Tuesday 1st It was a fine day. Willie was picking fruit, he took the horse down to the Steamer in the pm hauled up empty egg box & 100 lbs Flour. Minnie was here for dinner, Arthur went down to the Steamer with them & went round to Ti Point, Alma was on board returning from a visit to Mrs Wallaces of North Shore.
I was working in the flower garden, burning the rubbish I dug out of the bottom corner. Received a Book that my sister Fanny sent me, the Memoirs of our Great Aunt Coltman.
Wednesday 2nd It was a fine day. Willie & Ernest were cleaning Danthonia in the shed. I hauled the fruit down to the Steamer and brought up a Sack of Sharps. Willie took the horse down to the wharf in the evening and hauled up a Sack of Maize.
Thursday 3rd It was a fine day. Willie & Ernest were cleaning Danthonia. I was working in the flower garden. Willie took the horse down to the wharf in the wharf in the evening and hauled up a Sack of Bran.
Friday 4th It was a very hot day. Soon after breakfast I took the horse down to the wharf with 3 Cases Peaches. Willie & Ernest were cleaning Danthonia. I also went down to the village in the evening for the mail & to attend Library.
Saturday 5th It was a very hot day. Willie & Ernest finished cleaning the Danthonia early in the afternoon, after that Willie was burning the blackberries & grass in the barley paddock. I went down to the village for the mail in the pm.
Sunday 6th It was a fine day. Mr Wilson (Presbyterian) held service in the Hall in the morning. Jane & I attended, there was a large attendance. Alma & Agnes were here for dinner. Willie rode to Ti Point to spend the day. In the pm I went to Joe Wyatts staid for tea, Mrs Handby was also there
Monday 7th There was heavy rain early this morning before daylight and there were several showers during the day. Willie hauled 4 Cases Fruit down to the wharf after breakfast and brought up a bag of sand for me and some fruit cases from our gate. In the afternoon he shot a sheep on the farm, skinned it and brought the carcase home. I was working in the flower garden. Mrs Handby came in the afternoon and staid tea.
Tuesday 8th It was a very hot day. In the morning I was helping Willie pick fruit in this orchard, in the pm I hauled it down to the wharf and brought up a bag of sugar, egg box and a bag of sand. Willie was burning in the barley paddock, it burned very well.
Wednesday 9th It was a very hot day. In the morning Willie was burning the Danthonia in the front, the cross roads side , it burned very clean , in the pm he budded Peaches.
In the morning I was mending the paper in the drawing room, in the pm I was working in the flower garden. In the evening Whitehouse showed his pictures in the Hall, Willie and Jane went.
Thursday 10th It was a very hot day. Willie was picking fruit in the morning and burning grass on the farm in pm . I was working in the flower garden in the morning, in the pm I took the horse down to the wharf, carried a bag of sand up, got the mail.
Friday 11th It was a very hot day. Willie was burning grass.
In the morning I hauled 4 Cases Fruit down to the Steamer and brought up a bag of sand. In the evening I went down for the mail and to attend the Library.
There was a Dance in the Hall to get funds to pay for a Band for the Show, only a few were present, none from out house went.
Saturday 12th There was a shower in the morning, also in the afternoon , but it was a hot day. Ernest came in the morning & he & Willie labeled the 8 Sacks of Danthonia and hauled them down to the wharf. Willie killed a Lamb on the farm in the afternoon. I was working in the flower garden. In the pm went down to meet the Steamer, got the mail, carried up a bag of sand.
Sunday 13th It was a very fine day. In the morning Willie took our horse over to Joe Wyatts, Mr & Mrs Joe and Mabel were coming to spend the day with us , Willie brought Aunt Emily on the sleigh and took her back in the evening.
Monday 14th It was a very hot day. Willie was getting his things ready to go to Auckland.
In the morning I was tieing up the Tomatoes near the front gate. After an early lunch I hauled Willies things down to the wharf. The Steamer arrived soon after 1 pm. Ernest & Willie went up by her to sell their Danthonia. I sieved a lot of sand and hauled some home.
Tuesday 15th It was not quite so hot today, the sun being obscured several times with clouds.
I was doing odd jobs, picking in the onion seed , taking up some Gladiolus bulbs, and cleaning up in the pigs paddock . In the pm I went down to the village for the mail, but found that the “Kawau” was not going to leave Auckland until 12 oclock to night.
Wednesday 16th It was very cloudy and there were a couple of showers here, one in the morning and one in pm, but it looked very black over Warkworth way as if it were raining heavily there, which would be a drawback as it is their Show today. In the morning I went down to the village thinking to get the mail , but the “Kawau” had not arrived , it was thought that the Steamer had taken the judges to the Warkworth Show before coming here.
The remainder of the day I was working in the flower garden.
Thursday 17th It was a dull day. In the morning there was misty rain. After breakfast I went down to the P.O to get the mail. The remainder of the day I was doing odd jobs. In the evening Jane went down to meet the “Daphne” on her way to the Mangawai Show. Gertie Coplestone came up by her to stay here. After they got home it poured with rain.
Friday 18th It poured with rain from about midnight to daylight this morning, it was the heaviest rain to last so long that I have ever experienced , there were also heavy showers during the morning, but it was fine in the afternoon. The rain has done a lot of good, it has sung [sic: sunk] deeply into the ground and freshened up everything.
I was doing odd jobs also clearing out the watertable in the lane as the heavy rains have overflowed and washed channels through my flower garden.
In the evening I went down to the village to get the mail and attend the Library, the adjourned Annual Meeting of Subscribers has held, the old Committee was re-elected and I was appointed Secretary, Treasurer & Librarian.
Saturday 19th It was a beautiful day. The wind which for several weeks has been in the E has at last changed to the SW and the atmosphere is much cooler. Soon after breakfast Jim came to take Jane & Gertie to the Claim where there is a Cricket match between Omaha & Matakana. Omaha won easily.
I was therefore left alone all day, however I was fully employed. First I was forming the lane to keep the water, next I pasted paper over jams & jellies for Jane. In the pm I was filling up the channels that the rain made and finished digging the ground round the lemon tree.
Reggie Gravatt came for a Case of Tomatoes.
Willie returned from Auckland in the “Gael” arriving home at 11.30 pm. Jane and Gertie returned soon after.
Sunday 20th It was a beautiful day. In the morning I walked over to Ti Point, I called in at Harolds to leave a parcel for Flo’, had dinner down at Joes, We all went down to Lloyds beach in the pm, staid tea at Joes, Mr & Mrs Ashworth were also there. We all left together, I did not return home until 10.50. Willie had remained at home alone all day. Gertie went to spend the pm at Joe Wyatts. Jane went to C. Dunnings to practice riding a horse that she is going to ride at the Show.
Monday 21st It was a very hot day. After breakfast Willie took 4 Cases Fruit down to the wharf and hauled up a Case of Beef and 15 lining boards. The “Gael” did not come at her advertised time, it is supposed she is stuck at Mangawhai, but she came in the pm.
Tuesday 22nd It was a dull day and threatening for rain, wind blowing strong from E. We were getting exhibits ready for the Show. We went down to the Hall in the evening to take some exhibits.
Wednesday 23rd It was a very dull day and the wind blowing strong from E. We were up early and took the remainder of our exhibits down to the Hall and arranged them. The “Kawau” which on account of the strong E wind did not arrive here until 2 pm, as she brought the band also the judges, it was very late before the Hall was opened.
We got a good many prizes, I took 1st Prizes for Collection of Flowers, Willie took 1st Prizes for Collection of Fruit, Collection of 6 Varieties of Pears, and for a Pumpkin, Jane took 1st Prizes for Decorated Table, Table Bouquet, Button Hole, Collection of Jellies & Damson Jam
Alec Young was here for lunch & tea and all the young people went down to the Hall in the evening for the Concert & Dance. I staid at home, but rather regretted it as they said the Concert was very good. It commenced to rain before they came home.
Thursday 24th It rained steadily all day & the wind is blowing strong from the E, we did not stir all day.
Friday 25th It was raining all last night and until after we got up , it cleared up, but was dull all day. After breakfast I took some letters down to post. The “Kawau” had been wind bound round at Ti Point ever since Show day, and about 30 people had been staying at Harpers unable to get back to Auckland including the Band and the singers who took part in the Concert, but while I was down there the “Kawau” came round from Ti Point and all these people who had been detained embarked for Auckland.
While I was down there I heard several pieces of news, first that Mr Shakespear was dead and that his remains were to be brought down from Auckland tomorrow to be buried alongside his mother in this Cemetery. Next I heard that the bridges between Pakiri & Welsford were carried away by the late rains and that George Brown could not carry the mail there this morning so brought it up for Arthur Greenwood to take to Warkworth with the Leigh mail. Also that the wire was down between Leigh and Pakiri.
I swept out and put the Library straight while I was down there. The wind has blown a lot of Pears off and Willie was picking them up. Jane & Gertie went down for the mail and to attend the Library for me in the evening.
I planted cuttings of Fuschias marked as follows
| Double Mauve Carolla
|| Double White Carolla
||| Double Purple Carolla
|||| Small Double Purple Carolla
Saturday 26th It rained nearly all day. Willie was picking up and picking Pears from the tree and packing them.
Sunday 27th It rained nearly all day. Revd Teale was to have held service in the afternoon, but none of us went out.
Monday 28th Misty & slight showers. The wind still sticks at the NE. In the morning Willie hauled 12 Cases Fruit down to the wharf. Jane & Gertie went down after lunch to get the book signed for the fruit.
John Wyatt came in the morning to get me to to fix up his Pension papers and he staid for lunch.