June 1918

Saturday 1st   It was a very fine day.  After breakfast I went down to the village to get the mail.  I got two letters for Lily which I am going to take over to Jims this pm.  Also posted letters to Yates, Mr T. Charter & the Diocesan Office.
Willie was hauling out his charcoal.
In the afternoon I walked over to Whangateau to stay with Jim & Jane,  Lily & George are staying there.

Sunday 2nd   It was a very fine day.  In the morning I walked to the top wharf to see the concrete retaining wall that is in course of erection there.  In the afternoon we all went to church in the Claim Hall.  Mr Gould (Presbyterian) officiated,  afterwards Joe & Minnie, Flo & Dorothy came to Jims for tea.

Monday 3rd   King George’s birthday.   It was a fine day.  I left Jims about 10 am and walked home,  in the afternoon I planted 4 Miniture Sunflowers & 4 Linarias that Miss Bond gave me.
Willie hauled all his charcoal down to the wharf.

Tuesday 4th   It was a very fine day.  The wind was blowing from the SE.   Willie was getting clothes props and he hauled them down to the wharf in the pm.
I planted 2 rows  (32 plants) of Cauliflowers at the top side of the house.

Wednesday 5th   It was a very fine day.  There was no steamer to day.
Willie was preparing for another kiln of charcoal.
I planted a row of 18 Enfield Market Cabbage and a row of Peas (Peerless) at the top side of the house.  Mr Addison came in the pm for me to fix up some business in his late son’s estate.
There was a meeting of the Mutual Improvement Society in the evening, Willie & Grace went and they report it was a very enjoyable evening.

Thursday 6th   The weather still keeps fine.  In the morning I was working in the garden gathering in seed, clearing away cosmos and convolvulus, and digging the ground they occupied.  In the afternoon I pulled tea tree in the barley paddock.  The steamer made a round trip,  Grace went down when she came in the first time, and I went down to meet her when she came in from Big Omaha,  Jim sent a box of fruit that Lily brought up from Auckland last week to be divided between us.  The steamer took Willie’s props and charcoal.

Friday 7th   There were a few showers during the day.  In the morning I was in the office.  In the afternoon Mr & Mrs Morley & Mrs Mager came,  I showed them round the garden,  Mr & Mrs M take a great interest in flowers, so I gave them cuttings of several things ,  Grace gave them afternoon tea.

Saturday 8th   There was a heavy shower in the middle of the day, otherwise it was a fine day.  I was pulling tea tree in the barley paddock both morning & afternoon.  Willie was building another charcoal kiln.  In the evening I called a meeting of persons interested in placing the cemetery under better management,  only 7 turned up so there was no meeting, but there is going to be a working bee at the Cemetery next Saturday.  There was a football match at the Claim.

Sunday 9th   There was a rather heavy shower in the middle of the day otherwise it was a fine day.  Revd Orchard (Methodist) held service in the Hall at 2.30.  I attended.  He gave us a very good sermon.  When I got home after church I found Jane & Lily who had ridden over, they staid for tea.

Monday 10th   It was a very fine day.  In the morning I was pulling tea tree, and in the afternoon I planted 2 rows of Tree Onions above the house.
Willie was building his charcoal kiln.

Tuesday 11th   It rained nearly all day .  We were unable to do anything out of doors.  I was looking at an old diary over 50 years ago it made me feel quite sad to read about people I mixed with then are now passed away.

Wednesday 12th   A day something like yesterday, continuous rain, a little finer in the afternoon.  The “Kawau” came in from Auckland and Grace went down for the mail.  I did nothing outside, and Willie made 2 carts in the store, the wheels belonged to an old pram.

Thursday 13th   It was much finer to day.  I went down to the village in the morning to post some letters, went to the wharf to see the steamer off, which left at 11.30 .
In the afternoon Willie went to his kiln and I pulled tea tree in the barley paddock.  Willie went for the mail in the evening.

Friday 14th   It had been raining last night, but there was only a shower or two during the day .  In the morning I was pulling tea tree in the barley paddock.
Willie was building his kiln.

Saturday 15th   It was a fine day.  There was a working bee at the Cemetery in the morning.  I went down to help, we finished before dinner.  There was a meeting in the Library immediately after and a petition was organised [?] to be sent to the Minister of Internal Affairs asking permission to elect  local Trustees for the Cemetery and the following persons were nominated,  Messrs J. C. Wyatt,  Alex Matheson,  A. Haskell,  D. W. Knaggs  &  C. S. Clarke.
In the afternoon I went down to the Church to fix up the lamps for tomorrow evening,  I found that the kerosene had leaked out of the tin, so I had to get a new tin from Harpers.
Willie was intending to set fire to his kiln, but it came on so showery that he deferred doing so until tomorrow morning.

Sunday 16th   There was only a slight shower, otherwise it was a fine day.  Willie set fire to his kiln.  Harold Knaggs came to spend the day, he brought his camera with him & took of photos of Raymond and also of me standing in front of the summer house.  Revd McDonald held service in the church in the evening, I was the only one from this house that went,  there were 20 present.  Collection 9/- .

Monday 17th   It was a fine day.  Willie was watching his kiln.   I was pulling tea tree in the barley paddock both morning & afternoon.

Tuesday 18th   It was a fine day.  Wind NW.   Willie was watching his charcoal kiln.  I was pulling tea tree in the barley paddock morning & afternoon,  Mrs Jas Greenwood & Mr Addisan  called in the afternoon , the latter on business with me.

Wednesday 19th   It was fine in the morning.  I was pulling tea tree in the barley paddock.  In the afternoon it rained heavily and thundered and lightened, so that I staid in the house.  Willie was watching his kiln.  In the evening there was a meeting of the Mutual Improvement Society, it was a musical evening.  Grace was the only one from here who went, and she reported that it was very enjoyable.

Thursday 20th   The morning was dull and showery,  I took my scrap book down to send to Mr Moore of Warkworth by Ernie Greenwood.
It rained very heavy in the middle of the day, but cleared up a bit in the afternoon.  Willie took the sulky down to the wharf as we were expecting Lily to come round in the steamer from Ti Point, but she did not come, but Willie received goods up by the steamer, so he carted them home.
I went down also and got the mail.   Mrs Joseph Wyatt died this afternoon, she has been an invalid for many years.

Friday 21st   It was a very showery day.  Willie & Grace drove down to the wharf in the afternoon to meet the “Kawau” as they expected Mrs Simpson up by her, but she did not come, so Willie carted up a Sk of maize.  I could do nothing outside.

Saturday 22nd   It was very fine in the morning.  Willie was taking his charcoal out of the kiln.
Mrs Joseph Wyatt was buried in this cemetery in the afternoon,  Revd Macdonald conducted the service at the grave.  Joe, Minnie & Lily and Jim & Jane were present,  when the funeral was over, there were some heavy showers of rain.  I put flowers in the church after the funeral.

Sunday 23rd   It was very showery in the morning, but cleared up in the afternoon.  I conducted service in the church at 2.30 pm.  There were only 13 present on account of the weather.  Collection 6/- .
It was a memorial service for Mrs Jos  Wyatt we had suitable hymns & sermon, and the Dead March after the service.

Monday 24th   It was a very showery day.  Willie took out all his charcoal from the kiln.   I went down to the barley paddock in the morning, but everything was very wet and I could not do very much. In the afternoon I went down to the Library  to get some books to read.

Tuesday 25th   It was a showery day.  Willie was sewing up his sacks of charcoal and hauling it out.  I did not do anything outside except getting some firewood.

Wednesday 26th   It was a fine day. Wind SW.  Willie carted all his charcoal (37 bags) down to the wharf.  I got firewood in the morning, after lunch I went down to the village to get some meat, after I returned Grace went down to the wharf to meet Mrs Simpson who came up in the steamer,  Willie brought them up in the trap.  Alma came over from Ti Point in the afternoon and staid the night.

Thursday 27th   It was fine in the morning.  Willie took the sulky down to the wharf to meet the steamer , Lily George & Dorothy came round from Ti Point to stay with us.  It was very showery in the afternoon.  Mrs Knowles  & Jessie Wyatt came in the evening.

Friday 28th   It was a fine day with the exception of a few slight showers.  After breakfast I went down to get the mail.  In the afternoon I was pulling tea tree in the barley paddock.
There was a patriotic social in the Hall in the evening, but none of us went.

Saturday 29th   A few slight showers otherwise a fine day.  Lily & I went to see Alma Torkington off by the steamer at noon , she is teaching at Papakura.  In the afternoon I was pulling tea tree.  Willie was repairing the front verandah.

Sunday 30th   With the exception of a few showers, it was a fine day.  Revd   Gould (Presbyterian)  conducted service in the Hall in the morning.  Revd Charteris (also Presbyterian) sang a solo.  After the service a  [sic:  I ]  dined at Mr Archie Dunnings.  Mr Gould was also there.  Mrs Simpson, Lily & Grace intended to go to church, but a shower prevented them,  Flo and Edith were here for tea.