October 1903

Thursday 1st   It was a showery day.  Willie was mending up the farm orchard fence.  I was pruning the orleans plum trees over there.

Friday 2nd   There were a few showers.  I continued pruning in the farm orchard & Willie commenced digging over there, commencing near the hedge.  In the afternoon Willie took Fanny down to the wharf and brought up some Maize .  I went down for the mail in the evening and attended to the Library.

Saturday 3rd   It was a fine day.  I was pruning and Willie was digging  in the farm orchard all day.  We found out that Juno had calved, we searched about and found the calf was dead on the farm, so we fetched Juno home in the evening & milked her.

Sunday 4th   It was pretty fine tho’ threatening in the morning.  Willie rode to Ti Point to spend the day.  It came on to rain in the afternoon and rained all day.

Monday 5th   It rained heavily all last night, and was showery to day.  We were not able to do any work outside.

Tuesday 6th   It was a fine day tho’ dull, but the ground is drying up a little after all the rain.  I was pruning the Orleans in the farm orchard in the morning.  Willie was mending up the fence round this orchard.  In the afternoon Jane and I went down to the Hall to help cut sandwiches, I also took the eggs to the Store.  There was a Euchre party in the evening got up by the Tennis Club, the proceeds to be given to the Hall Committee for the purpose of finishing & furnishing the gents dressing room, Jane & I went and it was a success, tho more people would have been present if the roads & weather had been better.  Mr Whitaker was present and the Hall Committee paid him £20 thus reducing the debt on the Hall to £80.  The old p n was destroyed and we gave him another for £80 – bearing interest at 5% borrowed for two years.  Mr Joseph Greenwood kindly advanced some of this money to enable us to pay off this £80.

Wednesday 7th   It was a fine day.  Jane rode to Ti Point.  I was pruning the Orleans in the farm orchard in the morning & finished them in the afternoon.  Willie was digging in the farm orchard in the afternoon, and I was digging for about 1½ hours.

Thursday 8th   It was a fine day.  In the morning Willie took the bullock down to the store and got 100 lbs Flour from Harpers, also hauled up one of our Sacks of Maize from the wharf shed.  I was digging in the farm orchard .  In the afternoon Willie and I were flat hoeing the Potatoes down at the Cottage.

Friday 9th   The wind is still blowing strong from the SE and the weather looks very threatening so we did not like continuing hoeing potatoes, so went digging in the farm orchard all day .  I went down to the P.O. and Library in the evening, but no mail came from Warkworth ,  it is supposed to be on the “Rob Roy“.

Saturday 10th   The wind is still blowing from SE, and it looked very dull in the morning, but it turned out a tolerably fine day, sometimes the sun was very hot .  Willie & I were digging in the farm orchard in the morning.  About noon Willie had a violent tooth ache, so he rode to Warkworth in the afternoon intending to have the tooth out .
I continued digging in the farm orchard in the pm and finished the strip at the far end of the Orleans.  If all the time is reckoned it would have taken the two of us 3 Days.

Sunday 11th   It was a fine day, but the wind is still blowing SE.  I walked over to Tea Point to spend the day.  Jane went to Joe Wyatts in the afternoon.

Monday 12th   When I awoke in the morning a misty rain was falling and the grass was very wet, but soon after 7 oclock the sun came out and it turned out a fine day.  Willie returned from Warkworth in the middle of the morning.  I set a Hen on 13 Pure bred Brown Leghorn Eggs that I got from Minnie.  We sowed 2 Rows of Stratagem Peas and planted 24 Cauliflower plants.  Took the Eggs down to the Store.

Tuesday 13th   It was a pretty fine day, but the mist is hanging about and the wind is blowing from NE which makes it very close hot weather.  Willie took the bullock down to the wharf in the morning and hauled up the other sack of Maize.
I went down to the “Claymore” in the afternoon , Joe Greenwood sent some Sheep away in her.
After I came up from the steamer we all cut the weeds round the Strawberries.

Wednesday 14th   It was very misty first thing in the morning, but the sun came out after awhile, but in the afternoon we had several showers of rain.
We planted 49 Early York Cabbage plants.  Also manured a row for Tomatoes.

Thursday 15th   It was a fine day.  The wind has gone round to the W.  We planted out about 150 Onion plants in the morning and in the afternoon we were flat hoeing the Potatoes down at the Cottage.
Miss Hutchinson was here for tea.

Friday 16th   There was a misty rain in the morning , but it cleared up and turned out a fine day.
We were flat hoeing the Potatoes.  Jane rode to Warkworth returning in the evening.
I went down to the Village in the evening, there was a meeting of the Flower Show Committee.

Saturday 17th   We went down and finished flat hoeing the Potatoes, but it was raining most of the time and it continued raining most part of the day.  Willie went down to the wharf fishing in the afternoon and he brought home a few small rock cods.

Sunday 18th   It was misty and raining nearly the whole day.  Willie rode over to Ti Point.

Monday 19th   It was still very misty and raining.  Jane rode to Ti Point to do some sewing.  We were not able to do anything out of doors.  I took the Eggs down to the Store in the afternoon.

Tuesday 20th   The wind was blowing very strong from SE.
In the morning we cleaned out the calf place and fixed it up, and then we went down to the E.R. to get up Beauty who has calved, we found her, she has a white bull calf, but the calf ran into the tea tree so we left the cow.  Albert Wyatt came while we were having dinner and he paid 1 months rent of the Cottage up to yesterday Oct 19th.
In the afternoon Willie went down to the wharf, but the “Claymore” did not come on account of the weather.  While Willie was down there he heard that the “Ki Ora” yacht had gone ashore on the Pa beach at low water this morning, the occupants got ashore safely.  Willie went over to where she was lying and helped with others to drag her up the beach as the tide was coming in.

Wednesday 21st   The wind was still blowing very hard from the SE, but it did not rain.  Jane returned from Ti Point in the morning.  We got “Beauty” up and milked her, but we could not find the calf.
We were digging in the farm orchard commencing near the bank where the Elberta Peaches are planted.

Thursday 22nd    The wind was still blowing very strong from the E, but the sea is not near so rough.  We got “Beauty” and her calf in in the morning.
We were digging in the farm orchard all day.  The “Kawau” came in the afternoon bringing the mail, Jane was down at the P.O. and brought up the Weekly News.

Friday 23rd   It was a fine day.  Jane rode to Ti Point returning in the evening.  We were digging in the farm orchard all day.

Saturday 24th   It was a fine day, the finest we have had for some weeks.  We were moulding up the Potatoes down at the Cottage, by working late we finished them.  Jane planted out 38 Lettuce plants near the back gate.

Sunday 25th   It was a fine day.  Willie went over to Ti Point to spend the day.  I took a walk to the Cemetery and the Wharf in the afternoon.  Harold Torkington rode over in the afternoon and staid for tea.  The “Kia Ora” was floated off the Pa beach this morning and sailed for Auckland.

Monday 26th   It was a beautiful day.  I loosened between and thinned out the Turnips.  Planted out 17 Peach Tamatos.  Also planted out 14 Cauliflower plants and filled up the Cabbage and Cauliflower plants that had been eaten by slugs.
Willie sowed some Cucumber seeds.  The “Claymore” arrived from Auckland at about 8 pm.  Willie and I went down to meet her.
Packed a box and intend to take it down to the Steamer tomorrow morning containing 16 Doz Eggs & 7 lbs Butter.  This is the first we have sent away this season.

Tuesday 27th   It was a fine day.  Willie and I took the bullock down to the wharf in the morning with a box of Eggs & Butter and hauled up a sack of Potates.  The “Claymore” left at 10 am.  We were weeding the Strawberry Bed the remainder of the day.

Wednesday 28th   It was a fine day.  Jane rode to Warkworth to stay at the Aveys so as to be present at the Claymore Ball.  I also rode to Auckland on a horse lent to me by Charlie Dunning, Alec Matheson went with me, we went to the Magistrates Court to urge the claim of Mrs Dunning for a Pension.  We also attended the stock sale of the N.Z. Loan & Mercantile.  Reached home about 7 pm.  The horse was taken very bad with colic and Charlie Wyatt came up to see it and we were up all night with it.

Thursday 29th   A fine day.  I went very early in the morning and told Archie Dunning about his horse, he came over at once to see it, and as it had got a little better he took it home.  Willie and I got a little sleep and we did a little digging in the afternoon.  I went to Mr Dunnings in the evening.

Friday 30th   It was a fine day.  We beat down a piece of ground for pumpkins.  I went down to the P.O. and Library in the evening.

Saturday 31st   It was a fine day.  Willie rode to Matakana to meet the Avey boys who are coming to stay with us. They called at Ti Point on their way and did not arrive here until after 6 pm.  I planted 6 hills of pumpkins , the seed I got from Mr Young of Matakawa Point, East Coast.