June 1928

Friday 1st   It was a fine day.  Jim was cutting up the thistles in the calf paddock.  I was writing, adding something to my history of Omaha District.

Saturday 2nd   It was a fine day.  I was carrying manure for the garden.  Jim and Jane went with the Harry Ashtons to the pictures at Warkworth in the evening.  Hector and Jean went to some entertainment at Leigh.  Mildred & I were the only ones at home.

Sunday 3rd   King George’s birthday.  It was a very fine day.  Revd Yule held service in the morning, there were over 40 present.  Collection 17/6 .  Mr & Mrs Wallace  & Laurence and two of W. Dunnings girls who were present came up here for dinner, so we were a large party  (11).  Mr & Mrs Bromley and daughter came in the afternoon, Mr B brought me a large parcel of Illustrated Leicester papers.

Monday 4th   The Kings birthday was kept to day as a general holiday.  There was a hockey match between Francton and Rodney at Warkworth,  Jim & Hector went, Rodney won 4 . 3   Jane & Mildred walked to W. Dunnings after lunch.  In the morning I was preparing the bed for onions.  In the afternoon I went to Evans’ .

Tuesday 5th   It was a very fine day.  I sowed 17 rows of onions,  And I re sowed 17 rows of onions where the birds had pulled them up.

Wednesday 6th   It was a fine day & very calm.  The Anglican Bazaar was held at Warkworth to day.  I sent a bag of eschallots, and Jane sent lettuces & chokos by Harry Ashton, Jane & I were unable to go as all cars were full up, heard afterward that there was a big crowd there, and a quantity of goods for sale.  In the morning I weeded the onions and in the afternoon I gathered up all the thistles that Jim cut in the calves paddock and threw them over into my garden to dig in.

Thursday 7th   It was a fine day.  I commenced to trench the ground that was in Lima beans.

Friday 8th   It was a very dull day.  No sun.  Very slight rain, but was unable to do anything in the garden.  Wrote a letter to Mss C. A. Matheson and added a little to my history of Omaha.
The Warkworth cricketers gave a dance in their town hall in the evening and invited the Omaha cricketers to present to them the cup they won.  Jim, Jane and Hector went with Pat in the lorry.

Saturday 9th   A very dull day & slight showers.  I carried some manure for the garden, but it was too wet to dig.  There were two matches in the domain.  Hockey, Omaha  V  Matakana, the latter won.  Football  A Barrier team  V  Omaha, the former won.  All went from here except me.

Sunday 10th   A very dull day, threatening, but no rain.  There was no service here to day so I went round to Harry Ashtons in the afternoon and had a long talk with him about church matters.
I wrote a long letter to Miss Matheson of Kamo, also a Weekly News to my nephew Elliot Clarke, these I posted at Ashton’s P. O and will be sent away tomorrow.

Monday 11th   It was a regular wet day, it had been raining heavily all night.  None of us were able to do anything outside, fortunately we had a good stock of firewood.

Tuesday 12th   It was a fine day, but a very strong wind was blowing which made it very cold.  I carried some manure into the garden .  Hector took the horse to Matakana to get shod.

Wednesday 13th   It was a very fine day.  A nice breeze was blowing so it dried the ground.  I continued trenching the ground I started last Thursday.  I sent my subsc for Church Gazette.

Thursday 14th   It was a very fine day.  Tom Ashton was going to Matakana in his lorry to attend a Dairy Factory meeting of which he is chairman, so Jane & Jean went with him to spend the day with the Wallaces and Alma.
I finished trenching the piece of ground.

Friday 15th   A cold disagreeable day.  I dug between the Cauliflowers I had planted, giving them some bone & bone  [sic: blood & bone] .  Received a letter from Elsie (Henry’s wife)  Jean went to stay at Tom Ashtons as Mr & Mrs A have gone to Palmerston North.

Saturday 16th   A regular wet day.  There should have been a hockey match at the domain,  Matakana V Omaha, but on account of the weather it was off.

Sunday 17th   It was a miserable day, misty and showers.  Mr Evans should have held service in the afternoon, but as there were no congregation he taught sunday school.

Monday 18th   It was a fine day with the exception of a slight shower in the afternoon.  I went down to Pats to change my library book.  I borrowed a paper.

Tuesday 19th   It rained heavily last night, but it was very fine today.
Heard that Ernest Wyatt had died in the Auckland hospital after an operation.

Wednesday 20th   It was a cold windy day with showers in the afternoon.  The remains of Ernest Wyatt were brought by steamer from Auckland to day and he was buried in the Leigh cemetery after the arrival of the steamer.  Revd Hart conducted the funeral service, between 50 and 60 attended to show their respect.  Jim went with Pat & Mr Walden.  Ernest was 49 years of age .  In the evening I received a letter from Sidney Anderson.

Thursday 21st   There were slight showers in the morning, but very fine in the afternoon, so I went round to Mr Whitakers where I always receive a kindly reception, and had an interesting conversation with Mr W.   Mrs Norman Matheson,  Mrs Ws  sister was staying there,  they kindly lent me books to read.
Alex Haskell who had come from Auckland to Ernest Wyatt’s funeral came to spend the evening here and stay the night, being an old neighbour we had a long chat of old times and friends.

Friday 22nd   The weather was fine, but it was a very fine day but cold.  As Alex Haskell was waiting to catch the steamer at Matakana at 8 am for Auckland, Jim drove him over, and returning through Big Omaha he heard that Chas Whitaker was going in his car to the stock sale at Warkworth, so Jim went with him, and left the horse & sulky & horse at Charlie’s place.
Hector was working at Mr Evans’ .
I felt the cold so much that I made a fire in my room.

Saturday 23rd   It was a cold day ‘tho fine.   Jim was working with Harry Ashton.

Sunday 24th  It was a fine day.  Revd Hart held service in the hall in the morning, there were 20 present.  Collection 9/ 8d .  The parson went to Laurence Whitakers for dinner.  Jane & Dolly went to see old Mrs Walden in the afternoon.

Monday 25th   It was a fine day.  I wrote a letter to my son Willie

Tuesday 26th   It was a fine day.  I was weeding the onions.  Hector was working at Evans, and Jim was helping Harry Ashton top dressing.

Wednesday 27th   It was a thorough wet day, none of us were able to do anything outside.  I was copying items out of my diarys.

Thursday 28th   It did not rain, but everything was very wet, and nothing doing outside except chopping a bit of wood and milking the cows.

Friday 29th   The weather an improvement on yesterday, but slight showers and cold wind blowing.

Saturday 30th   Weather fine, but cold.  All in this house but me went to a circus entertainment in the hall in the evening.

The rainfall for June as recorded at Warkworth was 9.07 inches.  Rain fell on 14 days.  The heaviest fall being 2.24 inches recorded on the 16th.