June 1925

Monday 1st   A very wet day, was not able to do anything outside. Wrote a letter to Willie.

Tuesday 2nd   It was a showery day, was not able to do anything outside.

Wednesday 3rd   The Kings birthday and a public holiday.  A showery day.   Jessie Gravatt came to spend the day as Trevor was helping Mr Wilson at the bowling green.  Everything was so wet outside I staid in the house.

Thursday 4th   Still blowing strong from E and raining.  The steamer should have made a round trip today, she came in here first, but on account of the strong wind and heavy seas she did not go round to Leigh, but lay at Ti Point wharf.  Mr Walden took the Leigh mail and some passengers over to Leigh in his car.  I was not able to do anything outside.  I had a fire in my room for first time this winter. The children did not go to school.

Friday 5th   Still blowing strong from the E, but not raining so much.  In the morning I went down to Pats to get him to change my Library books.
It is just a year to day that I went to Auckland in the SS “Waipu“, the Whitaker family were my fellow passengers.  Willie Dunning is still able to take his car for the mail.

Saturday 6th   A showery day, but finer in the afternoon.  Jim rode to Matakana to witness a football match.

Sunday 7th   It rained all last night and it poured with rain early this morning, but cleared up later on.  Mr & Mrs Redwood, Miss Rapson and Claris & Bob Redwood came in their car to spend the day, so we were a large party for dinner.  All of them went up to see my garden. I gave Mrs R some pansy plants, lettuces and a cabbage.  The party was augmented in the afternoon by Mrs Evans.  Jane gave them afternoon tea before tea before they went home.  After they went all of us went to enquire after Pat who has been laid up with a bad cold.

Monday 8th   It was fine in the morning.  I went down to the beach and got a load of firewood.
In the afternoon there was a football match at the domain between a Maori team from the Great Barrier who are visiting the district and the “Omaha boys”,  it was a well contested match , but ended in a win for the visitors 13 to 9.  Directly after the match was over it commenced to rain heavily and lasted some time.  Jane, the children and I got home before it started, but Jim was sheltering in the hall until it was over.

Tuesday 9th   It was a fine day with the exception of a slight shower in the afternoon.
In the afternoon I went down to Dollys, collected some manure from the domain as I am going to plant some peas at Dollys.  Jim went fishing at the channel and brought home two schnappers.

Wednesday 10th   It was a very fine day.  In the morning I was cutting pea sticks below the road.  Jim sent by Bowden Birdsall 17 calves to be sold at the loan sale tomorrow.

Thursday 11th   It was a very fine day.  Jim rode to Warkworth to see his calves sold , they sold well.  I was down at Pats all day.  I sowed two rows of Peas, 1 of Daisy and 1 of Stratagem.  I put cow manure, blood & bone  &  ashes in the trenches.  After I had finished I went into the domain and cut some tomato stakes and bean sticks.  Dolly was up here for lunch.

Friday 12th   It was very showery in the morning.  I went down to Pats and sowed another row of Stratagem Peas.  I had to take shelter several times on account of the showers.  It was finer in the afternoon.  Willie Dunning only brought his car as far as the hall and Mr Stewart brought the mail to the Whangateau P. O.

Saturday 13th   It was a very cold day, wind at the S.  I think I caught a chill yesterday, I hardly stirred out of the house.  Jim rode to Matakana to witness a hockey match.

Sunday 14th   It was a very cold day, but no rain.  There was no church service.  I did not go out anywhere.  Jane, Jean and Mildred went to Evans’  in the afternoon.

Monday 15th   It was a very cold day.  I was not very well, so I had breakfast in bed.  Although cold it did not rain.  I went down to the beach and carried up some wood.

Tuesday 16th   It was a very fine day, but cold in the shade.  Morning & afternoon I was at the domain cutting carrying out and sharpening tomato and bean sticks.  In the afternoon Jane and Dolly went to call on old Mrs Walden as she and her husband are living with Jack now as they have sold their place to Frank Whalen.

Wednesday 17th   It was a very fine day.  Mabel and Charlie came to spend the day.  I replanted the Strawberry plants and dug between the rows.  I sowed seeds in a box of Vanguard Cabbage.
My brother Henry’s 84 birthday.

Thursday 18th   It was a very fine day, ‘tho cold.  Jim was working with Harry Ashton on his farm.  I picked in all the Canadian wonder beans , took up the Tomatoes and sticks, carried across the beach the tomato & bean sticks I cut the other day and got firewood from the beach.  Jane & Dolly went to see Mrs Addison in the afternoon.

Friday 19th   It was a very fine day, but cold.  Jim was working with Harry Ashton, Jane went to spend the day with Mabel.  The three children therefore I was the only one home for lunch.
In the morning I went down to Pats to fix their back gate.  In the afternoon I went to Mr Whitaker’s to take Mrs W some pansy plants and to get some books to read.

Saturday 20th   It was a very fine day, but cold.  In the morning I went down to the beach for firewood.  Jim went to Pakiri to witness a hockey match between Omaha & Whangaripo,  the latter won.
Mrs Whitaker called in the afternoon and soon after she came Mr & Mrs Stewart came on their return from Matakana.  Jane gave them pm tea.

Sunday 21st   It was a very fine day, ‘tho cold.  This is the 6th fine day we have had, and a frost nearly every morning.  There was no service to day.  In the afternoon I went down to have a yarn with Pat, he gave me some newspapers to read.

Monday 22nd   It was a fine day, but not near so cold which is an indication that there is going to be a change.  After breakfast I went down to get a money order at Leigh as I am sending £5 and Jane £2 to Alma Wallace as a wedding present.  Pat had to post the letter at Leigh.
I pulled out the stakes of the white dutch beans and tied them in bundles.  I went down to the beach and cut some pea sticks, got some flax, and carried home some firewood.

Tuesday 23rd   A dull day and no sunshine.  After breakfast I went down to Pats for the mail, there was only one letter for me, it was from my sister in law Laura Clarke, she wrote informing me of the death of my dear brother Henry which occurred at his residence 20 Charleville Circus,  Sydenham,  England in his 84th year, he was the next older than me,  I was the youngest and only one left of a family of 12.  He died on April 25th.
While I was down at Pats,  Dolly told me that a storm and heavy rain were predicted, and it seems as if it were coming true as in the afternoon it commenced to rain and blow.   There was a dance in the hall in the evening, but none of us went, as all are suffering from colds except myself.

Wednesday 24th  The prediction of a storm and rain has come true, it blew a hurricane last night and this morning, and in the afternoon it poured with rain which caused a flood.  Jane went down to get the meat, but Bob was very late in coming on account of something going wrong with the lorry.  I wrote a letter to Henry which will be posted on Friday.

Thursday 25th   It blew with hurricane force last night and poured with rain today causing a flood.  None of us were able to do anything outside  except milk the cows.

Friday 26th   It did not rain today and the sun came out bright, but the ground very wet and I was not able to do anything outside.
Received a letter in the evening from Mr Elliott containing a Cheque for £28 . 10 . 6  being three quarters of a years interest on £600 I had lent to his brother Nathan Albert Elliott on a farm of 305 acres at Pongakaua, Bay of Plenty.  This interest is paid up to the 6th of this month.

Saturday 27th   Rained in the afternoon and evening.  There was a football match at the domain in the afternoon , Omaha  V  Matakana, the latter won.

Sunday 28th   It was a very fine day, but the ground is still very wet after all the rain we have had.
I wrote letters to Elliott & Holden,  Noel Wallace and Willie which will be posted tomorrow.
Pat, Dolly, Ethel Greenwood & Ina came up in the pm and staid tea.
Just after they went away Revd Addenbrooke came and Jane gave him tea, he was to have had service in the hall this evening, and he went down there, but none of us went, and I don’t think any one would turn up for the service.

Monday 29th   It was a fine day.  In the morning I went down to Pats and resowed the row of Daisy peas, the seed must have been old as very few came up, so I resowed the row with Stratagem peas, the other two rows of Stratagem peas have come up well, I carried up firewood from the beach.
In the afternoon I emptied the wood box , mended, and filled it again also carried in all the chopped wood  and filled the cupboard in the bathroom , also fixed up the towel roller near the door.

Tuesday 30th   It was a fine day, ‘tho dull.  In the morning Jim drove over to Wil Dunnings at Big Omaha, we had dinner there and afterwards Willie took me, Mrs Redwood, Mrs Wilf Meiklejohn  & Mrs C. Whitaker in his car to Matakana to be present at a confirmation service in the church conducted by Archbishop Averill. The church was packed, but principally by ladies, there were about 14 candidates for confirmation, mostly girls the only boy being Clary Matthew,  Revd Addenbrooke presented the candidates , the Archbishop gave two splendid addresses.   Willie dropped the ladies when we were coming home at their respective gates, but he very kindly brought me as far as Evans corner so I had not far to walk.
By this evening’s mail I received a letter from Alma inviting me to her wedding, also one from son Jack.
The rainfall for June as recorded at Warkworth P.O was a total of 11.13 in as compared with 8.67 in for June last year.  Rain fell on 20 days, with a maximum fall1.99 inches on the 24th inst  .