November 1923

Thursday 1st   It was a very hot day, but there was a very nice breeze blowing.
I planted out flower plants in the new border I am making,  Archie Dunning came to look at my garden.

Friday 2nd   It was a very hot day.  I prepared ground for Water Melons
In the evening there was a meeting of householders in the Ti Point school to enquire into the conduct of the teacher (Mr Stewart) in that he severely chastized the children,  only 4 voted against him

Saturday 3rd   It was a hot day.  Mr & Mrs Stewart came to spend the day.  While we were at dinner Willie Dunning called in, he had a look at my garden & was very pleased at it, the men folks practiced cricket at the Domain.

Sunday 4th   It was a very fine day.  Revd Thornley (Methodist) who was driving on his way to Matakana gave me a lift as far as Mr Bromleys  (a townsman of mine) as I wished to have a talk with them about Leicester, but I found they were all out, so I called at Jack Mathews.
Jim & Jane drove me along & took me back.

Monday 5th   It was a very hot day.  I did some more digging in corner.  Sowed seeds of Aster.  In the pm I did some weeding for Charlina, she & Mrs W. Darroch came up to see my garden.

Tuesday 6th   It was a very hot day.  I finished digging the piece in the corner.  Got some sticks to support the seed onions.  Jane & Charl went to call on Mrs Guy Ashton.

Wednesday 7th   I weeded between the Canadian Wonder beans & gave them a good watering.  It is very hot and dry weather now and the vegetables require a lot of watering.

Thursday 8th   It was a very hot day.  Charl, Jane & Mildred drove to Matakana to spend the day at Mrs Williams’
Jean was sick stopped home from school.  I was sieving shells to get the soil out of them to put on the piece at the top corner.

Friday 9th   It was a dull day.  Jim sent a few young cattle away to be sold to day, so he rode to Warkworth this morning to see them sold.
I planted in the new border 3 Scubious & 3 Sweet Sultons,  pricked out in a box 14 Zinnias, 5 Phlox, 5 Calliopsis, 8 Sweet Sultons.
It came on to rain late in the afternoon.

Saturday 10th   Weather threatening.  There was a cricket match at Matakana between the local club and Omaha, it was a drawn game,
Jim & Jane drove, I did some watering & weeding, it came on to rain.
Jean took the mail to Evans’ so I sent some seeds & plants to Mrs Guy Ashton.

Sunday 11th   It rained all morning, but it cleared up in the afternoon.  I went in the cream cart to pay a visit to Mr & Mrs Bromley of Matakana who came from my native place (Leicester) so we had a chat about the old place ,  enjoyed a very pleasant day, returned home with Gus N.

Monday 12th   It was a very fine day, the rain yesterday has done a lot of good to the garden.  Drove in stakes and dug between Jane’s Tomatoes, carried up sand, prepared ground for another row of Peas.

Tuesday 13th   It was a very fine day.  Agnes came to spend the day. Mrs Evans came in the afternoon.  I sowed 4 hills of Water Melons and 1 hill of Squash,  weeded and dug between the beans.

Wednesday 14th   It was a very fine day.  Jim drove over to Leigh in the afternoon to get some new potatoes from his brother Archie,  I got him to get £6 out of the P. O. Bank.  I sowed a row of Stratagem Peas in Jim’s garden.

Thursday 15th   It was a fine day,  I put extra sticks to the Sweet peas and dug between them

Friday 16th   It was a fine day.  I wrote a letter to my son Henry and it was posted this morning.  I finished digging the piece of ground between the stratagem peas & Jim’s beans,  Weeded the Parsnips

Saturday 17th   It was a wet day, was not able to do anything outside.

Sunday 18th   It rained nearly all day.  Eddie Wyatt, Ivy & 3 boys came to Charlina’s in the morning and they and Charlina came up here in the afternoon to look at my garden.  They were very much pleased with all they saw.

Monday 19th   It was a very fine day.  Mr & Ken Wallace were expected to come up to Leigh this afternoon, so Jim took the sulky over to bring them here, but they did not come.
I cut a few pea sticks and flax ,  & I made a pleited garden line,  I planted 35 Lettuces in Jane’s garden.

Tuesday 20th   It was fine, but windy.  I planted some more Lettuces for Jane, now numbering over 60.  Did some weeding.  My back was bad so I had to knock off work.

Wednesday 21st   It was a very fine day.  My back was pretty bad and I was not able to do any work.  Mr & Ken Wallace came down by the steamer, they walked from Leigh.  They had tea here and then Jim drove them to see Jack Walden’s house as Ken is thinking of taking it for a few weekends at Xmas, they also went to see Laurence Whitaker’s land at Big Omaha, they returned here and staid the night.

Thursday 22nd   Mr & Ken Wallace went back to Auckland this morning.  Showers in afternoon.  Mr Whitaker came in the afternoon to see my garden.  My back bad, not able to do anything outside.

Friday 23rd   A disagreeable day.  Wind & showers.  Back bad, remained in bed until tea time.

Saturday 24th   It was a fine day.  My back was still bad, so I staid in bed all day.  Jane picked a first picking of my Peerless peas, they were sown on 3rd August, stuck 15th Sept.
Revd Addenbrooke came in the pm & staid the night.

Sunday 25th   It was a fine day.  Revd Addenbrooke after breakfast went to Leigh to hold service at 10.30 am.  Revd Poole held service in this hall at 11 am.  Jim,  Jane,  Hector  & Mildred attended , the Parson & Mrs J. B. Birdsall came here for dinner.
My back was still bad, but I got up for dinner.

Monday 26th   It was a fine day  I was in bed all day.  Minnie and Miss Batty came to spend the day .  Mrs Williams sent me some Aster plants by the cream cart.

Tuesday 27th   It was a fine day.  I was in bed all day with my back.  It was Jane’s 44th birthday.

Wednesday 28th   It was a fine day.  My back was still bad.  Jim sprayed the cabbage, tomatoes & cauliflowers

Thursday 29th   It was a fine day.  My back was a little better so I got up.  Went up into the garden and stuck the double row of Homestead Beans.  Jim & Laddie Whitaker were working on the road,  fixing up the filling in that had slipped away.
Heard that Cris Boyd had died in the Auckland yesterday morning.

Friday 30th   It was a fine day.  I cleaned out and deepened the pool the top side of the garden and did a lot of watering.  Jim & Laddie Whitaker were working on the road, Laddie came here for dinner and afterwards looked at my garden.
In the evening I received a letter from my brother Henry who lives at Sydenhamnear London.