August 1908

Saturday 1st   It was a beautiful day.  After breakfast I went down to the village to post some letters, and I was very pleased to receive a letter from my son Henry, from neither he nor Jack had we heard for nearly four months.  Henry seemed to write in very good spirits and they are making great improvements on their place.  While down below I went down to the beach and carried up a bag of sand, the remainder of the day I was working in the flower garden  and burning rubbish round a pine stump.  Willie was working on the hill, he lighted his charcoal pit.

Sunday 2nd   It was a beautiful day.  In the morning I walked over to Ti Point,  I called at D. Knaggs  and Mrs K  gave me a lot of flower cuttings, I then went over to Joe’s place where I had dinner, in the afternoon we went over to the sand spit, I returned home before dark.  Willie staid at home all day.  Jane went over to Joe Wyatts to spend the day and staid the night.

Monday 3rd   It was a beautiful day, but the wind has got round to NE.  Willie was taking out and sieving his charcoal.
In the morning I went down to the bottom of the orchard and cut some pine branches and carried them up into the flower garden and made a big fire to burn the twitch sods I pared of the long bed at the top of the garden.  While cutting some twiggs off the pine branches I cut a gash across the joint of my left thumb.
In the afternoon I was planting out the roots and cuttings Mrs Knaggs gave me.

Tuesday 4th   The wind has changed round to the NE and is blowing very strong which is causing a big sea outside, in the morning it was very dull and threatening and in the afternoon it commenced to rain and continued all evening accompanied with strong wind.
In the morning I fixed the fern vase in the flower garden.

Wednesday 5th   It poured with rain during last night and therefore everything was very wet this morning and there were one or two showers during the morning.
I wrote a long letter to my son Henry and posted it in the pm.

Thursday 6th   It was a very fine day, the wind is from the S and the ground is drying up.  Ab Wyatt hauled Willies charcoal down to the wharf in the morning,  in the afternoon Willie went down to the wharf to see the “Orewa” off and to see his charcoal on board, he carried up some seaweed ashes for me.
In the morning Willie & I were cutting tea tree in the front.  In the pm I was digging out periwinckle in the front garden,
In the evening Willie & I went to the meeting of the Farmers Association.  The subject for discussion was the Steamer Service and a resolution was carried that this Association do support the Settlers Company.

Friday 7th   It was a beautiful day.  In the morning Willie & I were getting a lot of firewood.  In the pm Willie was cutting tea tree in front.  I went down to the flat to sieve some black soil.  Afterwards went across to the wharf where a lot of people were waiting for the “Daphne” from Mangawai to go up to Auckland to see the American fleet, it was after 6 pm when the steamer came in , I did not wait for her but came home.  She had over 20 passengers from here and Pakiri.

Saturday 8th   A heavy frost this morning,  It was a beautiful day, wind S.  After breakfast I made a fire round the pine stump in the front garden, afterwards I went over to Ernest Wyatts to get some daffodil bulbs.  I dug up the long bed in the flower garden.
Willie went to Auckland in the evening to see the fleet, both the “Daphne” and “Kawau“came in from Mangawai about 5.30 pm.

Sunday 9th   It was a dull day.  It did not rain, but there seems to be a change in the weather, the wind is NE.  Some people here saw the American fleet passing here on its way to Auckland early this morning.  In the morning I went up to Mr Handbys and brought him home for dinner.  Jim Dinning was here for tea.

Monday 10th   It was a dull day.  The wind has got to the SE.  I was digging out periwinckle in the flower garden & burning rubbish.  There were a few spots of rain in the evening but the moon cleared it off.

Tuesday 11th   It was a dull day the wind was blowing strong from SE, but no rain.  In the morning I went down to the Village, the “Kawau” called in on her way to Auckland while I was down there.  She was unable to get into Mangawai  on account of the heavy sea outside, I carried up some sand.  I was digging out periwinckle and burning it in the flower garden.

Wednesday 12th   It was a beautiful day.  In the morning I was digging out periwinckle in the flower garden.  In the afternoon I took the Eggs down to the Store, waited till the “Orewa” came in to get the mail, many of the excursionists to see the fleet returned by her.

Thursday 13th   There was a little rain first thing in the morning , but it brightened up and turned out a very fine day.  Jane got up earlier than usual and we had an early breakfast and she went down to post some letters, afterwards she went across to Uncle Johns and spent the day there.  My back was very bad when I got up and Jane milked the cow for me.  I was not able to do much during the day.  Minnie and Alma came here about dinner time and Minnie had to go home without seeing Jane, Alma stayed here.  Jane went to attend the Library for me in the evening.  I had a bath.

Friday 14th   It was a beautiful day.  I did not get up very early, Jane did all the work outside for me, I spent the day mostly reading.  Mrs Ab Wyatt and children were here for dinner.  Jim here in evening.

Saturday 15th   My 65th birthday.  It was a beautiful day.  We were all on the lookout to see the American fleet pass here on her way to Sydney, they passed here between 11 & 12 am, we had a splendid view outside the stockyard .  16 warships & 2 behind.  They passed between Little Barrier and Rodney Point.
I was getting firewood and working in the flower garden .  Alma went home in the pm.

Sunday 16th   The wind is blowing from the NE, and it looks dull and threatening.  In the morning I rode to Pakiri to see my old friend Mr Witten who is laid up with cancer of the stomach.  I went by the top road and called at Mr John Greenwoods and saw the twins and the garden.  I found Mr Witten in bed, but he seems cheerful, but he could not talk to me long, he soon gets exhausted, I had dinner there and came home by the valley road, called in at Johny Salts to have a chat, got home just before dark, it came on a misty rain when I was nearing home.

Monday 17th   The wind is blowing very strong from NE, a disagreeable day, driving showers.  I was not able to do much outside.

Tuesday 18th   It rained very heavy after daylight this morning, but it cleared up and turned out a very fine day.  The wind was NW this morning, but it changed round to SW before evening.
In the morning I got a lot of firewood.  In the afternoon Mr & Mrs Shakespear called here.  I went down to the beach and got a load of black soil.
In the evening Jane and I started to go down to the wharf to meet Willie and Alan Wallace whom we expected up in the “Kawau” which should have arrived here about 8 pm, but I heard that a wire had been received stating that the “Kawau” was not to leave Auckland until midnight.

Wednesday 19th   It was a showery day.  Just after we had finished breakfast Willie and Alan Wallace came in having just arrived by the “Kawau” which did not leave Auckland until 3 am.  I was planting some plants that Willie brought from Auckland, viz 2 Bouvardias, Beauty of Brisbane (single white) and President Cleveland (single scarlet).
I went down to the village in the pm to post some newspapers – attended the Library – went down to the Steamer, it was the “Kotiti” today.  I carried up a bag of black soil.  Willie Dunning came to spend the evening.  Sowed some Cauliflower seed.

Thursday 20th   It was a showery day, the wind was blowing strong from W and dried the ground more than the showers wet it.  I was working in the flower garden all day.  Mrs D. W. Knaggs sent me over some plants yesterday which I planted today, viz  2 Heliotropes,
1 White Moss Rose,  some rose cuttings ,  1 Spirea,  8 Antirrhinums, also picked out 26 pansy plants into a shallow box.

Friday 21st   It was a fine day, with the exception of 1 slight shower.
I sowed in a flower pot seeds of Perilla Nankensis.
Willie and I were pruning in this orchard all day.

Saturday 22nd   It was a beautiful day.  In the morning I went down to the village to leave some flower plants at Mrs Harpers for Mrs Shakespear, carried up some sand,  Willie and Alan went out fishing.
I planted out 3 Fuchsia plants.

Sunday 23rd   It was a beautiful day.  Willie & Alan walked over to Ti Point to spend the day, returning home in the evening.  Revd Entrican (Presbyterian) conducted service in the Hall in the morning, I did not go as I was not very well, but Jane went and reported that there was a very large congregation.
Mrs Carr called in the afternoon, also Mrs Gravatt and two girls, the latter staid for tea.

Monday 24th   It was a fine day.  In the morning Willie and Alan went down to the store to order some flour and manure to be sent up,  in the afternoon Willie commenced to dig up the piece of ground the top side of the house.   I sieved some black soil on the flat and carried some home.

Tuesday 25th   It was a fine day.  Willie & Alan finished digging the piece of ground the top side of the house and it is a great improvement.  I paired up a lot of twitch in the front garden and made a big fire to burn it.  In the afternoon Jane went down to the village, the “Paeroa” came instead of the “Daphne“, Mabel, Mrs Handby and several others came up by her.

Wednesday 26th   It was a showery day.  Mrs John Greenwood called in the morning and staid for lunch.
I sowed the following flower seeds in a shallow box.  Centaurea, Nycterinia,  Salpiglosois &  Plox – and in flower pots  Nicotiana Sanderce,  Aster &  Ononis.
Mrs R, Knaggs called in the afternoon she brought me a bunch of beautiful Princess of Wales Violets also some flower seed.  We all went down to the Steamer in the pm.
Willie & Alan went to the Goat Island beach and brought home a few rock cods.

Thursday 27th   I was a showery day.  Alan & I walked to Ti Point, we called at Mrs D. Knaggs and had dinner at Joes.  Jane went to Joe Wyatts to spend the day and staid all night.
In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library.

Friday 28th   It was a showery day.  In the morning Willie & Alan went up to mend a wire fence near Mr Neeleys that Harpers horse had broken.  I sowed Tomato seeds (Mr Wallaces) in half a kerosine tin.  In the afternoon I was pruning the Cloth of Gold and Rambler roses.

Saturday 29th   It was a fine day wind from the SW.
In the afternoon Willie & Alan went to the sand spit to shoot rabbits. I pared a lot of twitch and periwinckle, made a heap of logs and piled them on it ready for burning.

Sunday 30th   It was a very fine day.  Alan went a ride up Greenwoods hill in the morning.
I went up to Mr Handbys in the pm and staid tea, John Salt was also there.  Mabel and Jim were here for tea.

Monday 31st   It was a fine day.  Alan was helping Willie make the charcoal kiln.
I finished paring all the twitch &c in the flower garden, set fire to the heap I made on Saturday and piled all the turves on.  Jane rode to Matakana to a send off to the Alec Cruickshank family  who are leaving the district.