Saturday 1st It was a very dull day, but it did not rain until late in the pm when there was a long and heavy shower.
Harold Knaggs called while we were having breakfast to get a Copy of Birth Certificate for his brother Willie who is going into the Locomotive cleaning shop at Christchurch.
I went down to the wharf carried up a bag of sand to the Hall & Wm Dunning carted it up to my gate.
Willie walked to Ti Point to fish but the wind was blowing very strong from NW and he only got a few fish.
Sunday 2nd It was a very showery day. Willie rode over to the claim to spend the day with Jim & Jane, he took over a low chair he had made for Hector, he did not get home till after dark.
I staid at home and occupied the time in writing a long letter to my son Jack.
Monday 3rd King Georges birthday. The wind has changed round to the SW and it is was blowing pretty strong, it did not rain, but it was a dull day.
Willie was picking & packing apples. I was getting firewood and doing odd jobs.
Tuesday 4th It did not rain during the day, but the wind was blowing very strong from the SW.
After breakfast I went down to get the mail, drew £15 out of the P.O Savings Bank, called into the Library to change my book. Willie was packing fruit and before dinner he hauled 13 Cases down to meet the Steamer, the Norman Mathesons were leaving to day to reside in Auckland .
In the afternoon Willie was making a gate, I was clearing up the rubbish in the pigs paddock.
Wednesday 5th It was a very fine day. After breakfast I went down to Chas Wyatts.
In the afternoon I went down to the beach, got a bag of sand, Willie hauled it up for me, Willie took the horse down and he had 1 Cwt Bale Wire, a coil of Wire Netting, 2 empty Egg Boxes besides my sand to haul up.
I received the Roses through the post, also the garden seeds from O’Leary & Downs that I won as a prize for my Collection of Flowers at the late Omaha Show.
Thursday 6th It was fine in the morning, but it came over a misty rain in the pm. In the morning Willie took 2 Boxes Eggs down to the wharf and he hauled up a bag of sand for me, in the pm he was put on the wire netting round the trees in the pigs paddock.
In the morning I planted 6 Roses near the rubbish heap, viz Lyon Rose, Catherine [sic] Testout, George G. Waud, Lady Battersea, a Rose I got from Mr Banks, & La France.
In the pm It was too wet to plant any more roses so I burned off a heap of rubbish in the pigs paddock.
Friday 7th There were a few showers. Willie finished fixing the wire netting on the fence in the pigs paddock.
I planted 2 Roses in the long bed.
In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library.
Saturday 8th A disagreable day, showery and strong westerly winds.
Willie was mending fences.
I was doing odd jobs.
Sunday 9th It was a very fine day, but very cold as the wind is
in the S.
Revd O. Blundell held service in the Hall in the morning, I attended, there was a large congregation , Willie staid at home to cook the dinner, Agnes came up with me for dinner.
Monday 10th It was a very fine day. Willie was putting barb wire on the fence between the barley paddock and the farm.
I dug up all the Dahlia roots.
Tuesday 11th It was a very fine day. After breakfast I went down to the village to get the mail. In the afternoon I filled in the holes I took the dahlias out of, I put danthonia hay at the bottom of the hole, then some burned soil and sand and filled in the soil over this. I planted two rose trees I struck from cuttings, Empress Alexander of Russia and Dean Hole.
Mrs Handby & Mrs Jos Harper came to look at my flower garden in the afternoon. Willie packed some Vicar Pears, took them down to the wharf in the pm and brought up a bag of sand for me.
Wednesday 12th It was a fine day, ‘tho dull, it looks like a change as the wind has got to the NW.
After breakfast I walked over to the claim to see Jim & Jane, staid for lunch, Jane & Hector are going to Auckland tomorrow morning, I called in to see Mr & Mrs Darroch.
While I was away Willie fixed a trellis for Passion Fruit, packed some fruit and hauled it down to the wharf, we had up by the Steamer a Ton of Basic Slag. Willie hauled up 4 Bags = 4 Cwt .
Thursday 13th Willie got up early and went down to the Steamer to see Jane off, there were a good many passengers went from here.
Willie took the horse & catamaran down to the wharf after breakfast and hauled up three loads of Basic Slag – 12 Cwt, this makes a Ton he has hauled up.
The weather looked very threatening, but the rain kept off during the day, but it commenced to rain in the evening.
I was getting firewood & doing odd jobs.
Friday 14th It was a fine day, but it looks like a change as the wind has got round to the E.
Willie stopped in the house in the morning to bake bread, in the pm we measured out 2 acres in the horse paddock to top dress with Slag and afterwards Willie commenced sowing it. I burned some clay in the backyard. In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library. There was a meeting of the Hall committee to pass the painting, the young fellows applied for the use of the Hall for boxing and they commenced this evening on the Stage.
Saturday 15th A very dull day, but the rain kept off until the evening. Willie walked to Ti Point to fish, but he returned in the evening with out any. In the morning I got a quantity of firewood, in the pm I went down to the beach and carried up a bag of sand, after I returned I took up a clump of Gladiolus, and I planted a clump of Gladiolus.
Sunday 16th It rained hard last night, but it was very fine today, the wind was blowing strong from NW and is drying up the roads.
Revd Paris held service in the Hall in the pm there was a fair congregation. Willie & I attended.
Monday 17th It was a fine day with the exception of one or two slight showers. Willie was sowing Basic Slag in the cow paddock all day. I was cutting and clearing away tea tree on the top of the hill in the cow paddock where the slag was sown.
Tuesday 18th It was a very fine day. After breakfast I went down to the village to post a letter & get the mail, carried up some sand, while I was down there I heard of the death of Mrs Duncan Knaggs at Warkworth where she had gone to be confined, afterwards she contracted Rhumatic fever & jaundice, Dr Showsmith was attending her and she was staying at Mrs Alf Fentons, she has been in a precarious state for some time and she passed away yesterday. Great sympathy is felt for Duncan and the family.
I was clearing tea tree & cutting it up on the hill.
Willie finished sowing the Slag, he put about 19½ Cwt on a little more than 2 acres.
Wednesday 19th The wind was blowing very strong from the N which made it very uncomfortable.
After breakfast I went down to C. Wyatts to take Maggie some Pansy plants. Willie was getting out some pieces of Kauri on the hill to build a trap shed.
Willie & I went down to the village in the pm. I did not stay for the arrival of the steamer, but Willie did and carried up a bundle of trees that came from Marrison.
Thursday 20th It poured with rain last night and the wind blew very strong from the N and there were several showers today. Mrs Duncan Knaggs was buried in the Leigh Cemetery at 2 pm. There was a very large attendance to pay respect to the deceased who was very highly respected. Many floral wreathes were laid on the coffin. Revd O. Blundell conducted the service at the grave. Minnie & Joe came up here after the funeral to register the birth of their baby, they have named him Ernest Joseph.
Friday 21st Only a few showers today. Willie & I were clearing up the house and sweeping the chimney. In the afternoon I went down to the Hall to supervize a scripture examination, returned home for tea and went down again in the evening to get the mail and attend the Library. Willie took the horse down to the Steamer to meet Grace who returned from her trip to Auckland in the evening.
Saturday 22nd There were a few showers. In the morning I planted some plants that Grace brought from Auckland for me, viz 5 Double White Primroses, 8 Stocks, 1 Pansy. In the afternoon I went down to see the “Kawau” off, carried up a bag of sand.
Willie was preparing some timber in the bush to build a trap shed.
Revd Macdonald came in the evening and staid all night.
Sunday 23rd It was showery in the morning, but fine in the afternoon when the wind was blowing very cold from the S.
Mr Macdonald held a Communion service in the Hall at 8 am, Grace, Willie & I attended also Mr & Mrs Gravatt. Collection 3/-. Service also at 2.30 pm which we also attended. Collection 10/-
Monday 24th It was a very fine day, but a cold wind blowing from S.
In the morning I was getting a lot of firewood and in the pm I was cutting off pine branches.
Willie carried down the timber he had prepared to build a trap shed.
Tuesday 25th There was a sharp frost this morning, it was a very fine day. After breakfast I went down to the P.O to get the mail, carried up some sand.
I stored all my Dahlia bulbs in the dairy under the house. Cut up (sawed) a lot of pine branches to burn in the evening. Willie commenced erecting the frame of the trap shed in the pigs paddock.
While I was down at the village today I heard of the death of Sir J. Logan Campbell the Father of Auckland and he is to be buried at the top of One Tree Hill the park he presented to the people of Auckland.
Wednesday 26th It was a very dull day and a few light showers.
Willie got up early and rode to Warkworth to fetch home our new Sulky he arrived there about 10 am and started away for home at noon and on account of the muddy roads he did not reach home until 5 pm and the horse was quite done up. I was getting a lot of firewood. In the afternoon Grace and I went down to meet the steamer to meet Mrs Leroy and little girl who is coming up to stay with us, Jane was also on board returning from her visit to Auckland. Bob Wyatt carted Mrs Leroy’s hamper to our gate and Grace and I carried her parcels. They had a very calm passage.
After tea Willie and I washed the Sulky it was in a terrible muddy state. It took us till 9 pm.
The scow “Jane Gifford” came in with a load of sawn timber to build our new wharf which she discharged on Peter’s flat. Messrs Gathercole and David Cruickshank who have the contract for the wharf were superintending the unloading, but are not going to commence work until they have all the timber on the spot.
Thursday 27th A very dull and disagreable day, no sun showing, strong wind from NE and it commenced a steady rain in the evening.
After breakfast I went down to the P.O to send a wire away for Mrs Leroy, got the mail and carried up some sand. After I came back I cleaned & oiled the new harness, in the pm I burned off some rubbish heaps in the pigs paddock. In the morning Willie planted the fruit trees he got from Marrison, and he hauled some sheets of iron and a case of kerosene from the wharf and was working at the trap shed.
Friday 28th It was a fine day. The County Council are having metal carted and broken to fill up the holes on the road at the foot of our place.
I was getting a lot of firewood in the pm. I was helping Willie put the iron on the roof of the trap shed. In the evening I went down for the mail and attended the Library. There was a meeting of the Fruitgrowers Association in the evening, there was a good attendance. Mr Witten brought forward the subject of obtaining arsenate of lead wholesale, also charging for fruit cases. 4 new members joined, I was elected President and Mr S. E. Rhodes Secretary and Treasurer.
Saturday 29th It was a showery day. After breakfast I went down to the wharf to take a gardening book to Harold Carr to take up to Mr Grindrod, carried up some sand, called at Charlie Wyatts on my way home.
Willie was working at the trap shed. I got several bags of leaves & horse manure and put it on the rubbish heap.
Sunday 30th No rain today, very cold wind from S. Willie, Grace & Mrs Leroy went to the Claim to spend the day with Jim & Jane.
I went up to Mr Handbys & staid tea.