November 1889

Friday 1st   Wrote a long letter to my brother John and posted it in the morning.
We started to sow Parsnips, but it came on the rain, which will do a great deal of good. It cleared up in the afternoon. We got all the Sheep up in the evening.

Saturday 2nd   It rained very heavy last night, but it was fine today. Got the bullocks up & harrowed the pigs paddock. the lumps break very well after the rain. Charlie came in the morning to castrate the Lambs & clean the Sheep. The Lambs cut were as follows.
18 ewes
24 wethers

42   Total
Charlie also castrated our yearling calf, “Gilbert”
I planted out some Onions that J. Wyatt Senr brought for me.

Sunday 3rd There were a few slight showers in the morning, but it turned out a fine day.  Revd R. Mckinney preached in the Hall in the morning, and I read service in the afternoon, there were about 30 present.
I went down to John Wyatt’s and staid for tea, Mr Hardwick was there, we all went up to the Race Course in the evening and had a look round the garden.

Monday 4th  It was a fine day.  We ploughed the pigs paddock up and down.  Kept the girls home from school to break the lumps, and pick up the manure. The ground turns over very well. Returned the 25 palings I borrowed of John Wyatt & and now he borrow 25 of me.

Tuesday 5th   Showery day, we could not complete the ploughing. Cleaned the sow out & dug under the dining room window.  Dug 28 lbs of Early Rose Potatoes for the Steward of the Steamer. The Steamer came in early, there is a new mate on board in place of Mr Palmer.
Someone has bought Mirehouse’s place, and a Mr Jackson and a housekeeper came down in the Steamer to look after the place.

Wednesday 6th It rained very heavy last night, and the ground is very wet this morning.
The boys took the bullocks down to haul goods for the new storekeeper.
I planted out 53 Cabbage plants where we dug the Potatoes out, also planted 2 rows Maize in same place.  Cleaned out a pig sty & got some bedding.   It was very showery in the afternoon.

Thursday 7th  It was a fine day. We finished digging the piece of ground under the dining room window.  Sowed a few rows of Parsnips the top side of the house. There was a meeting in the Hall in the evening, of the subscribers to the Show, I went down to it.
Mr Neely was elected on the committee in the place of the late Mr Mirehouse.   Mrs Mirehouse left for good, she went to Warkworth to go away by the “Rose Casey

Friday 8th  It was a fine day.  We finished ploughing the headlands in the pigs paddock, also harrowed it.  We dug ½ Cwt Potatoes & John took them down to the Hotel.
We sowed a few rows of Parsnips.  Maud & Henry went to Te Arai in the afternoon to a Social.   I went to the Library in the evening.

Saturday 9th Henry, Maud & Willie returned from Te Arai in the morning.
We finished sowing the Parsnips,  we have 29 rows planted altogether.  We also sowed over manured trenches a double row of White Climbing Beans,  also a row of Duke of Albany Peas, the seed of both of them were given to me by Mr Ashton.  In the afternoon the children went fishing to the Maori Point.  In the afternoon I stuck one row of the Veitch’s Perfection Peas, and in the evening I planted 5 hills of Hubbard’s Squash near the closet.
Willie P. & John Salt came home from the rinking & staid all night.
It was fine all day, but it came on to rain about 8 pm.

Sunday 10th  It was a fine day.  Revd J. Mather conducted service in the morning & preached an excellent sermon. Thomas Ashton, Sarah & Ted Greenwood were here for dinner.  I read service in the afternoon, only a small congregation. Charlie Dunning came here for tea.

Monday 11th  Wind from the SE.  it had been raining last night.
We commenced to plant Maize in the pigs paddock in rows 3 ft apart and about 2 ft 6 in in the rows. It came on to rain about 11 am & we had to knock off, but we planted a few more rows in the afternoon when it cleared up a little, but it came on to rain again in the evening.

Tuesday 12th  A fine day, very hot in the afternoon. We dug Potatoes for the Steamer in the morning & Henry took them down to the Wharf with the bullocks he also hauled some boxes down to the Wharf for the new Storekeeper. We were planting Maize in the pigs paddock.  Kept the girls home from School to help us.  There was a dance in the Hall in the evening.

Wednesday 13th   A very fine day, a breeze of wind was blowing which made it cool for working.  The boys were hauling for the new Storekeeper.  The girls & I were planting Maize.

Thursday 14th   A very fine day.  There was a cool breeze blowing.  We were planting Maize all day.

Friday 15th    A very fine day.  We were planting Maize all day.

Saturday 16th   We planted Maize in the morning.  I finished sticking the two rows of Veith’s Perfection Peas near the path, and dug up between the rows, putting rushes in the trenches.  It thundered very heavy in the afternoon and was very black and threatening, but there was very little rain here.  It hailed very heavy up Greenwood’s hill.  John went up the hill to the cricket and Charlie Gravatt came down with him for tea.

Sunday 17th   It was a fine day.  I went over to service at Dacre’s Claim in the morning on John’s horse.  Mr Anderson of Matakana who died last Friday was buried to day, several people from here went over to the funeral.
I read service in the afternoon, there were not many present.
Mr Jackson & Mrs Brownett came for tea.
We picked some peas to day for the first time, viz Kentish Invicta.

Monday 18th  It was a fine day. The 5th Anniversary of our returning to Omaha.  We were all planting Maize in the little paddock, the girls staid at home from School.  John took the bullocks over to Big Omaha to get some palings for Charlie Wyatt.

Tuesday 19th   A fine day.  Miss Jessie Kempt died early this morning.  We finished planting Maize.  Henry hauled two loads of Potatoes down to the Wharf for Charlie Wyatt.  I went to Mr Walters for tea and spent the evening.

Wednesday 20th   A fine day. The boys were hauling for the new Store Keeper in the morning. I went to Miss Kempt’s funeral in the afternoon.  Commenced digging next to the Strawberries, planted 2 hills of Pie Melon & 2 of Kumakuma.

Thursday 21st  It was a fine day, we continued planting Kumakuma.

Friday 22nd  It was a fine day. John took the bullocks down to the beach and hauled up a sack full of seaweed & one of sand.  Henry went down to the Koroa and sheared a dead Sheep.  We finished planting the Kumakuma.  We planted 9 hills Crown Pumpkin between the Turnips, we shall dig up all the ground and manure them when the Turnips are all off.

Saturday 23rd  It was a fine day.  We sowed a row of Purple Top Turnips on the border next the Peas.  Dug up & manured the bed intended for Onions & sowed 3 rows Golden Tankard Mangel & 2 rows of White Stone Turnips.  In the evening I sowed 1 hill of Rock Melon & 1 of Water Melon

Sunday 24th  John, Henry & Willie rode over to Dacre’s Claim in the morning, there was a heavy shower of rain over there, but we had nothing to speak of here.  I read service in the afternoon, there was a pretty good congregation.  I walked up with Mr & Mrs Joseph Greenwood to their place, had tea & supper there, and had a look round his place.

Monday 25th  It was a very hot day.  We dug up the other bed, digging in manure & bone dust, part of the bed we sowed with James Keeping Onion and the other part , 4 rows of Golden Tankard Mangold. In the evening I sowed 4 hills of Water melon between the Kumakuma.  Charlie Wyatt was shearing his Sheep today.

Tuesday 26th  It was a hot day.  We commenced putting up a wire fence the top side of the Maize in the pigs paddock.
There was a Soiree over at Big Omaha School in aid of Chas Bond. John went to it.

Wednesday 27th  It was a hot day.  Henry took the bullocks down to the Wharf and hauled up 3 bags flour & 1 sack sharps that came in the Steamer last night.  We finished making the wire fence.  Cleaned out the shed and laid down the floor ready for shearing.

Thursday 28th  It was very cloudy and very much like rain.  We dug some Potatoes in the morning and took some down to the store.
Got the Sheep up in the morning and commenced to Shear.  We are going to do the shearing this year ourselves, we did not commence very early, we only sheared 16.  We killed a barren ewe that we sheared, it was in good condition.

Friday 29th  It was a fine day but very windy.  We continued shearing Sheep, we sheared 23 today.

Saturday 30th  It was a fine day.  We dug in manure round the pumpkins that are planted in the orchard. The girls had a children’s party to celebrate Jane’s 11th birthday which was on the 27th. There were 11 here besides our own children.