Tuesday 1st It was a very fine day. I was working in the garden all day preparing the ground for Tomatoes & Beet.
Wednesday 2nd It was a very fine day. I was working up in the garden all day. I planted 7 Tomato plants, 3 of Burwood Prize & 4 of Trophy, and also sowed a row of Red Beet. After tea I took Mrs Stewart a bunch of Roses, called for the mail, but found that it had been taken. Received a letter from Willie.
I took up the Dahlias in the afternoon.
Thursday 3rd It was a fine day, but dull in the afternoon and looks like a change. I was working in the garden all day. I dug up the piece of ground that the Dahlias came out of , I made a trench and put the Dahlia roots [in] it so that they will shoot.
Friday 4th It was a fine day. I planted a double row of Homestead Beans next to the silver beet, the ground worked nicely as there was some rain last night. Went down for the mail last night & was at the Library numbering books.
Saturday 5th It was a fine day. After breakfast I went up to the garden and did some work & then I picked some flowers & took them down to the Church, went to the P.O and lodged £16 . 5 . 0 in the Savings Bank, called at Mr Stewarts and went home for dinner.
In the afternoon I stuck the row of Stratagem Peas near the front gate & dug each side of the row. After tea I went up to the garden again & got some flowers & took up to Mr Gripps & spent a pleasant evening.
Sunday 6th It was a fine day. I went up to the garden after breakfast and picked a big bunch of flowers for Ivy. I conducted service in the Church in the afternoon, there were 22 present. Collection 9/2. Went to call on Mr Hewitt in the evening, when I got home I found Mrs Gravatt & Elva here.
Monday 7th There was a little rain last night, but not enough to do much good. After breakfast I wrote a long letter to Willie, & Eddie posted it in the evening when he carted Lemons to the wharf.
I planted a row of Canadian Wonder Beans and stuck the 2nd row of Statagem Peas and dug up between the peas & beans.
Tuesday 8th It was a very wet day, I did not go up to the garden but staid in the house all day mending a shirt and reading. Eddie & Jim were sawing wood & making cases.
Wednesday 9th Henry’s 47th Birthday. It was a very fine day. I was working in the garden all day. Cutting grass on the paths. After tea I went down for the mail. There was a lantern lecture in the Hall in the evening, but none of us went.
Thursday 10th It was a very fine day. After breakfast I went up to the garden, hunted the slugs and gathered 2 bunches of flowers.
After an early lunch Eddie drove me & Lennie over to Mr Griggs clearance sale, there were a great many people there & I met a lot of old friends, some of the things sold very cheap, there was a reserve of £100 on the Piano. There was some beautiful furniture in the house, but Eddiy & I left early as he had to come home to milk, he bought a fine childs cot for 10/- which was a bargain. Jane & Minnie were there.
Friday 11th It was a fine day with the exception of a slight shower in the morning, there had been some rain during the night. I planted 2 rows Butter Beans. I went down for the mail in the evening, called at Mr A. Dunnings to take him some bean seed, went to the Library and the choir practice.
Saturday 12th It was a fine day. There was a scratch cricket match at the Claim . I was working at the garden all day. I cut grass on the paths, swept out the summer house, & dug up the piece of ground between the stratagem peas and the row of beet root and made a clear up. Revd Poole & his son called in the evening, I took him into my [room] & showed him the Photo of my birthplace, (New Parks, Leicester) he knew the place well & we had a great chat about different places we knew in England.
Sunday 13th It was a fine day. I attended the Presbyterian service in the morning. After church Mrs Ashworth came to spend the day.
There was a Choral Service in the Hall in the evening. Mr J. C. Wyatt presided, there was a large choir, Jim & Jane were present.
Monday 14th It was a fine day. I was working in the garden all day.
I pared the weeds on the path and dug them in the ground together with all the grass I hat cut off the paths between two rows of peas.
Went down for the mail in the afternoon and got two bags of gravel which Eddie carted up in the evening.
Tuesday 15th It was a very hot day. I carried up 2 sacks of straw and dug it in between the rows of peas and between the peas and beans, watered the pansies, onions, beet and dahlias, went down to the Library and changed my books.
Wednesday 16th It was a very fine day. I was working up in the garden all day. I planted out 2 Double Purple Stocks, 1 Scarlet Verbena & 1 Dwarf Ageratum.
Went down for the mail in the evening, took Mrs Stewart a large bunch of flowers.
Thursday 17th It was a very fine day. I was working in the garden all day, tidying up. They commenced to plough our old orchard. Jim was ploughing & Eddie & Charlie were cutting down trees and burning rubbish. In the evening I went down to the Library to change Mr Stewarts book and also to get some for myself.
There was a choir practice, but I did not stay for it.
Friday 18th It was a fine day. After breakfast I went down to the P.O to get PN for 9/6 to send to Willie to pay for the keys & labels for the Library. Afterwards I was working in the garden, I rested in the pm as I am going to the Concert at the Claim this evening, Mr Grigg & I walked over and Jim Gozar drove us back in his buggy. It was Ti Point School got up by Mr ewar [?] the Teacher & it was very enjoyable. Jim drove Ivy over, several walked from here.
Saturday 19th It was a fine day. There was a Tennis Match at the Claim between Leigh & Dacres Clubs, the young from this house went over & were playing. Maggie came up here to mind the children. I dug round the Peach tree near the back gate, and cut all the dead wood out of it and I made a fire to burn the rubbish.
Sunday 20th It was a very hot day. After breakfast I went up to the garden, did some watering and picked a bunch of Roses. All of them went out to dinner, so I had dinner alone. In the afternoon I attended service in the Hall, Mr Grigg conducted service in Mr Richard’s absence. There was only Jim & I home for tea. I had the first Sulphur Bath in the evening.
Monday 21st It was a very fine day. All the men folk were at Pakiri spraying cattle for Tick. I took my lunch up to the garden and was working there all day digging out periwinkle blow the house.
Tuesday 22nd It was a very fine day. I was digging out periwinkle again below & under the house. Jim was ploughing, Charlie was clearing the ground & Eddie was clearing out the rubbish that was under the house.
Wednesday 23rd When we got up we found that it had been raining during last night and continued this morning. I spend the morning in reading and mending socks. I went up to the garden in the afternoon and found that the rain had benefitted the vegetables, I dug over the piece of ground next the peas near the front gate, there came on a heavy shower of rain & I had to knock off. I went down for the mail after tea. The boys had been cutting box timber.
Thursday 24th There was more rain last night, but it was fine today. I went up to the garden, planted some seedlings, Corn Flowers & Scabious that came from Yates last night, next finished digging the piece of ground I started yesterday, and then went on digging out periwinkle near the lower garden gate, but could not finish it as I had to go home for tea. It came on a misty rain in the evening.
Friday 25th It was a fine day, I was working up at the garden all day, I did not come home for dinner. I finished digging out the periwinkle and I set fire to the heap of periwinkle & rubbish that came from under the house & I did not like to leave such a big fire to go to dinner. Eddie came up in the afternoon & put in 2 posts to fix up the fence near the lower garden gate. There was a shower of rain in the evening. I received a wire from Revd Hawksworth in the evening asking me to take the service tomorrow as he has to conduct a funeral at Warkworth.
Saturday 26th It was a showery day. There was a Cricket Match at the Claim between Warkworth & Omaha clubs for the possession of the cup. Eddie Grigg & I walked over. Warkworth went in first and made 77 runs, Mr Shepherd scoring 42, Omaha then went in and made 143, Warkworth went in again and made 44, thus Omaha won in one innings and 22 to spare.
I met Mr J. A. Shepherd the captain of the club and we had a long talk about flowers. Jane & Minnie & their children were there. Willie made 66 runs, Eddie 26 & Jim 23
Sunday 27th 1st Sunday in Advent. It was a very fine day. I went up to the garden in the morning to pick some flowers. In the afternoon I conducted service for Mr Hawkesworth who had to take a funeral this afternoon. There were 28 present. The John Greenwoods were present also Mr & Mrs Delatour & a cousin, Mrs Holder & Charlina, Mrs Whitaker & Jane & 2 girls. It was Jane’s birthday.
Monday 28th It was a very hot day. I stuck the Homestead Beans and cut the grass on the path, and dug out all the weeds on the border near the lower gate.
Tuesday 29th A very hot day, dug manure in the ground between the Tomatoes. Went to the Library in the evening to change my books. Took Mrs A. Greenwood some flowers.
Wednesday 30th It was a very hot day. The “Kawau” did not come to day, we heard that she had broken down at. [?] A Steamer is to leave Auckland to night for here.
I planted a row of Stratagem Peas.