| Description | Farming diary, no. 14.
This medium-sized hardback volume has a plain, worn brown cover. The diary's dates are written on a sticker on the front cover and also on the spine. The volume is faintly lined and the writing is generally neat and legible. Scots words, particularly farming-related terms, and idioms sometimes appear in the text. The action of the diary is mostly limited to areas in and around Mosshead, Mr Mathieson's farm.
Most diary entries record agricultural or road building and maintainance tasks such as: caring for livestock and horses, storing crops, sowing, gathering, lifting, pulling, maintaining equipment and facilities, road repairing, driving, dyke repairing, thrashing, using the steam thrashing mill, thatching, cutting, driving out dung, ploughing, holing, harrowing, riddling, winnowing, delving, planting, sifting, grubbering, gathering and wheeling stones, drag harrowing, breaking dung, casting peats, creepering, weeding, hoeing, coling hay, breaking metal, leading. On Sundays Mr Mathieson usually worships at Church along with his wife Bella, and other family members. Friends and relatives sometimes come to Mosshead to visit.
Notable events from this diary: Mrs Marr has operation; pays £2..12..6 poor rates at Kemnay Village; impressed by Mr Roger's preaching; attends market at Inverurie and pays accounts; acts as town-keeper; Mrs Marr dies; attends Mrs Marr's funeral with John and meets Robert Smith; very cold in December; assists John Ross home to Mosshead with his two stots; spends a few days in Aberdeen with Bella and Mary - they visit friends and spend time with Uncle Robert; Uncle Tom visits Mosshead; attends the union prayer meeting; enjoys pleasant evening at Backhill; Bella visits Uncle Robert's Tommy in Aberdeen - he being unwell; sells six feeders at Inverurie market for £99; uses the North of Scotland Bank in Aberdeen; ill with toothache; visits Auntie Wilson at Broomhill of Echt; few cattle at Inverurie market due to pleuropnuemonia restrictions; very cold and wintry weather in March; finishes book on life of the Rev. Dr Kennedy; heavy snow in early April; entertains David Adam of Walkendale; helps Mrs Reid calve a cow; commences sowing in mid-April; the Bell cow calves; bargains with Mr Mill of Dyce at Inverurie market; George bruises his foot with cart wheel; Bella and Isa help planting potatoes; attends Loanie Mitchell's funeral; lets an acre of grass to Mr Milne for £3 and half an acre to Joseph Annand for £2; helps flit George Reid from Kemnay Village to his new house; calls on Uncle Robert in Aberdeen; rain, sleet and snow in June: 'I never saw so much snow at the same season'; the Maggie cow calves; the Betty cow calves; enjoys entertaining Craigie and Mary Ann at Mosshead; the Jane Ann cow claves; hears and likes a Cairnton preacher; on 29 June 1888 visits Uncle Robert, does business at Aberdeen corn market, then sees the Marquis of Lorne unveil the Wallace Statue; likes Mr Easton's preaching 'exceedingly well'; accompanies the boys to Sandbank Cottage; Auntie Mary arrives from Buckie; buys grap and fork for 2/11 from Watson the Ironmonger at Inverurie market; writes letter to Andrew Brechin; attends lecture by a Mr Nisbet on foreign missons; attends 'very good' sale of Canadian cattle in Aberdeen; Aunt Annie gives birth to a baby daughter; Carirnton helps with the windows and doors; Mr Dymock 'lectures' on the life of Abraham at Church; goes to Skene and visits old haunts; has tea at Duncan's Forest; Auntie Mary returns to Buckie; hears Mr Easton preach at Cairnton; attends roup at Fornet of Skene; David and James Valentine visit; gets meadow hay at 'the Port'; heavy snow in early October lays flat the crop, but by the end of the month it is 'in splendid order'; visits Aberdeen for business; John Lyon buys two queys for £31..7..6; brings home a new lantern from Inverurie market; wild weather on 16 November - a 'hurricane' all day; engages Charles Lawie; pays account of 14/ to the ferrier; pays rent at Kemnay House; pays accounts to the blacksmith, joiner and saddler at Kemnay Village; attends union prayer meeting; keeps Andrew at home from school for potato holing; Bella visits Broomhill of Echt; attends prayer meeting at the Free Church; buys cow for £17..15 from Mr Lumsden at Carden of Oyne; calls on Uncle Robert in Aberdeen; James Wison visits; the new cow calves; Auntie Mary arrives. |