Saturday 1st A very fine day. Wind still blowing strong from the E. Willie & Grace drove to Ti Point to spend the day. I was digging the border near the front gate. In the afternoon I washed my clothes.
Monday [sic: Sunday] 2nd A very fine day, wind still blowing strong from the east.
Revd Macdonald held service in the evening, there were 23 present. Collection 11/- .
Monday 3rd It was a very fine day. I finished digging the border leading to the front gate , raked up all the leaves. The “Kawau” started the Monday trips again, she arrived in the evening. Dave returned by her.
Tuesday 4th It was a very fine day. Willie and Dave were cutting wood for another charcoal kiln.
My back was rather bad so I was unable to do much outside. In the evening Willie got a wire from the Adjutant General saying that he had been called up in the ballot (second division)
Wednesday 5th It was a very hot day. Wind still blowing from the E. Willie and Dave were hauling out their wood.
I planted 2 Zinnias near the front gate. Wrote a letter to Mr Wallace and posted it in the afternoon , while at the village heard that the steamer was not going to leave Auckland until 1 pm. Willie went down after tea to get the bread, meat and mail. Willie Dunning came in the evening to bring me 2 boxes strawberries & a newspaper.
Thursday 6th It was a fine day, but cloudy in the afternoon, and in the evening it came on a misty rain, which did not last long, but I think rain is not far off.
Willie & Dave were hauling wood & building their kiln. I went down to see them in the pm and carried up some creek sand. I planted a bleeding heart near the citron tree and a cosmea where the red sunflowers had not grown. Went down for the mail in the evening. There was to be a meeting in the Hall about getting up a Patriotic Carnival, Delegates were to come over from Warkworth to explain the matter, none of us went.
Friday 7th When we got up in the morning we found it had been raining during the night and it kept on a misty rain. Where the ground had been worked fine the rain has sunk deep, but in the rough clods it has not penetrated far. It has been raining nearly all day. Willie & Dave were unable on account of the weather to work at the charcoal.
Saturday 8th It rained heavily last night, or rather early this morning, but it turned out a beautiful day. The wind has at last changed round to SW. I was working in my garden , one of the three corner beds which before the rain I had a difficulty in getting a spade into now I could dig with ease. I was principally engaged in weeding.
Willie and Dave covered in their charcoal kiln and set a light to it in the afternoon . Late in the pm I took some flowers to the Church.
Sunday 9th It rained early this morning, but it was a very fine day,
I read service in the Church in the afternoon, 18 present Collection 6/2 .
Monday 10th The wind was blowing strong from N, and in the evening there were driving showers. Willie & Dave were watching the charcoal kiln. in the evening it had but just burned out.
In the morning I was working in the garden. I transplanted a Cosmea & a Hannaimania. In the afternoon I was working in the new vegetable garden preparing the ground for a row of beans. In the evening there was a short service in the Church and Archdeacan Hawkins who was chaplin to the 1st Maori Expeditionary force gave a very interesting address on his experiences in France. Although the weather was very unpromising there were 40 present . The collection of £1 . 4 . was for the Church Army work at the seat of war.
Tuesday 11th A few slight showers. Willie & Dave sieved & bagged the charcoal, it turned out 50 bags.
I planted a long row of Canadian Wonder Beans in the new garden.
Wednesday 12th It was a very fine day. Willie & Dave hauled their 50 bags of charcoal down to the wharf, then they went down to Dave’s place for his fowls, Willie bought 22 of them and Mrs McKinnon bought the remainder (about 40). In the morning I went down to the beach and carried 3 bags of sand over to the wharf and Dave hauled it up here for me. I also went down to the steamer in the afternoon (the “Kotiti“) the sad news came through that Leonard Wyatt had been killed in France. There was a debate in the Ti Point school in the evening, but none of us went. Willie got notice that he had to present himself before the Medical Board this week, so he is going to Auckland tomorrow.
Thursday 13th It was a very fine day. Willie went up to Auckland in the “Kotiti” to be examined by the Medical Board. Dave was hauling out wood and building a new kiln. I was working in the flower garden. Went down for the mail in the evening.
Friday 14th There was a shower of rain in the morning, it changed the wind to the W and then to the S, it was fine the remainder of the day. Maud came to clean the house. Dave was working at the kiln.
I went to call at Charlie Wyatts in the pm to sympathise with them on the death of their son Lennie. Afterwards went down to the steamer and got the mail. Grace had a wire from Willie saying that he had been placed in Class C. 1.
Saturday 15th It was a very fine day. Grace and Raymond went to Auckland in the “Kawau” which left here at 10 am, thus Dave and I were left on our own. Dave was working at the charcoal kiln. I did some washing , ironed some shirts, burned some oyster shells in the garden and got Daves dinner. Mr Addison called in the pm to ask me to make his will.
Inie & May Dunning called in the evening, I gave them a lot of flowers.
Sunday 16th It was a very fine day, but the wind was blowing very strong from the W. I went in the cream cart as far as Jim’s, had dinner there and we all went to the Presbyterian service in the Hall in the afternoon, Mr Gould, a Home Missionary who succeeds Mr Boyle at Warkworth, conducted the service and made a favourable impression, I returned to Jims for tea and walked home in the evening in time to help Dave milk the cows.
Monday 17th It was a fine day. Dave went down below to build the kiln. I was working in the garden. I planted 5 Dahlia roots and 4 Miniture Sunflowers. Dave took the sulky to Matakana to meet Willie, Grace & Raymond who came up from Auckland by the “Kotiti“, they did not arrive home until 10 pm.
Tuesday 18th It was a fine day. Willie & Dave covered in their charcoal kiln and set fire to it. I was working in the garden and I went over to the farm orchard and staked and tied up the Tomatoes.
Wednesday 19th It was a fine day. I went down to the beach in the pm and carried some sand across to the wharf and Willie carted it up for me. I planted out 3 Verbena plants, 3 Alyssums and 2 Canterbury Bells.
Thursday 20th It was a fine day. I was working in the garden. Went down for the mail in the evening
Friday 21st It was a fine day. I was working in the garden in the morning, in the afternoon I went down to the flat where Willie and Dave are burning charcoal, their kiln has burned out and so they are sieving and bagging it, I sowed the bags up, there were 60 in the kiln.
Saturday 22nd There was rain first thing this morning, but it soon cleared up and turned out a fine day. Willie & Dave were carting their charcoal down to the wharf.
In the morning I went down to the wharf to get the mail. A working bee was erecting the fence at the Hall.
Sunday 23rd It was a fine day, but very windy. Willie, Grace & Raymond drove to Ti Point to spend the day with Joe, Minnie & Family, I should have gone, but my back was too bad & I did not care to venture in the wind. I attended the Methodist service in the afternoon.
Monday 24th It was a fine day, ‘tho very windy. I planted out
4 Canterbury Bells & 1 Verbena . In the afternoon I went to Duncan Mathesons, I took Mrs D some Roses and I begged some white flowers to decorate the Church for tomorrows evening Christmas service. Willie was spraying the fruit trees in this orchard. Willie & Grace went to the Mutual Improvement Meeting in the school in the evening.
Tuesday 25th Christmas Day. The weather was very fine and not so much wind . We spent a quiet day at home. Had a good Xmas dinner. I conducted service in the Church in the evening,
35 present. Collection which was for the Vicarage Fund 17/-
Wednesday 26th It was a very fine day. Willie, Grace & Raymond drove to Matakana to spend the day at John Came’s. I was not very well so stopped at home. I planted a Petunia that Mrs D. Matheson gave me. Mrs Knowles came in the evening and then they all went down to the Hall to a patriotic social. I staid at home.
I heard afterwards that over £8 was taken at the social last night.
Thursday 27th It was a very hot day. Tom Ashton finished cutting Ernest Wyatt’s wheat near the Hall.
Willie was spraying in this orchard. After breakfast I went down to the flat as Peter Louie wanted to see me on business. I went for the mail in the evening.
Friday 28th There was slight rain in the morning, but it turned out a hot day. Willie finished spraying in this orchard and then sprayed the Tomatoes in the farm orchard. He took the sulky down to the wharf with his eggs in the pm, the “Kawau” arrived from Auckland and Dave came up.
I was cutting docks round the house.
Saturday 29th It was a fine day with the exception of a few showers in the pm. In the morning I went down to the wharf to take a bunch of roses to Captn Ohlson, as the “Kawau” called in there from Mangawai at about 10 am, I called in at the Church and found Revd Macdonald there, he is camping at C. Gravatts with a boy. There was a picnic at the Koeroa beach which was largely attended, Willie & Grace went to it, it was a send off to Ian Matheson who is home on his last leave. I took some flowers down to decorate the Church in the afternoon.
Sunday 30th It was a fine day. There was H. C. in the Church at
8 am, but I did not attend. I went with the cream cart over to the Claim for morning service, Revd Macdonald officiating.
I afterwards went to Jims for dinner and tea and walked back to Leigh to evening service. There was a good congregation, about 40. Collection. Communion 3/9 Evening 15/- Total 18/9 .