March 1914

Sunday 1st   It was a fine day.  Willie & Grace drove to Ti Point to spend the day with Harold & Flo, they brought Dorothy back with them.  The Revd R. A. Macdonald held service in the afternoon, there was a small congregation.

Monday 2nd   It was a fine day, it came over very cloudy, but we did not get any rain.
Willie was making a shed near the sulky shed to store pears in, he also picked pears.
I got manure for the garden & wrote letters to Mr Wallace & Mr Spedding.  Went down to the beach in the pm and sieved a lot of sand and carried it round to the wharf for Willie to haul up for me tomorrow.
John Wyatt came in the evening for me to witness his signature.

Tuesday 3rd   It was a very fine day.  I was helping Willie pack pears, we had an early lunch as Grace is going to Auckland in the “Kawau“. Willie hauled the fruit & Graces luggage down to the wharf and he hauled up home the sand that I carried over to the wharf yesterday.
I delivered to Mrs Harper the Registration Books, forms & stationery and explained to her the Keeping of the books, afterwards I went up to Mrs Dunning Senr to witness her & May’s signature, had tea there.

Wednesday 4th  It was a very fine day.  Willie was sorting over pears & picking fruit.  I went down to the village in the afternoon to get the mail, carried up a bag of sand.

Thursday 5th   It was a very fine day.  It was dull on account of so much smoke about from bush fires.  The ground is very dry, and all vegetation parched up, rain very much needed.
Willie hauled down to the wharf in the morning, the fruit he picked yesterday, he also went down to meet the steamer in the afternoon to enquire about a Sk of Sharps that should have come yesterday.

Friday 6th   It was a very fine day.The Jersey cow calved (a Heifer Cow) it is Dinaha, one that he bought in Northcote,  Willie has been very lucky in calves having 5 heifers out of 6.  Willie was spraying in this orchard.  I went down to the P.O in the morning to post some letters and to get some castor oil which I took a dose of when I got home, I have not been well lately and I was lying about most of the day.   In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library.  The Tennis Tournament commenced at Warkworth today.

Saturday 7th   It was a fine day.  In the morning Willie went down to the wharf & hauled up a Sk of Sharps and a bag of gravel for me.  Mr Torkington came in the morning for Harold’s Library books, he staid for dinner.

Sunday 8th   It was a fine day.  Willie & I drove to Ti Point to spend the day with Joe & Minnie, in the pm we went over to the sandspit , after tea Willie & I started for home,  I got out at the Ti Point school and walked to the Claim for evening service, Mr Raeburn McDonald (Presbyterian Student) officiated and he preached a splendid sermon,  I went home with Jim and staid the night.

Monday 9th   It was a very fine day.  Left Jims about 9.30 and walked home,  got dinner for Willie, in the pm  got firewood, manure and gathered in flower seeds.

Tuesday 10th   It was a very fine day.After breakfast I went down to the P.O to get the mail, carried some sand.  Willie baked a batch of bread in the morning.  In the afternoon he rode to Matakana to get a tooth out.

Wednesday 11th   It was a very hot day.  Willie was picking fruit.  I was preparing sites to plant roses in the border near the wire netting fence.
In the evening Willie & I went up to call on Mr & Mrs Lees and spent a very pleasant evening.

Thursday 12th   It was a very fine day.  Willie was packing fruit, he hauled it down to the wharf in the afternoon.  I went down to get some sand and Willie hauled it home for me.

Friday 13th   It was a very fine day, no rain this month so far, ground very dry.  Willie was cleaning Danthonia seed in the sulky shed.  I turned over some ground near the front gate which is full of sorrel so that it might be killed by this hot run.
In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library.

Saturday 14th   It was a very hot day.  Eddie Wyatt came in the morning to borrow our sulky and harness to go the Pakiri as there is a Tennis match there between the men that are working on the roads.
Willie finished cleaning the Danthonia seed.  I was busy in the house, washing out some kitchen towels, cooking, getting wood &c.

Sunday 15th   It was a fine day.  Mr Raeburn McDonald (Presbyterian Student) who has been assisting Mr Blundell for the last 5 months conducted his last service here in the morning and preached his farewell sermon,  there was a good congregation, we are all sorry that he is leaving.
In the evening Mr Bert Rollinson ,  Harold & Grace Knaggs and their cousin Miss Green came, they looked round the garden & orchard and had a feed of pears.  Mr Rollinson conducted evening service in the dining room, and we gave them supper.

Monday 16th   It was dull in the morning then we had a few slight showers, afterwards the showers were heavier & more frequent and in the afternoon & evening it poured.  I collected as much rain water in the tubs & tins and watered the plants in the garden and I filled the bath tub half full for future use.
We have not had so much rain, or the ground so wet since I came from Auckland which was on the 12th December last.  Willie was packing Beurre Capiaumont pears near the sulky shed.

Tuesday 17th   St Patrick’s Day, and a wet one.  There were heavy showers all day.  A great deal of rain has fallen which will do a great deal of good.  Willie went down to the village in the morning and he heard that the “Kawau” did not come last night on account of the rough weather, and that she is not coming until her usual Omaha trip tomorrow.

Wednesday 18th   It rained a little when I got up this morning, but the sun came out and it turned out a beautiful day.  It was very calm.  The rain has sunk deeply into the ground and has freshened up everything.
Willie was picking and packing pears.  I went down to the village in the afternoon and found that the “Kawau” was not going to leave Auckland until 2 pm, so I went home and got tea,  Willie went down in the evening, the Steamer did not arrive until 8 pm, several passengers came up.

Thursday 19th   It was a very fine day.  I wrote to Grace and Mr Grindrod.  Willie was packing fruit and he hauled 36 Cases of Fruit to the wharf.

Friday 20th   It was a very fine day.  Willie was picking Pears all day.
In the evening I went to Joe Wyatts to fix up a Pension paper for Mrs Wyatt, had tea there and then went for the mail & attended the Library.

Saturday 21st   There were a few slight showers.  Eddie & Lennie Wyatt drove me in our sulky to Warkworth to witness a Cricket match between Omaha & Port Albert, Omaha got a 2 point win, Eddie made top score of the day, namely 55 runs.
On our way home we staid at the Claim Hall, there was a dance on,
I staid the night at Jims.

Sunday 22nd   It was a fine day, but windy.  Willie drove over in the morning, and after an early tea we drove home and arrived just before dark.

Monday 23rd   It was a fine day.  In the morning Joe Wyatt came over to get me to witness his pension papers.  I went down to the beach in the pm and sieved two bags of sand.
Willie was picking and packing pears and he hauled them down to the wharf in the evening, and he brought up my sand.  Mr Elliott and Willie Dunning played off Tennis at Warkworth to day for the Silver Cup, Mr Elliott won, the sets were Elliott 3,  Willie D.  2.

Tuesday 24th   There was a misty rain first thing in the morning, but it turned out a fine day.  I did some washing and was fortunate in getting them dry.  Willie went down to the Steamer after breakfast to send a case of fruit to Grace, afterwards he picked the Beurre Deil pears from the big tree.
It came on to rain the latter part of the afternoon and it rained in the evening.  Willie went to a Show meeting in the evening.

Wednesday 25th   It was blowing and raining all day, a heavy sea in the harbour and outside.  Willie was nailing down some cases of fruit in the sulky shed.  We were not able to do anything outside.

Thursday 26th   Willie got up early and took his fruit down to the wharf, roads are wet and heavy pulling.  The “Kawau” did not come yesterday on account of the weather and she has not been in yet.

Friday 27th   The “Kawau” came in last night and then went to Big Omaha and returned to Auckland.
I went down to the P.O in the morning to post some papers.  Mrs Harper paid me £7 . 0 . 9  –  as Government subsidy to the Public Library.
Willie dug some Potatoes in the farm orchard and planted Mangels near the grape vines.   In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library.  It was a fine day.

Saturday 28th   It was a very fine day, calm, warm and sunny.
Willie went down to the village in the morning to post some letters , in the afternoon he was planting Mangels.  I was busy cooking most of the day preparing food for tomorrow.
In the afternoon I put in the plants and cuttings that Grace send from Auckland yesterday.  There was a Tennis Match at this court between the navies working here and at Pakiri, but Willie & I did not go to see it.

Sunday 29th   It was a very fine day.  Revd R. A. Macdonald held service in the Hall at 11 am there was a fair congregation, he preached a very good sermon, Collection 12/-
Willie & I attended, after church Willie went to Mr Glass to spend the day, I returned home and got my dinner, in the afternoon I walked up the hill, called in at Mrs Handbys, saw the improvements that are being made on the road through Handbys, called on Mr Murray whom I found in bed with Kidney trouble, had a pleasant chat with him, partook of afternoon tea,  Mr & Mrs Jas Greenwood were also there and we walked down together.

Monday 30th   It was a fine day.  Willie was picking fruit, he took the horse down to the wharf  to meet H. Torkington who was bringing a box that Grace was sending from Auckland.  I went to Mrs Dunning Senr in the afternoon to witness her signature,  afterwards went to the village to get the mail.

Tuesday 31st   It was a very fine day.  In the morning Willie took a load of fruit down to the wharf and brought up a load of cases.  In the afternoon I was digging in the flower garden.
In the evening I went up to Wil Dunnings, but found them out, they were out for a walk and I met them as I was coming home and we had a chat.
George James who has been working for Willie for some time, left to go to work for Gus Neeley.