April 1926

Thursday 1st   It was a beautiful day.  Jim left in Alf Dunning‘s car to go to Whangarei to play several matches of cricket.  Jane rode to spend the day at Laurence Whitakers, so I was left on my own.  I planted 12 clumps of Daffodils.  I could not finish the row now as Asters in flower are occupying the space.

Friday 2nd   It was a fine day.  Good Friday.  I was reading most of the day.  Hector went to Ti Point.  Jean rode to Alma’s to get her music lesson.

Saturday 3rd   It was a very fine day.  We had a picnic at the Domain with the Whitaker family and sent a very pleasant day.  We had dinner and tea there, Dolly , Mrs Handby, Mrs Birdsall Snr, Mrs Penny and Mabel joined us in the afternoon.

Sunday 4th   Easter Sunday.  It was a fine day.  Revd Addenbrooke held service in the Hall in the pm, there were 20 present.  6 from Greenwoods, 5 from Birdsalls, 1 Whitaker, 3 from Dolleys & 5 from here.  Collection 12/- .  The parson came here for tea.

Monday 5th   Easter Monday.   and Willie’s 43rd birthday.  Jane and Jean drove over to Leigh to witness a tennis match,  Pakiri V Leigh.
Hector went fishing with Ciril Wlson.   Mildred went to play with Charlie Ashton.   I was home on my own, and was putting up Daffodil bulbs to give away.

Tuesday 6th   It was a very fine day.   I wrote a long letter to Willie and put up a box of Daffodils for him, these I carried round to the P.O and posted them ,  I was carrying manure and black soil up to the garden .  Jim returned in the evening from his cricketing trip.  I was putting up parcels of Daffodils to give away.

Wednesday 7th   It was a fine day.  I was carrying manure and black soil up to the garden.  I sent by Jim a parcel of Daffodil bulbs to Jack Walden.

Thursday 8th   It was a fine day.  I wrote a letter to Mr Birss and posted it today.  Jim rode to a stock sale at Warkworth.  I sent a parcel of Daffodil bulbs to Alma by him.  I took out the sticks of the White Dutch beans and cut the weeds where the beans grew.
Mr & Mrs Charlie Dunning  who are up on a visit called in the afternoon and Jane gave them tea.

Friday 9th   It was a fine day.  Alma came to spend the day.  Mr Perks, came with his drapery goods, and Dolly came up to see the goods, all of them staid for lunch.  I was carrying manure & soil up to the garden .  Jim went to Leigh in the evening to attend the Annual Show meeting to pay the prizes.

Saturday 10th   It was a fine day.  I was carrying soil and manure up to the garden and getting Daffodil bulbs ready for Dolly.  In the afternoon the young people went to the Domain  to play tennis and bowls.

Sunday 11th   It was a fine day.  Revd Rouprecht held service in the Hall in the morning, he brought May Dunning,  Mr & Mrs Manning in the car with him.  After church Jim, Jane and the children went with the Whitaker family in their launch to Ti Point to spend the day .  The Parson and the Mannings went to Evans’ for dinner and May & I had dinner at Pats.  I went in the Parson’s car to Big Omaha to Jack Matthew’s to take Mrs Jack some Daffodil bulbs, but found no one at home. so I started to walk back, I was overtaken by Mr & Mrs Drower in their car, and they gave me a ride to our gate.

Monday 12th   It was a fine day.  Jim rode to Leigh to see his brother Charlie who is returning to Auckland by the steamer tomorrow morning.  I was carrying manure up to the garden.  Jim & Jean drove to Laurences in the evening and brought home a big bag of Apples.

Tuesday 13th   It was a fine day.  Revd Addenbrooke called in the morning .  I received a letter from Henry in the evening containing a cheque for £32 . 10 . 0 .   I was carrying manure and soil up to the garden.

Wednesday 14th   It was a fine day.  Rain very much wanted.  There is a heavy dew every night.  I went down to Pats in the morning to send my bank book to Leigh P.O by him.

Thursday 15th   It was a fine day.  I was carrying soil and manure up to the garden.

Friday 16th   It was a fine day.   There was a large bazaar at Matakana in aid of the Anglican Church.  Jane drove Mrs Evans over to it.

Saturday 17th   It was a fine day.   There was a Cricket match at Matakana between the A and B  team.  Tom Ashton in his lorry took his family, Pat,  Mrs Whitaker and all  of us over, and we spent a very enjoyable day.  The A team beat by over 100 runs.  The cricketers entertained all of us on the ground for lunch and tea, with sandwiches, cake and tea.  It was nearly dark when we got home.

Sunday 18th   Although the weather was threatening it did not rain.  Mr Milligan held service in the Hall in the morning, all of us attended, after the service we went to To Point, Ernie & Teddy brought a boat for us,  All Joe’s family were there, Mr & Mrs Stan Rogers, Miss Lloyd,  Sandy Matheson & Mr King, we had lunch & tea under the trees on a flat near the sea on Miss Lloyds  land.  We spent a very pleasant day.  Joe brought us back in the boat in the evening.

Monday 19th   It was a dull windy day ‘tho fine.  I picked in and shelled the Special Homestead bean seed.  Carried up a lot of manure and soil to the garden.

Tuesday 20th   It was a fine day.  I took up the Asters which had nearly finished flowering, and planted 6 clumps of Daffodils, that completes the planting, I have 32 varieties and 3 repeated.  The census was taken tonight.

Wednesday 21st   It was a fine day with the exception of a slight shower in the afternoon.  I commenced to dig the piece of ground that was first planted with Canadian Wonder beans.  Mr Hardy the Traveller called in the afternoon, but Jane gave him no order.

Thursday 22nd   It started to rain in the morning, but it soon cleared up and was a fine day.  I finished digging the piece I started yesterday.  I sowed in boxes seeds of Vanguard Cabbage and Cauilflower.

Friday 23rd   I wrote letters to Henry & Mr Wallace, these were posted this morning.  I planted the Daffodil bulbs I had over in the Domain in the morning.  It rained the remainder of the day and evening, a good downpour which soon filled the tank to overflowing.

Saturday 24th   The rain we got yesterday has done a lot of good and has freshened things up.  I started to dig next to the Silver Beet.
There was a friendly tennis match and hockey match at Leigh and a dance in the evening.

Sunday 25th   It was a very fine day.
Revd Rouprecht was holding service at Leigh in the morning, so I went with him in his car and attended the service, afterwards had dinner at Mr Arch Dunnings,  the Parson & Mr & Mrs Stewart also dined there.  The Parson had to go to Matakana.
All of us went to witness the unveiling  [of]  the monument erected over the grave of the late Ringi Tenetohi.   2 launches came from the Great Barrier & 1 from Mahurangi Heads bringing natives, and cars and lorries came from Warkworth, Matakana, Big Omaha and Pakiri bringing Europeans, all were ferried over from Leigh wharf to the Pah,  there must have been between 300 and 400 present.  The monument in the Maori cemetery was draped with Maori mats.  A native choir sang some hymns very sweetly, two young natives then engaged in prayer and gave addresses, the monument was then unveiled and the inscription on it, which was in Maori,  was interpreted, the monument which is square stands on a concrete foundation is of polished Coromandel granite tapers toward the top and is surmounted by an urn.  After examining the other beautiful monuments the company adjourned to the homestead , a large marque had been erected on the lawn, and the company were regaled, not with afternoon tea,  a la pakeha, but a regular banquet, two long tables and a smaller one in the marque accommodated about 70 guests at a sitting, the menu consisted of beef, pork, and kumera cooked in a Kapa maori,  [?]   plum pudding,  jelly & blancmange, cakes, tea and wine, a beautiful 3 decked iced cake stood on the cross table which was cut and handed round, many Maori girls waited at table and looked after the wants of the guests,  Jim drove over in the sulky and took Hector and me home.

Monday 26th   It was a fine day.  I planted 1 row of broad beans  next to the silver beet.
We heard in the evening that Mr Alec Matheson had died at his residence near Goat Island on Sunday evening of internal cancer, he has been ill for over 12 months, he was for a long time living with his brother in law  C. Dunning at Green Lane Auckland, and receiving the best medical advice, but being no hope of recovery he was brought home and was lovingly nursed by his wife and family,  the end came rather suddenly.  He was universally respected, he was a J.P.  and represented the Omaha Riding in the Rodney County Council for several years.   It rained in the evening.

Tuesday 27th   It was a fine day.  I planted another row of Broad Beans  in the morning.
Mr Matheson’s funeral was in the afternoon at the Leigh cemetery.  I went over in Duncan Knagg’s car and returned in H.  Ashtons.  It was the largest attended funeral that has been at this cemetery showing the respect in which the deceased was held.  A number of Natives who had come for the unveiling of Tenetohi’s monument attended and sang a hymn in Maori,  the married sisters of deceased also came from Auckland ,  Revd Rouprecht conducted the service at the grave. Many beautiful wreaths were laid on the coffin.  I heard afterwards that Alec was 69 years old.

Wednesday 28th   There were a few slight showers, otherwise it was a fine day.
I continued digging beyond the broad beans.  Jim planted a row of Passion Fruit plants.  In the afternoon I went to call at Jack Waldens Mrs Gravatt was staying there, so we had a great talk on church matters.

Thursday 29th   It was fine during the day.  I continued digging beyond the broad beans.

Friday 30th   It was fine during the day, but it rained in the afternoon & evening.  I wrote a notice of the unveiling of the monument at the Pah, also an Obituary notice of the late A. Matheson, these were posted today.  I received garden seeds that I had ordered from Yates. Dolly called up in the afternoon.