| Description | Farming diary, no. 32.
3 June - 30 September 1907
Frightened by a passing train, the shalt breaks a shaft of the buggy; Andrew has musketry drill at the Kemnay rifle range; Andrew gets a man, Lewie Clark, to work for him; Andrew leaves for camp at Dunkeld; attends prayer meeting and Deacons' Court; heavy showers of rain and hail in June; pays Lewie Clark £1..2..0 for eleven days; pays the precentor his salary for the half-year, £7..10..0; pays manure account and pays insurance for employer's liability; attends Lizzie Adam's funeral; attends prayer meeting and Deacons' Court; wins prizes at the Cluny Cattle Show; Auntie Mary helps deliver the communion cards; attends Deacons' Court and evangelical meeting; suffers from a swollen knee, which the doctor diagnoses as a case of housemaid's knee; balances book of Church money; appointed committee member of the National Bible Society of Scotland; attends Leslie Adam's funeral; prepares Church money for Edinburgh; attends funeral of John Lovie with Bella; Frank Booth visits from England and Mr and Mrs Gardner visit from Australia; William Reid, a son of George Reid, dies after being badly hurt by a runaway horse and cart at Oldmeldrum station; attends William Reid's funeral with Andrew; Willie has to leave because his father is unwell - Mr Mathieson pays Willie for the time he had worked and hires another man, John, for the rest of the six months at £6..10.
1 October - 31 December 1907
Attends prayer meeting and Deacons' Court; prepares Church money for sending to Edinburgh; sells four fat cattle to John Lyon for 61/ per cwt (dead); Mary and Miss Mortimer collect for the Royal Infirmary; sees the Palestine Exhibition in the Music Hall and the Artillery Drill Hall - 'enjoyed it very much'; attends Aulton market on 30 November and fails to sell colt - '[i]t was said to be the dullest market on record'; they assist at two steam thrashing mills - 'rather inconvenient two mills being working so near each other on the same day'; sorts the Church money for sending to Edinburgh; buys an Irish calf at £4..17..6; pays the rates for the U.F.C. and manse; feels 'rather bad with a cold'; buys a quey from Robert Connon of Nether Coullie for £15..10; attends performance of the Messiah at the Music Hall - 'I thought [it] was very rendered'; William Watt returns from America.
1 January - 31 March 1908
Gives Alec a holiday on the first day of the new year; the Poll mare takes ill; pays at the Post Office for the U.F.C. records; George Gordon and James Adam of Boatleys audit the Church books; calls on Barclay, Ross & Tough in Aberdeen, who were advertising for a man - 'I was using my influence for John getting the place'; sells colt to William Connon for £35; they use the steam thrashing mill; they all go to the Christmas tree event save Bella; attends Deacons' Court and meeting of Session; meets the Presbytery deputation making the quinquennial visitation to the Church congregation; distributes communion cards; 'a real blizzard' at the end of January; John prepares to start work at Barcley, Ross & Tough; attends communion; attends funeral of Mrs Burnett of Kemnay House; attends the funeral of his laird, Alexander George Burnett Esq of Kemnay; the Bess cow calves; attends prayer meeting and Deacons' Court; stormy showers of snow and sleet in early March; Miss Johnston and Miss Duncan take their bannocks on Festern's Even; the Megg cow calves; attends the opening sale after the amalgamation of Oldmeldrum and Inverurie - 'a very good sale it was'; the Daisy cow calves; prepares the Church money for sending; the Lady cow calves; they thrash five stacks with the steam mill; attends B.W.T. meeting with Julia Reynolds; attends prayer meeting and Deacons' Court; George Wight dies and Mr Mathieson attends his funeral.
1 April - 30 June 1908
Mr Forrest holds a party for members of his Bible class; buys George Reid's young calf for £3; 'a storm of wind & rain the whole day' on 4 April; attends Mr Petrie's funeral; they sow for the first time in the year; buys Mrs Thomson's young calf for £3; attends prayer meeting and Deacons' Court; attends lantern lecture in Kemnay Hall; distributes communion cards; the Poll mare foals; attends funeral of Robert Barron, the butcher; Uncle dies in London; a man and a horse are killed by lightning at Upper Inver, Monymusk; Alec goes to Insch feeing market; attends Mrs Scot's funeral - 'a woman in the Village'; they plant their potatoes; the Rose mare foals; Andrew attends drill and the shooting range; writes letter to Mr Emslie in America; pays rent at Kemnay House and pays tradesmen; Alec stays for the summer half-year at £14 wages; the Bell cow calves; attends meeting of Session; Andrew leaves for camp; attends prayer meeting and Deacons' Court; Andrew attends Annie Reid's marriage; they hoe turnips for the first time in the year.
1 July - 30 September 1908
Women visit Mosshead to view Mary's marriage presents; on 8 July Mary weds Alexander Gauld in the U.F.C. Kemnay - the reception is held in the Burnett Arms Hotel; they provide tea for all the folk who decorated the Church for Mary's wedding; attends prayer meeting and Deacons' Court; a lady missionary from Old Calabar gives an account of mission work there at Church - 'she was not heard very well'; attends funeral of Mrs Mackay of Roquharold; attends Highland and Agricultural Society's show in Aberdeen - 'I thought it was a grand show a sple[n]did display of cattle & horses and Implement's'; they thrash with the steam mill; attends prayer meeting and meeting of Session; wins prizes for horses at the Cluny Cattle Show; distributes communion cards and has communion at Church; attends the Cattle Show at Echt - 'a very poor show it was'; attends prayer meeting and Deacons' Court; attends the Lawerance Fair, Old Rayne; writes letter to Mr Emslie; sells the Poll mare to Daun for £15; Mr Anderson of Ardconnon buys Poll's foal for £17..10; counts money received at Deacons' Court; Alec and Mary take train to Manchester; assists with the steam thrashing mill at Dalmadilly; goes to Dalmadilly to sympathise with Mr and Mrs Daun after they lose the Poll mare when another animal kicks her and breaks a leg; attends George Tindal's funeral at Craigearn. |