May 1927

Sunday 1st   It was a very fine day.  Revd Addenbrooke held service in the hall in the morning,  there was only a small congregation. Collection 6/- .   Jim, Jane and the children went to Walden’s in the afternoon .  I went to Harry Ashtons.

Monday 2nd   It was a very fine day.  The shooting season commenced to day.  Jim went out but did not get a pheasant.
I sowed the 2nd onion bed 32 rows.  And partly sowed a 3rd bed with 25 rows, but had no more seed to finish it.  Pat came for tea and we played 500.

Tuesday 3rd   It was a very fine day.  I resowed the sweet peas as the slugs had eaten them.  Planted out next them a row of 15 of Hendersons Succession Cabbage.  Mabel, Miss Patterson, and Mrs Evans & 3 children were here in the pm.  As I had not enough onion seed to finish sowing the 3rd bed on Monday, Hector went to the store and got a packet of seed, so I finished the bed by sowing 6 extra rows.

Wednesday 4th   It was a fine day and very hot, but every indicasion [sic] of a change.  Jim rode to Matakana to get the horse shod.
I sowed a row of Intermediate Carrots next the red beet.  Also a row of 13 Cabbages.

Thursday 5th   The 64th Anniversary of my leaving England in the ship “Queen of Beauty“.  It was fine during the day, although it had been raining last night.  And it rained a little this evening.  I cut all the grass on the paths in the garden, and cleared the ground between the tomatoes & beans.  They received a wire from Jean that she was coming to Matakana this evening for the mid winter holidays, so Jim got Laddie Whitaker to take him in the car to meet Jean.  Pat had tea here and he and I played cribbage.

Friday 6th    It was a fine day.  I was weeding in the flower garden .  Pat had tea here and we played 500 in the evening

Saturday 7th   It did not rain, but it was a blowey disagreable day,
I did not do anything in the garden.  Ivy & her youngest called in the afternoon.  There was a football match at Matakana,  Omaha  V  local club.  Omaha had an easy win , Jim went in Eddies lorry.
Jim,  Jane and  Hector went in Whitaker’s car to the Pictures at Matakana in the evening.

Sunday 8th   A disagreable windy day.   There was a presbyterian service in the hall in the morning.  Revd Rouprecht and Revd Pattison of Somervell Memorial Church Remuera came.  The latter gentlemen conducted the service, and preached a powerful sermon from the text “Behold I stand at the door and knock”.  There was a larger congregation than usual – 23 in number.  Collection 8/6. The Parsons went to Mr Birdsalls for dinner.
In the afternoon I wrote a letter to my son Jack which will be posted tomorrow.  Dolly who has been up at her mothers for the past week came home to day.

Monday 9th   It was a dull windy day.  I could not work in the garden so I carried up manure.  Jean & Mildred went to Joe Torkingtons at Ti Point and staid the night.

Tuesday 10th   It was a beautiful calm day.  Revd Addenbrooke called in the morning to say goodbye as he is leaving , he has been the Anglican minister at Warkworth for about 5 years.  Jean & Mildred returned from Ti Point, Eyleen came with them and staid for dinner.
I commenced to trench the piece of ground where the tomatoes & dwarf beans were.

Wednesday 11th   It was a very fine day.  I continued trenching the piece of ground I started yesterday .  Mrs Gravatt called just before dinner time.  Jane & Jean went round in the steamer to Leigh to stay until the Presbyterian bazaar on Friday.  Mildred went down to Dollys while they are away.

Thursday 12th   It was a very fine day.  I finished trenching the piece of ground and then went to the Post Office, called in at Dollys.
In the afternoon I went to Whitakers to take back some books I had borrowed, and to get some others.  Mrs Wiff Meiklejohn and Mrs Charlie Whitaker were there.  Jim & Hector carted a lot of cut up firewood.

Friday 13th   It was a fine day, but dull.  In the morning I went down to Pats, and mended their back gate.  Gave my Bank book to Pat to get £20 out of the P.O Bank at Leigh.
There was a Bazaar & Concert at Leigh in the evening in aid of the Presbyterian Church, as Jane & Jean are staying over there they will be at it.  Jim & Hector drove over in the evening to be present.

Saturday 14th   It commenced to rain at midnight and rained heavily this morning.  I went down to Pats to change my Library books and to get the money he got for me yesterday.  Hector went with the hockey players to Dome Valley to play a match and they were defeated.  It rained pretty steady in the afternoon.  Jane & Jean returned from Leigh in the afternoon in the butchers lorry.

Sunday 15th   There were a few slight showers otherwise it was a fine day, but the ground is very wet and water lying in all the holes in the road.  Mr Milligan held his last service in the hall in the afternoon, there was a larger congregation than usual, Mr & Mrs Wallace , Laurence & Alma,  Mr Wilson Senr,  Wil Dunning and children.  The collection was 10/- .  Regret was felt at Mr Miligan’s leaving the district.

Monday 16th   It was a cold blowey day with slight showers.  I wrote a letter to Willie and it was posted to day.  I weeded between the Daffodils.  Hector went to Ti Point in the afternoon and staid the night.

Tuesday 17th   It was a fine day.  I cut all the grass on the edge of the path near the gate.  Mr & Mrs Stewart and his nephew Keith Stewart came to spend the day.  Mr Perks opened out his drapery goods down at Pats, Jane and I went to have a look at them,  I ordered 2 pr of woolen drawers.  Hector returned from Ti Point in the evening.

Wednesday 18th   It was a fine day ‘tho dull.  Mr Wallace, Alma and Mrs Whitaker came to spend the day, two girls of Tom Ashton also came, and Norris Wyatt came in the mail car,  so we were a large party, Laurence came in the afternoon to take them home in the car. I dug in peas & broad beans in the piece of ground below the broad beans.

Thursday 19th   It rained a little last night so I was not able to garden in the morning, so I shelled all the beans and put them away.  In the afternoon I was able to finish digging below the broad beans.  Jean returned to Auckland by the “Kawau“.  Jim & Jane went to see her off.

Friday 20th   It was a fine day.  I went down to the beach to get some flax & sand.  Jane and the children went to the store.  While they were away Flo’ Torkington & George Davey came.  Laurence Whitaker was mowing in the domain and broke some bolts on the machine, so he came up here, and Hector went to the store to get new ones,  Laurence had dinner here, so we were a large party
I sent a report of Leigh to the R & O. Times.

Saturday 21st   There was a slight shower in the morning, but it was very fine and sunny in the afternoon .  There should have been a Football match in the Domain in the afternoon, Matakana should have come, but they did not turn up.  So Omaha had a practice.  Roddie Matheson got a kick in the face which broke his nose, so he was taken to the Doctor at Matakana in Trevor’s car.  There were a lot of bowlers playing a game, and a lot of onlookers.
I took out the sticks of the Homestead beans and tied them in bundles.  The Omaha hockey players went to Matakana to play a match against the local club and again received a defeat.

Sunday 22nd   It was a very fine day.  Revd Thornley (Methodist) who was at one time stationed at Warkworth held service in the pm.  There was a large congregation.  Collection 11s / 9½d   .

Monday 23rd   It was a fine day, calm, but very little sunshine.  Jim and Hector were cutting teatree.  I took up the sticks of the two double rows of Lima beans, tied them in bundles and stacked them near the top fence.

Tuesday 24th   It was a fine day, but there were showers after dark.
I commenced to trench the piece of ground that was in homestead and Lima beans.  Jim and Hector were cutting teatree.  Jane was taking up her tomato sticks and clearing the ground of weeds.

Wednesday 25th   It rained heavily last night and everything was very wet this morning, so that I could not continue trenching.  In the morning I was reading and in the afternoon I was carrying manure.
Jim & Hector were cutting teatree.

Thursday 26th   It was a dull miserable day, I did nothing outside.
Jane went in Whitaker’s car to spend the day at Laurence Whitakers.  In the morning I wrote letters to Mr Elliott, Henry and Grace.  In the afternoon I was mending my jersey.

Friday 27th   It was raining nearly all day.  There was a clearing sale at Mr John Grey’s on the Warkworth road beyond Matakana, Jim went to it in Whitaker’s car, he reports a good attendance notwithstanding the weather.  I was reading all day.

Saturday 28th   It was a fine day, but the ground was very wet with all the rain yesterday.  There was a football match in the Domain. Omaha Matakana.  There were a lot of onlookers.

Sunday 29th   It was a fine day.  Revd  Addenbrooke held service in the afternoon.  There were 19 present, several from Big Omaha.  Collection 10/1 .

Monday 30th   It was a fine day.  I continued the trenching, but my back gave way and I had to leave off work.  Went down to Pats in the afternoon to change books.

Tuesday 31st    There were several showers during the day.  My back was still bad and I did no work outside.  Jim and Hector cut tea tree.

The rainfall for May as recorded at the Warkworth P.O. totaled 7.68 inches spread over a period of 10 days
During the corresponding month last year there was nearly twice the amount of rain , when 15.89 inches were recorded.