Sunday 1st It was a fine day. I read service in the Hall in the morning afternoon. There was a fair congregation. Mr & Mrs Chas Wyatt & children and Honour were here for tea.
Monday 2nd It was a fine day. Wind from the W. The boys castrated Sam, Judy’s calf, in the morning. Henry got Daisy up from the beach and put her into the barley paddock, she is near calving.
John returned to Tomarata on his horse in the morning. Willie went up to Pratts taking Jane with him on his horse as they are going to the Soiree at Pakiri this evening. I was grafting in this orchard. Henry commenced digging the piece of ground that was in pumpkins last season.
Tuesday 3rd It was a fine day. Henry & I were digging the piece of ground that was in pumpkins last season.
Wednesday 4th It was a fine day but threatened for rain. Henry hauled 2 Sacks Lime & 1 Sack Sharps that came by the Steamer last night, he also hauled a condemned sleeper for a gate post. Mr Pratt brought Jane home on a spare horse and he staid for dinner.
I was re-grafting Pear trees in the farm orchard that did not take last year.
Thursday 5th We got the Sheep and Lambs into the Sheep Pen in the morning, we ear marked the Lambs, looked to where their tails were cut and dusted them with Sulphur.
1 Lamb has died since we castrated them, a Wether and 1 got out of the E.R. to its mother, so that there are only 29 in now & 44 Sheep. We are mending up the fence between T & J Wyatts and our place which was carried away by a land slip.
Friday 6th It was a fine day. We finished mending the fence between T & J Wyatt and our place on the hill. We were digging in the pm. I went to the Library in the evening.
I received by the mail this evening my appointment as Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths, such appointment to date from the 14th of this month.
Saturday 7th It was a very fine dayand very hot. We continued digging the piece of ground that was in Pumpkins last season and finished it in the afternoon. It has been very hard digging and we had to cut it up small with the spade, when it rains I think this will break up well. We cut the Fowls wings in the evening and mended up the gaps in the fence to try and keep them out of the garden.
Sunday 8th A very fine day, but rather cloudy in the pm and looking rather like rain. I read service in the Hall in the afternoon, there were 35 present. In the evening I went into the barley paddock and found that Chloe had calved a Heifer Calf red and roan. It must be several days old as it is very strong.
Monday 9th It was a fine day. We went over to Frearsons in the morning and got a Wether Hogget out. We also got our Sheep up from the farm, and some that had been in T & J Wyatts place. These were very dirty we cleaned them and put them and some small Hoggets into the Barley Paddock. We also took 2 Ewes and 2 Lambs down to the E.R. We earmarked them 1 Ewe & 1 Ram.
Tuesday 10th It was a fine day. I cleaned out the closet and calves place in the morning. We were hoeing and beating the ground the top side of the house. Mr Pratt called in the pm and staid for tea.
We all went down to the Steamer. I received the Books for Registering Births, Marriages & Deaths by the mail.
Had up 1 Bag Sugar & 2 of Oatmeal from W Earle. Henry & I carried them up from the Wharf.
Wednesday 11th It was a very fine day, wind NE but no sign of rain. We were working the piece of ground the top side of the house, by beating, hoeing and digging it. We sowed 2 Rows of Veitch Perfection Peas over manured trenches 4 ft apart.
Brought Daisy out of the barley paddock in the evening, she has got a heifer calf.
Thursday 12th It was a fine day and very hot, and yet theatening for rain and very misty up on Greenwoods hill.
We dug over again the piece of ground the top side of the house and then broke the lumps on the top with a beater. We planted 1 row of Cabbage Plants (Manchester Defiance) over a manured trench.
Friday 13th Very fine day threatening for rain , but not come yet. We commenced to plant the ground the top side of the house.
Sowed 5 rows Brown Spanish Onion next the fence in drills 10 inches apart.
Sowed 5 rows Early Dutch Horn Carrots in drills 12 inches apart.
Commenced sowing Hollow Crown Parsnips in drills 14 inches apart. We dug Fowl Manure into the ground and put fine bone dust into the trenches.
Saturday 14th It was a fine day but threatened for rain and in the evening there was a slight shower. Henry & I continued sowing Parsnips. Willie and John returned from Tomarata in the evening. There was a meeting in the Dacre’s Claim Hall in the evening. Henry went over to it, the meeting was for considering the matter of Wharves, also to choose a suitable person to represent the district in the County Council, Mr W. Greenwood and Mr G. Knaggs were both nominated.
Sunday 15th it was a very disagreeable day, very windy from the NE. I read service in the Hall in the afternoon, there was a very small congregation, neither Miss Greenwood or Miss Fordham were there, so Miss Ellen Kempt played the harmonium. When we were coming home it commence to rain, and it was wet for milking the cows in the evening.
Monday 16th We did not have much rain last night, it has not sunk very deep. Willie & John did not return to Tomarata, John is going to stay at home a while to work and Willie is going to work this week with us to help dig.
We hoed the Potatoes the far side of the orchard. We also broke down with beaters the piece of ground that was in Pumpkins last season also hoed it up and broke the lumps.
We got a Wether out of the E.R. sheared it and then killed it in the evening. It came on to rain about 5 pm and rained pretty smart.
Tuesday 17th The rain we had last night wetted the ground nicely, but it did not go in very deep. There were a few slight showers between 8 & 9 am, but they were not much and it turned out a fine day. First thing in the morning we put the Fruit Trees up in their place that were Knocked over with the wind last summer, we supported them with fork sticks. We then commenced to dig against the drain coming from the Pigs Paddock and we worked up towards the Pines, we got up to the Apricot trees by tea time. Mr Pratt came in the afternoon and staid for tea and then went down to the Steamer. There was a Dance in the Hall in the evening, the young people went.
Wednesday 18th It was a fine day, it was rather cloudy in the afternoon and there was a slight shower just before tea.
We continued digging in the orchard working up to the Jargonel Pear trees and then turned round and dug down by the Pine and Canadian Reinettes.
I finished sowing the Parsnips, I sowed 6 rows with the seed Mr Pratt gave me. There are 27 Rows Parsnips (Hollow Crown) sown altogether now.
The boys went fishing in the evening.
Emptyed a Bag of Flour in bin.
Thursday 19th It was a fine day. We commenced to dig in the farm Orchard, the ground is very hard on account of the wet weather and also on account of cattle trampling on the ground during the winter. We sprinkled bone dust round the trees before digging.
Friday 20th It was a very hot day. We were digging in the Farm Orchard. We finished it in the evening. It has been dug in 2 days.
I went to the Library in the evening.
Saturday 21st We were digging in this orchard between the Golden Russet Apple Trees.
There were several showers during the day, but they did not interfere much with our work. The boys went fishing in the evening and caught 3 Schnapper. I rode over to Dacres Claim on John’s horse to hear Mr Monks address in the Maori Hall. It rained very heavy when I was coming home.
Sunday 22nd It was showery in the morning and it rained heavily in the pm. I went down to the Hall in the afternoon expecting to hold service but found Revd J. Law there who had come to hold service, he held service, but there was only a small congregation on account of the threatening state of the weather.
I got wet coming home and it rained nearly all evening.
Monday 23rd It was a fine day. Henry was working on the road for the County Council. John and I mended the fence round the orchard, afterwards we hoed between the Potatoes. In the evening Mr R Monk addressed the electors of Waitemata in the Hall. I was chosen Chairman. There were several ladies present, this election being the first time that ladies have a vote.
Tuesday 24th It was a fine day . Willie returned to Tomarata in the morning.
The boys hoed the Potatoes in the morning and dug between the tree in the afternoon. I moulded up the Potatoes. We all went down to the Steamer in the evening.
Wednesday 25th It was a fine day. We dug the piece of ground from the beehives to the path, that was in Potatoes last year.
Thursday 26th It was a fine day. We beat down the ground and sowed 4 double rows of White Dutch Beans, 1 ft between the rows and 3 ft 6 in between the double rows.
Friday 27th We got the Sheep and Lambs that were in the E.R. into the Sheep pen, we sheared 10 Wethers, took 2 of the sheared Wethers home 1 to kill this evening and the other we put into the barley paddock.
We cut 1 Ram Lamb. They now stand as follows.
We turned all the Sheep & Lambs and 2 bullocks out of the E.R. on to the farm.
A Traveller from Rushbrooks was here for dinner, a Mr Chadwick, a brother of Mrs Kern who used to live at Mr Runcimans at Grafton Road, I gave him an order for Drapery.
John & Henry rode over to Matakana in the evening to bank some money in the Post Office savings Bank, and also to attend a meeting at which Mr Palmer addressed the electors, it was a large meeting and there was plenty of fun.
I killed a Sheep in the evening and afterwards went to the Library.
Saturday 28th It was very dull in the morning and it rained pretty heavily in the afternoon, but cleared up in the evening.
We sowed 2 single rows of Canadian Wonder Beans next to the White Dutch, the boys got the seed from Matakana yesterday.
We also planted some Kumera runners below the house next the Elder Trees.
Mr Jackson Palmer came in the afternoon and stayed for tea. He held a meeting in the Hall in the evening. There was a very good attendance considering the wet and dark night. Mr Greenwood was in the chair. A vote of thanks & confidence was passed to
Mr Palmer.
Sunday 29th It was a dull day, but it did not rain. I read service in the Hall in the afternoon. Walter Wyatt was here for tea.
Monday 30th It was very dull and misty all day and sometimes showers of fine rain. Henry went up on the mail road to look for Dolly who is near calving, but he did not see her. We mended up the wattle fence at the bottom of the orchard also pulled up ti tree in the barley paddock and finished it.
Tuesday 31st We were digging in the orchard in the sorrel ground in the morning and in the afternoon we planted Negro Beans next to the Canadian Wonder in drills 2 ft 6 in apart.
I went down to the Steamer in the evening, the wool packs for the members of the Farmers Association came up by her.
Herbert Smith was to have shown his Magic Lantern in the Hall, but he did not come so there was a bit of a dance