January 1925

Thursday 1st   It was a very fine day with the exception of a shower in the afternoon.  The annual new year sports were held in the domain.  Charlie & Maggie drove over in the morning and came up here and stayed for lunch.  Afterwards all of us went down to the Domain.  There was a crowd of people there who came to witness the sports, we came in motor cars, motor lorries, and other conveyances, I met a lot of old friends.  Mr Birss and his choir boys who are camped at Ti Point were there and I had a long talk with Mr Birss.  I came away early as I was tired standing, all came home for tea and to milk the cows.  Jim returned to the hall in the evening for the dance.

Friday 2nd   It was a very fine day.  I continued digging.  Jane & Mildred went to Evans & Whitakers in the pm,  Alma Wallace & Laurence returned with her in the evening to have a chat.

Saturday 3rd   It was a very hot day.  Jim,  Jane,  Mildred  &  I drove to Matakana in the morning as there was a Cricket Match, Matakana v Omaha.  Matakana batted first and made 26 runs,  Omaha followed with 118 runs.  Jane & I had lunch with Mabel.  I went to consult Dr Whetter, he gave me some medicine .  Will Dunning brought me home in his motor car.  Dolly & May came up in the evening to have a chat.

Sunday 4th   It was a very fine day.  Mr Birss held service in the hall at 11 am, he was accompanied by 11 scout boys.  Some of the boys sang quartetts & solos very nicely.  About 12 were present besides the boys.  The collection was 9/5 .

Monday 5th   It was a very fine day.

Tuesday 6th   It was a very hot day.  I stuck the Homestead Beans, planted 12th Dec.  Mr Kirk called in the afternoon and staid for tea. Alma & Laurence came in the evening, Alma is going to stay here.

Wednesday 7th   It was a very hot day.  I was preparing a trench for beans next the strawberries.

Thursday 8th   It was a very hot day.  I planted a double row of Homestead Beans.   Charlie Dunning and his son Jack (the Rhodes scholar) were here for dinner & Mr Birss & 6 scout boys were here in the afternoon.

Friday 9th   It was a very hot day.  All the young people went to a picnic at Ti Point, Laurence W took them in his launch, the Whitaker family were of the party , they caught fish and gathered pipis and cooked them.  I staid at home and passed a quiet day reading.  At midday I went down and had lunch with Dolly, and Mrs Joe Harper who is staying there.

Saturday 10th   It was a very fine day.  There was a Cricket match at the Domain, Omaha V  Warkworth, all of us attended.  Warkworth batted first and made 100 runs, the principal scores were  C. Gubb 28,  A. Pickering 19,  H. Duke 18.
Omaha followed with 187 runs, the chief scorers were P. Dunning 138,  C. Farman 18,  Jim Wyatt 11 runs.  Warkworth 2nd innings,  for 8 wickets 60 runs.  Chief scores,  Prescott 12 runs,  F. Gubb 14.
P. Dunnings score was made up as follows
9.    6s   =    54
7.    4            28
7.    2            14
42.   1          42
                      138

Sunday 11th    It rained nearly all day.  Mr Birss should have held service in the hall at 11 am.  I went down, but on account of the weather he and the boys did not turn up.

Monday 12th   It rained last night and this morning which has filled the tank & thoroughly saturated the ground.  It cleared up and was fine in the afternoon.  I went round to the p o to post letters.  Alma returned from Johny Greenwoods in the afternoon.

Tuesday 13th   It was a very fine day.  I sowed a row of Carrots next to the Tomatoes.  Laurence came in the evening & Alma returned with him to stay at the Whitakers.
Also sowed a row of Stratagem Peas.

Wednesday 14th   It was a very fine day.  I sowed 2 rows of Canadian Wonder Beans next the peas I sowed yesterday.  Did some weeding. Carried some sand up from the beach in the evening and covered the two rows of beans.

Thursday 15th  It was a very fine day.  I weeded the strawberry bed, went round to Whitakers in the afternoon to take some books I had borrowed, and to borrow some more.  Jane, Jean & Mildred went to Mabels in the afternoon, they brought the mail home in the evening.

Friday 16th   It was a very fine day.  I was weeding round the tomatoes & flowers.  Pat got £10 for me out of the P. O Savings Bank at Leigh.

Saturday 17th   It was a very fine day.  I was preparing the ground to plant out a few Cabbage plants I have growing in a box.  There was a Cricket match at Whangaripo between the local club V Omaha.  Whangaripo battered first and made 169 runs.  principal scores,  E. A. Vipond 57,  L. Came 29,  Kenealy 31,  D. Bell 19.
Omaha then followed and made 193 runs.
P. Dunning 51,  W. Dunning 57,  J. C. E. Wyatt 42,  C. Farman 12,  J. Torkington 10,  Ted Brown 10.

Sunday 18th   It was a very fine day.  Revd Rouprecht held service in the hall in the morning,  he & his son came up here for dinner.  Dolly & Mrs Joe Harper came in the afternoon, staid tea and had a look at the garden.

Monday 19th   It was a very fine day.
I planted out 21 Cabbage plants
Mrs Whitaker, Laurence & Alma came in the pm staid tea & had a look at the garden.  Revd Addenbrooke called in the evening to see me.

Tuesday 20th   It was a very hot day.   I was weeding in the garden .  Mr Kirk called while we were at dinner, he had a look at my garden.

Thursday 22nd   It was a very fine day.  There were sports at Pakiri, Ellis Jones ran two lorries from Matakana picking up passengers on the road, Jim, Jane & Mildred went in one.  Hector, Jean & I staid at home.  I put sticks to the second double row of Homestead Beans.

Friday 23rd   It was a very fine day.  2 Cows got into the garden early this morning and ate off some of Jane’s Cabbages, they went up to my garden, but did not do any damage except trampling.  I was clearing round the Choco and dug out all the docks.

Saturday 24th   It was a fine day, but very windy and looks like rain.  I sowed 1 row of Carrots, pulled out the sticks of the peas that Jim planted while I was away, tied them in bundles and dug up the ground that the peas occupied.
Mrs Gravatt called to see me in the afternoon, it is the first time she has been in this house.  Jim Wyatt who had been practising cricket at the Domain came in his trap to take her home.

Sunday 25th   There was a misty rain in the morning and we expected it was going to be a wet day, but in the afternoon it cleared up and was very fine.  Eddie Grigg was planned to hold service in this hall in the morning , but on account of the weather he did not come.
In the afternoon I went down to Pats to return some books, I staid for tea.

Monday 26th   It was a fine day with the exception of a few slight showers.  Wrote to Mr Wallace.  Dug up the piece of ground where the peas grew.

Tuesday 27th   It was fine in the morning, but heavy rain in the afternoon .  I dug in manure round the Cabbages.  Resowed the Peas and Beans last planted.

Wednesday 28th   A few slight showers, otherwise a fine day.  I broke down the limps of the ground that was in peas, and then I dug it over.
In the afternoon I went down to Pats  & tied up with paper 2 Tomato fruit that they gave me for seed.

Thursday 29th   Auckland anniversary.  It was a very fine day.  A Cricket team from Whangarei challenged Rodney for the possession of the Walker Shield which Rodney now holds.  The match was played at Matakana.  Jim, Jane & I went there and back in Jack’s car. We had our lunch under the trees with the Whitaker family.  I met a lot of old friends, residents of Matakana & neighbourhood.
Whangarei batted and only made 23 runs.  Rodney then followed with 130 runs, Noel Vipond of Whangaripo  made top score.
Whangarei then batted a second time and made 47 runs, therefore Rodney won in one innings & 60 runs.

Friday 30th   There were a few showers, otherwise it was a fine day.  I was not feeling very well so I did not work in the garden.

Saturday 31st   There were misty showers in the morning which became worse in the afternoon.
There was a Cricket match at the Domain, Omaha V  Whangaripo.
The visiting team came in motor cars and a motor lorry.
Whangaripo batted first and made 42 runs.  Chief scores  S. Came 13,  W. Came  10.
Omaha batted next and when 81 runs were made the rain continuing , the innings was closed with 6 wickets to fall.  Chief scores  E. Wyatt 41,  Jim Wyatt 19,   P. Dunning 15.
Thus Omaha won with 40 runs to spare.