July 1915

Thursday 1st   It was a very fine day.  Willie & Grace went to Auckland in the “Kawau” leaving here at 11.30 am.  Minnie and I went down to the wharf to see them off.

Friday 2nd   There were several showers in the morning, but finer in the pm.   After breakfast I went down to the village to get the mail. Agnes and Jack came over to spend the day.

Saturday 3rd   It was a very fine day.   Angus Matheson was buried in this cemetery at 1.30 pm.   The authorities gave him a military funeral and the local territorials assembled in their uniforms under sergeant major B___.    The coffin was covered with the union jack and a volley was fired over the grave.   Mr Macpherson conducted the funeral service.   Minnie & I attended and we made a nice floral cross.   Mr Woods came for tea & staid all night.   Len Wyatt came in the evening & we played 500.

Sunday 4th   The wind has changed to the NE and it was a very dull day.
Mr Woods, Minnie & I went down to the Hall in the morning.   Mr Macpherson (Presbyterian) conducted a funeral service for the late Angus Matheson, Mr Ashworth presided at the organ and played the dead march.
Mr Woods returned with us for dinner and stayed the night, Mr James Greenwood also was here for dinner.

Monday 5th   The weather has changed to day.  The wind is blowing a gale from the NE and there is a very big sea outside.  I went down to the village in the afternoon but could not hear anything about the steamer, but it is thought that she will not venture out with this heavy sea.

Tuesday 6th   The wind is still blowing strong from the NE and several showers of rain.  Joe Torkington came in the pm and took Ernie home with him.  It rained heavier after they went away, while at the village Joe heard that Herbert Fordham was buried at Otahuhu to day as on account of the rough weather and the “Kawau” missing her trip they were unable to bring the body here to be buried alongside of his parents.

Wednesday 7th   It poured with rain last night, and when we got up this morning the wind had gone down and changed to NW and it turned out a fine day.   Mr Torkington came over in the morning and brought Jack with him to stay with Minnie.   They had dinner here and then we all went down to the village in the afternoon.   The “Kawau” made the round trip to day and left here at 4.30 pm.

Thursday 8th   It was a fine day.
Minnie and Jack went up to Mrs Handbys in the morning, I was left by myself so I got some firewood and did odd jobs.   In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library.

Friday 9th   It was a very fine day.   After an early dinner Minnie & I went down to meet the steamer, which arrived here about 1.30 pm. Willie and Grace returned for their visit to Auckland.  Joe came over and took Minnie & Jack home later in the afternoon.
It came on a misty rain in the evening.

Saturday 10th   It was a very wet day.   It poured with rain, the water was running down the hill in sheets and the drains were full, it is the heaviest rain I have seen for years.

Sunday 11th   It was a fine day, the heavy rain has washed the roads and they are cleaner now than before the rain.   Revd Southern held service in the Hall in the afternoon, the others did not go out, but I attended and I heard a very good practical sermon.

Monday 12th   It was fine in the morning but early in the afternoon it came on to rain which continued until evening.   Miss Lloyd came to get me to witness her signature & she staid for lunch.

Tuesday 13th   It was too wet to go down for the mail last night so I went down after breakfast for it,  I also went down to the wharf for it. The paint materials for the Church came by the steamer last night.
I carried up a small tin of Jap oil up to the church.  It was a showery day.

Wednesday 14th   It was a very fine day. Willie Killed the Pig and I helped him to scald it.   Alf Wyatt was here for lunch. I went down to the Steamer in the afternoon.  John Greenwood carted up the oil & white lead for the church.

Thursday 15th   It was a very fine day. Willie was cutting up the pig and salting it away.   My back is still very bad and I was weeding in the flower garden.   In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library.

Friday 16th   It was a very fine day.  In the morning I went down to the beach to witness the signature of Peter’s housekeeper, called in at the church to have a chat with Mr Woods.   Mr Torkington was here for lunch.  Grace went to see Mrs Glass, but as she was not at home she went down to Alec Mathesons.

Saturday 17th   It was a very fine day.  Willie finished digging in Oats in the pigs paddock.   After breakfast I went down to the village to post a letter for Willie.
Mr Woods came in the evening and staid the night, we played Five Hundred.

Sunday 18th   It was a very fine day.  Harold, Flo & children came here for lunch so with Mr Woods we were a large party.   After dinner we all went to church in the Hall.   I conducted the service, it took the form of a memorial service for the deaths of the six persons who belonged to this district or who passed many years of their early life here namely,  Mr Roderick Matheson,  Mrs Kempt  William, John Birdsall,  Angus Matheson,  Herbert Henry Fordham,  & Mrs Richard Clarke, formerly Miss Maud Fordham.   There was a large congregation, the Dead March was played.  Collection 13/5.  As this would be the last time that the Anglican services would be held in this Hall I gave them an address hoping that the friendly relations that had always existed between the Presbyterians and the Anglicans would continue in the future.  After church Mr Woods & I went to Mr James Greenwoods for tea.

Monday 19th   It was a fine day. In the evening I went down to Arch Dunnings.  We played Five Hundred.  The steamer came in while I was there.  Alf went to the P.O and got my mail with their own.

Tuesday 20th   It was a fine day. I planted out several Cinerarias also 1 Antirrhinum.  Went down to the village, called at Mrs Dunnings, posted a letter, called in at the Church, Mr Woods is putting the seats together, they are made of Rimu and they look very nice.
Also went down to the wharf and carried up a roll of perforate zinc for Willie.

Wednesday 21st   The wind is blowing very strong from the NW and threatening for rain.  Willie was digging in the farm orchard.   I went down to the village in the afternoon and heard that the “Kawau” had broken down and would not be leaving Auckland for here until tomorrow afternoon.  Had a look in at the Church, Mr Woods is getting on with the seats, we gave him an order to make a Prayer Desk of rimu for 25/-

Thursday 22nd   It was a very wet day.   Willie was working at a safe in the pantry.  I went down to the village in the afternoon.   The “Kawau” made a round trip coming here last. Willie had a bundle of Fruit Trees (Lemons) from H. R. Wright by her.
I got the mail but did not come down in the evening for the mail or Library.

Friday 23rd   It was a fine day but the ground is saturated with water.
In the middle of the day I went down to the village to get the mail and attended the Library to give out books as I did not come down last night.   I met Jim at the Store and sent a present over to Hector as it is his birthday tomorrow.   Willie fetched in his horse that had got out on to the road, he also carried home the Lemon trees that came by the Steamer on Wednesday.

Saturday 24th   It was a very fine day. In the morning I went down to the village, called at the Church and divided the 4×2 scantling  between the church and tennis club.   Late in the afternoon Mr Woods called here and we both walked up the hill to  Jno  Greenwoods to stay the week end, we received a very hearty welcome, after tea we played 500.   John & I played against Mr Woods & Johny,  we won six games to two.

Sunday 25th   It rained all day so that we were unable to get outside for a walk.   So we sat over a good fire reading.

Monday 26th   It cleared up and it turned out a very fine day.
Mr Woods & I left John Greenwoods at 9 am and arrived at our place at 10.20.
In the afternoon I went down to the village to get the mail.
Willie cut down a dry puriri tree the other side of the hill and sawed a post length off.

Tuesday 27th   It was a very fine day.   After breakfast I called at Willie Dunnings and then went on to Mr Glass to get him to audit the Organ accounts, on my way home I called down at the church to arrange with Mr woods about going to W. Dunnings this evening to play at cards.

Wednesday 28th   It was a very fine day.   Willie was splitting posts the other side of the hill, I went over there and was cutting tea tree and crosscutting the head of the puriri tree with short lengths for firewood.   In the afternoon I went down to the Steamer and got the mail.   Willie had a post card from Bert Wallace who is fighting at Gallipoli stating that he was quite well.

Thursday 29th   It was a very fine day.   Willie, Grace & I wrote letters to Bert Wallace who is in a Howitzer corps fighting at Gallipoli, I posted the letter this morning, went down to the Steamer called in at the Church.
After I came home I went the other side of the hill and cut tea tree & cross-cutted puriri.   Mr James Greenwood called in the afternoon and staid for tea.
In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library.

Friday 30th   It was a fine day.   Grace went over to Mrs Jas Greenwoods and both of them went to Pakiri to a basket social to be held this evening in aid of wounded soldiers.
Willie went down to the Church in the morning and mixed some white paint for me, to paint the rails & pickets for the front fence, for the remainder of the day he was working at his fence.   I was painting all day.

Saturday 31st   It was a very fine day.   Willie was working at this fence.
In the morning I went down to the Church and painted half of the pickets for the front fence,  about 3 pm I went home and got dressed and walked over to the Claim and staid the night with Jim and Jane.