September 1913

Monday 1st   When we got up this morning the wind had changed round to the N and it was blowing very strong,  about noon it commenced to rain which changed the wind to SW and the afternoon was fine.  Willie was digging in the farm orchard in the morning.  I wrote a letter to Jack and business matter,  I washed the floor of the summer house, got a load of stones for the paths.  Went down to the village  in the afternoon to post letters and to get the mail, carried up some gravel.  Lennie Wyatt came in the evening & we played euchre.

Tuesday 2nd   The wind was blowing strong from SW, there were a few showers but the wind dried more than the showers wet.
Willie was digging and burning plum roots in the farm orchard all day.  I got firewood and painted the floor of the summer house, slate colour, first coat.  There was a choir practice in the evening, Grace & Willie went.

Wednesday 3rd   It was a fine day with the exception of a few showers.  Wind SW.  I planted 10 Pansies in the long bed.  I pricked out 49 seedling Pansy plants (Ryders) in boxes, also 10 Antirrhinums &  7 Galegas.
Sowed seeds in a box of the following.
Dimorphotheca (Star of the Veldt).  Sweet Sultan,  Double Blue Laikspur  &  Double Cornflowers  (blue).
I went down to the wharf in the afternoon got the mail and carried up some sand.

Thursday 4th   It was a very fine day.  Willie took the horse & sleigh down to the wharf after breakfast and hauled up some goods.
Jane & children came round in the steamer to go to the Service of Song tomorrow night, she went up with May Dunning to stay there.
3 of Jas Darrochs cows were sent away by the Steamer to Auckland to his new place at Panmure.  I also went down to the wharf and carried up some sand.  When I got back I painted the summer house floor (2nd coat).  Also covered and fixed oil cloth on the table.  Went for the mail and attended the Library in the evening.

Friday 5th   It was a very fine day.  I got firewood & dug up the piece of ground below the frames, took out the peach stump.  Willie was working at the catamaran.  In the evening the choir                      the Service of Song entitled “Enlisted”  Revd Sims read the connecting narritive,  there was a very good audience, the collection £2 . 1 . 4 being taken up which is to be used for the purpose of purchasing anthem books.  Jane & the children and Flo and her baby came here to stay the night.

Saturday 6th   The wind was blowing strong from the N and in the afternoon it commenced to rain and in the evening it rained heavily.
I was weeding in the flower garden.  Flo returned home in the afternoon.

Sunday 7th   A very stormy day, frequent heavy showers.  Jane returned home in the morning, Willie and Grace went part of the way  to carry the children and her hamper, Jim came in a boat to punga creek to fetch her.  Revd Sims held service in the afternoon there was a very fair congregation considering the weather, I attended,  Mr Owens sang a solo very nicely.  Collection 10/-

Monday 8th   It was a fine day, wind SW.  Willies Jersey heifer Blossom calved this morning,  a Heifer Calf.  I got firewood, both puriri & tea tree.   Sowed seeds in 5 boxes as follows.
Reading Defiance Cabbage,  Brown Spanish Onion 2 boxes, Tomatoes Yates & Jim Ashtons sort 1 box of each.
I painted the floor of the summer house 3rd coat.  Willie was digging in this garden , also in the farm orchard.

Tuesday 9th   It was a very fine day.  After breakfast I went down to the village to get the mail.  After I returned home I took out a large fuschia in the long bed, planted a clump of Gladioli in the long bed and did some weeding.  Willie was digging in the farm orchard.
In the evening I took a walk up to Willie Dunnings, but he & George were out fishing, so I went to Charlie Wyatts, but had no better luck as he and the boys were out.

Wednesday 10th   It was a very fine day.  Willie Dunning came in the morning to have a look at Willies heifer & calf, he also looked at my summer house & garden.  Willie put the wire on the fence round the stock yard.
I got firewood, was digging in the flower garden, in the afternoon I went down to the village, the “Kawau” made a round trip today, I carried up some sand.

Thursday 11th   It was a very fine day.  Wind blowing strong from the NW.  After breakfast I went down to the village to post the newspaper to the boys, afterwards I went to the flat and sieved a lot of sand, most of it I stored in the old wharf shed,  the remainder I brought home, Len Wyatt very kindly carted it up to our gate.
Willie was putting the finishing touches to his catamaran.  I prepared boxes for seeds.  It rained latter part of the afternoon.
Went down for mail & Library in the evening.

Friday 12th   It was a fine day.  The wind has changed to the S.
I sowed the following seeds in boxes.
Balsam,  Clarkia,  Annual Delphinium, Annual Chrysanthemum (bridal robe),  Caliopsis J G ,  White Cornflower,  Zinnia,  Comet Aster,  Helichrysum,  Phlox Dummondi.
Also sowed in cut down tins in the new border seeds of  Aster,  Antirrhinum (white & yellow),  Blue Larkspour & Escholtzia (gorgeous).   I formed the piece of ground below the frame into beds to form a nursery & made a start by planting in it 18 wallflowers (Ryders seed)
I got a lot of firewood both puriri and tea tree, went down to the wharf in the afternoon to see if Willies goods had come by the “Kawau“, got the mail and was very pleased to receive a letter from Jack.  Carried up some of the black soil that I sieved yesterday.  In the morning Willie was putting up a bit of fence on the hill and in the afternoon he took the newly fixed up catamaran down to the wharf and brought up a load of manure.
There was a dance in the Hall in the evening , Willie & Grace went, I staid at home.

Saturday 13th  It was a very fine day.  After breakfast I walked to Ti Point, called first at Dick Knaggs where I got some flower roots & cuttings, then called at Duncan Knaggs,  got some cuttings there also, went to see Nelly Lloyds garden and then went to Joe Torkingtons where I had lunch, soon afterwards I returned home, planted out the things I brought home, namely Double Wallflower, Yellow Calceolaria,  White Escoltzia Honesty,  Heleotrape and two White Stock that Mrs Ashworth gave me.  Willie was hauling manure and after he was helping Grace loosen between the strawberries.

Sunday 14th   It was a very fine day.  In the morning Willie & Grace went up to Willie Dunnings to have a look round.  They staid for lunch.
Revd Mcdonald held service in the Hall in the evening, all of us went, there was a very fair congregation.  Collection 11/4.

Monday 15th   The wind was blowing strong from the E.  In the morning I was helping Willie plant Potatoes where the grape vines were growing,  these are the first we have planted.  In the afternoon I got firewood  and went down to the village to get the mail, received a letter from Mr MacMahon.  I carried up a bag of sand.

Tuesday 16th   It was a fine day the wind still blowing strong from E, threatening, but no rain to speak of.   In the morning and part of the pm I was helping Willie plant Potatoes in the farm orchard, the remainder of the afternoon Willie helped Grace manure & dig between the strawberries.  I dug the new border up to the summer house.  In the evening Willie & Grace went up to Mr Lees.

Wednesday 17th   It was a fine day.  A few slight misty showers but nothing to speak of.  In the morning I was helping Willie plant Potatoes in the farm orchard, after dinner I finished loosening between the strawberries, afterwards went down to the Steamer, got the mail, carried up black soil.  Willie took 2 boxes of Eggs down to the wharf and hauled up 2 Sack Manure (the last) load.

Thursday 18th   It was a fine day.  In the morning I got firewood helped Willie a bit plant Potatoes.  Willie finished planting Potatoes in the farm orchard in the morning .  In the afternoon he commenced shifting the fence on the top of the hill to enlarge the paddock.
I commenced to dig the piece of ground opposite the summer house. In the evening went down for the mail and attended the Library, carried up some gravel.  There was a choir practice, but Willie & Grace did not go.

Friday 19th   It was a very fine day.  Willie was shifting the fence on the top of the hill.
I finished digging the piece of ground opposite the summer house.
Planted 4 Clumps of Gladioli.
Rigged up a stand to put three seed boxes on to keep them out of the way of insect pests.

Saturday 20th   It was a very fine day.  After breakfast I went down for the mail, carried up some black soil, got firewood, dug the piece of ground above the summer house and some of the borders higher up.  Willie was shifting the fence on the hill.  In the evening I walked over to the Claim and staid the night at Jims.

Sunday 21st   It was a very fine day.  After breakfast I walked up to Bowden Birdsalls, he was not at home, but I had a look round the garden.  Willie & Grace came over to spend the day and all of us returned home in the evening.

Monday 22nd   It was a very fine day.  In the morning I got firewood on the hill then dug the border of the long bed preparatory to planting Pansies.  Planted out some Carterbury Bells & cuttings in the nursery.  In the afternoon I sowed a long row of Stone Turnips in the farm orchard.
Willie was shifting the fence on the hill.

Tuesday 23rd   It was a very fine day.  After breakfast I went down to get the mail, I sieved some grit that came out of the quarry and Mr Murray carted it up to our gate for me.  The remainder of the day I was working in the flower garden.
Willie finished putting in the posts on the hill, Lennie Wyatt came in the evening & we played euchre.

Wednesday 24th   It was a fine day.  After breakfast Willie took a box of Eggs down to the wharf with the horse.  I went down and sieved some grit and he hauled it up for me,  In the afternoon I went down again to get the mail, got some more grit and Willie Dunning carted it and me up to our gate.
Willie was fixing the struts on the new fence on the hill  and taking off the wire on the old fence.  Jim came in the afternoon to borrow some tools.

Thursday 25th   A misty rain fell several times during the day, but not enough to sink into the ground.  Willie was working at the fence on the hill.  I went over to the farm orchard to prepare some ground for Peas, but got wet & had to come home.   I went down for the mail and attended the Library in the evening.

Friday 26th   Rain fell last night.   It was a very fine day.  In the morning I was helping Willie put the wire on the fence on the hill,
I then went down for the mail, carried up some sand.
In the afternoon I sowed a row of Stratagem Peas.  Went to Willie Dunnings in the evening, we played bridge.  Willie finished putting on & stapling the wire on the fence on the hill.
In the evening he attended a meeting of the Show Committee, Grace went to Mrs Archie Dunnings.  Elsie Birdsalls and Charlina Bond came to see my garden in the pm.

Saturday 27th   It was a very fine day.  Willie went fishing to Ti Point in the morning and Grace went in the afternoon and they both returned in the evening,  Willie caught a few fish.  I was working in the garden all day.

Sunday 28th   It was a fine day.  Revd O. Blundell held service in the Hall in the morning, there was a very large attendance, I attended, Gracie Knaggs & Willena Neeley came up with me to spend the day.

Monday 29th   It rained heavy last night and early this morning.  It has been a splendid rain and what was wanted badly, the ground was too wet to do anything to it.   I got firewood and in the afternoon I went down for the mail and after went up to Mrs Dunning Senr  to witness her signature.
Willie was calcimining the passage.

Tuesday 30th   It was a fine day.  In the morning Willie commenced digging in the orchard, I helped him.  In the afternoon Willie took the horse down to the wharf and hauled up a Sk of Sharps & a Sk of Bran.
I planted out several small plants,  (rooted cuttings of Fuschias and Pelagoniums into the nursery),   also planted two plants of Wallflowers,  1 Pink & White Geranium,  1 Fuschia and 1 Pelagonium.