May 1908

Friday 1st    It was a fine day.  Willie & I got the Sheep up from the farm and put them into the Barley paddock in the morning, afterwards Willie was tightening the wires of the fence between the barley paddock and the farm, in the afternoon he went down to the village to get the mail.  I was working in the flower garden.

Saturday 2nd   It was a beautiful day.  First thing after breakfast I went down to the P.O to post my monthly returns, after I came back we got the sheep from the barley paddock into the yard and we syringed them with sheep dip.
In the afternoon I was digging out periwincle in the flower garden.

Sunday 3rd   It was a beautiful day.  Willie rode to Ti Point in the morning.  In the afternoon I went over to Joe Wyatts and staid there for tea.

Monday 4th   It was a fine day, but towards the latter part of the afternoon there was every indication of a change of weather.
In the morning I was digging out periwincle in the flower garden.
Willie rooted out three peach trees near the orchard gate and dug up the ground ready for planting other trees.  Ernest Wyatt came to get some strawberry plants, and he staid for dinner.
In the afternoon I went down to the flat and seived some black soil and carried it round to the wharf.  Willie brought the bullock down to meet the “Kawau“, he was expecting 100 lbs Flour, he hauled it and the soil home, the “Kawau” was late in coming and we only got home just before dark.

Tuesday 5th   The 45th Anniversary  of my leaving Gravesend, England in the “Queen of Beauty“.  It was very dull in the morning and there were a few slight showers.  I was digging out periwinckle and made a fire round the pine stump to burn the rubbish.
Willie got a load of firewood and planted out a lot of paspalum plants in the pigs paddock.
In the afternoon the showers were more frequent and in the evening it rained steadily – the wind is blowing strong from the N.

Wednesday 6th   It was a very showery day.  In the morning I went down to the village to post some letters & to send a wire to Mr Mander.  In the afternoon went down to meet the Steamer and get the mail, it was blowing & raining very heavy & Willie got very wet.

Thursday 7th   It was fine in the morning, but showery in the pm.  In the morning Willie & I fixed up a panel of the fence in the front garden that the wind blew down, afterwards Willie took the Eggs down to the Store.  In the afternoon being showery and not able to do anything  out of doors I wrote a letter to Jack which I posted in the evening when I went down for the mail.

Friday 8th   It was a fine day, but the ground is very wet with the rain we had yesterday.
In the morning Willie went round to get orders for mutton.  In the afternoon we got the Sheep in from the barley paddock, we picked out a wether which we killed later in the afternoon.

Saturday 9th   It was a fine day.  Willie cut up the sheep in the morning and took the mutton out.  In the afternoon he went out fishing and brought home some schnapper and a large rock cod.
I was digging out periwinckle in the flower garden.

Sunday 10th   It was a fine day.  Willie spent the day at A. Wyatts.
Mr French was to have held service in the afternoon, but he did not turn up, so I was asked to conduct the Anglican service

Monday 11th   It was a fine day.  Willie was preparing ground for trees.  I was digging out periwinckle in the front garden.  I went down to spend the evening with Archie Dunning.

Tuesday 12th   It was a fine day.  Willie was preparing ground for trees.  I planted in the flower garden clumps of Madonna Lilies, Amaryllis, Miss Harding Gladiola and Pink Gladiola.
Mr Mander, MP addressed a meeting in the Hall in the evening, not many people attended, I occupied the chair.

Wednesday 13th   It was a fine day.  In the morning Willie went out fishing to see if he could get some fish to send away by the “Kawau“, but he got so few that he came home  early in the afternoon.  I went down to the Post Office and the Library in the afternoon.
Mrs Arthur Greenwood called thinking that Jane was at home, so she went down to Mrs Archie Dunnings.  I sowed seeds in a box in the flower garden of the following sorts,  Pansy,  Larkspur,  Miniature Sunflower,  Love in the Mist &  Caterbury Bells.

Thursday 14th   It was a fine day.  In the morning I took the bullock down to the wharf and hauled up some black soil and sand.  In the afternoon I was clearing the garden of grass below the front veranda.   Willie was digging for trees.  In the evening Willie and I went down to the village, there was a meeting of the Farmers Association, Burton Witten read a paper on the subject “Can we control the Codlin Moth”.

Friday 15th   It was a fine day.  In the morning I was working in the flower garden.
In the afternoon we got the Sheep in from the barley paddock and we killed a big wether.

Saturday 16th   It was a dull day.  In the morning Willie cut up the Sheep and took out the mutton.  I was doing odd jobs in the house.
In the afternoon I rode up to John Greenwoods and staid tea, he gave me a lot of flower plants and cuttings.  In my absence Willie went out fishing and brought home 2 schnapper & 1 kawhai.

Sunday 17th   It had been raining a little during the night  and there were a few slight showers during the morning, but in the afternoon it was very fine.
Willie rode over to Ti Point to spend the day, and I went up to Mrs Handbys in the afternoon and staid tea, Mr James Greenwood was also there.

Monday 18th   It was a fine day.  I was all day putting in the plants & cuttings that I got from John Greenwood.  Willie was digging in the orchard.

Tuesday 19th   It was a fine day.  In the morning I went down to the P.O to post a letter to Nimmo & Blair, Seedsmen, Dunedin ordering 6/- worth flower seeds.  Afterwards I went across the harbour to take them a Crimson Rambler rose, and I got some cuttings & little plants to bring home.  In the afternoon I was planting the cuttings and plants I got this morning.  Willie was digging the new piece of orchard he has taken in, he has nearly finished it.

Wednesday 20th   It was a fine day.  Mabel came and gave the house a thorough clean out.
I was digging and planting in the flower garden.
Willie finished digging the piece of ground the top side of the orchard and then he planted paspalum plants in the pigs paddock.

Thursday 21st   It was a fine day.  Willie and I got up earlier than usual and soon got breakfast over and went down to meet the “Kawau“.  Jane came up from Auckland in her, we carried her luggage home.  In the afternoon Jane went down to Mabels place and from there down to the mail.  I went down in the evening to attend to the Library.  Mrs Carr and others were there decorating the Hall for the patriotic Concert tomorrow night.

Friday 22nd   It was a fine day.  I was working in the flower garden.  Jane brought me a lot of plants and cuttings from Auckland which I was planting out.
In the afternoon we killed a sheep.  In the evening we all went down to the Patriotic Concert.  I was Chairman, it was a lengthy programme finishing up with a tableau Britannia & her Daughters.
Mr G. Knaggs gave several phonograph selections.  The takings were £7 . 16 . 6 .

Saturday 23rd   It was a fine day,  yet rather dull.  In the morning Willie took out the mutton, I was digging in the flower garden.
In the afternoon Willie went out in the boat fishing with Mabel & he brought home some rock cods & schnappers.  I went down to the village and Mr Handby and I cleaned up the Hall.

Sunday 24th   “Empire Day”  –  It was a very dull day and there were a few showers.  None of us went out anywhere.

Monday 25th   A dull day and showery.  In the afternoon it was fine and I was digging out periwinckle in the flower garden.  Willie was digging in the orchard.

Tuesday 26th   It was raining steadily nearly all day, the wind is at the N.  We could not do anything out of doors.

Wednesday 27th   It did not rain, but it was a very dull sunless day.
Mr Joseph Greenwood who is on a visit to this district called here in the afternoon and we had an early tea, he was going back to Auckland in the “Kawau” this evening.  I went down to the P,O to get the mail & to post letters.

Thursday 28th   It was a dull day.  Willie was digging out fern root at the bottom of the orchard.  I was digging out periwinckle  in the flower garden, but the ground was very wet.  Jane rode to tia Point in the afternoon returning in the evening.  I went for the mail and attended the Library.

Friday 29th   It was fine in the morning.  I was planting paspalum plants out in the front.  Minnie rode over bringing the baby & Arthur with her, the girls came over after they came out of school it came on steady rain later in the afternoon and they had to stay the night.  We killed a sheep.

Saturday 30th   It was fine in the morning.  Minnie went home taking the baby & Arthur with her, she left the girls to stay a while with us.
Willie took the mutton out in the morning and he went fishing in the afternoon.
I was planting paspalum plants out in the front,  in the pm I went down to the wharf to get some new Library books & some sand.  It rained very heavily.

Sunday 31st   It was a fine day.  The wind is at the S, and it is very cold in the shade.
In the afternoon I went up to Mr Handbys and staid for tea.
Mabel Wyatt was here in the afternoon and she and Jane went down to the Bible Class in the evening.