April 1920

Thursday 1st   All Fool’s Day.   It was a fine day.  Willie was working down at Wyatts, they thrashed one stack of wheat  (theirs).  Willie was working late to finish it.  I was working in the flower garden,
I planted 1 Clump of Grande Monarque,  4 of Bride Gladiolus,  transplanted a clump of Brown Lilies (Elegans)  also planted Lachenalias in a small box.

Friday 2nd   It was a fine day, ‘tho dull.  Willie was working down at Wyatts cutting wheat chaff & winnowing wheat.  Grace & Mrs Simpsons went to Horaces.  I was at home on my own, I was digging the piece of ground that was in Onions, I put vegetable refuse & horse manure in the trenches.  I went to the Library in the evening to change my books.

Saturday 3rd   It was a fine day, ‘tho dull.  Willie was working down at Wyatts, they finished thrashing Wyatts wheat, and now they have to thrash the wheat that Willie has a share on.  I finished digging the piece of ground near the front gate in the morning.
In the afternoon I set fire to the heap below the house & dug out convolvulus & creeping weed.

Sunday 4th   It was a fine day.  Raymond & I attended the Presbyterian service in the morning, Mr Poole, the new minister, preached an excellent sermon.
In the afternoon Raymond & I called at Arthur Greenwoods, but there was no one at home, called at Gravatts,  Charlie is recovering from influenza, but still very weak.  Took a walk down to the wharf and then across the harbour to Charlie Wyatts where we had tea. During our absence, Willie, Grace & Mr Simpson took a drive up the hill.

Monday 5th   Willies 37th birthday.   It was a fine day.  They commenced to thrash Willies portion of the wheat at 2 pm and finished about 6 pm.  Willie was late coming home.  Horace and his wife came to spend the day.  They went down to Mathesons beach in the afternoon.  I staid at home and was working all day.  I broke down the ground near the front gate, formed it into bed for sowing Onions & Cabbage.

Tuesday 6th   There was a very heavy dew last night, and in the morning it came on a misty rain, and during the morning & afternoon there were rather heavy showers.  Willie was working down at Wyatts .  Tom Ashton finished cutting the chaff that Willie has an interest in.  I sowed broadcast a bed of Brown Spanish Onions & half a bed of the same Onions and the half with Enfield Market Cabbage.

Wednesday 7th   Grace rode to Matakana on Bill to attend the wedding of Isabell Came to Mr Copestake, a returned soldier.
It came on to rain about 11 am and continued raining until 8 pm, but in the afternoon and evening it literally poured with rain,  it was the heaviest rain we have had for years, water was pouring down the hill at the back of the house.  Willie was cleaning wheat  down at Wyatts & he carted one load of chaff home.

Thursday 8th   It cleared up was a fine day with the exception of a few misty showers.  Willie was down at Wyatts all day and they finished cleaning the wheat.  I wrote a letter to Lily and took it down & posted it,  I then went down and saw the steamer off.  In the pm I went down to the Koeroa creek, there has been a big flood there, but it did not damage Willie’s charcoal kiln or heap of ashes.  Grace has not returned from the Cames wedding at Matakana.

Friday 9th   It was a fine day.  Willie was carting his Wheat & Chaff from Wyatts all day.  I cut the grass on the path, got tea tree from the hill and made kerbing and fixed in the border near the front gate.
Grace returned from Matakana in the pm having called into Janes.
I went down for the mail in the evening.

Saturday 10th   It was a fine day.  Willie finished carting the Wheat & Chaff in the morning,  in the pm he packed the chaff in the shed at the stock yard.
I was making kerbing and fixing it in the flower garden.
There was a pic nic down at Mathesons beach,  Grace & Mrs Simpson went,  Mrs Horace came home with them,  Horace came in the evening to take her home, we played cards

Sunday 11th   It was fine in the morning, there was a very heavy shower in the afternoon.   Harold & Flo’ came to spend the day.
Revd Orchard held his last service in the afternoon and preached a splendid sermon in defence of the Bible,  I attended.

Monday 12th   It was a fine day.  Willie was making a bin in the store and he emptied all his wheat into it.
I made kerbing and fixed them,  chopped a lot of firewood the other side of the hill and carried two loads home, gathered manure & cut rushes for the garden.

Tuesday 13th   It was a fine day.  Willie was picking Pears.  In the morning I went over to Duncan Mathesons to take some Dahlia flowers & Daffodil bulbs,  I filled 2 bags with sand which they are going to bring across to the wharf for me , called at the P.O to get the mail.  In the pm I carried firewood.
I felt a cold coming on so I made a fire in my room and did some mending.  May Dunning called in the afternoon.

Wednesday 14th   It was a fine day, but the wind is blowing from the SE.  In the morning I was helping Willie pack Pears, he hauled 13 bushel cases & a box of eggs & butter down to the wharf in the afternoon & he carted up the 2 bags of sand that I filled yesterday.
Mrs Simpson walked over to Ti Point.
I have a cold & sore throat and not able to do much, but I gathered in all the Homestead Beans & shelled them, got some firewood the other side of the hill.

Thursday 15th   It was a fine day.  Willie was picking Pears in the morning, in the afternoon he went fishing down at the wharf, but only caught a few sprats.  I cleaned the Homestead beans & put them away.  Also cleaned some Tomato seed.

Friday 16th   It was a fine day.  I loosened between the Sweet Peas, made up some trusses  [?]  with some pink varieties that Mrs Wallace gave me, scattered sand between the plants.  I pulled up the bean sticks , tied them into bundles and put them behind the pig sty.
In the afternoon I carried 2 bags of sand round to the wharf & met the steamer.  Willie was picking fruit all day and carted it down to the wharf in the evening.  He brought up my sand.  I also went down for the overland mail in the evening.

Saturday 17th   Blowing very strong from the N, and a dull day.  Willie was picking Pears all day .  I commenced to trench the piece of ground that grew tree onions & shallots.  I put rushes & horse manure in the trenches.
Revd Macdonald called in the afternoon and had a look round my garden.

Sunday 18th   The wind was still blowing strong from the N and it was a dull day.
Revd  Macdonald held his last service in the church in the afternoon, there were only 12 present, no doubt on account of sickness and the threatening state of the weather, in the absence of an organist, the vicar played the organ very nicely and preached a very good sermon.
The Collection was 9/6.
After church I went up to Arthur Greenwoods to change my Library books,  I staid for tea and had a look round his garden.

Monday 19th   It was raining nearly all day, I was not able to do anything outside.
Willie & I had a long talk about the farm, it seems that he has not been making it pay & he wants to give it up and go to Auckland and get employment, so we decided to sell the place.

Tuesday 20th   It was very fine first thing in the morning, but it turned out a showery day.
I rode on Bill over to Jims place.  Mrs Evans came to spend the day.  Jim was working at the quarry and did not come home until the evening, as the weather was showery I staid the night.

Wednesday 21st   There were a few slight showers otherwise it was a fine day.  I rode home in the morning.  Willie was picking & packing Pears , he carted two loads down to the wharf & a bag 50 lbs  of Onions for me that I am selling to Arthur Greenwood,  I went down to the steamer and got the mail.
Eddie Wyatt came in the evening wanting to buy the farm and I gave him the Option to purchase for £2,000 – this to include the School reserve, he gave me a deposit of £5 .

Thursday 22nd    It was a fine day.  Willie carted a Sk of Onions down to the wharf,  I went down to see the steamer off & took the Captain a bunch of flowers.  Jack Walden sent round in the steamer the Framed Enlargement of the Leigh Church which we are presenting to Revd  Macdonald, after I came up from the steamer I made a case for the enlargement.

Friday 23rd   It was a fine day.  I sent the enlargement of the Church to Mr Macdonald by Ernie Greenwood in the morning.
Wrote a long letter to my son Henry telling him I had partially sold the place to Eddy Wyatt.
Got firewood for the fire in my room.
Went down for the mail in the evening.

Saturday 24th   It was a fine day.  We saw the “Renown” going up to Auckland with the Prince of Wales on board.  I went down to the village to send a wire to Lily telling her I could not get a girl,  called at Gravatts.
I have a pain in my neck & shoulder so that I could hardly use my right arm,  Willie rubbed it with embrocasion,   [sic: embrocation]  although Willie is very unwell himself.

Sunday 25th   Anzac Day.   It was fine.  My shoulder & neck were very much worse so I staid in bed.  Although Willie was much worse he got up & milked the cows but went to bed again.  I should have held service in the Church this pm, but feeling too unwell to do so.  Grace went to the Bible Class at the Hall and to Mrs Gravatts to tell them there would be no service.
Willie Dunning came to see how I was in the pm and we had a long talk.

Monday 26th   It was blowing a gale from NE.  Anzac Day was kept to day.  There was no school.  Willie was still in bed but very much better, he got up for tea in the evening.  I had to milk morning & evening.  The pains in my neck and head were not quite so severe but had not gone away.  I got wood for the kitchen fire , also for my room.
I wrote a long letter to Mr Wallace.

Tuesday 27th   A very heavy shower in the pm.  Willie was well enough to get up and milk this morning, he picked Vicar Pears during the day.  I got firewood & went to Arthur Greenwoods in the afternoon to change my books.

Wednesday 28th   There were several heavy showers during the day, very fine between the showers, but the rain left the ground very wet.
Willie finished picking the Vicar pears he put them under the pine trees as he had no cases to put them in.
I got firewood between the showers, went down to meet the steamer in the afternoon.  Mr Wallace sent me a lot of papers describing the Prince of Wales visit to Auckland.

Thursday 29th   It was a very fine day.  Willie covered up his charcoal kiln and set fire to it in the evening, he slept down there.  I got firewood.  Mrs R. Matheson called in the evening.

Friday 30th   It was a very fine day.  Willie was watching the burning of his charcoal kiln.  I was digging top side of the house, went down to meet the steamer in the pm,  there were a lot of passengers going to Mangawai on board as the railways have stopped running as the men have gone on strike, most of the mail also came by her.  Eddie & Ivy returned by her.  Eddie came up in the evening about the purchase of this farm.