Thursday 1st It was a very fine day. The shooting season commenced today , heard the report of several guns.
Willie had finished building his kiln so he covered it in with fern leaves & ashes, and set fire to it in the evening.
I was working down on the flat all day, went down for the mail in the evening.
Friday 2nd It was a very fine day. Willie was watching his burning kiln and cutting wood for another kiln. I was clearing up and burning on the flat all day.
There was a welcome to Private Roy Neeley in the Hall in the evening , but none of us went.
Saturday 3rd It was a very fine day. After breakfast I went down to the P. O to post some letters and get the mail. The remainder of the day I was burning on the flat. Willie was watching his charcoal kiln.
Sunday 4th It was a very fine day. Revd Gould held service in the Hall in the morning. Raymond & I attended . In the afternoon I called on the Hedges who have lately come to live at Mr Glass’ place and they (father & son) returned with me and had tea & spent the evening here.
Monday 5th It was a very fine day. Willie, Grace & Raymond drove over to Ti Point in the morning to bring Mrs Simpson back here, she has been at Harold Torkington’s place a long time while Flo’ was away on a holiday, so Willie did not come to work until the afternoon, the kiln was burnt out so he started to take the charcoal out. I was working on the flat all day.
Tuesday 6th It was a very fine day. Willie was taking his charcoal out, and I was working on the flat burning. Alex Haskell had a fire in the orchard and a spark got into a puriri tree in our bush and he was afraid of it spreading. Willie watched with him.
Wednesday 7th It was a very fine day.There was no steamer today, “Kawau” in dock. Willie was taking his charcoal out and I was burning on the flat.
Thursday 8th It was a very fine day. Willie was taking out his charcoal , I was burning on the flat, but I left off early and went to call at Mrs Gravatts & Mr A. L. Greenwoods, afterwards called for the mail and changed my book at the Library.
Friday 9th It was a very fine day. Willie was taking out his charcoal. I was clearing up and burning on the flat all day. Mr Sheldon representing the Fruitgrowers Federation & Mr E. Morrison held a meeting in the Hall in the evening, Willie attended.
Saturday 10th It was a very fine day. Willie finished taking out his charcoal, it turned out 95 bags. I was burning on the flat.
There was a meeting of the Ratepayers Association, but I did not attend. I received a letter from Lily (Jack’s wife) who is staying with her sister at New Lynn.
Sunday 11th It was a very fine day. Revd Orchard held service in the hall in the pm, I attended, there was a large congregation . After service I called at Ernie Greenwoods and had tea and spent the evening at Wil Dunnings.
May 12th There were several slight showers, but nothing to do the ground any good.
Grace & I sowed up the 95 bags of charcoal and hauled it out on a sleigh through Norman Matheson’s land to the county road.
Received a wire that Lily (Jack’s wife) was delivered of a Son at her sisters house at New Lynn last Saturday the 10th May.
Tuesday 13th It was a very fine day. Willie carted his charcoal from the county road down to the wharf. In the morning I went down to the PO to send a congratulary wire to Lily on the birth of her son, got some flax from J. Gozars, got sand & fowl grit and carried it across to the wharf & Willie carted it up in the evening. In the pm I was clearing down on the flat. In the evening there was a meeting of church people in the Church to consider the finances, Grace and I attended.
Wednesday 14th It was a very fine day. In the morning I was working in the flower garden. In the pm I was clearing up down at the flat . Willie was picking fruit & he carted it down to the wharf in the evening. Horace Hedges & his father and mother came up by the steamer with him and all of them came up here for tea & Mrs H staid the night.
Thursday 15th It was a very fine day. After dinner Mrs Simpson, [and] Grace went with Mrs Hedges down to her new home.
Willie sent his Charcoal away by the “Kotiti” this morning, afterwards dug out drinking places for the cattle. In the morning I was working in the flower garden and in the pm I was working on the flat, afterwards went down for the mail. Willie & Grace went to Mr Ashworths in the evening, while they were away there was a shower of rain.
Friday 16th It was a very fine day, but the wind was blowing strong from the E. Mr Ashworth took Willie, Grace & Mrs Simpson to Warkworth as Mrs S was applying to the Magistrate for the Old Age Pension which was granted. On returning home they called at Mr John Cames and brought Mrs C home with them. Raymond was left with me , in the morning I was clearing on the flat, and in the pm I went down to meet the steamer, but she did not come probably on account of the rough weather.
Saturday 17th The wind was blowing a gale from SE. I went down to the flat and was logging up. Willie also went down and was cutting down tea tree, In the pm it came on a misty rain , Willie painted the gutters as it looked like rain.
Sunday 18th It rained heavily last night and filled our tank to overflowing. During the morning it did not rain, but it was misty and threatening. After an early lunch Willie drove Mrs John Came home to Matakana, Grace & Raymond also went and staid at Mr Cames.
Revd Macdonald held service in the pm, Mrs Simpson & I attended, there were 30 present. Collection £1. It rained while we were at church and also when we were coming home. Willie got wet coming from Matakana. After service this afternoon there was a meeting of church people to consider the finances of the Warkworth Parochial District
Monday 19th The wind is still blowing from the E. It was raining off and on all day and seems to have gone deep into the ground and will do a lot of good. We were not able to do anything outside. Willie fixed up the holes in the kitchen where the rats used to get in. I was reading & doing odd jobs.
Tuesday 20th Minnies’s 43 birthday. The rain seems to be over and it turned out a fine day, ‘tho everything was very wet outside. Willie got firewood and altered the steps from the veranda to the kitchen door by making 3 steps instead of 2. I went down for the mail in the pm.
Wednesday 21st It was a very fine day. In the morning I was working down at the flat. In the pm I went down to meet the steamer. Dolly Greenwood & Mrs Rhodes and daughter Jane came in the morning and staid for lunch. Willie was sharpening saws.
Thursday 22nd It was a very fine day. Willie took the cart down to the wharf after breakfast and carted up 1 Sk each of Bran & Sharps.
He sawed off 2 post lengths on the hill and commenced splitting them. I planted a new bed of Princess of Wales Violets / 66 plants also planted 4 clumps of Dwarf Pink Gladiolus, also sowed seeds on boxes of Cauliflower & Manchester Defiance Cabbage.
I went to see the steamer off at 1 pm, a lot of passengers went from here, I went down in the evening again to get the mail an Horace Hedges came here later on and staid for a chat and a bit of supper.
Friday 23rd It was a fine day, tho dull, wind S. Willie was splitting posts & sawing off logs. In the morning I was logging up on the flat. In the pm I sowed seeds in boxes of Pyrethum, Thalictrum. Antirrhinain and seeds I got from Mr Grindrod (a creeper).
Saturday 24th It was a fine day, but the wind has changed round to the E. After breakfast I went down to the village to get the mail and to dust and to put flowers into the church.
In the afternoon I was working on the flat clearing and burning.
Willie was splitting posts on the hill.
Sunday 25th It rained last night & there was a fine rain during the morning, but towards noon it cleared up a little and Willie drove over to Wat Darrochs to fetch Grace & Raymond home, Miss Came had driven there this morning . They arrived here about 4 pm . I should have held sevice in the afternoon, but it came on to rain so I did not go down.
Monday 26th It was fine in the morning, I was working on the flat, cutting firewood &c. Willie hauled his posts out ready for erecting a new fowl run. In the afternoon it came on a steady rain & continued all evening. Willie calcimined the roof of the back veranda. I was making bags for seeds.
Tuesday 27th It was blowing very strong from the S and there were cold driving showers in the morning. I was working down at the flat, Willie was fencing in a new fowl yard. In the pm it was so cold that I staid inside.
In the evening there was a meeting in the Library to see about holding a bazaar in aid of the Anglican Church funds, Willie, Grace & I went. Jim Wyatt came in the evening and played draughts with Mrs Simpson while we were away.
Wednesday 28th It was bitterly cold last night and this morning, but it proved to be a very fine day. In the morning I was working on the flat, and in the afternoon I went down to the steamer and got the mail. Willie was erecting the fence round the fowl yard.
Thursday 29th There was a shower in the morning, otherwise it was a fine day. I was working on the flat both morning and afternoon.
I went down for the mail in the evening, Willie continued fencing the fowl yard.
Friday 30th It was a fine day, but very cold. In the morning I was working on the flat. In the afternoon I went down to meet the steamer, the two Mr Hedges came up by her, and brought me 50 Cabbage plants so when I got back I commenced to plant them.
Saturday 31st It was a very fine day, but the wind is blowing from the E. In the morning I finished planting the Cabbage plants, there were 53 altogether. In the pm I went down to Mr Hedges place to have a look. Willie finished the fence round the fowl run . We saw a sea-plane flying over the land making for Whangarei.
Young Mr Hedges came in the evening & took some fowls home.