August 1919

Friday 1st    It was a fine day.  Horace came and gave Willie a hand to put the wire on to the new fence in the front,  I was cutting tea tree & rushes alongside the new fence.  In the afternoon I went down to the Hall to arrange the seats for the social this evening, also took Mrs Gravatt some flower plants & bean seed.
In the evening there was Welcome Home for Lieutenant Angus & Private Archie Dunning, all of us went and enjoyed a very pleasant evening, I gave the address of welcome, I played at Five Hundred, some played at Ping Pong on the Library table, the ladies supplied supper.

Saturday 2nd   It was a fine day, a few slight showers.  I went down for the mail in the morning, afterwards loosened the soil round the last sown row of Peas and dug each side.  Willie stapled the fence between the barley paddock & the front.  Jim Wyatt drilled the Wheat in the paddock on the flat opposite Wyatts.

Sunday 3rd   It was a very fine day.  I went to the Methodist service in the afternoon,  afterwards I went up to Willie Dunnings and staid tea.   Willie, Grace & Raymond went to Horace’s place in the afternoon.

Monday 4th   It was a very fine day.  One of Willie’s cows (Bell) could not stand on act of weakness so we hauled her home and slung her up under a pine tree at the stock yard.
Horace called in the morning and staid for dinner.  I commenced to dig a strip of ground the upper side of the house that was in cabbages & beans.  I buried rushes & horse manure in the trenches.

Tuesday 5th   It was a fine day .  I finished digging the piece of ground  I started  yesterday.  Willie was splitting battens on the hill.  Horace came in the evening.

Wednesday 6th   It was a very fine day.  I was helping Willie batten the new fence.  In the afternoon Willie went up on the hill and sawed off another log of Totara and split battens.

Thursday 7th   It was a very fine day.  I got a kink in my back in the morning so that I could not do any work so I took a walk to Ti Point calling in at Mrs Ashworths to take her some Gladiolus bulbs.  Minnie & Teddy were the only ones at home, I had lunch with them and returned home in the pm.  Willie was mending up fences to keep Bell in.  In the evening I went to the Library to change my books, and Willie & Grace attended the mutual improvement society.

Friday 8th   It was a very fine day.  My back was too bad to do any heavy work, so I resowed Cauliflower seed in the box, also seed of Dwarf Antirrhinum,  Ten Week Stock & Tomato  (Mr Atwoods sort).
In the pm I went down for the mail, carried a bag of sand across to the wharf.
As the cow Bell was not getting better, but rather worse,  he  [Willie] shot & skinned her and buried the carcase  [sic: carcass]  in the orchard & took the hide down to the wharf.

Saturday 9th   It was a very fine day.  As the cow Blossom is near calving Willie got her in and fed her on chaff,  he also planted 2 rows of Potatoes in the new garden.  I cut away a lot of the Crimson Rambler Rose that is hanging over the flower border & dug up the ground.  In the pm I took flowers down to the church and then went round to Mrs D. Mathesons to take her some plants & she gave me some ferns.  Horace came for tea and we played 500.

Sunday 10th   It was very fine in the morning.  Agnes & Dorothy were here for dinner and they went with all of us to Church in the afternoon.   Revd Macdonald officiated , about 30 present. Collections,  8 am  H.C.  5/-  ,  2.30  13/2  –  Total 18/2.
It came on misty rain as I was going home.  Willie, Grace & Raymond went to Mr Gozars after service.

Monday 11th  There was a little misty rain first thing in the morning but it turned out a fine day.  Willie planted a few Potatoes and then went on building his kiln,  I weeded the new Violet bed and in the pm I stuck the 2nd row of Sutton Peas.  Mrs Gravatt called in the pm.  Horace came in the evening & we played 500.

Tuesday 12th   It was a fine day.  Willie was building his kiln.  I was planting the plants that Mrs D. Matheson sent me,  Cinerarias  Linarias & dark blue Forgetmenots,  also did a lot of digging.

Wednesday 13th   There was a heavy dew this morning & a big rainbow but we had no rain during the day.  Willie was building his kiln  and he took the Eggs down to the wharf in the pm.  My back was pretty bad & I was not able to do much

Thursday 14th   There was a heavy dew last night and during the morning there was a mist came over, but it proved a very fine day. Willie was building his kiln.  I was digging at the front gate.  In the afternoon there was a meeting of the Bazaar Committee, we gave them afternoon tea.  Minnie came up here for tea and went down with Willie & Grace to the Mutual in the evening.  I went down to the Library to change my books and afterwards went to Mr A. Dunnings we played at 500.  I met there a Mr McLean of Whangarei who is putting up for Parliament.

Friday 15th  My 76 birthday.  There was slight rain in the morning, but it was fine in the afternoon.  Willie hauled wood for his kiln, I cut firewood down other side of hill.  Willie got the mail in the evening . There was  Tennis dance in the evening, but none of us went.

Saturday 16th   It was a wet day, it will do a great deal of good.  We were unable to do any work outside.  Willie was mending boots.  I cut down a kerosene tin & made a washing boiler.  Also planed up a lot of garden labels.
Jim Wyatt came in the evening , they played ping pong and afterwards we played 500.

Sunday 17th   It was a dull day, but it did not rain.  I conducted service in the Church in the pm, there were 21 present.
Collection 8/9 .

Monday 18th   It was a fine day.  After breakfast Willie took the cart down to the wharf & carted up 1 Sk Maize, a bag of seaweed ashes & fowl grit.  I collected up a lot of horse dung and put it round the Roses, planted the Rose (Kingsdore) that Mr Whitaker sent me , weeded the path near the summer house, and got tea tree from the hill to make kerbing.

Tuesday 19th   There were a few slight showers in the pm, the remainder of the day was fine.  Willie was working at his kiln.
I went down to the village after breakfast to get the mail.  Made and fixed kerbing in the garden .  Horace came in the evening, we played 500.  The cow Blossom calved.

Wednesday 20th   It was a fine day.  I was making and fixing kerbing.
Willie took a box (15 Doz)  Eggs down to the wharf in the pm and carted up 1 Sk Seed Potatoes & 4 Cwt  Manure.
I went down to the village to take some flowers to the hall in the pm
& to send 5 Varieties Daffodils to Mr Grindrod for him to name for me.
Willie Harper & his bride came up by the “Kawau” to day.
Mrs Harper gave an entertainment in the hall in the evening in honour of the young married couple , the hall was nicely decorated with nikau & arum lilies, the hall was well filled,  Mr Schollum & Mrs S. Smith supplied the music for the dancing .  Mrs Gravatt and Miss Campbell sang & Mr Ashworth  gave a comic song full of local hits.
A bountiful sit down supper was supplied on the stage.  I was playing 500, it was nearly 3 am before we got home.

Thursday 21st   It was a beautiful day.  We did not get up very early as it was 3 am before we retired.  Willie was working at his kiln.
I planted a row of 19 Manchester Defiance Cabbages near the path at the front gate.  Mrs D.  &  Roy [?] Matheson came in the pm to see my garden, I gave them a lot of plants.

Friday 22nd   It was a fine day, but rather dull in the morning.  Willie was working at his kiln.  In the morning I was cutting grass on the path and digging.
I went down to the steamer in the afternoon to get the mail, a lot of passengers came up, principally boys & girls from the Grammer School, Keith Entwisle came up to stay with us.  There was a welcome home for George James in the evening.  Our people went, but I staid at home as I had a bad head ache.

Saturday 23rd   It was a very fine day. It was a fine day, Willie was building his charcoal kiln.
In the morning I was digging & clearing the left hand side coming in at the front gate.  In the afternoon I took some plants to Mrs D. Matheson , called at Arch Morleys they gave me some Dimorphotheca plants after I returned home I planted 2 of them in the long bed.  Willie & Keith went out fishing and brought home some Rock Cods.
Horace came in the evening.

Sunday 24th   It was a very fine day.  I attended the Presbyterian service in the morning, and after church Horace and I drove over to the Claim to spend the day with Jim & Jane,  Minnie came over in the pm all of us went to the Domain to see the improvements that have been done at the Hall.  We did not get home until 7 pm.

Monday 25th   It was a very fine day.  Willie covered in his kiln and set fire to it in the evening.  I planted 3 Dimorpho    in the round bed and 1 near the veranda.  I sowed the following seeds in boxes,
Single Aster,  Clarkia,  Scabious (Azure Fairy),  Petunia,  Aquilegia, Beauty Stock,  2 kinds of Antirrhinum,  Sutton’s Stock.   Also in seperate box Tomato (Trophy & Burwood Prize)

Tuesday 26th   It was a very fine day.  Willie was watching his charcoal kiln.  I was working in the flower garden.  Grace & Keith went over to Ti Point to get some oysters.  Horace came in the evening & we played 500.

Wednesday 27th   It was rather a dull day and threatening for rain. Willie was watching his charcoal kiln.  I was working in the garden.  I planted another row of 19 Manchester Defiance Cabbages next to the last planted row of Peas.

Thursday 28th   It rained all morning and was blowing hard from the NE.  It will do a lot of good as the ground was very dry.  I was not able to do anything outside, but in the afternoon it cleared up and the sun came out.  Willies charcoal kiln has not quite burnt out, he is cutting wood for a new kiln, I went down to the flat in the afternoon and helping Willie cut up puriri branches.  John Salts clearance sale was today as he has sold out to a Mr Taylor.

Friday 29th   It rained again last night and the tank is running over,
it cleared up in the morning, but came on again in the afternoon & poured in the evening.  After breakfast I went down to the P.O to send a money order for £2 . 2 . 0 to Revd Macdonald for the Vicarage Fund, afterwards went over the hill and cut some firewood for my bedroom fire.  In the evening I went down for the steamer mail.

Saturday 30th   A showery day.  Mr Saddler’s clearance sale as he has sold his farm to a Mr Evans,  Horace borrowed a horse of Willie and went over to it.
In the morning I chopped a lot of wood for the kitchen fire.  In the pm I cut down some tins for the garden & cut pea sticks on the hill.  Willie started to take out his charcoal.  Keith Entwisle returned from Jim’s place and returned to Auckland in the “Kawau” at 1 pm.
Horace returning from the sale had tea here.

Sunday 31st    It poured with rain last night, but it was fine to day.
A southerly wind was blowing which was very cold.  I attended the Methodist service (Mr Orchard) in the afternoon.