| Description | Farming diary, no. 12.
This medium-sized hardback volume has a plain, faded 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 often appear in the text. The action of the diary is mostly limited to areas in and around Balmuir, Mr Mathieson's farm.
Most diary entries record agricultural or road building and maintainance tasks such as: breaking stones, caring for livestock and horses, trenching, building hay, road blinding, driving, emptying the urine tank, planting, harvesting, cutting, turning, thrashing, leading, thatching, winnowing, road patching and coating, quarrying, wisping, road cleaning, scouring ditches, levelling the dung hill, delving, sowing, grubbering and harrowing, filling and breaking dung, casting peats, coling hay, mashing stones. On Sundays Mr Mathieson usually worships at Church along with his wife Bella, eldest son Andrew and sometimes younger son Johnny. Friends and relatives sometimes come to Balmuir for a visit.
Notable events from this diary: attends John Ewan's funeral then looks over Newcroft with David Wright of Westside; Isa attends the Band of Hope picnic; the new hall at the Kirktown of Skene opens; attends Dunecht roup of corn and fodder and buys two lots; attends a Liberal meeting of new electors at the Central School; James Cadenhead commences the harvest; clyack is taken at Balmuir; takes clyack at Kinnernie; has harvest home with dancing until nearly midnight; gets paid for five weeks of harvest work; starts working on the roads again; is examined at Castle Fraser with J. Duthie of Corskie about the mill water; goes to Aberdeen as witness in the Mill of Corskie water case, but is not called - the case is adjourned; attends Echt feeing market and pays Mr Mowat for corn and fodder, James Shewan for crop tharashing and David Angus for coals; attends singing at Echt Free Church; attends David Laing's funeral; has a 'welcome surprise' when William Gardner settles a debt of £20 after twelve years - 'I thought it very honourable of him'; votes for Dr Farquharson in West Aberdeenshire poll; snow in December; attends Charles Clark's funeral; attends court in Aberdeen for the Corskie Mill water case; pays rent and poor rates; J. Valentine Jr. visits Balmuir to collect for the Farmers' Alliance; Christmas tree at Lyne school on 25 December; Miss Lawson of Craigiedarg marries Alex Mitchell in Aberdeen's Waverley Hotel; attends Manitoba exhibition of farm products in Aberdeen and later a performance of the Messiah at the Music Hall - 'which was splendid'; snow in January; makes a ladder; Mrs and Miss Sharp visit Balmuir; sings in choir in performace of Robinson Crusoe at the Central School; attends Waterton School Concert; Milne of Rowden is buried; attends Social Meeting at Skene Free Church; James Wilson visits; heavy snow in March; ill with sore eye having got a small piece of stone in it while breaking stones at Netherton quarry; Mr Matheson's Mother is brought to Balmuir; attends concert in Lyne of Skene with Bella; sows grass-seed and barley for Mr Duthie of Nether Corskie; presented with a mantelpiece mirror by Mr Innes on behalf of the people of the Lyne of Skene for his service; Johnny goes to school for the first time; the blue cow calves; buys a new jacket at Waterton; pays the rent at the Mains of Skene; pays D. Adam £4..7..9 for working the croft; picnic and games in Dunecht; attends the carrier's funeral; votes in election for West Aberdeenshire Member of Parliament; journeys to Cairnton and then to Mosshead where he has a look around; attends Echt Free Church children's picnic at Dunecht with Bella, Auntie Mary and the three children; buys two lots at Dunecht sale of corn and fodder; clyack taken at Balmuir; takes clyack; Alec visits from Glasgow; Kinnernie corn in very bad order; has harvest home. |