November 1894

Thursday 1st   It was a fine day.  I was forking out the sorrel and moulding up the Potatoes, far side.  Henry was mending the Catamaran.  We set 2 Hens in the evening in the manger with 13 Eggs each White Leghorn, that we got from Mr Whittaker.

Friday 2nd   It was a fine day, a slight shower in the middle of the day.  I was earthing up the Potatoes the far side of the orchard.  Henry was digging below the house.

Saturday 3rd    It was a fine day, a slight shower in the evening.  I was flat hoeing Potatoes at the  bottom of the orchard and beating ground for Kumeras.  Henry finished digging below the house.
Commenced using a Sack of Flour.

Sunday 4th   It was a fine day.  I did not hold service in the afternoon as Mrs Heber Meiklejohn was buried in the Dacres Claim Cemetery, Revd R. McKinney conducting the service at the grave, it was a very large funeral,  Mr, Miss & Charlie Pratt   returned here for tea on there way home.

Monday 5th   It was a fine day.  We commenced planting Parsnips (Hollow Crown) in rows 14 inches apart, we dug manure & potatoe manure into the ground.

Tuesday 6th   It was a fine day.  Finished planting Parsnips.  Sowed 15 rows in all.  Also sowed 2 rows Carrots James’ Scarlet Intermediate.

Wednesday 7th   Henry went to W. Torkington at Tea Point to help shear their Sheep, but it came on to rain in the middle of the day so he came home in the afternoon.
I resowed Brown Spanish Onions near the back gate.  Mr Crowe, Inspector of Schools,  examined this School today,  all passed.
Fred Pratt came over for Willies horse but as he could not find it so he staid all night.

Thursday 8th   It was a fine day.  Henry went to Torkingtons and finished shearing their Sheep.  As Fred Pratt could not find Willies horse last night, Charlie Pratt came over for it and having found the horse staid here all day,  Mr Pratt came over in the evening to go to Auckland in the Ida and Charlie took his horse home leading Kate.
I sowed 1 row of Red Beet and 1 row of Lettuce also commenced planting Canadian Wonder Beans the other side of the path in drills 2 ft 6 in apart.  Mr Noton called in the afternoon but did not show his samples as he is coming again next Wednesday.

Friday 9th    It was a fine day.  We planted 2 more rows Canadian Wonder Beans also 3 rows Dun Beans then Beat and howed up ground for Kumeras.

Saturday 10th   It was a fine day.  Finished hoeing and beating the Kumera ground, we then dug manure in ready for planting.  It rained a little in the evening.  There was to have been a meeting of the Farmers Association, but on account of the threatening state of the weather, only a very few turned up, so there was no meeting.

Sunday 11th   It was a fine day.  I read service in the Hall in the pm, there was a small congregation.

Monday 12thTuesday 13th   I finished planting the Kumeras in the morning.  Went down to the Steamer in the evening.  There was a meeting of Subscribers to the Show at Mr Harpers, I was elected on the Committee, also Secretary & Treasurer.  There was a heavy shower of rain in the evening.

Wednesday 14th   I earthed up the Potatoes at the bottom of the orchard.  Henry was preparing the Stockyard for shearing.  Mr Noton came and spent the evening and staid all night.

Thursday 15th   It was a fine day.  We got the Sheep up first thing in the morning and commenced to shear.

Friday 16th   We continued shearing, sheard 67 by evening.  Killed a Sheep.  It came on the rain in the evening and rained heavily all night.

Saturday 17th   The ground very wet.  We got Rosey in from the Barley Paddock, she has calved a bull calf.  I mended up the fence between Mathesons paddock & the farm.

Sunday 18th   It rained all day.  There was no Sunday School or Service.  Mr Pratt came up from Auckland in the Ida, he came up here & staid all night.

Monday 19th   It was a fine day, strong wind from NE, ground very wet.  We cut Scotch Thistles in the School Reserve in the morning.  Stuck the Peas in the afternoon.

Tuesday 20th   It was a fine day.  Henry was repairing the Catamaran.  I was stapling the wires on the fence top side of the horse paddock.

Wednesday 21st   It was a fine day.  Henry was repairing the Catamaran.  I fixed up the slip rails between the barley paddock and the farm.

Thursday 22nd  It was a fine day.  Henry was working for himself to day cutting firewood on Frearsons land.  I sowed 7 hills of Water Melons between the Peas and Cabbage.

Friday 23rd   It was a fine day.  We got the Sheep in early in the morning and finished shearing, we have shorn 102 now all together, but there are one or two out.  We cut and tailed 12 Lambs, 6 Ewes & 6 Wethers.  Killed a Sheep in the evening.

Saturday 24th   It was a fine day.  Cut up the Sheep in the morning and took out the mutton, went down to the Wharf and brought up 2 Wool Packs.
In the afternoon I sowed 3 hills of Marrows  (Mr Morrisons sort).

Sunday 25th   It was a fine day.  George Pratt was here for dinner and H. Torkington was here for tea.  I read service in the Hall in the afternoon, there was only a small congregation.

Monday 26th  It was a fine day.  We got all the Sheep up in the morning, sheared 3 that we missed before which makes 105 sheared.  We branded all the Sheep & Lambs.  We counted the Lambs, there are 51 including Belle.
We castrated the 2 bull calves that are sucking Daisy, also ear marked them, also the heifer calf  ( Cherry ).  We packed the wool in the evening.  Maud , Willie & Horace went up to Pratts.

Tuesday 27th   We took Daisy and the two calves up on the mail road.  It rained very heavily and we got very wet.  Henry got the bullocks and hauled down to the Wharf the two bales of wool and we put on board the Rose Casey.

Wednesday 28th   It was a fine day.  Henry hauled some goods for
T. W. K.   I was mending fences and gathering dead wool.  In the afternoon Henry went to Pakiri to see S. Fordham.  I was digging in the garden & planting marrows.  Miss W. Brown was here for tea.  Maud, Willie & Horace came home in the evening.

Thursday 29th   It was a fine day.  Willie P. was working here cutting tea tree below the School.  We bought 10 Wethers off S. Fordham, we took down the bullocks & hauled them up, branded them and put them into the horse paddock.

Friday 30th   It was a fine day.   Willie P.  was working here cutting tea tree with Henry below the School.  I was planting Pumpkins.