September 1909

Wednesday 1st   A very showery day.  Willie & Alan were cutting tea tree, I was sieving leaf mould and getting firewood.  In the afternoon I went down for the meat, also carried up a bag of sieved soil.

Thursday 2nd   It was a very showery day, but fine & bright between.  Alan Wallace returned to Auckland in the “Kawau” which came in about noon , Willie & I went down to see him off,  Willie took the horse & sleigh expecting some goods, but they had landed them at Mangawai.   Mary Neeley went home.

Friday 3rd   It was a very fine day.  Before breakfast I missed Empress and found her fast in the drain outside the bottom of the orchard,  Albert & Jim helped us to get her out, but she was not able to stand , we fed her but she would not eat much & I do not think she will get over it.  Mrs Handby was here for dinner & had a look at my garden.  Jane & Jim went to spend the evening at Mr Ashworths.
I went down for the mail and attended the Library.

Saturday 4th   It was a dull day, the wind has changed to NE  &  E, threatening for rain all day.
We found that Empress was dead this morning so Willie and I buried her in Henry’s garden, the remainder of the morning we were getting firewood.  Alma & Agnes came over just before dinner .  In the afternoon Willie was digging in the farm orchard.  I went down to the beach and carried up a bag of sand, calling at the Library for a book.  It came on to rain in the evening, the wind has got round to the SE

Sunday 5th   There were showers in the morning, but it was finer in the pm.  In the afternoon I went to see Joe Wyatt, he is a little better.

Monday 6th   It was a fine day.  I was helping Willie dig in the morning in the farm orchard.  In the pm I went down to post some letters and get the mail, carried up a bag of sand.

Tuesday 7th   It was fine in the morning and the early afternoon when it came over very black and it thundered & lightened and poured with rain & hail.   I was clearing & digging the corner near the closet, I uprooted the mulberry & several peach trees & I sowed a row of Sweet Peas near the closet.  Willie hauled the box of Eggs & Butter down to the wharf in the afternoon and brought up 100 lbs Flour & Bag of Potatoes that came up by the “Kawau“.  After he came home he got firewood.  Julia Rollinson came round in the Steamer & came up to stay with us.

Wednesday 8th   It was a showery day.  In the morning I was helping Willie dig in the farm orchard .  In the pm I went down to get the meat ,  afterwards I prepared some soil & filled two shallow boxes and sowed the following seeds in one box – Scabious, azure blue
do white,  do yellow,  in the other box,  Scabious purple,  Centauria Imperailis (Sweet Sultan)  Snow Queen Lupin.
In the pm  Julia went over to McKenzies, Jane went to Joe Wyatts.

Thursday 9th   It was a beautiful day.  In the morning I was helping Willie dig in the farm orchard.  Willie went down to meet the “Kawau” from Auckland.  In the afternoon Jane went to McKenzies and she and Julia went down to Geo’ Knaggs for tea, both returning here in the evening.  In the afternoon I sowed flower seeds in boxes, in one box, 4 Varieties of Centauria, in another Asters,  African Marigold & Jinnias .   In a tin Scarlet Flower from Domain in another tine  Sweet Peas (Salmon Pink)  and in the garden near the front gate in a tin Sweet Peas (Salmon Pink).

Friday 10th   It was a very fine day.  Jane & Julia went to spend the day at Joe Wyatts.  In the morning I was digging with Willie in the farm orchard.  In the afternoon I was working in the flower garden & went down for the mail & attended the Library in the evening.
Willie took the horse down to the wharf to meet the “Kawau” to get the goods that had been shipped to Mangawai by mistake, the Steamer was very late in coming in, Willie hauled up a Sack of Maize after dark.

Saturday 11th   It was rather dull first thing in the morning, but it turned out a very fine day.  In the morning Willie made two trips to the wharf hauling up a Sack each of Sharps & Bran, I was digging in the farm orchard.  In the pm I was working in the flower garden, I dug the diamond bed putting sand & leaf mould round the roses.

Sunday 12th   It was a very fine day.  Willie walked over to Ti Point to spend the day.  Revd  K. Teal held service in the Hall in the pm, there was a fair congregation.  The collection amounted to 15/3.

Monday 13th   There was a heavy shower of rain early this morning, but it soon dried up again, it was a calm fine day, but not much sun.
In the morning I went down to the village to post some letters, carried up a bag of sand.  In the morning Willie finished digging the piece of ground in the farm orchard near the large Elberta Peach.
In the afternoon we commenced to plant Potatoes  (Up to Date)  in the farm orchard , rows 2 ft  6 in  apart,  manured,  Blood & Bone .

Tuesday 14th   It was a very fine day.  Willie & I were planting Potatoes in the farm orchard in the morning & Willie finished planting them in the pm.  There are 12 ½ rows,  56 lbs of seed.
In the pm Willie took the Eggs down to the Steamer with the horse and hauled up a bag of B & B manure & 28 lb of seed potatoes he got at the Store,  also a bag of sand for me.  Jane & Julia went round in the Steamer to Ti Point.

Wednesday 15th   It was a fine day, wind SW.  Jane returned from Ti Point in the “Kawau” this morning, in the pm she went to Joe Wyatts and called at Harpers for the meat.  In the morning Willie and I went over to the farm orchard , set fire to a big heap of rubbish and dug up a strip and manured a trench for Peas next to the Potatoes, afterwards we came over here and commenced planting Potatoes at the top side of the house , rows 2 ft 6 in apart, manure Bone Dust & Blood.

Thursday 16th   There is a change in the weather. the wind is round to the NE, it was threatening all day but it did not rain.  Willie & I were digging the top side of the house and finished it, we manured 2 trenches for Peas.  In the pm I went down to meet the Steamer & get the mail.  Ernest Wyatt came up after undergoing an operation, also Bob Neeley who had an accident by a tree falling on him and injuring his side while bush felling down at Kawhia.

Friday 17th   It was a dull day, but it did not rain, wind blowing strong from NE to NW.
Willie sowed 1 row of Stratagem Peas in the farm orchard, he also sowed Cabbage & Tomato seed in boxes, and put some Kumera tubers to shoot, in the pm he commenced to dig in this orchard round the lower Burbank near the gully .   In the morning I went down to the P.O. to send to Mr Shannon £1 as an instalment of the Anglican Guarantee Funds.  I carried up a bag of sand, also went down to the village in the evening for the mail & to attend the Library.  During the day I was working in flower garden.

Saturday 18th   It was a fine day, but rather dull.   In the morning I burnt a heap of rubbish in the flower garden and did other odd jobs, in the pm I was digging in the flower garden.  Willie was digging in this orchard.  Jane went to the cricket at the Claim in the pm, there was a Dance in the evening.  There was a misty rain in the evening.

Sunday 19th   It was a dull day, wind blowing strong from E to NE.
In the morning Revd  Sporran (Presbyterian) held service in the Hall, Jane & I went, there was a good congregation,  he is a young man and a splendid preacher.  In the pm Jane & Jim went up to Mr Banks, it came on a driving rain.

Monday 20th   It was a disagreeable day.  Wind strong from the N with driving showers,  I was getting leaf mould in the bush.  I wrote a letter to Henry & Jane wrote wrote to Jack.

Tuesday 21st   It rained very hard and blew very heavy from the N last night, but the wind has changed this morning to SW.  The sun came out bright and the ground soon dried up, there were a few showers during the day.  In the morning Willie & I were digging in the farm orchard.  Willie was digging in this orchard in the pm.  I went down to the village to get the mail, carried up a bag of sand. Received a letter from Jack.

Wednesday 22nd   It was very showery in the afternoon.  I was not well and did nothing out of doors.  Willie took the box of  Eggs down to the wharf and hauled up two Sacks of B & B Manure that came by the Steamer yesterday.

Thursday 23rd   It was a fine day.  In the morning I was helping Willie dig round the lower Burbanks in this orchard.  In the pm I was working in the flower garden.  Minnie & Nelly Lloyd came to spend the day & to look at my garden.

Friday 24th   It was a fine day.  In the morning I was helping Willie dig in this orchard.  In the afternoon I was working in the flower garden.
I planted out 6 plants of Mimulous, 6 do Canterbury Bell, 2 Cuillardia.
Alma & Agnes came over here in the pm to stay .  I went down to the Village in the evening, for the mail & attend the Library,  there was a meeting of the Farmers Association,  Mr J. Banks read a paper on Lime, and there was a discussion thereon , there was also skating in the Hall.

Saturday 25th   It was a dull day, but it did not rain.  In the morning I was helping Willie dig in this orchard.  In the pm I went down to the village to get the mail, there was a parcel of Magazines that came up by the Steamer which I carried up to the Library, also carried up a bag of sand.  The Coromandel footballers should have come to played a match today, but they did not turn up, however there was scratch match among the local team on the Domain and a Dance in this Hall in the evening.  Later in the pm I was working in the flower garden ,  I planted 2  Caleeolarsor,  1 Fuchsias,  1 Guillardia,  2 Candituft.

Sunday 26th   It was a fine day, ‘though dull and misty on the ranges, wind from N.  The Anniversary of the Bible Class was held in the Hall in the morning , Jane, Alma & Agnes went.  Mr Torkington was here for dinner, he went on to Pakiri in the pm, I walked with him as far as Handbys where I staid tea.  Willie went to spend the day at Ti Point.

Monday 27th   It was a fine day.  Wind still blowing strong from E.  In the morning I was digging with Willie in this orchard.  In the pm Alma & Agnes went home.  Julia Rollinson came here to call, we gave her some Citrons to take home with her, she is going home to Hamilton on Wednesday.
I was working in the flower garden transplanting Pansy plants from the round bed.

Tuesday 28th    There was a misty rain nearly all day, no work out of doors.  Wind blowing  strong from E .
Willie took a box of Eggs down to the wharf, but the Steamer did not come on account of the weather.

Wednesday 29th   A misty rain nearly all day.  No work outside.  In the morning the “Kawau” came in.  Willie went down to get the mail & I went down in the pm to get the meat.

Thursday 30th   It was a showery day, in the afternoon it poured with rain and thundered.
In the afternoon I called at Mrs Dunning Sen to witness her pension paper, afterwards I went down to Mrs Matheson Senr  where I staid tea.