August 1911

Tuesday 1st   It was a fine morning.  I pricked out in a box young seedlings of Calendula,  Wallflower,  Sweet William,  Stock & Caterbury Bells.
Also sowed in the boxes these came out of  Salpiglossis,  Viscaria,  Stupid Zinnia and Argentina Sweet Pea,  also sowed in a long box seed of Gladiolus that I got from Childs of New York last year,  before dinner I went down to the village to post some letters and to get the mail, carried up a bag of sand, finished pruning the rose trees,  got some soil from the root of a puriri tree the other side of the hill.
Willie was digging in the pigs paddock.  It rained in the evening.

Wednesday 2nd   There were a few showers in the morning, but not enough to interfere with outside work.  The pm was very fine.  Willie was digging in the pigs paddock.
I sowed 16 varieties of Sweet Peas in as many beef tins.
In the afternoon I went down to the wharf when the “Kawau” arrived.  Carried up a bag of sand.

Thursday 3rd   It was a fine day only one slight shower.
Willie was digging out the periwinckle in the pigs paddock.
I sowed seed of Cabbage and Onion that Willie bought off Mr Rhodes.  In the village morning I went down to the village to post letters, sent a lot of the Flower Show schedules to Pakiri by Mr H. Dyer, carried up some black soil.

Friday 4th   It was fine in the morning.  After breakfast I went down to the village to post some letters, posted a letter to Mr Shannon containing £1 . 15 . 0  being contributions from Leigh to the Anglican Church Guantee Fund for the half year ended May 30th 1911.
I carried up a bag of sand.  The remainder of the day I was preparing kerbing for the garden.
In the evening I went down for the mail, attended the Library, there was a choir practice in the Hall,  Willie, Grace & I attended.

Saturday 5th   It was a very fine day.  Willie went out fishing in the harbour and brought home several fish.  I was preparing kerbing and fixing it in the garden.

Sunday 6th   It was a very fine day.  Revd O. Blundell (Presbyterian) held service in the Hall In the morning, there was a large congregation, Grace & I attended.

Monday 7th   It was a beautiful day.  After breakfast I walked over to the Claim to see Jane,  I carried over a stool that Willie had made for Jane & schnappers & some violets & snowflakes.  I found Jane fairly well, and her baby is a fine big boy,  Mrs D. Knaggs was staying with Jane to do the house work until Jane gets strong.  I staid dinner there and then went to Mr Whitakers to take them some rose cuttings and a bunch of violets, had afternoon tea there and got home just before dark.
In my absence Willie sprayed the fruit trees in the orchard with Bordeaux mixture and afterwards he sprayed my rose trees and after that took the horse down to the wharf and hauled up some goods that came by the Steamer to day from Newdicks, also some grit for the fowls.

Tuesday 8th   It was a beautiful day.  In the morning I was preparing kerbing and I fixed it down to the lower gate.  In the morning Willie finished spraying with Bordeaux mixture.
In the afternoon Willie commenced to plant Up to Date Potatoes below the house, I was helping him, he manured them with potatoe manure & ashes.

Wednesday 9th   It was a beautiful day.  In the morning I was helping Willie plant potatoes below the house, until my back gave out and I had to leave off,  I was doing something towards filling up the bed below the front steps with soil out of the land slip.  In the pm I went down to take the Eggs down to the store, I thought I was going to get the mail, but the Steamer was not going to leave Auckland until midnight tonight,  I brought up a bag of sand, John Greenwood gave me a ride on his catamaran up to our gate.
Mr J. C. Wyatt & Eddie came to spend the evening.

Thursday 10th   It was a very fine day.  In the morning Willie finished planting potatoes below the house, I was helping him, afterwards he commenced planting potatoes the upper side of the house.
I was digging the bed below the front steps and filling up with soil from the land slip which I wheeled in the barrow.  Grace went down for the mail in the morning.

Friday 11th   It was a beautiful day.  After breakfast I went down to the village to post some letters, carried up some sand.  Willie finished planting potatoes the top side of the house, afterwards manured and loosened round the strawberries near the front gate.  I was digging the bed below the front steps.  Went for the mail & attended the Library in the evening.

Saturday 12th   There were several showers during the day, especially in the morning, but it was very fine between the showers.
Willie was away fishing all day, but only brought home 5 medium sized schnappers.  I was working all day digging the flower bed below the front steps.

Sunday 13th   It was a very fine day.  In the morning Willie & Grace walked over to the Claim to see Jane,  Willie returned in the evening, but Grace staid over thereto assist Jane until she gets strong,  Alma & Arthur came up here after Bible Class & had lunch with me.
Revd  K.  Teale (Anglican) held his last service here in the afternoon, the children & I attended, the sermon was on the necessity of religious instruction in state Schools, Collection 11/8.  Mr Teale is returning to England in October.

Monday 14th   It was a fine day,  cloudy in the afternoon but we had no rain.  Willie was pruning in the orchard all day.  I finished pruni digging in the bed below the front steps in the morning.  I sowed a short row of Sweet Peas (Bells Seed) at the bottom end of this bed next the wire netting.  In the pm I planted 4 clumps of Gladioli – namely those I got from Mr Bacon,  Miss Harding,  Mrs Handby & Mixed sorts.

Tuesday 15th   My 68th birthday.  There were several showers during the day.  Wind blowing pretty strong from the N.
I dug up between the Roses in the Diamond Bed, there were some Canditufts & Scabious plants which I transplanted into another place, my back got so bad I had a job to finish digging the bed,  I was lying down all afternoon to rest my back.
Willie finished pruning in the orchard, he planted out some Passion Fruit plants and was digging out Paspalum plants and wheeling them out of the orchard.

Wednesday 16th   It was a very fine  showery day.  Willie did not do anything out of doors.  I was in bed all day with a bad back & chest, but got up for a short while in the evening.  Willie took the Eggs down to the Store in the afternoon, the Steamer went into Big Omaha first on account of the rough sea so Willie could not get the mail.
Willie applied hot bran bags on my back after I had gone to bed which did my back a lot of good.

Thursday 17th   It was a very showery day.  I was in bed all day, my chest is much easier but my back is still bad.  Willie went down to the Steamer thinking that Grace would come round in the Steamer, but she did not come.

Friday 18th   There were only a few showers, otherwise it was a fine day.  I did not get up until the middle of the day.
After breakfast Willie rode over to the Claim and brought Grace home in the afternoon, she has been staying with Jane since Sunday.
Willie went down for the mail in the evening.
There was a Bachelors Ball at Pakiri this evening, Willie & Grace were invited, but did not go.

Saturday 19th   It was a fine day.  I got up for breakfast & afterwards I went down to the wharf to see if any books had come for the Library, but they had not, the remainder of the day I was resting myself.

Sunday 20th   It was a fine day, wind SW.  I got up for breakfast, but my back is still weak.  Agnes and Arthur were here for dinner. Revd Paris held service in the pm, none of us went.

Monday 21st   It was a fine day, wind still SW  Got up for breakfast, but back still bad & feeling weak.
In the pm walked down to the wharf to see if a parcel of books came for the Library, called at the Library to change my books.  Called to see Archie Dunning who is laid up same as self, cold & strained back.

Tuesday 22nd  It was a fine day with the exception of a shower in the morning.  Willie went down to the village to post some letters and to get the mail, but the Steamer did not land it but took it on the Mangawai.  In the pm he commenced to dig round the Diamond plums below the grape vines.  Mr Salt came in the morning & staid lunch.  My back was a little better so I burned the heap of rubbish below the house.

Wednesday 23rd   There were a few slight showers, otherwise it was a fine day.  In the morning I went down to the village to get the mail,  Mr Handby was erecting the new cupboard for the Library.  I also went down to the village in the pm when the “Kawau” arrived, 3 Magazines for the Library came by her, I took them up to the Library and catalogued them.  Willie was digging below the grape vines round the Diamond plums, in the pm he took a box of Eggs down to the wharf to go by the Steamer tomorrow to Newdick, it is the first eggs sent away this season.  While down in the village I heard that a man bush falling for Jack & Henry was accidentally killed last Wednesday by a tree falling back on him.

Thursday 24th   It was a fine day but dull.  A Poll was taken in the Leigh Hall to borrow £550 for building a new wharf.  Mr French (County Clerk) was Returning Officer and J. S. Salt at Pakiri.  In the morning I went down to record my vote in favour of the Loan, as Mr French takes an interest in flowers I took him down some and had a long chat with him, I carried up a load of sand.  Willie finished digging round the Diamond plums.  It commenced to rain in the evening.

Friday 25th   It rained nearly all day, wind strong from SE.  We were not able to do anything out of doors.  Willie was fixing up an Egg box.  I was writing a letter to my son Jack , I went down to the Hall in the pm, Mr Handby was making the cupboards for the Library.
Willie went down for the mail in the evening.

Saturday 26th   It rained nearly all day.  We were not able to do anything out of doors.  Willie got a lot of firewood in the morning and while doing so got wet through.  I finished my letter to Jack and was reading.

Sunday 27th   It was a very fine day overhead, but the ground wet and sloppy.  In the pm I walked up to Mr Handbys and staid tea.  Arthur Greenwood was there.  Willie & Grace walked up to see Mrs Gus Neeley, but they found no one at home.

Monday 28th   It was a very fine day, with the exception of a slight shower in the morning.  In the morning I raised the sides of the manure heap, got some danthonia hay and gathered up cow manure and put it on the heap.  In the pm I got two kerosene tins full of charcoal ashes from the hill and put them on the round bed, also got some vegetable mould from the puriri tree on the stone hill, sieved it & mixed sand with it and put it over Gladioli planted in the diamond bed.  Went down to the Library to change a book, and carried up some sand.  Willie & Grace were planting Paspalum plants in the front all day.
Willie took the horse down to the wharf in the evening to meet the “Kawau“, but no goods came up.  Received a letter from my brother Henry containing a Draft on the Bank of N.Z for £95 . 2 . 7  left to me by me sister Fanny who died at Torquay England last December.

Tuesday 29th   It was a fine day,  there were several black clouds passed over, but there was no rain.
I went down to the village twice in the morning and carried up sand each time.  In the afternoon I planted out 62 Pansy plants in boxes.
Willie commenced digging in the orchard round the lowest Burbank plum in the gully.
Mr Gravatt called in the afternoon.

Wednesday 30th   It was a very fine day.  Willie was digging at the bottom of the orchard.  I planted 2 rows of Sweet Peas, one below the veranda with 16 varieties I got from Ryders, the other row I sowed with mixed Sweet Peas.  I also planted out 3 Lupins and 4 Tagetes (Golden Ring).  Willie and I went down to the wharf in the afternoon, Willie expected some goods, but we heard that the “Kawau” was not going to leave Auckland until 10 to night, so Willie hauled up some grit for the fowls , and also some sand for me.

Thursday 31st   It was a beautiful day.  Wind SW.  Willie was digging in the orchard all day, he took the horse & sleigh down to the wharf in the morning with the box of Eggs and hauled up 100 lbs Flour.  I went down to the village to post a box of violets to Alma Wallace and to get the mail which came by the “Orewa” early this morning, I carried up a bag of sand.  I planted out 12 Canditufts and sowed seeds in the garden of Chrysanthemum (Tricolour) & African Marigold.