he has in shares with us. Henry and I were working down at the Sheep pen, finishing off and clearing up.
In the afternoon I went over to the Pah to read the burial service over Willie Brown’s infant son who died last Thursday morning. The funeral was at 3 oclock and the spot was a small point jutting out into the harbour near to where his great grandfather Te Kiri was buried. The funeral was very orderly and was followed by all the Native relations & friends and also several Europeans. We sang Hymn 289 at the grave. We had tea at Willie Browns after the funeral.
Tuesday 26th It was cloudy in the morning, but it turned out a fine day. We got all the Sheep into the new Sheep Pen to castrate and cut the Lambs tails. They were as follows
18 Ewe Lambs
13 Ram Lambs
31 Total
After tailing them and cleaning the Ewes we put them into the E.R. 28 Ewes, 1 Barren Ewe and 14 Wethers. Total 43 besides the 31 Lambs. We had some difficulty to get them into the pen for the first time. Mr Neeley helped us and he took one of his sheep away that was amongst ours.
Wednesday 27th It was a fine day, the wind blowing from the N.
The Michaelmas Holidays commenced at the School today.
Henry and I were digging the top side of the house.
Thursday 28th It rained early this morning but it did not wet the ground much, but it cleared up and was fine in the afternoon. We were all (5 of us ) pulling titree in the barley paddock.
Friday 29th We finished digging the piece of ground the top side of the house, we then pared the creeping weed off the ground that was in pumpkin last season and put it into a heap. Minnie and Henry went to the entertainment at Pakiri, the former in the morning and the latter in the evening. It was a very fine morning , but it was showery in the afternoon and evening.
Saturday 30th It was a fine day. I did odd jobs about the house. Henry went gum digging to Point Rodney. Maud, Willie & Minnie came home in the afternoon from Pratts. John returned from Tomarata in the evening, he had not been home for five weeks.
The next 2 pages including Oct 1st and 2nd are still to be photographed