April 1918

Monday 1st   Easter Monday   It was a beautiful day.  Willie & Grace drove to Goat Island beach to a picnic with Mrs Knowles, her children & mother.  Willie brought home a schnapper & crayfish.
I remained at home and dug out periwincle in the pigs paddock next the flower garden fence.

Tuesday 2nd   It was a fine day.  Willie was digging out paspalum and buffalo grass near the closet.
In the morning I was digging out periwincle in the pigs paddock.  In the afternoon I took Mrs D. Matheson some Daffodil bulbs and collected some shell sand for Duncan to bring over to the wharf for me.

Wednesday 3rd   It was a fine day.  In the morning I was digging out periwincle, in the afternoon I went down to the steamer.  I posted a parcel of Daffodil bulbs to Mr Mason.  Willie & Grace were down to the steamer in the sulky.

Thursday 4th   It was a fine day, but there was a slight shower in the evening.   I was digging out periwincle & convolvulus in the pigs paddock.  Willie was burning tea tree in the front.

Friday 5th   Willie’s 35th birthday.  After breakfast I went down to the village to get the mail.  Carried up a bag of sand.  Willie went to Mr Glass  & cut firewood.  In the evening there was a social as a send off to Frank Wayland, it was well patronised , the ladies provided a good supper.  I was playing cards all evening.  On behalf of the company I expressed good wishes to Frank.

Saturday 6th   It was a fine day.  We were late in getting up this morning.  I was working in the garden.  I planted 3 clumps of Daffodils,  1 Bride Gladiolus & 1 of the Old Scarlet Gladiolus.
Willie went down to the beach and helped Peter draw the net and they took a lot of Piper & other fish,  Willie brought a lot home.

Sunday 7th   It was a fine day, but it looked threatening for rain in the evening.  Revd Gould held service in the Hall in the morning, I attended, there was a large congregation,  & Mr Gould gave us a very good sermon.  Mr & Mrs Glass & children and Minnie were here for dinner.

Monday 8th   It threatened rain in the morning, but it cleared up and kept fine all day & evening.  I planted a clump of Daffodils (Golden Bell) also prepared some ground for Carnations.  In the afternoon I went down to the Steamer for bread.  Willie went down to the Hall to cut firewood and trim the lamps, ready for the social this evening.
The Social was a great success, Mr John Greenwood presided,  there were musical items,  songs,  recitations & I gave a comic reading,  Mrs Glass gave 2 items on the Mandolin,  the ladies as usual provided an excellent supper.  On behalf of the company present and absent ones I expressed the regret felt at Mr & Mrs Glass leaving the district & presented them with a bag of money. viz £6 . 10 . 0   Mr Glass suitable returned thanks.

Tuesday 9th   There were a few showers in the morning but  [rain]  in the afternoon.  We were congratulating ourselves that the social  [was]  last night instead of to day.
After breakfast which was not very early I went down to Charlie Wyatts to take Maggie some Daffodil bulbs, also some for Mr Glass as he and Mrs Glass staid there last night,  Mr G had carted furniture down to the wharf this morning  and had brought my shell sand up to our gate  so I carried it home.  Being a wet day Willie could not do any thing out of doors so he made washers for the sulky.  I wrote a report of the social also a letter of sympathy to Mrs Sutherland on the death of her son Kenneth by drowning at North Head by the upsetting of a boat.  In the afternoon Grace went down to Dunnings and Harpers.

Wednesday 10th   It rained all last night, several inches must have fallen .  The ground was very wet and I was not able to do much outside.  I wrote letters to Henry, Mrs Sutherland, A report for the County Times,  The County Clerk,  the Secretary of the Dioceson Board and to Arthur Yates for seeds & bulbs.  Willie took them to post when he went to the steamer.

Thursday 11th   It was fine during the day, but there were some heavy showers in the evening.  In the morning I went down to the village to post letters, in the evening I went down for the mail.  I made some kerbing and was fixing it where required.

Friday 12th   It was a very fine day.  Jim Wyatt commenced to harrow & disc the ploughed ground in the front.  Willie was down there all day and I was there in the morning pulling up tea tree on the ploughed ground.  In the pm I went down to the beach & sieved some sand & carried it over to the wharf.

Saturday 13th   It was a fine day.  Willie took the cart down to the wharf in the morning with a load of fruit and carted up 1 Sk Sharps, 1 Sk Bran and the sand that I collected yesterday.
Mr & Mrs Glass left to day at 11 am in the “Kawau” their many friends were down to see them off.
Jim Wyatt was discing the ploughed ground in front.  Willie took Prince down to work with Jim’s horses.  I dug over the three cornered bed and afterwards went down below to break the lumps on the ploughed.

Sunday 14th   It was very fine in the morning, so I started off for Ti Point calling in at Mr Ashworth on my way.  While there it came on a big shower which lasted an hour, so I had to stay until it was over, then I continued my walk to Mr Duncan Knaggs where I had dinner and had a look round the flower garden, then I went on to Joe Torkingtons, had tea there, and got home just before dark.  While I was away they had company.  Ermest Wyatt was here for dinner and Mr & Mrs Arthur Greenwood were here for tea.

Monday 15th   There was a heavy shower in the morning, it was fine in the afternoon.  Willie took the horse down and was helping Jim Wyatt board and harrow the ploughed ground in the front.
In the morning I was making some shallow seed boxes, in the afternoon I was digging round the young apple tree in the pigs paddock.  In the evening Willie went down for the mail.

Tuesday 16th   It was a fine day.  Jim Wyatt was disc harrowing the ploughed ground in front.  Willie was pulling, cutting and burning tea tree at the bottom of the barley paddock next the ploughing.  In the morning I filled 3 shallow boxes with soil ready to sow with flower seeds.  In the afternoon I was helping Willie pulling tea tree.

Wednesday 17th   Showery in the morning.  Fine in the afternoon.  Willie took the cart down to the wharf in the afternoon to meet the steamer, the seed & manure for the ploughed ground came, but he left it in the shed and brought up groceries, and a bag of sand for me. I took a bunch of flowers to Mrs Gravatt, collected her church guarantee and then went down to the steamer, she was very late in arriving and it was getting dark when Willie & I got home.

Thursday 18th   It rained early in the morning, but it did not turn out such a bad day.  Charlie Wyatt was going to drill the seed & manure into the ploughed ground, but he thought the ground would be too wet.
I sowed seeds in boxes of the following.  AntirrhinumCanditult  &  Centaurea.
In the afternoon Willie was mending the trap, I was digging out convolvulus round an apple tree in the pigs paddock.  Grace went down for the mail in the evening, she heard there that Elliot Greenwood had been killed in action at the Western Front.

Friday 19th   It was a showery day.  I did no work outside as my cold was rather bad, I busied myself in writing letters, I wrote some local Par’ s   [paragraphs ?]  for the Times, a letter of condolence to Mr & Mrs Joseph Greenwood on the death of their son Elliott, and a long letter to my daughter in law Lily at Te Araroa.

Saturday 20th   There were some showers during the day.  After breakfast Willie went down to the Post Office, he posted the letter I wrote yesterday to Joe Greenwood and Lily, he brought up my watch which had come by the mail, from Kohns.
In the afternoon Willie was mending the fence between the barley paddock & the front.  I was putting up parcels of Daffodil bulbs for Mr Macdonald & Lily, I took some down in the afternoon to Mona Wyatt and Irene Wyatt.

Sunday 21st   It rained steadily all day, it cleared up a little in the afternoon just before church time, I went down to the church, but there were only 10 present, Revd Macdonald gave us a very good sermon.  Collection 7/5

Monday 22nd   It was a very fine day.  Wind from the SW.   Willie was digging the kumeras.  I was cutting & burning fern outside the stockyard.  In the evening Willie & Grace went down to meet the steamer to get some bread.

Tuesday 23rd   It was a fine day.  Willie planted 2 rows of carrots in the new garden.  I was burning fern below the stockyard.  Ella Matheson came in the afternoon , Grace was not very well and did not get up until after she came.  I showed Ella round the garden & gave her some flower plants to take home.
In the afternoon I went down to see Tom Ashton thrashing wheat at Ab’s shed, took some bulbs to Archie Morley, carried up some sand.

Wednesday 24th   It was a fine day and the ground is drying up.
Charlie Wyatt came to drill the Western Wolts in the ploughed ground.  Willie took the horse and trap down to the wharf and hauled up the seed and the phospate  [sic: phosphate]  which is drilled along with the seed.
In the morning I planted in the three corner bed, some bulbs of Vallotta  [sic: Vallota]   or Scarborough Lily, also 1 Doz Renunculus &
2 Doz Anemones.
In the afternoon I took bags over to Duncan Mathesons and got sand, had afternoon tea there,  Dan Kempt brought me and my sand over to the wharf and hauled it up to our gate.  I got the bread and meat from the steamer, and I posted a parcel of bulbs to Lily.
There was a Debate in the Hall in the evening on ‘Is Tea harmful or not.  Willie & Grace went.

Thursday 25th   It was a fine day.  Charlie Wyatt finished drilling the Western Wolts in the middle of the morning and Willie was boarding it in.  In the morning I planted a Chrysanthemon that Mrs D, Matheson gave me, also sowed some Stock seed.

Friday 26th   It was a fine day.  Willie was opening drains on the ploughed ground.  I was working in the flower garden all day digging and tidying up.  I received a letter from Lillie (Jacks wife) who came up to Auckland in the Mako and is staying with her sister Millie at New Lynn who is married.

Saturday 27th   It was a fine day.  Mrs Pink  (Annie Rogers)  came for me to fix up her widows pension papers, she staid for lunch.  Grace went down to the steamer in the morning to get bread and down to the Church in the afternoon to dust and decorate.  Willie went fishing in the afternoon and also in the evening.  I was digging out convolvulus in the pigs paddock behind the summer house and also the other side of the fence in the garden.

Sunday 28th   It was dull & threatening in the morning, I was to have conducted service in the Church in the afternoon and we all were intending going, and I had started, but it came on a driving rain so I turned back and it was fortunate that I did as it rained heavily later on.

Monday 29th   It was a very showery day.  I was unable to do any thing outside.  Willie was cutting clothes props on the hill.

Tuesday 30th    Showery day, not so bad in the morning, but showers heavier and more frequent in the afternoon.  Willie was cutting clothes props.  I got some firewood in the morning, but remained in the house in the afternoon.  Jim Wyatt came in the evening.