May 1898

Sunday 1st   It was a beautiful day.   I read service in the Hall in the afternoon, there was a small congregation.

Monday 2nd   It was dull in the morning, but turned out a fine day.
Willie staid at home from School and we sowed Oates on the piece of ground below the bay window and dug them in.

Tuesday 3rd   It was fine in the morning.  I took the bullocks down to the Store in the morning to get some Sharps, but I could not get any so I brought up a bag of manure and ½ Cwt Potatoes.
The Steamer was to have come soon after 1 pm and we all were down waiting, but she did not come until 3 pm  and did not leave until 4.   There was a shower of rain in the afternoon, but it cleared up in the evening.  We all went to the Keinonatogi exhibited in the Hall in the evening,  there was a very good house, and we enjoyed it very much.

Wednesday 4th   It was fine in the morning.  I went down to the Store in the morning to get a little Sharps.
I burned off some tea tree in front in the afternoon .  It rained the latter part of the afternoon, I got wet through.

Thursday 5th   It was fine in the morning.  I was cutting tea tree in the morning and burning off tea tree in the afternoon.  It came on to rain after the fires had got a good start.

Friday 6th    We were after the sheep in the morning, we got some sheep from the front and put them on to the farm, we also got the Wethers from the barley paddock, we only kept those we got from John Greenwood and 2 we got from W. Frearson  in the barley paddock.
There was polling at the Hall for members of the Road Board.  The following are the numbers polled
H. Brown               30
John Birdsall       30
W. Greenwood  23
C. S. Clarke           22
D.  Kempt              21
J. C. Wyatt            14
The first five were therefore declared elected.
There was skating in the Hall in the evening, the young people went.

Saturday 7th   It was very misty  and showery during the day.  I took out the mutton in the morning.  The Annual Meeting of Ratepayers was held in the Hall in the afternoon, only 8 ratepayers were present.
Willie & Minnie went to Ti Point to get oysters, Joe Torkington returned with them.

Sunday 8th   It was misty & showery in the morning, it cleared up in the afternoon.  I went down to the Hall in the afternoon, but there was no service.

Monday 9th   It was a very dull day.  Henry went shooting.  I was cutting tea tree in front all day.

Tuesday 10th   It was a fine day.   I was cutting tea tree.  The Steamer came in about 3 pm.  John came up by her, Henry and went down to meet the Steamer.  I took the bullocks down and hauled up John‘s luggage, also a sack of Sharps I got from Harper.

Wednesday 11th   It was a fine day.   Jane went out fishing with Walter Frearson and brought home a good many fish.  I rode to Ti Point in the morning to inspect some work J. Kewene has done there.   I was burning tea tree in the afternoon.
John and Henry were cutting tea and burning tea tree and rats tail.

Thursday 12th   I was cutting tea tree in the morning.  John & Henry were cutting tea tree and burning all day.   There was a meeting of the newly elected Road Board in the Hall in the afternoon.  I was elected Chairman, we went to inspect and passed the new road leading to the wharf, contracted for by Joseph Wyatt.

Friday 13th   It was a fine day.   John & Henry were cutting tea tree in the morning and they tightened the wires of the fence at the E.R. and put some Sheep out that were in.
I sowed 5 Rows of White Stone Turnip below the house.  Mr J. B. Roose came for tea and staid here all night.  Killed a Sheep before tea.  I went to look after the Library for Mr Knaggs who is absent.

Saturday 14th   It was a fine day.   Gave Mr Roose an order for drapery before he went away.  Took the mutton out in the morning. Cleaned the pig out and sowed another row of Turnips in the pm. John, Henry & Willie went down the skating in the evening.

Sunday 15th   It was a dull day.  Slight showers in the morning, but it cleared up in the afternoon.  I read service in the Hall in the pm.  Charlie Dunning and Mabel Wyatt came here for tea.

Monday 16th   It rained all day.  We were not able to do anything out of doors.  Charlie Wyatt came in the pm on Road Board matters.

Tuesday 17th   It was raining when we got up in the morning, but it cleared up in the afternoon.  We were down to the Steamer.  The young people went to a party at Miss Niccols in the evening.

Wednesday 18th   I went down to village in the morning.  The “Kawau” called in the morning to take Walter & Alfie Wyatt to the Kawau , and Mrs Spencer, son & daughter & 2 young Bonds to Auckland.
I sowed 2 rows of Enfield Market Cabbage.
Maud came here for dinner, returning home in the afternoon.  John went up to her place later and staid all night.  Killed a Sheep for Mr Harper in the evening.

Thursday 19th   Henry took the mutton down to Harpers in the morning.  I planted a row of tree Onions.  John returned from mauds in the evening bringing 2 Pigeons with him.

Friday 20th   It poured with rain last night and nearly all this morning, it cleared up in the pm.  We killed a Sheep in the evening.  I went to look after the Library in the evening.

Saturday 21st   It was a showery day.  Henry went shooting.  John was cutting tea tree and I was pulling up ti tree .

Sunday 22nd   The wind was blowing strong from the SW. and has greatly dried up the roads which were in a very muddy state before.  Revd R. McKinney held service in the Hall in the morning.  John & I went, there was a fair congregation.  John, Henry & Jane went out in the afternoon leaving Willie and I alone.

Monday 23rd   It was a very fine day.  Henry went shooting to Pakiri.  John was cutting tea tree and I was cutting and burning heaps in the pm.  I went down to Charlies in the evening.

Tuesday 24th   I was pulling up tea tree the other side of the X roads.  John was cutting ti tree.
Henry was shooting.
We went down to the Steamer in the afternoon, she did not come in until about 3.30, we had two parcels of Drapery from D. S. C.  Mr Otway came up by the Steamer to do some surveying for several of the settlers, he walked up the new road and was very much pleased with it.  Henry went up to Miss Niccols for tea.  Maud & Horace were here for dinner.

Wednesday 25th   It was showery all day, we were not able to do anything out of doors.  The young people went up to Miss Niccols  in the evening to a party.

Thursday 26th   It rained nearly all last night and also this morning when we got up, it cleared up afterwards, there were a few showers in the morning, but it was pretty fair in the afternoon, the wind was blowing from the SW.  The boys and I were cutting and pulling tea tree in the front.  John & Henry went to the Fordhams in the evening.

Friday 27th   The wind is blowing from the SW and it was a fine day.  We got the Wethers out of the Barley Paddock in the morning, we shut one up which we Killed in the evening, we put 11 out in the front and 13 of J. Greenwoods and 2 of W. F.   in the E.R.
We Killed the Pig in the afternoon.  I went to attend to the Library in the evening.

Saturday 28th   Wind still blowing from the SW.  Several heavy showers during the day.  Took out the mutton and  cut up and salted the Pig in the morning.  There was a meeting of the Road Board in the afternoon and a meeting of the Show Committee in the evening at Harpers.  The young people went to the rinking in the Hall in the evening.

Sunday 29th   There were several showers in the morning & the afternoon.  Revd E. M. Cowie held service in the Hall in the evening. There were about 40 present.  Collection 12/6.  Mr Cowie staid the night at Harpers.

Monday 30th   It was a fine day though cold, wind from S.   I went over to McKenzies in the morning to see if a Ram that is there was mine, but it was not.  Henry was at Pakiri shooting.  John was cutting ti tree.  Mr Cowie came her for lunch, went visiting in the afternoon returning here for tea, he had a short service in the hall in the evening and gave an address to the candidates for confirmation.  He returned here and staid the night.

Tuesday 31st   It was a fine day.   We lent Mr Cowie a horse and he rode up the hill visiting and came down with Mr Greenwood and went to Auckland by the “Rose Casey”.
I walked over to the claim in the morning to inspect a bridge near Messrs Boyds place.
We were down at the Steamer seeing Mr Cowie off, the steamer brought some corrugated iron for me.
Revd J. W. Worboys held service in the Hall in the evening, I went down

Memo
The Fowls laid 102 Eggs during the month of May,
being 8½ Doz  at 1/5  =  12s / ½d