Saturday May 2nd Went out for a drive to Gostwick Station with the Doctor. It is considered the best sheep station in New England. We looked over the woolshed and then came home again after the doctor had visited one or two of his patients there.
Sunday May 3rd Lounged about the whole day and did nothing.
Monday May 4th Went possum shooting by moonlight & got one, a very fine one with a splendid winter coat on him.
Tuesday May 5th Skinned my possum today. It took pretty well the whole morning.
Wednesday May 6th Caught 3 Australian wrens. They are the prettiest little birds imaginable being all colours. The Doctor skinned one for me. It was very difficult as they are very small & the skin so tender.
Thursday May 7th Put my wren skin out to dry & one of the cats or dogs had the impudence to run off with it.
Friday May 8th Pecy & I walked up to the paddock taking his pony�s bridle & saddle with us. We caught his pony & I rode her home.
Saturday May 9th Went out Kangaroo hunting but did not see one at all. They are getting rather scarce within 2 or three miles of the towns.
Sunday May 10th Went out for a walk with Percy.
Monday 11th Went out for a drive all round the �Pocky� where all the gold diggings are, from there we went to Sydney flats and in saw a tremendous lot of goats; in factwe drove about 15 miles altogether.
Tuesday May 12th Percy went away to Emmnaville (alias Vegetable Creek) to his business in the Post Office there. I received a letter from the Captain to say that I might stop here until I received notice from him or until my friends grow tired of me, which does not seem the case at present.
Wednesday May 13th Rode out � way to Armidale a distance of 7 miles and a half straight out so that I had a ride of 15 miles altogether.
Thursday May 14th Went to the Parsonage & had some music. The reverend Hugil & Mrs Hugil & Mrs Hurst the organist lives there.
Friday May 15th Rode out to the lagoon, a very pretty piece of water about 4 miles out in the bush. It is covered with all kinds of waterfowl
Saturday May 16th Went to the Rifle Range and saw a handicap match between the members of a private Rifle Club.
Sunday Went to church in the evening for the 1st time since I have been here. It is a regular tumble down place being very old but nicely filled up. It has been a very nice little church in it�s time. The choir was composed of 6 girls, two of which never opened their mouths another one could not sing, another one howled, & another one shrieked and there was only one that had any voice at all or could sing at all & that was Miss Gissing.
Monday 10th Had a little exercise with a stock whip the lash of which was seven & a half times as long as the handle. We drove a flock of sheep into the sheep yard and then drafted & re-branded them.
Tuesday May 19th Doctor went after a lost wether but we could not find him, he has got clear away.
Wed. May 20th Doctor has turned up ill with congestion of the lungs; it is an old complaint of his.
Thursday May 21st Drove the wethers into the sheepyard and picked out one to be killed; strapped his feet and brought him down in the dray. Have been carting fire wood home.
Friday May 22nd May & Polly went away to Mrs Hudson�s to stay till Monday.
Saturday May 23rd Went out for a drive to Gostwick station with the Doctor to see a kid who was ill but he was dead when we got there.
Sunday May 24th Long live Her Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, The Queen�s birthday. I went out for a walk to the Rifle Range with Percy. He took his gun in case we should see anything worth shooting after. When we got down to the creek we saw two wild Australian buffaloes, so keeping under cover we crept close up to the edge of the creek & then Percy lifted his gun & fired hitting one buffalo in his fron legs and so wounding him that he could not stand. Then he went right close up & and poured the contents of 2nd barrel just behind the shoulder & killed it stone dead. We then chopped the head off & carrying it to an ant hill we threw it on to it when lo & behold in 3 minutes it was cleaned of every bit of meat & nothing but the bone was left. I then took out the teeth and brought them home. The skull was too large and heavy to bring home.
Monday 25th Drove to Gostwick. May & Polly came back in the afternoon. Great excitement of course prevailed therefrom.
Tuesday May 26th Went up to the paddock and came home on the top of a load of wood.
Wednesday May 27th Went & looked over the brick kilns
