May 1896

Friday 1st   It was a fine day.   The commencement of the shooting season.  Henry went out with his gun.  We got the Sheep up in the morning,  there was one of Mr Neeleys in with ours, he came over in the pm and I bought it off him for 6/- .  It was a Whether and he got it of Mr Torkington, it was marked in the ear as follows,  w on the underside of near ear,  and a slit and a piece cut off the off ear.  We killed it in the evening.
A.  Haskell came to get his Marriage Certificate.

Saturday 2nd    It was a fine day with the exception of a few showers.  Henry went to Pakiri in the morning to finish scraping some gum and he and John returned in the evening.
Willie & I picked the Vicar of Wingfield Pears in the afternoon.  Minnie went out fishing with Walter.

Sunday 3rd   It was a fine day with the exception of a few showers.
I read service in the Hall in the pm.  The young people went up to Miss Hardings for tea and to spend the evening.

Monday 4th   It was a fine day.    The boys took the bullocks to Pakiri in the morning to haul their Gum home.
I made cases and packed 8 cases of Vicar of Winkfield Pears.  Also packed a bale of 25 Sheep Skins.  After that I was burning heaps along side of the Barley Paddock fence.

Tuesday 5th   It was a fine day.  I was clearing and burning along side the barley paddock fence.  The boys returned with the bullocks in the evening, but had to leave the Gum in  Jno  Greenwoods shed as the bullocks would not pull.  Went down to the Steamer in the evening, a parcel of matting came up for me from Rushbrooks.

Wednesday 6th   It was very dull all day.  The boys went down to deckorate  the Hall for the entertainment this evening given by A. Haskell on the occasion of his marriage with Miss Sullivan.    I was clearing and burning along the barley paddock.
Tom Wyatt came for dinner and paid an old account that had been owing for a long time.
The boys dug some Kumeras in the afternoon. It came on to rain in the afternoon and rained all evening. The young people went down to the Hall to the wedding party in the evening, on account of the rain I staid at home.

Thursday 7th    It was a fine day.  The boys were splitting posts on the hill.  I was clearing outside the barley paddock.

Friday 8th    I was sowing grass seed on the tea tree burn.  We put all the Lambs out of the E.R.  Got up the Sheep in the afternoon and Killed a Wether.

Saturday 9th   It was a fine day. The boys were splitting posts on the hill. I was sowing grass seed. The Annual Meeting of ratepayers should have been held in the Hall at 2 pm, but on account of Mr Kempts illness the meeting was adjourned to next Saturday. I filled in my Sheep Return of Sheep and Lambs in my possession on April 30th, viz Ram 1, Wethers 3, Ewes 56. Sheep killed during the year ending April 30th. Weathers 20, Ewes 15, Lamb 1.
Total 36, Calves 1.

Sunday 10th   It was a fine day. I read service in the Hall in the pm.

Monday 11th   The boys took the bullocks up to Jno  Greenwoods and hauled their gum down to the Wharf.  I was clearing and burning down by the barley paddock fence.  John helped me in the afternoon to burn a strip of tea tree alongside of the road.  The Miss Hardings came for tea and spent the evening.  The wind was blowing very strong from the SE.

Tuesday 12th    The wind was still blowing very strong from the SE and there is a heavy sea outside.  The Steamer did not come on account of the weather.  The boys hauled some of their Firewood down to the cliff.  I was burning the tea tree on the road line.

Wednesday 13th   Wind still blowing very strong, but it has changed round to the NE.  It rained nearly all day.  I was doing odd jobs in the house.

Thursday 14th   The wind has moderated, but it is still blowing pretty strong from the NE.  It was also very showery.  The boys cut down a large Puriri on the hill for splitting posts.  I was doing odd jobs in the house.

Friday 15th   The wind has gone down and it was a comparatively a fine day, only a few slight showers.  I was sowing grass seed.  The boys were splitting posts on the hill.  Willie Pratt was here for dinner.

Saturday 16th   It was a fine day, I was sowing grass seed.  The boys were splitting posts in the morning and they hauled some out on to the road line in the afternoon.
The adjourned annual meeting of ratepayers was held in the Hall at 3pm.

Sunday 17th   It was a very fine morning but there was a shower of rain in the evening.  The boys rode to Matakana.  I read service in the Hall in the pm.  There was a pretty fair congregation.

Monday 18th   It was a very fine day.  Henry went shooting to Pakiri.  John & I dug the Kumeras, and in the afternoon we sowed grass seed.

Tuesday 19th  It was a very fine day.   We finished sowing grass seed in the morning.  In the afternoon we commenced erecting the fence along the road line commencing against the barley paddock.

Wednesday 20th   It was a fine day.   We continued erecting the fence.  In the afternoon the boys hauled some posts on to the road line.  It was Minnie’s birthday, we had a party of young people in the evening.

Thursday 21st   It was fine in the morning though dull.  Minnie went up to Mauds to stay with her, as Willie is away.  The boys and I went up to Mr Jos  Greenwoods in the morning and bought of him 20 Wethers at 6/- and 1 Ewe at 3 /-.  Total 21 Sheep for £6 . 3 . 0
Joe helped us down with them and we put them into the horse paddock.  We put in a few posts in the fence in the afternoon, but it came on to rain and it poured all evening.

Friday 22nd   It cleared up and was a fine day, but the ground is very wet after all the rain we had last night.  Henry was not very well and was unable to work.  John and I continued fencing.  We killed one of the Sheep we bought of Jos  Greenwood  in the evening.  It was very fat.

Saturday 23rd   It was a fine day.   The boys & I were fencing, we put in a good many posts.  There was a meeting of the Road Board in the Hall in the evening, I was elected Chairman and Mr J. C. Wyatt Secretary & Treasurer.

Sunday 24th   It was very dull in the morning.  Revd R. McKinney held service in the Hall in the morning.  There was a large congregation.  The Miss Hardings came here for dinner and spent the day here.  It came on to rain while we were in church and it was showery in the pm.

Monday 25th   It was a fine day.  Henry went shooting to Pakiri.     John & I were fencing.

Tuesday 26th   It was a fine day.   The boys and I were fencing in the morning, they were splitting posts in the afternoon and I was clearing the line for the fence.

Wednesday 27th   Mr Schollum sent the Flora  (scow) up to load both the boys wood, so they went down to help load her.  They pitched most of the wood down the cliff,  but it came on to rain and it rained all day so they had to come home.

Thursday 28th   It was a fine day.  The boys were loading the vessel all day.  I was clearing to line for the fence.

Friday 29th   It was a fine day.    The boys went down to the vessel to finish loading in the morning.  In the afternoon they were splitting posts.  I was clearing the line.  Killed a Sheep in the evening.

Saturday 30th   It was a fine day.   The boys were splitting posts.
I was clearing the line.

Sunday 31st   It was a fine day.  John rode to Tomarata in the morning with Jim Dunning and D. Kempt.  I read service in the Hall in the afternoon.  Jim Dunning and Ernest Wyatt came here for tea.