Thursday 1st It was a very fine day. The young people went to the Annual picnic at the Claim. Mrs Simpson and I staid at home.
Friday 2nd It was a very hot day. Willie was thrashing danthonia at Wyatt Bros. Grace, George & Gertie Davey, Keith Entwisle and Raymond went to Goat Island beach for a picnic. I staid at home.
I planted out 4 Zinnias. Went down for the mail in the evening.
Saturday 3rd It was a very fine day. Willie was thrashing danthonia at Wyatt Bros. Mrs Simpson, George & Gertie went to Ti Point to stay a few days. In the morning I was working in the garden, I watered the onions with a solution of Nitrate of Soda, pulled up the sticks of 1 row of Peerless peas.
In the afternoon I went to D. Mathesons to take Mrs D some Dahlia bulbs, she gave me some white flowers for the vases in the Church for the service tomorrow, called in at Mr Gozars to get some flax.
Sunday 4th It was a fine day, but the weather seems threatening for rain. Keith Entwisle rode over to Jims to spend the day. I conducted service in the Church in the afternoon there were 19 present, collection 6/5. Eddie & Ivy came up after church, had tea here and spent the evening.
Monday 5th It was very showery in the morning that it filled our tank to overflowing. Willie was to have thrashed grass seed for Guy Ashton, but on account of the weather he did not go. I did odd jobs shelled Cabbage seed, planted out 4 Zinnias & 5 Antirrhinums. Got kerbing and fixed them. Willie & Keith went out fishing in the pm and brought home a few fish.
George & Gertie returned from Ti Point about midnight.
Tuesday 6th It was a very fine day. Mrs Simpson returned home, she staid at Mr Ashworths last night. I was working in the garden all day, Horace came in the afternoon & Grace & Gertie went back with him. Willie, George & Keith went out fishing in the afternoon and brought home a lot of fish. Dollie Meiklejohn came in the afternoon to get some flowers for the wedding tomorrow.
Wednesday 7th It was a very fine day. I walked over to the Claim in the morning had dinner at Jims, found Jane getting on very well after her confinement of a daughter. In the afternoon we went down to the Hall to be present at the marriage of Miss Charlena Bond to Arch Dunning Jnr . The ceremony was performed by Revd Orchard.
Miss Whitaker & Misses K. Meiklejohn & Mavis Dunning were bridesmaids & Lieutenant Angus Dunning was best man, there were a great crowd of invited guests, a tempory marque had been erected outside the Hall where the wedding breakfast was served, although there were two tables which would seat about 25 each it took about 3 relays to accomodate them all, tosts were proposed and responded to. Willie, Grace, Keith & I returned home before dark. Mrs Simpson, George & Gertie staid for the dance and returned to Ti Point for the night .
Thursday 8th It was a very fine day. Willie went to thrash danthonia for Guy Ashton at the Evans’ farm.
Keith left for home by the “Kawau” which left here at 10 am, Jean went with him to stay at the Entwisles at Devonport, Hector came here to stay. I was digging top side of house.
Friday 9th It was a very fine day. Willie went to thrash grass seed for Guy Ashton. I finished digging the piece of ground between the beans and beet, picked in some cabbage seed, took up the sticks of the second row of Peerless peas, tied the sticks into bundles and put them at the back of the old pig sty, & started to put permanent sticks to the Tomatoes the top side of the house. Grace went down to meet the “Kawau” in the evening. Mrs McLeod & two children came up by her to stay with us. In the evening I went to Arthur Greenwoods to help him catalogue & number a lot of new books for the Library that Arthur got in town when he was up last.
Saturday 10th It was a very fine day. Willie went to thrash grass seed for Guy Ashton. I got firewood, stacked & tied up the Tomatoes the top side of the house, cut out and carried away the big plant of Ginger.
Willie attended a Ratepayers meeting at night.
Sunday 11th It was a fine day, but threatening for rain, and we got a little rain in the evening. Revd Gould held service in the hall in the morning, I attended also Mrs Simpson, Grace, Mrs McLeod & children. I went home with Horace & had dinner there. Willie drove Mrs Simpson & Mrs McLeod over to Jims place in the afternoon, Mrs Simpson staid with Jane as Mrs Smith (the nurse) is leaving to day. Grace & the children went to Horace’s place in the afternoon & Mrs Hedges, Lyndon & Horace came home with them in the evening.
Jack’s 48 birthday.
Monday 12th It rained last night and pretty heavily this morning to fill and overflow our tank. I watered my Onions with liquid manure, I shelled the Peerless seed peas. and picked in the Stratagem seed peas. George & Gertie Davey came over from Ti Point to stay here.
Tuesday 13th It was a fine day. Willie was spraying in this orchard all day.
Mr Edwards the Government Vet Surgeon gave a demonstration in Mr A. Dunning‘s paddock, I attended, in the evening he gave a lecture in the Hall, Willie & George attended. Horace and his mother came in the evening & we played cards.
Wednesday 14th It was a very fine day. Willie was thrashing grass seed for Guy Ashton. I was digging the top side of the house. Went down to the steamer in the afternoon. Grace, Mrs McLeod, George, Gertie and all the children went to Ti Point in the pm.
Thursday 15th It was very fine in the morning, but there were a few showers in the afternoon & heavier rain in the evening.
Willie & Jim Wyatt cut a strip round the wheat read [?] for the reaper & binder that is coming next week to cut the wheat. I finished digging the piece of ground the top side of the house. George & Gertie Davey left by the “Kawau” in the pm, all of us went down to the wharf to see them off.
Friday 16th It was a fine day. I helped Willie plant a long row of butter beans in the new garden, I watered the Onions in my own garden with liquid manure.
Grace, Mrs McLeod & children went to Mathesons at Koeroa in the afternoon. Willie went fishing. I went down for the mail in the evening, I planted a row of Silver Beet in the ground I have just dug. Also a row of Dun Beans.
Saturday 17th It was a fine day. Willie went thrashing for Guy Ashton. I planted a row of Lettuce and also a row of Dun Beans next to Silver Beet. There was a Tennis Match on these courts between Pakiri & Leigh clubs, but none of us went.
Sunday 18th It was a fine day, the wind is NW and in the evening there was every indication that there would be rain before morning.
Mrs McLeod & children & Willie, Grace and Raymond walked and drove to Ti Point to spend the day with Harold & Flo. Mrs McLeod & children staid there, but Willie & Grace went along to Jims and brought Mrs Simpson back here. I attended the Methodist service in the pm.
Monday 19th It was fine in the morning ‘tho there had been rain last night, but not enough to do any good, there were showers in the afternoon . Willie was working on the flat in the morning & in the afternoon he took the cart down to the wharf and carted up some fruit cases. I commenced to dig the piece of ground where the Stratagem peas grew.
Tuesday 20th It was a fine day After breakfast I went down for the mail, when I was coming home a motor car passed me, Mr Patterson of the Agricultural Department & Mr Bailey, organizer of the Farmer’s Union were in it, they were going to see Wyatt’s crop of Wheat, so I also went up to see it.
I continued digging where I started yesterday. In the morning Willie worked on the flat, in the afternoon he picked fruit. Mrs McLeod & children returned from Ti Point.
Horace came in the evening & we played 500.
Wednesday 21st It was a fine day. In the morning Willie & Jim Wyatt tied up the wheat in sheaves that they cut on the headlands. In the pm Willie carted his fruit to the wharf & brought up a bag of gravel for me. I finished digging the top side of the house, went down to the steamer.
Grace, Mrs Simpson, Mrs McLeod & children went down to Goat Island beach in the pm.
Thursday 22nd It was a fine day. Willie was thrashing for Guy Ashton. Mrs McLeod returned to Auckland by the “Kawau” leaving here at 8.45. Grace & I went down to the wharf to see her & her children off. I beat down the piece of ground I finished digging yesterday , cut the grass on the path and did other odd jobs in the garden.
Tom Ashton brought his reaper & binder and commenced to cut the wheat in the afternoon.
Friday 23rd There was a little misty rain when we got up, but later on it set in a steady rain which continued all day and evening, the tank was soon full and running over and the rain has sunk deep into the ground. We were not able to do any work outside.
Saturday 24th It rained steadily all day, we were not able to do any work outside. Willie went down for the mail in the morning.
I shelled all my seed peas, both Peerless and Stratagem, sorted them out, I made some new bags for them . I wrote a long letter to my son Henry & Willie posted it this morning [?]
Sunday 25th It was a fine day, wind SW. The wind yesterday did not do much damage in my garden, it knocked about the Homestead beans & dwarf beans a little, but it blackened Willies & Wyatts wheat and knocked it about. Revd Macdonald held service in the afternoon, there were 40 present, he gave us a good sermon. Collection 18/6. Mr & Horace Hedges came in the evening.
The “Kawau” did not get out of Mangawai yesterday, she called in here this morning.
Monday 26th It was a very fine day. Tom Ashton came in the morning and finished cutting Willie’s wheat early in the afternoon, afterwards he started to cut Charlie Wyatt’s wheat. In the morning I went down with a reap hook and cut the odd straws that the machine had missed. In the afternoon I sowed a row of Parsnips next the last planted beans, and then I went down to see C. Wyatts wheat, it was so thick on the ground that the reaper had a difficulty in cutting it.
Tuesday 27th It was a very fine day. Willie was ploughing out the Potatoes in the new garden. I sowed 3 rows of Swede Turnips the top side of the house. The “Kawau” came today instead of tomorrow on account of the holiday on Thursday. I went down to meet the steamer & got the mail.
Mr & Mrs Watts called in the afternoon and staid for tea.
Wednesday 28th It was a very hot day. In the morning I was helping Willie pick peaches & diamond plums , he took them and a box of Eggs down to the “Kawau” which left here at noon, Minnie who came round in the steamer came up here for lunch and a look round the garden, Mrs Simpson went over to Ti Point in the afternoon, she and Minnie walked over together.
Willie was digging out Potatoes in the pm. I was digging out periwinkle & convolvulus below the pig sty.
Thursday 29th Anniversary Day and a general holiday. Weather very hot. There was a Tennis Tournament at Warkworth, several of our players completed.
In the morning I was digging out periwinckle and convolvulus below the pig sty, afterwards I was helping Willie dig Potatoes.
In the afternoon I went to Horace’s place to have a look round.
Friday 30th It was a fine day, but the wind is blowing strong from NE. Willie was digging Potatoes all day, I was helping him in the morning, in the pm I was digging out convolvulus below the house.
In the evening I went down for the mail. There was to have been a meeting in the Library, the Annual meeting of subscribers, but there were only three present so the meeting was adjourned.
Saturday 31st There was a misty rain in the morning. I watered my Onions with liquid manure. Willie cleared out the store, and put some Potatoes under the broad shelves.
Jim Haskell brought me a letter from Mrs Holder asking me to write a report of her daughter’s wedding. Jim staid for dinner.
In the afternoon it poured with rain and kept on all evening.
I was writing a report of the wedding.