Tuesday 1st It was a very fine calm day, wind S. Very cold in the shade. After breakfast I went down to the P.O to get Mrs Harper to witness my signature to a Transfer Deed of the lease of the School Reserve. Lot 54. From myself to Eddie Wyatt. Afterwards went up and sawed up & sharpened kerbing. In the afternoon I finished digging round the seed Onions & weeding Onion bed.
Wednesday 2nd It was a very calm fine day, wind S. I was working in the garden all day. I put sand and manure round the seed Onions, loosened round some Daffodils and put sand round them.
I sowed 1 Row of Suttons Peerless Peas.
Eddie & Jim went over the hill with horses and sleigh and hauled home several kaihakatea logs which they sawed up in the afternoon. I went down for the mail in the afternoon, I received a letter from Lily (Jack’s wife).
Thursday 3rd It was a fine day with the exception of a few slight showers. Wind from W.
I sowed a 2nd Row of Suttons Peerless Peas. The first of these Peas last year were sown on the 19th August, so that these are sown 16 days earlier. When I finished the Peas I finished loosening and putting sand round the Daffodils in the Diamond bed. Charlie & the boys were cutting box timber.
Friday 4th I went up to the garden in the garden in the morning, [sic] sawed off some blocks and fixed some kerbing, but it came on very showery so I came home, and the remainder of the morning and the afternoon I was making cases. Charley & the boys were cutting box timber. It was fine in the pm.
Saturday 5th It was a very fine day. I took up the Dahlias and dug up the ground. Took some flowers down to the Church in the pm.
Charlie & the boys were cutting box timber. They have cut up all the logs that were here.
Sunday 6th It was a fine day. Revd Addenbrooke held service in the Church at 11 am. Will Harper’s infant son was baptized before the service, named Ross William. There wee about 40 present at the service. 7 staid for communion. Collection 21/- Mr Addenbrooke came up here for dinner he had to go to Pakiri to hold service at
2.30 pm, at Whangaripo at 7 pm.
Monday 7th It was a fine day. ‘tho cloudy. I put in a lot of cuttings of Ageratum in a box, cleared out the round bed and made good the kerbing. Went over the hill and got some tea tree rods for sawing up into kerbing. Went down to the beach and carried 2 bags of sand to the wharf & Jim carted them up to my gate. I got the mail.
Tuesday 8th It was a fine day. I carried up the sand that I got yesterday from the gate and sieved it. Made some kerbing, dug up the round bed and planted Escheveras round the edge.
Charlie & Jim were working at the school house in the morning, & Jim & Eddie were picking Lemons in the pm. Ivy & baby went to Auckland this morning by the “Kawau”.
Wednesday 9th It was a fine day. I went up to the garden and planted Lobelias next the Escheveras in the round bed, dug a lot of ground that was covered by oxais. Minnie came to the garden in the afternoon & I gave her some Cabbage & Cauliflower plants & Escheveras. We went down to meet the “Kawau” together, Elsie (Henrys wife) came up by the steamer. Jane drove over to meet her as she was going to stay with Jane.
Sad news I heard while I was in the village. John Greenwood died very suddenly this afternoon , it is supposed from heart failure. Jim carted 33 cases of Lemons to the wharf this afternoon.
Thursday 10th It was a fine day. In the morning I was cutting grass round the rubbish heap in the pigs paddock, and in the pm I burned it off. The boys were picking Lemons and in the pm Jim & C. Gravatt were digging the grave in the cemetery for John Greenwood.
Friday 11th It was a very fine day. I went down to the village after breakfast to send a bag of Eschevera & Lobedia plants to Mr Shepherd of Warkworth by Trevor Gravatt, mail carrier. Afterwards went up to the garden and made a wreath for the funeral.
John Greenwood was buried in this cemetery this afternoon, the first part of the service was held at the house and the remainder at the grave side, Revd Addenbrooke (Vicar) conducted the service. The funeral was largely attended, coming from Pakiri, Whangaripo, Warkworth, Matakana, Mullet Point and Big Omaha. I met Mr Pickering, Manager of the Bank of N.Z at Warkworth, and a member of the Anglican Vestry, I had a long chat with him & I showed him our Church, and he was very pleased with it.
Saturday 12th It was a fine day. Charlie and the boys were picking Lemons in the farm orchard in the morning, & sawing box timber in the afternoon. I picked the Lemons off the tree near the summer house for Eddie, dug up a border in the afternoon and took flowers down to the Church. Jim attended a Show meeting in the evening.
Sunday 13th There was a heavy shower early this morning and one of two slight showers during the day, otherwise fine, strong wind from the N. I conducted service in the Church in the afternoon, there were only 18 present, it took the form of a memorial service for the late Mr John, the hymns and sermon were appropriate. The Collection was 8/1. Elva Gravatt was here for tea.
I wrote an Obituary note of J. Greenwood for the Rodney Times also a sympathetic letter to Mrs Greenwood on her sad loss. These I posted after Church.
Monday 14th It was raining and blowing last night & early this morning, but it turned out a very fine day. I went up to the garden, and as the ground was too wet to dig I made kerbing and fixed it where it was wanted. In the afternoon I cleared up and dug up the long bed. I cut down the Bowardias. [?] Charlie & the boys were cutting box timber.
By the steamer’s mail this morning I received a letter from my son Henry containing a Cheque for £16 . 5 . 8 being 1 Quarters Interest to 31st May 1922 on £1000, lent to my sons.
Ivy who is in Auckland sent me a pack of cards for my birthday tomorrow.
Tuesday 15th My 79th Birthday. It rained last night, but was fine this morning. After breakfast I went down to the Post Office to lodge the Cheque of £16 . 5 . 8 that I received from Henry in the P. O Savings Bank. Got 2 bags of sand & Mr Gozar very kindly took them across to the wharf for me in his boat. On my way home Jane & Elsie in a sulky overtook me, they came to spend the day here as it was my birthday. Elsie brought me a pair of socks she had knitted & Jane brought me 2 Handkerchifs, they had dinner here and afterwards went up to see my garden, before going home Jessie made us afternoon tea. The sky looked very black , it thundered and there was a heavy shower. In the evening I went by invitation to dine and spend the evening with Mr & Mrs Stewart, we played three handed 500.
Wednesday 16th It was a showery day. I did not go up to the garden. Made a small stool, mended socks. Went down for the mail in the pm. The boys were splitting posts on the farm.
Thursday 17th It was showery in the morning, but fine in the afternoon, I went up to the garden, but everything was so wet I could not do much, I weeded the Onions, cut grass on the path, wrote a letter to Ivy thanking her for the birthday present she sent me, and enclosed it in a letter Eddie was sending . The boys were packing Lemons and Jim carted several loads down, he & Eddie brought the cart up to take away the wire netting that was on the fowl run so they brought my sand up to my garden.
Friday 18th It was fine in the morning, but a very heavy shower in the afternoon. I was digging, but had to leave off on account of the rain. Maggie & Jessie & children drove up to see Mrs John Greenwood. Eddie rode to Matakana to see Mr Roke.
Saturday 19th It rained last night, but it was fine this morning although everything was very wet. I went down to the P.O. & took £10 out of the Bank, when I came home I wrote a letter to my son Henry. The boys were splitting posts the other side of the hill, I went to have a look at them in the pm, & then took some plants to Mr Grigg.
Sunday 20th A very showery day. I did not go out anywhere. Revd Poole held service in the Hall in the evening , Jessie and Jim went.
Monday 21st Very showery in the morning. I went down to the Hall intending to cut the furze, but I got wet so I came home & changed. In the afternoon I wrote a letter to my brother Henry in England, and posted it in the afternoon when I went down for the mail after the arrival of the Steamer. Mr Burton, a nephew of Mrs Witten gave a Prohibition Address in the Hall in the evening, Revd Poole was also there. Jim, Jessie & I attended .
Tuesday 22nd There were only a few showers although the weather was threatening, but everything was very wet with the rain we had during the night. In the morning I went down to the village to post letters and to cut the furze in the hall ground and the horse pen. In the afternoon I went up to the garden.
Wednesday 23rd It was a very showery day. I was up at the old place morning & afternoon. I got tea tree poles the other side of the hill and made them into kerbing. I had to shelter several times on account of the showers. I was the only one home for lunch, the boys were down at the beach. I went down to meet the Steamer and to get the mail. Ivy and the baby came back by the steamer.
Thursday 24th Weather conditions improving. Only one rather heavy shower in the morning. Ground drying up. I went down to the P O after breakfast and then went up to the garden. It was too wet to do anything in my garden so I pruned some young apple trees and dug round them . The boys were hauling out posts the other side of the hill.
Friday 25th It was a beautiful day. After breakfast I went down to the P. O to post a letter. I was working up at the garden all day digging round the young Apple trees.
Saturday 26th It was a very fine day, but the wind is coming in from the E. I was up at the garden all day digging. Charlie and the boys started their contract up at the school contreting [sic: concreting]
Jim rode to the Claim in the afternoon, there was to have been a football match between Warkworth and Omaha, but the former did not turn up so there was a scratch match.
Sunday 27th It was a beautiful day. I started to walk over to Jim’s place, but Elsie & Jean met me with the sulky the other side of Bruntons cutting and they drove me to Jims place. After dinner we took a walk to the Domain, & I called to see Mr Holder. Revd Addenbrooke held service in the Claim Hall in the evening, all of us went, there were only 8 present.
Monday 28th It was a beautiful day. I left Janes at about 10.15 am and walked home, call in at Gravatts and reached home just before noon. In the afternoon I went up to the garden and continued digging where I left off, the top side of the house, Charlie & Eddie were concreting & Jim was carting.
Tuesday 29th It was a beautiful day. I finished digging the piece of ground that I was working at yesterday, I weeded the Onions and sowed Tomato seed in a tin. I picked 3 bunches of Violets and took them down to the steamer, 9 passengers left here for Auckland. The two School Teachers & there wives being of the number as there is a fortnight’s holiday. Charlie and Eddie were concreting at the school
Jim was drilling in grass for Mr Dunning.
Wednesday 30th It was a beautiful day. I was working in the garden all day. I sowed seeds of Leeks, Asters, Zinnias, Iceland Poppy and Nemophila, planted 3 Azure Fairy plants in the round bed, took Mrs Dunning 17 Varieties of Daffodil, met the Steamer, the engine came up for J. C. Wyatt & Sons. Norman Smith came up, he is appointed Teacher at Pakiri. Willie & Grace sent me a pack of cards as a birthday present.
Thursday 31st A very fine day. I dug between the Sweet Peas , Cut grass on the path. Cut 22 Varieties of Daffodils & a bunch of Violets & took them down to the steamer to give to Elsie who is returning to Auckland. Wyatts were landing their engine.