July 1908

Wednesday 1st    It was a very showery day, scarcely a quarter of an hour between the showers.  I was unable to do anything out of doors.
Jane went down to the village in the afternoon , Willie returned home in the “Kawau“, we were very glad to get him back again.

Thursday 2nd   It was a showery day.  In the morning Willie and I went down to the wharf and carried up some goods he brought from Auckland.  In the afternoon I was getting more tea tree stakes and fixing them round the fence.  In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library.

Friday 3rd   There were several heavy showers, but it was very fine between the showers.  In the morning I was fixing the tea tree stakes round the fence.  In the afternoon Willie helped me fix the wire netting on the top of the fence round the front garden.

Saturday 4th    It was fine in the morning tho’ very dull,  in the afternoon there were showers and in the evening steady rain.
In the morning I went down to the Post Office to get Mr Handby mail and I took it up to him.  Mr H. is laid up with a bad attack of rhumatish and unable to stir out, I brought his Library books away to change them for him so I went down to the Library for that purpose also to the Store to get something for Mr H. which I intend to take up tomorrow morning.  In the afternoon I was fixing the wire netting on the front gate and round the gate posts,  Willie got a lot of tea tree stakes to finish putting the wire netting on.

Sunday 5th   It was a showery day.  In the morning I went up to Mr Handbys to take him the Library books, but I got very wet going up so I did not stay there long.
Revd Jory was to hold service in the Hall in the afternoon, but none of us went.

Monday 6th    It was very showery in the morning, but finer in the pm.  In the morning Willie went down to the store to order a bag of Flour which Maggie Harper delivered in the pm.  In the afternoon Willie & I put in the remainder of the tea tree stakes alongside the fence down to the bottom of the pigs paddock and afterwards fixed the wire netting which reached nearly to the bottom.

Tuesday 7th   There were a few showers during the day, the weather is improving.  I finished fixing the wire netting on to front garden fence down to the orchard fence, afterwards I cleaned out the store.

Wednesday 8th   It was a showery day.  Willie went down to meet the Steamer and get the mail in the afternoon.

Thursday 9th   It was a showery day.  Jane walked over to Dacres Claim in the morning to get taken to Matakana in the afternoon in the storekeepers cart.
Willie packed a Sack of Maize from the wharf with Empress in the morning, it came up by the “Kawau” yesterday.
I got a lot of firewood in the morning.  The showers were very frequent and heavy in the afternoon.
There was a meeting of the Farmers Association in the evening, I was present,  Mrs Jas Harrison, manager of the Settlers S. S. Co should have been there, but was unable to attend.

Friday 10th   It was a finer day than we have had for some time. There were very few showers.  Willie was down in the Village in the morning.
In the afternoon I went down to the Library to catalogue some new books that came by the “Kawau” this morning.

Saturday 11th   The weather was very fine until 4 pm when it set in a steady rain.
Willie was digging in the orchard .  I was putting in the stakes and fixing the wire netting  to raise the fence  at from the back garden gate to the corner, to try and keep the fowls out of the garden.

Sunday 12th   It was fine in the morning.  I staid at home all day.
Willie rode over to Ti Point to spend the day, it started to rain about 4 pm  and poured with rain all evening, Willie got very wet coming home.

Monday 13th   It was very fine in the morning, but there were a few slight showers in the pm.  Willie was digging in the orchard all day, he went down to the Post Office in the afternoon.
I was getting a lot of firewood and doing other odd jobs.

Tuesday 14th   It was very fine in the morning, but there were a few showers in the afternoon.
Soon after breakfast Mr Neeley came to tell us that dogs has been worrying our sheep, so we went on to the farm and found two sheep worried, I skinned one and brought some of the meat home.
Willie and Mr Neeley went round to the neighbours place to try and find out the dogs that did it.  Mr Neeley returned here for dinner.
Willie went down to meet the “Daphne” in the afternoon.

Wednesday 15th   The wind blowing from the S,  only a few showers, the wind is drying the ground up a bit.  Willie was digging in the orchard.
Mrs J. C. Wyatt called in the morning, but as Jane was not at home she did not stay.  Willie & I went down to the Steamer in the afternoon , Willies trees came from Morrison which he carried up.

Thursday 16th   There were several showers during the day and the weather was cold.  When Willie opened the bundle of fruit trees he found that the bundle was wrongly labeled and that this bundle was intended for somebody else, so he rode over to Big Omaha to see who had got his bundle, and he found them at Edgar Meiklejohns so he carried them home in front of the saddle.
Jane came as far as Jas Darroch in Mr Sarah’s cart, Jim Dunning took Empress over to bring her home and she arrived here about midnight.

Friday 17th  Several showers and a cold day.  Willie was planting his trees.  In the afternoon he and Mr Neeley went up to Mr Banks to see if they could identify his dogs as the ones that worried our sheep, but could find out nothing.  I was pulling and cutting tea tree in the front.

Saturday 18th   It was a beautiful day, the only fine day we have had this month.  In the morning Willie planted the Lemon trees he got from Morrison, afterwards went down to the Post Office, in the afternoon he was digging in the orchard.
In the morning I got a lot of firewood on the hill and in the afternoon I went down to the flat and seived some black soil, and carried some of it home.

Sunday 19th   It was a beautiful day, the wind from S.  In the afternoon I went up to Mr Handbys and took him some Library books.  Mr T. Knaggs and Alec Haskell were also there.
Jane spent the afternoon at Joe Wyatts.  Willie staid at home all day.

Monday 20th   It was a beautiful day.  Joe Torkington came in the morning to get some young pine trees & strawberry plants.  In the morning I was working in the flower garden, also sowed Cabbage Seed  (Enfield Market) in a box.  In the afternoon I went down to the flat and burned some sea weed.  Flo T.  called here in the afternoon and Jane went part of the way home with her.  Willie was digging in the orchard.

Tuesday 21st   It was a dull day, but there was no rain to speak of only a few slight showers in the pm.  In the morning I got a lot of firewood from the hill,  afterwards I sowed seeds of Nolana & Onions Rotundiflora in flower pots,  I baked the soil previously and put sheets of glass over the pots.
In the afternoon I went down to the flat and seived the sea weed ashes that I burned yesterday, I carried up some black soil, Emma and children were spending the day here, and Ab came for tea and spent the evening here.  Willie was digging in the orchard all day.

Wednesday 22nd   It was raining early this morning and we thought it was going to be a wet day, but it cleared off and turned out a very fine day.  In the morning I wrote a letter to Mr Wallace, afterwards got some firewood .  Went down to meet the “Kawau” in the afternoon it was 4.30 before she came in.
Jane and Mabel went round in her to Ti Point intending to return in her tomorrow.
Willie finished digging on the orchard where the Damson trees are.

Thursday 23rd   It was dull in the morning.  Willie packed up 1 Sack Sharps & 1 Sack Bran from the wharf with Empress, when he was bringing up the last load it commenced raining and rained most of the pm.  In the morning I had a fire in the front garden also dug up some ground and planted some bulbs.
Jane came round in the “Kawau” in the afternoon from Ti Point, she brought Agnes with her, she also brought the Weekly News from the P.O.  it came by the “Daphne” this morning, so I did not go down to the village in the evening for the mail.

Friday 24th   It rained heavily all last night and there were several showers today.  In the morning I wrote a letter to my sister Fanny and went down to the village to post it just before dinner.  In the afternoon I was doing odd jobs.  As it was a showery day, Willie got a lot of firewood and mended the fence between Mathesons  and our place.

Saturday 25th   It was a showery day.  Willie was digging a drafs [sic: perhaps means drain] on the top side of the ground where he has the Diamond Plum trees planted.  I got a bit of firewood.

Sunday 26th   It was a cold day and there were a few showers.  Jane & I staid at home, Willie went down to the village.

Monday 27th   It was a very fine day, without a shower, but the ground is very wet.  Joe Torkington came in the morning and took Agnes home.
In the morning first thing I went down to the store to get some pills, afterwards I was digging out some blackberries on the hill next Walter Frearsons.  We had dinner early and Jane went down to Uncle Johns in the afternoon.  In the afternoon I first chopped some firewood and afterwards the following seeds in boxes.  Marigold,  Perilla Nanensis,  Caliopsis and Lupin .  Willie was cutting a drain the top side of the Orlean trees in the farm orchard, to cut the pine roots.

Tuesday 28th   It was a fine day and the sea is very calm.  In the morning I was digging in the flower garden, in the afternoon I took Johanna McKenzie some Crimson Ramber roots.
In the morning Willie was working in the farm orchard, in the pm he went out fishing off the reef and brought home a few rock cods.

Wednesday 29th   When we got up this morning we found there was a change in the weather, the wind is blowing in strong from SE and there is a good sea outside.  Willie was clearing away on the hill preparing to burn charcoal.  In the morning I was getting a lot of firewood.  In the afternoon I took the Eggs down to the store, went over to the flat to get some seaweed ashes,  I waited until the Steamer came in to get the mail, attended the Library &c.

Thursday 30th   It was a beautiful day, so calm and warm in the sun.
Willie was cutting tea tree on the hill for his charcoal pit.  Mabel came in the afternoon and staid all night.
I set fire to a stump and was working in the flower garden.  In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library.

Friday 31st   It was a beautiful day.  Willie was working at his charcoal pit on the hill.
I was working in the flower garden.  Minnie rode over with the baby in the morning, in the afternoon she walked over the hills to see Mrs Handby returning home in the evening.