October 1919

Wednesday 1st    It was a very calm fine day.  Willie was ploughing between the trees below the house.  I was digging between the peas the upper side of the house, but I was so weak I had to leave off to rest myself.
Grace went down to the butchers and to get the mail that came by the steamer, Horace’s mother came up by the steamer & she came up here for tea & Horace came here in the evening to take he home.

Thursday 2nd   It was a fine day ‘tho windy.  Willie took his box of eggs down to the steamer and the remainder of the day he was ploughing in this orchard.   I wrote a sympathetic letter to Mrs Wm Hamilton on the death of her father, the late Mr Nathaniel Wilson of Warkworth whom I had known & esteemed for about 50 years, it would go by mail tomorrow.  I went the other side of the hill to chop some wood, but I was so weak & short of breath that I had to keep sitting down to recover my breath.
Horace brought me a library book in the evening.

Friday 3rd   It rained nearly all day.  Willie went down to the village in the morning and got the Weekly News & Rodney Times, the remainder of the day he was making brackets in the store for the Bazaar.  I had a fire in my room & was reading.

Saturday 4th   It rained nearly all day.  The wind has changed to SE, it is blowing strong, there is a big sea outside.  Willie was making brackets in the store.  I am feeling much better, but my cough is still troublesome.  I had a fire in my room & was reading.

Sunday 5th   It was a wet day.  It was Revd Macdonalds Sunday to hold service in the afternoon, but on account of the weather none of us went down to the church, and as we did not hear the bell ring we concluded there was no service.

Monday 6th   There were a few slight showers in the pm, otherwise it was a fine day & the ground is drying up nicely.  In the morning Willie was fixing up the fence near the cottage where Bell jumps out.
In the morning I was cutting wood over the hill, had to rest often as I soon got puffed out.  In the afternoon I started to make a manure heap top side of the house.
Grace went to see Mrs Hedges in the pm,  Mrs H  returned with Grace & Horace came to take his mother home in the evening.

Tuesday 7th   It was a fine day ‘tho dull.  I cut wood over the hill & got manure.  Willie was making a bracket in the store for bazaar.
Horace brought up our mail in the morning, I received a letter from my son Henry.  Mr Archie Dunning called in the pm to enquire after me.  There was a meeting about the Bazaar in the evening, Willie & Grace went.

Wednesday 8th   It was a very fine day.  Willie finished ploughing in this orchard, he then took 2 Boxes of Eggs down to the wharf and carted up two loads of manure that came by the steamer.  Grace went down to the butcher and got the mails.  I sent away my Watch to Kohn’s again to get repaired.  My cough was much better today so that I was able to do some work.  I got wood from over the hill , got a sack of horse manure for the garden, pulled up some swede turnips & weeded the tree onions.

Thursday 9th   It was a very fine day.  Mrs Hedges returned to Auckland per “Kawau” at 7.30 this morning , Horace called here after seeing his mother off.  Grace & Raymond spent the day at Mrs D. Mathesons.  Mrs G. Wyatt and Ivy called here in the morning, but as Grace was not at home they did not stop.
Willie was working in his garden all day .  I got extra sticks and tied up the Peas that were hanging over, I weeded the Tree Onions and planted out 1 Row of Shallots

Friday 10th   It was a very fine day.  Willie was working in his garden all day.  I sowed 1 row of Red Beet next the Shalotts.
There was a Basket Social in the Hall in the evening in aid of Show funds, but none of us went.

Saturday 11th   It was a fine day, ‘tho dull.  After breakfast I went down to the village went down to Mrs Gozars to get a few Cauliflower plants, called at Mrs Gravatts & Arthur Greenwoods.
In the afternoon I planted the few Cauliflower plants  & commenced to dig the piece of ground between the last row of Stratagem Peas and the Sweet Peas.

Sunday 12th  It was a very fine day.  Not having quite recovered from my illness I did not hold service in the afternoon.  All of us drove over to the Claim to spend the day with Jim & Jane.  Minnie & Joe called in the afternoon so we were quite a family party.  Mr & Mrs Evans who have bought Sadler’s place started a Sunday School in Dacres Hall this afternoon & Hector, Jean & Raymond went, and afterwards Mr & Mrs Evans came up to Jim’s place for tea.  They seem very nice people.  We got home just before dark, having spent a very pleasant day.

Monday 13th   It was a very fine day.  Willie started to manure and dig round the Lemons in the farm orchard.  I finished digging the piece of ground I started on Saturday  ie  between the 2nd row of Stratagem Peas & the Sweet Peas, then I loosened round the 1st row of Stratagem Peas and then I stuck them.  These Peas were sown on the 9th September, then I dug between these Peas and the row of Manchester Defiance Cabbages and also between the rows of Peerless Peas.

Tuesday 14th   It was a very fine day.  Willie was digging round the Lemons in the farm orchard.  I was working in the flower garden all day.  I planted a White Chrysanthemum & a Carnation that came from Dargaville.  Also planted a Fuchsia and 3 clumps of Phlox of 15 plants in the round bed.  There was a misty rain in the evening.

Wednesday 15th   It was fine when I got up, but soon after it came on a misty rain which did not last long, so I went out in the garden and planted out 2 Antirrhinums & 1 Scabious (Azure Fairy).
It came on to rain again so I had to come inside.
Willie started to dig round the Lemons in the farm orchard, but he had to knock off, he took the Eggs down to the wharf in the pm and got the mail, there was a misty rain all afternoon & it rained heavier in the evening.

Thursday 16th   It was misty rain first thing in the morning, but it cleared up afterwards and was a tolerably fine day.  After breakfast I went down to the P.O. to get a P.N. for 10/- to send to  D. Hay & Son for seedling plants, when I came back I got wood over the hill.
In the pm I sowed the following seeds.  Blue Lupin,  Aorolinium, Calliopsis  & Zinnia.   I went down for the mail in the evening.
Horace came in the evening.

Friday 17th   It was a very fine day.  It took me all morning to cut the grass on the path from the front to the lower gate and in front of the steps.  In the afternoon I was weeding and clearing up.  Sowed Lettuce in a tin.  Willie was digging round Lemons in farm orchard.

Saturday 18th   It was a fine day.  I finished cutting the grass on all the paths & then did a bit of weeding & clearing up.  Willie was digging round the Lemons.  Horace came for tea and in the evening Willie, Grace & Horace went down to the Hall for a political meeting, Mr Curtis the Labour candidate was speaking.

Sunday 19th   It was a fine day.  Willie, Grace & Raymond drove over to Ti Point to spend the day with Joe & Minnie.  I attended Mr Gould’s service in the morning, and then went home with Horace, had dinner there & had a look round his place.  Went to Wil Dunning‘s for tea.  Mr Curtis the parliamentary candidate was also there.

Monday 20th   It was a fine day.  Wind SW.  Willie was digging round the Lemons in the farm orchard.  I stuck the 2nd row of Stratagem Peas, they were sown on the 15 September, afterwards I re-dug the piece of ground between the 2nd row of Stratagem Peas and the Sweet Peas.

Tuesday 21st   It was a very fine day.  Willie finished digging round the Lemons and then he went fishing.  I was preparing places for the plants I have ordered from Hay.
Ivy & the baby came in the afternoon & I gave her a bunch of roses.

Wednesday 22nd   It was a very fine day.  I was preparing places to plant the plants I have ordered from Hay.  The plants arrived in the pm & I planted a lot of them before dark.
Willie was harrowing & boarding in the new garden, getting the ground ready for Onions.  Willie took his Eggs down to the wharf in the pm, Mrs Simpson returned from Auckland by the steamer & she came up here to stay.  Horace & his brother came in the evening.

Thursday 23rd   It was a very fine day.  Willie was cultivating & boarding in the garden preparing for planting Onions.  I planted all the plants I received from Hay & Son yesterday.
The following are the varieties of plants I ordered.
½ Doz  African Marigolds.   ½ Doz Asters named sorts
½ Doz  Dianthus double.   ¼ Doz Salvia (Bonfire)
½ Doz Scabiosa (Fire King),   1 Doz Pansy
½ Doz Petunia (Double)  ½ Doz  Pyrethum Roseum.
Mr Hay exceeded the number in each variety.  Also included about 20 plants of other varieties that I had not got, I only know the names of the following,  Gazania  Splendens.

Friday 24th   It was a very hot day.  Willie got 40 incubator Chickens from Jim Wyatt and Horace got 50, he brought them here for Willie to look after for him until tomorrow night and he & I are going to the Cricket Match at the Claim to morrow.  I dug between the Cabbages & Cauliflowers,  wiped out the summer house & watered, beat down & dug the piece of ground between the 2nd row of Stratagem  & Sweet Peas.   Willie commenced planting Onions, he planted 3 long rows, about 400 plants.

Saturday 25th   It was a very fine day.  The two Mr Hedges (Horace & Nevil) & I drove over in my sulky to a Cricket Match at the Claim between Leigh & the Claim.  I took Jane her share of Uncle John’s pictures & had lunch there.  Nevil staid for the dance but Horace and I came home early as he had to take his chickens home, Willie took them down for him in the sulky.

Sunday 26th   It was a very fine day.  Mr & Mrs Tom Greenwood came to spend the day, they were much interested in my garden especially the Roses, Willie took them to the farm orchard to see the Lemons.

Monday 27th   It was a very fine day, wind has got to N and we should be glad of some rain as the ground is getting very dry.  Willie was planting Onions in the new garden, he has now planted 10 long rows containing 1500 plants.  I planted 4 rows of Onions between the Stratagems and Sweet Peas containing 249 plants, the ground was dry & lumpy so I had to water it and beat it to get it into a fine state.

Tuesday 28th   It was a very fine day.  No rain, but heavy dew.  I was helping Willie plant Onions in the morning, in the pm I was working in the flower garden, I planted out 5 Phlox & 3 Stocks.
Horace & his brother Neville came in the evening.

Wednesday 29th   It was a very fine day.  I was helping Willie in the morning planting Onions.  In the pm I was working in the flower garden.  Revd Orchard called in the pm, I gave him some Roses.

Thursday 30th   The wind is blowing from SE and it looks very much like rain.  In the morning Willie carted up 2 loads of fowl feed & some sand for me.  I planted out the Sweet Peas that I had growing in boxes into the row near the veranda.  Also planted out in the border opposite a Nigella,  a pink & white Geranium & 5 Phlox’s and 9 Pansy plants.

Friday 31st   It was a very fine day, wind got round to SW without rain, much wanted.  I tied up the Peerless Peas that were hanging over and gave them a good watering.  Sowed seeds of Red Sunflowers & prepared ground for planting a few Tomatoes.  Got wood from over the hill.  Willie finished planting Onions, I was helping him a little.  Horace & his brother came in the evening & we played 500.