Saturday 1st It was a fine day. I was breaking up ground in the E.R. John came home from Tomarata in the evening.
Sunday 2nd It was a fine day. I read service in the Hall in the afternoon. Walter Frearson was here for tea.
Monday 3rd John returned to Tomarata in the morning. There were two heavy showers in the morning. It was very fine the remainder of the day. I burned off all the heaps I had made on the dug ground in the E.R. I was also breaking up ground.
Tuesday 4th It was a fine day and the ground is drying up beautifully. I was breaking up ground in the E.R. Mr Bond of Great Omaha came up by the Steamer this morning with his new wife, he having married Mrs O’Driscol, sister to Mrs Sadler. Mr & Mrs Joseph Wyatt also came up by the Steamer after a long visit in Auckland.
Wednesday 5th It was a beautiful day and very calm. I went over to Jos Wyatts’ in the morningand down to the Store at dinner time. I was breaking up ground in the E.R.
Minnie & Jane went up to Miss Hardings for tea and to spend the evening.
Thursday 6th It was very fine in the evening. Minnie helped me in the E.R. we sowed 1 row of Veitch’s Perfection Peas and 7 rows Brown Spanish Onions 12 inches apart.
Jane & I started down to the E.R. in the afternoon to continue planting, but it came on to rain and it rained heavily all night.
Mrs Alex Haskell was here for dinner and tea.
Friday 7th It was showery all day. I was splitting palings in the morning, and Willie & I were pulling up tea tree in the barley paddock in the afternoon.
Saturday 8th It was showery in the afternoon morning. I got a lot of firewood and chopped it up. In the afternoon I was splitting palings. John returned from Tomarata early in the afternoon, he brought home a quarter of wild pork, being a portion of a wild pig that he and George Goyar had killed in the bush at Tomarata.
George Wyatt put his grey horse on the farm to graze.
Sunday 9th It was a very fine day, but the wind was blowing from a cold quarter. I went over to Frearsons in the morning and had a look round their orchard. I read service in the Hall in the afternoon, there was a pretty fair congregation. John returned to Tomarata after dinner. The Miss Hardings and Charlie Gravatt came here for tea.
Mr & Mrs Masefield called while we were having tea.
Monday 10th It was a very fine day. Jane and Mrs A. Haskell rode up to Maud’s to spend the day.
Miss Clara Fordham came up to ask if I would go down to look to one of their cows that was ill, so I went down, it was rolling & kicking on the ground, throwing its head about and groaning, I gave it a pint of linseed oil which seemed to do it good. I went down again in the evening and it seemed to be all right.
Minnie & I were working in the E.R. all day, we took our dinner down with us, we made a fire to boil the billy to make some tea. We sowed 3 rows of Brown Spanish Onion 12 inches apart, this makes 10 rows altogether. We planted Potatoes next the Onions, 4 rows of the variety called Bruce 2ft 6 inches apart. We used Kempthornes Potatoe manure.
Tuesday 11th It was a very fine day, there was a frost this morning. Jane helped me in the E.R. We sowed 2 rows White Stone Turnips 12 inches apart. We finished sowing the Bruce Potato and then we planted Lapstone Kidney, we planted all the seed we had down there and then we cleared the tea tree off and broke up more ground.
Wednesday 12th It was a very fine day. Minnie helped me in the E.R. We continued planting Potatoes, after we had used up all the seed Potatoeswe cleared and broke up more ground.
Thursday 13th It was dull in the morning. I went down to the E.R. in the morning. I continued planting Potatoes. Mrs C. Wyatt was here for dinner. It came on to rain in the afternoon and it rained all night.
Friday 14th It was a fine day and the wind that was blowing from SW is drying up the ground.
I was not very well in the morning. I nailed some palings on to the pigs paddock fence and cutting firewood. We killed a Sheep in the afternoon. I went to the Library in the evening.
Saturday 15th My birthday, I am 53 years old today. It was a fine day. I was planting Potatoes in the E.R. both morning and afternoon. Willie went down with me in the afternoon and we caught the 3 Hoggets that were in the E.R. – cleaned them and put them on to the farm. John came home from Tomarata in the evening. It rained heavily in the evening.
Sunday 16th It was a fine day, only one shower in the afternoon. John rode up to Maud’s to spend the day, he saw one of our young steers up on the mail road and he brought him down with him.
I read service in the Hall in the pm and afterwards went to call on the Masefields. Minnie went from church up with the Miss Hardings, John also went there after tea.
Monday 17th It was a fine day. John is going to stay at home until after the concert, he and Willie went over to the Pa and brought home the cow Rosie who is near calving. In the afternoon he put a shoe on the runner of the sleigh and after that he hauled down Miss Hardings piano to the Hall, as the orchestra are going to have a practice this evening. I was breaking up ground in the E.R.
Tuesday 18th It was a fine day. John helped me break up ground in the E.R. in the morning, I also was working there in the afternoon but John was putting the other shoe on the runner of the sleigh.
We had two letters from Henry by the mail this morning.
The Orchestral Society gave a Concert in the Hall in the evening. They asked me to take the chair. The concert was a great success, the sum of £4 . 1 . 6 was taken at the door.
Wednesday 19th It was a very fine day. John hauled Miss Hardings piano from the Hall up to her house early in the morning, he then returned to Tomarata to his work. Jane and I were planting Potatoes in the E.R. both morning and afternoon.
Thursday 20th It was showery in the morning. I got firewood for the house. In the afternoon Minnie and I went down to the E.R. to plant Potatoes, but we had only planted 2 rows when I was called up as Captain Brown came to look through my orchard.
Friday 21st It was a very fine day, only a slight shower in the morning. I finished planting Potatoes in the E.R. in the morning, I did not quite use up all the Sack of seed potatoes. I planted out 2 young Peach Trees in the orchard in the afternoon. Also dug up some ground near the closet. Mrs A. Haskell was here for tea and I went down for the mail in the evening with Minnie.
Saturday 22nd It was a fine day. In the morning I was planting Buffalo Grass in the front near the fence alongside the road.
In the afternoon I started digging near the gate.
There was a meeting of the Road Board in the Hall in the evening. John did not come home from Tomarata this week.
Sunday 23rd It was a fine day. I went to Jos Wyatts in the morning. I read service in the Hall in the afternoon, there was only a small attendance. Willie Pratt was at church and he came up here for tea.
Monday 24th It was a fine day. I was digging at the front gate and sowed 3 rows of Broad Beans next to the path.
Jane rode over to Big Omaha in the afternoon with Eva Frearson.
Tuesday 25th It was a fine day but was very cloudy and threatened for rain in the afternoon. I was working at the bottom of the orchard, I blocked up the gateway going into Henry’s garden. I finished planting Potatoes (Lapstone Kidneys) near Henry’s garden 2 ft 6 in apart using Kempthornes Potato Manure. I went down to the Steamer in the evening. It rained a little in the evening and during the night.
Wednesday 26th It was a fine day. I was mending up the fence round the garden and orchard to try and keep the fowls out, and we cut the fowls wings in the evening. Minnie rode to Ti Point with Mr A. Haskell to see Mrs D. Knaggs and Mrs J. Smith, they went in the morning and they did not return until the evening.
Thursday 27th It was a fine day. I was digging up the Parsnips the top side of the house. Minnie was digging in the flower garden.
It came on to rain in the evening and it rained nearly all night. We killed a Sheep in the afternoon.
Friday 28th It was showery nearly all day. I went down to the Wharf in the morning and afterwards took the mutton down to Harpers. In the afternoon I got firewood for the house.
Saturday 29th It was a fine day but the ground is very wet after the rain yesterday. I was mending up the fence round the farm orchard. John returned from Tomarata in the evening. We all went up to Miss Hardings to spend the evening. Mr & Mrs A. Haskell were also there.
Sunday 30th It was a fine day. I read service in the Hall in the afternoon. It came on to rain when we came out of church.
D. Kempt was here for tea.
Monday 31st It rained all last night and nearly all to day. It cleared up a little in the afternoon, but it came on again in the evening. John went up to Miss Hardings in the morning to get his music lesson and he returned to Tomarata in the afternoon. It was too wet to do anything out of doors.