July 1899

Saturday 1st   The wind was blowing very strong from the west, there were several showers during the day.
I took out the mutton during the morning and then pulled up tea tree both morning and afternoon.
Jane went to the orchestra practice at Mrs Gravatts in the evening.
Joe T  came for tea and staid all night.

Sunday 2nd   It was fine in the morning and gave every promise of a fine day , but after dinner there came over a misty rain, and afterwards heavy rain,  it cleared up in the evening and I think the wind changed as it is much colder.
On account of the weather I conducted no service in the afternoon.

Monday 3rd   It was fine in the morning.  I went down to the Store to post my quarterly returns and to get two axe handles.  I also carried up some gravel from the beach for the fowls.
I put the axe handles in after I came home.
I went down in the front after dinner to work but it came on to rain and I came home, but went down again after it cleared up and staid working there until nearly dark.

Tuesday 4th   It was a showery day.  I was pulling up tea tree in the morning.  Packed a box of Eggs  9½  Doz and hauled them down to the wharf in the afternoon, and hauled up a 70 lbs Bag of Sugar and empty Egg Box that came from Dumpers.

Wednesday 5th   It was a comparatively fine, only a few slight showers fell in the middle of the day.
I was pulling up tea tree & stacking sticks out in the front.  George Wyatt & Charlie Dunning were putting up a fence round the cottage.
Jane went to Mrs Gravatts in the pm.

Thursday 6th   It was a fine day.  I was pulling up tea tree in the front all day.  Mrs J. C. Wyatt & Mr Carrie were here for dinner, after dinner I went with the latter over to Walter Frearsons to show Mr Carrie his orchard, but Walter was not at home, however we had a look round in his absence, and Mr  C  was very much pleased.

Friday 7th   It rained when we got up in the morning , but it cleared up and turned out a very fine day.  I was pulling up tea tree in the front both morning & afternoon.   Killed a Sheep in the afternoon.  May Dunning was here for tea, and Jane went with her up to the Library and then down to the skating.  I posted a letter & newspaper to my sister Jane this morning.

Saturday 8th   It was raining in the morning when we got up, but it cleared up and was fine for the remainder of the morning.
After taking the mutton out, Willie and I were pulling up tea tree in the front.
There was a meeting of the Road Board in the Hall at 2 pm which I attended.  It was very showery in the afternoon & evening.
Miss Darroch was here for tea and went to the orchestra practice with Jane and stayed here all night.

Sunday 9th   It was a fine day.  I went over to Miss Niccols and Walter Frearsons in the morning.  I read service in the Hall in the afternoon.  There were only 9 present.  Miss Darroch returned home in the pm.  Joe T  was here for tea.

Monday 10th   It was a fine day although very cold.  The wind was blowing from the S.  I was pulling up tea tree and putting it into heaps  in the front near the gate.
Miss Niccol & Miss Mitchell were here for tea and spent the evening.

Tuesday 11th   It was a fine day, but the wind was blowing very cold.  I was pulling up tea tree in the front tin the morning.  In the pm I packed and hauled down a box of Eggs to the Steamer and hauled up a Sack of Seed Kidney Potatoes,  2 empty Egg Boxes, and a Sack of Sharps that I got from Harpers.  Jane rode up to Mr John Greenwoods in the afternoon and staid for tea, she brought home a lot of flowers  cuttings.

Wednesday 12th   It was a fine day, but a very cold wind blowing.
I laid  out the seed Potatoes on shelves in the Store in the morning. The remainder of the day I was cutting tea tree and heather in the front.
Minnie rode to Tea Point in the afternoon to get Oysters.  Jane went to Mrs Gravatts after tea to stay with her all night.

Thursday 13th   It was a fine day.  The wind still blowing very cold.  I was pulling tea tree in the front both morning  and  afternoon.

Friday 14th   It was a very fine day.  I was paring the creeping weed in the piece of ground below the house where I intend planting potatoes, this fine weather has dried up the ground very much.
Killed a Sheep in the afternoon.  The girls went to the skating in the Hall in the evening, and I went to the Library to see the new books.

Saturday 15th  It was a very fine day.  Took out the mutton in the morning, then went down to the Koeroa to pull a Lamb out of the creek that Willie found when he put the cow into the E.R.   In the afternoon Willie & I were pulling up tea tree in front.  Jane went to the orchestra practice.

Sunday 16th   There was a heavy frost last night and it showed very white on the bridge this morning.  It was a very fine day and the roads are very dry.  I skinned the Lamb that fell in the creek yesterday.  I read service in the Hall in the pm.  Joe T  was here for tea.

Monday 17th   There was a frost again this morning.  It was a beautiful day and so calm out to sea, we saw a great quantity of vessels becalmed.  We got the Sheep up from the farm in the morning, cleaned all those that required doing and they were principally Lambs.  The Sheep look very well and the wool so clean & bright, the Ewes also look heavy in Lamb.  We put 5 Whethers out in the front.
In the afternoon,  Jane, Willie & I  went down to the E.R. and commenced planting Potatoes (Lapstone Kidneys)  we planted them 2 ft 6 in apart and used Bone Dust & Blood as manure.  We planted 6 rows.

Tuesday 18th   It was showery all day, so we were unable to go on planting potatoes.  I made a milking stool in the morning .  Went down to the Steamer in the afternoon,  did not send away any Eggs this week, only had an empty Egg box up which Mr Kempt kindly hauled up and left at our gate.

Wednesday 19th   It was a very showery day.  Alec Haskell came to register his baby in the morning and he staid for dinner.  Wille  &  I were pulling up tea tree in the afternoon.  Miss Niccol & Miss Mitchell came for tea.  There was a meeting of the School Committee in the evening.

Thursday 20th   It was a fine day.     Yesterday was fixed to be Kept as Arbor Day, but being a wet day,  to day was Kept instead,  Willie took a spade to School and the children dug round the trees.
I yoked the bullocks up in the morning and went down to the store, I took some firewood down to the hall, and hauled up a bag of Potatoe Manure, afterwards hauled a load of firewood.  In the afternoon I was pulling up tea tree.

Friday 21st   It was a fine day.   I was pulling up tea tree both morning and afternoon.  Killed a Sheep in the pm.  There was a Social in the Hall in the evening in aid of the Hall funds, the ladies supplying the refreshments  for the supper, the charge being 1/- per head
£1 . 10 . 6 being taken.  We all of us went and enjoyed ourselves very much.

Saturday 22nd   There were a few showers but otherwise it was a fine day.  Took the mutton out in the morning, cut tea tree in the afternoon.  In the evening I went down to the Hall to clear up.

Sunday 23rd   There were a few showers in the morning but the afternoon was very fine.
Revd G. Frost held service in the Hall in the afternoon, there was a good congregation and about 15/9 collected.  He preached an excellent sermon.  Joe T  was here for tea.

Monday 24th   Minnie went to Matakana early in the morning to dress make for Mrs Tindall.  It was showery in the morning.  Jane, Willie & I went down to the E.R. to plant Potatoes, we took our dinner with us, there was a very shower of rain that obliged us to come home about 2.30.  As it cleared up afterwards I went down in the front & pulled up tea tree.

Tuesday 25th   It was a showery day.  In the morning I went up to see the new road that George Wyatt & C. Dunning are making through Mr Handby’s land leading to Pakiri.
In the afternoon I packed a Box of  18 Doz Eggs  & 3 lbs Butter for Dumper and hauled it down to the wharf & hauled up 1 Sack Potatoes & a box of Groceries that came up by the “Rose Casey“.

Wednesday 26th   There was a heavy frost this morning, and it was a very fine day though rather cold as a SW. was blowing.
Jane, Willie & I went down to the E.R. and were working there all day.  We took our dinner with us and boiled the billy.
We continued planting Potatoes, also sowed 3 rows White Stone Turnips and 2 rows Stratagem Peas.

Thursday 27th   It was a fine day with the exception of a few slight showers in the afternoon which did not stop us working.
Jane, Willie & I went down to the E.R. and had our dinner down there.   We finished planting Potatoes there.  We planted some Cabbage plants that Mrs  W.  Savage gave us and then we continued digging up for Oats.

Friday 28th   It was a fine day.  We went down to the E.R. in the morning and finished digging up the piece of ground intended for Oats.  We then came home and had lunch and made a start at planting Potatoes below the house between the newly planted Peach Trees.  Killed a Sheep in the afternoon.  I went to the Library in the evening to change my book.  Minnie returned from Matakana in the evening.

Saturday 29th   It was a showery day.  I took the mutton out in the morning and chopped some firewood, went down in the front in the afternoon to pull tea tree, but there was a heavy hail shower & I had to come up again.
There was to have been a meeting of the Hall Committee in the evening, but I did not go down, and I heard afterwards that there was no meeting.

Sunday 30th   There was a severe frost this morning, and ice the other side of the bridge.
Jane & Willie rode up to Pratts in the morning to spend the day.
I read service in the Hall in the pm.  There was only a small congregation.  Joe T  was here for tea.

Monday 31st   There was a very frost this morning and ice on the tubs of water in the yard, it is the first time that there has been ice here that I remember.
Willie staid at home from School and he helped me plant Potatoes we planted 4 rows below the house between the newly planted Peach trees.
Miss Zanders came in the afternoon to register the birth of Mrs R. Knaggs  baby, she staid for tea,  Miss Niccol & Miss Mitchell were also here for tea and the two latter spent the evening here.

Memo’
The Fowls laid  599 Eggs during the month of July
= to 49 Doz & 11.  Valued at £2 . 6 . 6