Wednesday 1st It was a fine day, but toward evening it threatened for rain again. Wind is N.
I was cutting grass on the paths, dug the border near the front gate, Took up a clump of Bride Gladiolus. Went down for the mail in the evening, Eddie & Jim were sawing timber all day.
Thursday 2nd It was fine in the morning, but it set in a wet afternoon & evening. Mrs Dunning & Mrs Simpson called in the afternoon.
In the morning I went up to the garden, I was taking in Red & Silver Beet seed. I did not go up in the afternoon.
Friday 4th [sic: 3rd] It was a fine day. I was up at the garden morning & afternoon. I sowed seeds in boxes of Cauliflowers & Enfield Market Cabbage, picked in the last Stratagem pea seed near the front gate & pulled up the sticks. The boys were cutting box timber.
Revd Poole held a service in the Hall in the evening. I attended.
Saturday 5th [sic: 4th] It was a very fine day. Jim was ploughing on the hill where the vetches and oats grew. Eddie was making fruit cases. I was up at the garden morning & afternoon. I tied the pea sticks that I took out yesterday in bundles, weeded round the last planted cabbages. Commenced to dig the piece of ground that the onions came out of.
Sunday 6th [sic: 5th] There was a shower in the morning and also in the evening, otherwise it was a fine day. I attended the presbyterian service in the morning, Minnie was there and I went home with her to Ti Point to spend the day. Norman Smith was there, he is now engaged to Alma, who has been appointed assistant Teacher at Wellsford.
Monday 7th [sic: 6th] It was a fine day. Jim was ploughing. Charlie & Eddie were cutting blackberries in the front where the Oats grew. I was up at the garden morning, afternoon and evening, I finished digging the piece of ground I started on Saturday. I put stubble and horse manure in the trenches.
Tuesday 7th It was a very fine day. I was up at the garden morning and afternoon. I sowed a row of Red Beet Silver Beet. Jim was ploughing.
Wednesday 8th It was a very fine day. I was working up at the garden morning and afternoon . I sowed a row of Red Beet. Also sowed a row (16 plants) of Cauliflowers. Jim was ploughing on the hill.
In the evening they started the game Cannon in the Hall, Eddie, Jim & Miss Pemberton went.
Thursday 9th It was a fine day. I was working up in the garden all day. I gathered all the Snowflake bulbs lying on the bed and burnt them in a kerosene tin. I dug up the bed where they came from and spinkled lime on the surface.
The Annual Meeting of Subscribers to the Show was held in the evening. I attended. The following is the new committee,
Mrs A. R. & Alf Dunning, Ab & Jim Wyatt, D. M. & Sandy Matheson, Wat Darroch, W. Greenwood, S. Smith, L. Whitaker
& P. H. Greenwood. At a meeting of the new committee Mr Angus R. Dunning was elected Chairman & Mr Jim Wyatt Secretary & Treasurer.
Friday 10th It was a very fine day. I was up at the garden morning & afternoon. I went down in the bush & cut some tea tree poles and carried them down to the back yard & cut some of them up into kerbing & sharpened them. Eddie & Jim were sawing box timber.
I went down to the Library in the evening to change my books & get our mail.
Saturday 11th It was a very fine day.I was working in the garden all day. I was making and fixing kerbing. Eddie & Jim drove to Warkworth this morning to play in a Cricket match. Omaha & Matakana against the other parts of the County of Rodney.
Sunday 12th I attended the Methodist service (Revd Richards) in the pm. Mr & Mrs Stewart came here for tea & spent the evening. While the boys were milking they went to see my garden.
Monday 13th It was a very fine day. I was working up in the garden morning, afternoon & evening. I made kerbing & fixed them, dug up the borders opposite the summer house and limed it, commenced to dig a strip near the front gate, buried stubble and horse dung in the trenches.
Tuesday 14th It was a very fine day. After breakfast I went down for the mail, afterwards went up to the garden morning and afternoon, continued digging the strip near the front gate. Eddie burned off the scrub the upper side of the farm orchard. Jim was ploughing the Oat stubble below the orchard. Revd J. Richards came in the morning and staid for dinner. He gave a lecture in the Hall in the evening on his ministerial work in Australia, all in this house went.
Wednesday 15th It was fine in the morning, but several showers in the afternoon. I finished digging the strip near the front gate. Jim was ploughing in the front.
I received a letter from Mr Wallace.
Thursday 16th It was fine in the morning, but showery in the afternoon. I took some lemons in a bag down to the village in the morning and sent them to Jane by Gus Neeley, was working in the garden the remainder of the day. I was burning shells in a kerosene tin, made paths for beds and dug up one.
The boys took two bags of lime up to the house and carted the Danthonia to the wharf which they have sold for 6d a lb. Jim was ploughing in the morning, but in the pm he and Eddie were sawing box timber.
Mr and Mrs Gozar had a musical evening at their house. Eddie, Jim & Ms Pemberton went to the hall to play cannon.
Friday 17th St Patricks Day. Heavy rain last night and very showery today. Was not able to do anything out of doors. I shelled some Stratagem pea seed and put it away in a bag, this is to give away, also took the seed out of 3 Tomatoes, washed the seed and put them on a board to dry. Jim & Ab Wyatt were sieving Danthonia seed in the dining room, Eddie took calves to Pakiri & made cases, I went for mail in evening.
Saturday 18th It was a very fine day. Jim brought a sleigh up to the house and took down the remainder of the Danthonia seed. Eddie & Ivy also came up and we gathered a lot of figs from the tree in the back yard for Ivy to make jam of. It was too wet to touch the ground so I put away the Tomato seed into packets, sieved the lime I burnt from shells, and picked in the butter bean seed. Jim was ploughing in the afternoon.
Sunday 19th It was a very windy day. I went to Mr Griggs for tea, Mr & Mrs J. C. Wyatt and Mr & Mrs Gozar were also there. I spent a very enjoyable evening, we had plenty of singing.
Monday 20th It was a fine day. I was up at the garden morning & afternoon. I dug out paths to form beds, dug them up and sprinkled lime over them. Jim was ploughing in front.
Tuesday 21st Very windy and showery day but finer in the afternoon. In the evening heavy rain and thunder. I went up to the garden, I pruned the tea Rose tree in the three cornered bed, spread manure on the bed & dug it in, also cleaned up the round bed. Jim was ploughing in the morning, in the pm he and Eddie were sawing box timber.
Wednesday 22nd It rained heavily and blew last night, there was no rain to speak of today, but it was blowing strong from W.
I went down to the store in the morning and spent the remainder of the day reading. Mr & Mrs Grigg Jnr from Wellington came up to see my garden in the afternoon, I gave them afternoon tea. Eddie & Jim picked & packed lemons & carted them to the steamer.
Thursday 23rd Still blowing strong from W, only a few showers. I was up at the garden morning & pm. I trimmed the Tomatoes , earthed up the Califlowers, shelled Butter Bean seed, made and painted garden labels, Jim was ploughing.
Friday 24th It was a very fine day. I planted 16 Cauliflower plants. Jim was drilling grass seed at Roy Neeleys. I went down for the mail in the evening and changed my Library books.
Saturday 25th It was a very fine day. The wind has changed round to the N, and it was much calmer. Eddie & Jim drove me over to the Claim to witness the Cricket match between Omaha & Matakana, it was for the possession of the silver cup. I took Jane a bunch of Dahlias. Mrs & Alma Wallace were staying with Jane. I had lunch at Janes & then we all went down to the Domain. There were two full innings, Omaha chaps had very bad luck & Matakana won by about 20 runs and therefore took home the cup.
Sunday 26th It was a fine day, but it came over threatening in the afternoon. I held service in the Church in the afternoon, there were 20 present. Collection 12/4. It thundered & lightened & rained heavily in the evening.
Monday 27th It was a very fine day. The ground was rather wet to do much, however I did some tidying up, planted 4 Canterbury Bells, replanted a clump of Gladioli & a clump of Yellow Daffodils. Jim was ploughing in front.
Brought up for Ivy some Canterbury Bells & 2 Thalictrums, which she planted.
Tuesday 28th It rained last night but it was fine today with the exception of a few slight showers in the afternoon. I went down for the mail in the morning and then went up to the garden, also in the afternoon. The soil was too wet to do much , but I planted 2 Thalictrums in the border below the front steps, picked in the Canadian wonder beans , pulled up the plants ready for digging. Charlie, Maggie & Lennie went to Pet Kuku to stay a few days to cut tea tree, Jim was ploughing in the afternoon, he went down to the beach in the evening to keep Jessie company. Mr Grigg came in the evening to take the oath of allegiance.
Wednesday 29th A very windy and showery day. I went up to the garden, but on account of the weather I could not do much. I put in cuttings of Geranium Telagonium and Penstemons, shelled some beans & dug round some Apple trees. Ab Wyatt was here helping Eddie put up a fence between the Barley paddock & the front.
Neil Neeley was to be married to Miss Grigg in Auckland today.
Thursday 30th The weather was much finer to day, no rain & calm although very little sunshine. After breakfast I went down to the wharf to see the “Kawau” off. Mrs Wallace was returning to Auckland by her. I took Mrs W a case of apples, also a bunch of Dahlias to send to Mrs McGill. The remainder of the morning I was writing a report of last Saturday’s cricket matches. In the afternoon I went up to the garden. I picked in the Homestead bean seed and pulled up the sticks. The boys were cutting tea tree on the farm.
In the evening I went down to the hall to witness the new game Cannon, but I did not stay long.
Friday 31st It was a very fine day. I was up at the garden morning & pm. I tied up the bundle of bean sticks, planted a Thalactrum & a Canterbury Bell, dug manure in the small bed and sowed Cauliflower seed. Went down for the mail in the evening.
Ab Wyatt & Eddie were cutting tea tree on the farm. Jim was harrowing in the morning & ploughing in the afternoon.