Friday 1st It was a very fine day. Addison & Russell rode down to Te Araroa, the latter to try to get some particulars about his brother’s death. Addison returned in the evening with the mail. Henry rode after the sheep.
I was working in the garden.
Saturday 2nd It was a fine day. The men went over to the clearing. Addison ploughed and Henry drove the horses and Connerly cut out roots. I was working in the garden.
Russell returned from Te Araroa in the evening, he also brought a mail. He seems very much cut up about his brother.
Sunday 3rd It was a beautiful day. Russell went over to Jack’s place before breakfast and returned in the evening with some Turkeys for this place. In the afternoon Henry & I rode down to Mr Halliwells, Mr & Mrs O’Regan were there spending the day.
Mr & Mrs Halliwell have living with them Mrs H’s father and mother (Mr & Mrs Davis) they are a nice family and a great acquisition as neighbours, we staid for tea and in the evening Mrs Davis conducted a short service. They lent me some books to bring home to read. We did not get home until near 11p.m.
Monday 4th It was a beautiful day, quite hot in the middle of the day. The men went over to the clearing, they finished ploughing and started to harrow. Mr Davis came in the morning and took away a horse. At lunch time a boy came named Harry Williams, when Henry came home in the evening he engaged him to work here.
I was busy all day, I first plucked and prepared a Turkey, sowed a bed of Brown Spanish Onions, dug manure into a bed which I intend for Onions, burned off a heap of rubbish.
Tuesday 5th It was a very fine day. Henry & Russell ploughed in the piece of ground where Connerly & I dug the docks out, and after lunch Russell took the horse & plough over to Jacks place. I sowed seeds of Tomato & Henderson’s succession Cabbage in boxes, also sowed a row of Yorkshire Hero Peas and a bed of Improved Brown Spanish Onion (Sutton’s Seed).
Wednesday 6th It was a fine day. Russell rode to Te Araroa in the morning to catch the steamer to Auckland. Mr & Mrs Connely drove to Te Araroa for a holiday returning late in the evening. Harry Williams cut firewood & milked the cows in the evening.
I was working in the garden digging round and manuring the gooseberries.
Thursday 7th It was a fine day. The men were away all day fencing. Harry went with them.
I was working in the garden.
Friday 8th & Saturday 9th Both fine days. The men were fencing the cultivation. I was working in the garden.
Sunday 10th It was a very fine day. Mr Cunningham the manager of the Union Bank of Australia at Te Araroa came to spend the day. It rained a little in the evening.
Monday 11th It was a very fine day. The men were working at the fence at the cultivation.
I was working in the garden.
Tuesday 12th It was a very fine day. Henry & Harry rode over to Jack’s place before breakfast and returned just after we had finished lunch bringing a beautiful thorough bred mare & foal. Addison rode down to Te Araroa early in the morning returning late in the evening bringing the mail.
I finished manuring & digging round the gooseberries in the garden.
I sowed a second box of Tomatoes.
Wednesday 13th It was rather a dull day. I dug round and manured 5 Gooseberries at the back of the house. Also dug in the garden and picked out all the sorrel ready for planting Onions. The men were working at the cultivation.
Thursday 14th It blew a gale during the night and early this morning, it started to rain but the wind soon changed and it cleared up and turned out a very fine day. All of us went out to the cultivation and commenced to plant Potatoes. The wind last night blew a lot of dry trees down near where we were working.
Friday 15th It was a fine day, but a strong cold wind was blowing.
All of us went over to the cultivation to plant potatoes. I was cutting potatoes for seed, picking up sticks and feeding fires.
Saturday 16th It was a fine day. Henry & I drove down to Mr Halliwells where we had a cup of tea, & then Henry & I, & Mr H & Mr Davis drove down to the sale yard below the letter box where the first stock sale of the season was held. There were only a few hundred sheep in the pens. Mr H took down 2 young Berkshire pigs which were sold for 3 guineas each. Harry took a horse of Henry’s down for sale but it was not sold.
Jack was at the sale, and after it was over he and Henry went to Te Araroa. I returned with the Halliwells and had lunch there, I walked home afterwards.
Sunday 17th It was a fine day. Mrs & Mrs Conlery rode down to Te Araroa. Jack came in the morning and staid lunch and then he went over to Pembertons and dug up some Orange trees which he took home on a pack horse.
Monday 18th It was a fine day. All of us went over to the cultivation, I finished planting the potatoes. I was cutting the seed and making fires.
Tuesday 19th Fine day, but a cold wind was blowing. I finished manuring and digging round the gooseberries at the back of the house, afterwards I was digging in the garden.
The men went out to the cultivation to put the wire on the cultivation [sic: fence].
Wednesday 20th It was cold in the morning but it turned out a very hot day.
The men were working over at the cultivation. I was digging in the garden.
Mr & Mrs Halliwell drove up in the afternoon. Mr H had a log roll over his leg yesterday and therefore was not able to work, they brought us 3 hens as a present for Henry.
Thursday 21st It was a fine day. Henry drove Addison down to Te Araroa to meet the “Mako” going to Auckland as Addison is leaving here, Henry also took Russells luggage & a dog.
Conolly & Henry were working at the cultivation, I finished digging the piece for Onions.
Friday 22nd It was a fine day. The men were working at the cultivation. I manured & dugg between 2 Rows of Cabbages. I wrote a long letter to Willie & Conolly took it down to Halliwells to post.
Saturday 23rd It was a fine day. The men were at the back making sheep yards.
Carpenter came up with the dray to get some timber for Jack’s house.
I was digging over the second time the piece of ground I intend for Onions, I picked out all the stones, afterwards I dug out two rows of cabbages that have gone to seed, picked out all the stones and sorrell, I intend to plant a row of Peas here.
Sunday 24th It was a fine day in the morning, but looked threatening for rain. Henry rode to Te Araroa returning in the evening. Harry and I rode over to Jack’s place to spend the day, we did not stay there long as we met Jack & the men on the road carting timber, we had lunch there and returned to Tangihanga in time for tea. It came on a misty rain.
Monday 25th When we got up this morning a misty rain was falling and we could see that it had been raining steadily during the night, it will do a great deal of good both to the grass and the garden.
It rained nearly all day, not quite so bad in the afternoon. The men went out to work and returned in the evening very wet.
I was pretty stiff after my ride yesterday and staid in the house all day.
Tuesday 26th It rained heavily all last night, and a misty rain to day. Harry took a letter down to Halliwells to post. Henry & Colin packed some gate timber to the back in the afternoon. I opened two oil drums, and put handles to two benzine tins, all to be used in the garden.
Wednesday 27th, Thursday 28th, Friday 29th All these days we had misty rain. The men went to work at the back making sheep-yards, on the Friday Henry went to Mannings and brought home Harry’s swag.
I could not do much in the garden, the ground was too wet to sow the Onions or the Peas that I have prepared the ground for. I started forking out the sorrell between the strawberries.
Saturday 30th It was a very fine day. The men were working at the back I was working in the garden. I finished digging out the artichokes.