January 1866

Monday 1st  New years Day.   Another year has just commenced and with it serious thoughts of how & in what way the old one has been spent, when last  year came in I marked out for myself a certain course to pursue  and different things to accomplish, but now the year is ended I find in many ways I have fallen short of my intentions, how much money has been wantonly spent, how much time wasted, what little good done either to myself of others; however the old year has gone and cannot be recalled so it is my endeavour to spend this year more profitably than the last Deus Volens.
I continued to fall bush at the west side of the house.  It was a very hot day.

Tuesday 2nd  I continued to fall bush.  I gathered some pease today for the first time this season both from the Pouriri tree & on the flat.

Wednesday 3rd  Gathered a great quantity of Gooseberries from the flat & also gathered some Pease in the evening & some Broad Beans for the first time.

Thursday 4th  Continued to fall bush.  Tom Wyatt went to Pakiri & brought home a book for me that had come from England by post.  It was “English Hearts & English Hands” & sent me by Aunt Anne.

Friday 5th  It was showery all morning, but cleared up in the afternoon.  The “Dot” came into harbour early in the morning from Whangarei, she proceeded to Great Omaha in the afternoon where she will load with firewood and will then go to Auckland, black Charlie is the Captain of her.  I pulled up all the chalottes  down on the flat as they were full grown & planted 2 rows of Magnum Bonum Pease 3ft from the Broad Beans  & also the same distance between the rows.  Next to them I planted a row of French Beans 2 ft from the Pease, I next planted 3 long rows & 2 short rows of chalottes 18 inches from the Beans, 9 in from row to row & 9 in in the row, & 1 row containing 12 plants of Beet Root finished up the planting.

Saturday 6th  Went over to see Mrs Porter & Mrs Anderson in the evening, the latter gave me a few ears of Wheat from their field.

Sunday 7th  In the afternoon Jim Anderson & I walked up to the mountain to see Kirkbride, Mathew only was at home, we had a look round the place and after a cup of tea we returned home after the heat of the day.

Monday 8th  Continued to fall bush.  Went over to Mrs Kirkbride in the evening to take back “Dred” and to borrow some more books.  I called in at the Andersons on my way home.

Tuesday 9th  I commenced to thin out and hoe up the Maize.  The “Ida Zeigler” arrived in harbour in the morning.
Middlewood Kirkbride came over here in the afternoon to borrow some books, we had a long chat upon different subjects.   Talking of radical reforms, he told me the following anecdote, Dr Johnson was dining with a lady who held radical opinions, while at dinner she was talking about everybody being equal, I am quite a convert to your views said Dr Johnson, let us put it into practice, now here is your footman who is as fine a man as I ever saw, let him sit down and have dinner with us, oh no said the lady with offended dignity I could not hear of such a thing.  Persons are very apt to draw down others of a higher station down to their level, but are not willing to draw those below them up to their own level.

Wednesday 10th  I continued to hoe up the Maize.  Went over to Mrs Andersons in the morning, Jim & Herbert came over in the evening.

Thursday 11th  Mr Wyatt gave me a vegetable marrow out of his garden, it is the first I have had this year.
I continued to hoe up the Maize.  Tom Wyatt came for tea.

Friday 12th  The “Flora McDonald” from Auckland to the Waipu put in this harbour wind-bound.
I went over to Mrs Kirkbride’s in the evening to get some butter.  I like the family better the more I see of them.  They lent me the “Dod Family Abroad”.

Saturday 13th   The “Flora McDonald” departed from here to her destination early in the morning.
The “Dot” arrived here from Auckland early in the morning, and not before she was wanted as provisions were getting very scarce, so her arrival was hailed with joy by us half famished mortals.
I went over to the Andersons in the evening with Tom Wyatt.

Sunday 14th  Jim & Sid Anderson came over here in the morning and staid for dinner.  The “Dot” went round to load at Great Omaha in the afternoon & the “Ida Zeigler” sailed for Auckland.
Jim Anderson & I went over to Mrs Kirkbride’s in the afternoon, I staid for tea & spent a very pleasant evening there.

Monday 15th   I gathered 3½ pecks of peas to take to Great Omaha to send down by the “Dot” to Auckland, but the wind blew so strong that I could not go round by boat, so I had to distribute them to my neighbours.

Tuesday 16th  The “Dot” and the “Water Lily” sailed out of Great Omaha in the morning for Auckland.
I went over to the Andersons in the morning, Jim was thrashing his Wheat in the yard and it turns out very well.  I staid all day there & helped Jim to thrash, and he came over with me in the evening to have a rubber of whist.
When I came home in the evening I found that my little cat had three kittens, two tortoiseshell, and one black and white.

Wednesday 17th  The weather is very hot now, in the middle of the day the sun is quite overpowering.  I continued to hoe up the corn.

Thursday 18th  Very hot day & no signs of rain, indeed if we have none soon I think it will very much affect the crops.
My peas are not doing so well this year, as last year, nor more is the Maize.

Friday 19th  Very hot again.  A great dearth of news.

Saturday 20th  It commenced to rain in the morning about nine oclock& continued raining all day, it will do a great deal of good to the crops, & will make the Maize grow.
The “Dot” came in the harbour in the afternoon from Auckland, she put Tom & Sid Anderson ashore and then went round to Great Omaha to land some goods.

Sunday 21st  It was showery all day, I went over to the Anderson’s in the afternoon.  I cut a Cucumber for the first time this season & had it for tea.

Monday 22nd  It was showery all day, I went over to Mrs Kirkbrides in the afternoon to get some butter & they pressed me to stay for tea.  The “Dot” came into harbour in the afternoon from Great Omaha.  She will go to Pakiri to load with shingles when the weather will permit.  The Cutter “Bessey” bound from Hokitika to Auckland put into here through stress of weather.

Tuesday 23rd  The “Bessey” sailed to her destination in the morning.  It was a fine day, the sun came out nice & warm, very growing weather.  I went over to Mrs Anderson’s in the evening  & we had a rubber of Whist.

Wednesday 24th  Very showery & very blustery so that the “Dot” could not go round to Pakiri to load on account of the surf that is setting in there.  Jim & Tom Anderson came in the evening.

Thursday 25th  Showery again and a great seaon outside.  I went over & had tea at the Wyatts.

Friday 26th  I went over & had dinner at the Wyatts.  I cut 7 Vegetable Marrows in the evening for the Wyatts to take over to Mr Meiklejohn’s tomorrow.  The “Dot” went round to Pakiri early in the morning  to load.  I went over to the Anderson’s in the evening, we had a rubber of Whist.

Saturday 27th  On getting up in the morning the “Dot” was in the harbour, she had to leave Pakiri on account of the wind & sea.
The Wyatt’s went over to Mr Meiklejohns to bring home an heifer & her calf  that they have bought of him, but they did not succeed in getting them home as the heifer has been hand fed & she would not leave the place although they led the calf in front of her by a rope.

Sunday 28th  The “Ida Zeigler” arrived in harbour early this morning from Auckland heavily laden with provisions etc.
The “Dot” sailed for Auckland in the morning having on board as passengers Sid Anderson,  Mr Dyer & Mrs Monkhouse.
Jim & Tom Anderson came here for dinner, I went over with them in the afternoon & drank tea there & in the evening we went up to Mr Kirkbrides,  Mrs Picken played on the piano for us and we sang hymns etc,  among others we sang  “Jerusalem the Golden”, I spent a very pleasant evening.

Monday 29th  This is Auckland Anniversary, she is now 26 years old, they always commemorate the day by having a regatta in the harbour, the day was fine for the event, but there was no wind to help the sailing vessels along.  I commenced to fall bush on my last acre next to Mr Wyatt’s.

Tuesday 30th  I continued falling bush.  It looked very much like rain in the evening, but we had none.

Wednesday 31st  Johnny McKenzie (?) came to tell me that there was a hamper on board the boat for me, Mr Foster had kindly sent it me  & it contained ginger wine, pickles, Jams, a newspaper & a letter.  It rained in the evening.