deep south 2013

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dsj poetry





Jimmy Currin

from the 1867 diary of George Jupp,
Taranaki settler


From January
to April

One day grubbing
One raking
Four days thatching
Two carting
Four cutting shingles
Two scraping wheat
Four days winnowing grass seed
Making fowl house

Seventeen days spent
cutting grass
              wheat
              toetoe
              fern.

             Feb 7th
Cutting trees to build house.


Waiwakaiko bridge washed away.

Dusty in town.

Eleven days cutting fern
at my place.
Heard that Brady was killed.
The strongest wind I have known for many years. Many houses burned.


Thrashing for Durtrand.
                      Thrashing for Durtrand.
           Thrashing for George Hoby.
           Thrashing for George Hoby (finish).
           Thrashing at mine and Rundles'
           Thrashing at Rundle's
                                                                  (rode to town)


           Began to put up my house
                                                       with William Rundle.
           Put up frame of house
            Putting up braces
            Laying joists.
            Carted my shingles
            Nailing upright boards,
                                               principals, etc.

                                                              Thatching, sowing


           Very warm day.
           Sunday, very warm day.
           April 1st, slight showers. Came with my bullocks,
           Drove my bullocks with doors and windows.

           Boarding up the ends, putting up roofing boards
           Came with bullocks, carted out my chimney
                      Began to shingle with Knight and Rundle.


                      Parade in afternoon.

                      Making chimney


                      Work about my house
                      Work about my house
                      Work about my house with Rundle
                                                                               Work about my house with Rundle
           30th
                      My family came to Tikorangi.


           Sundays:
                      13th      fine day
                      27th      gloomy day
                      10th      very showery day
                      17th       fine morning
                      17th       in town
                      7th         I walked to Tikorangi
                      21st        fine day
                      5th         cold gloomy day. Mr Govett preached at Tikorangi.
                      12th       cold, but fine. White preached this morning.
                      26th       very showery day. McNicholl preached at Tikorangi.
                      9th         Robert Baker buried, I attended his funeral.
                      16th        Mr Brown preached
                      30th       fine, Mr Govett had service at Mr Armstrong's.


                                     My wife and I took a walk on Smith's road as far as his clearing.


                      21st         Sunday. Very wet day. Whiteley preached at Tikorangi.
                      22nd      Slight showers. Went to town with bullocks. Wet night.
                      23rd       Slight showers. Drove back to Tikorangi. Crossed at the Karaka Grove but very high.


           Digging potatoes
           Finish house for potatoes
                      Ploughing out Rundle's potatoes
                                 Finish digging potatoes

           Clearing the orchard
           Sowed the grass seed
                      Ripping stumps off land
                                 Carting off stumps and flax roots.

           Slight showers, at home.

           Heard of native outbreak at Taurangi. The rebels fired into a boat, killed one man.

                      Ploughing,
                      sowing,
                      hacking,
                      cross cutting,
                      splitting,
                      salting the pig,
                      planting,
                      carting,
                      walked,
                                 work,
                                            worked,
                      took,
                      crossed,
                      went

                      August.
                                 showery day
                                 very showery day
                                 very wet
                                 warm but slight showers
                                 eleven days fencing through bush
                                 mortising fencing for Rundle
                                 making shingles for dairy
                                 picking over seed potatoes
                                 carting fencing for Rundle.

                                 September, putting up 3 rail fence for Boyle's
                                 Putting up 3 rail fence for Rundle.
                                 Cross ploughing, splitting, burning fern roots.

           Walked from town.


           October, rain in afternoon.
                      Sowing marigold wetzel, planting corn.
                      Making a gate, bee box etc.
                      Took Bishops horse to keep.
           Fred rolled my potatoes
                      I planted peas, French beans. Planting corn in Rows garden.
                      Rode to town and back.
                      Carted some ironwood posts for Davies from Blashkes.
                      Very wet day. Making hen cages etc.

           Heard of Jacksons death


           carting etc in afternoon - Fencing with cross cutting logs for fencing
           - In the bush - Burtrand with me -
                      Knight with me  - Bees swarmed

           Putting up yard putting up my

           making
           with thunder
           To Armstrongs for
           my sow - very stormy - Mr Govett
           preached fine day Sunday - about the house - splitting and carting. Knight with me.

                      10th
                      Very fine day.
                      Washing Burtrand's sheep.

                      Jury earthing up my potatoes.

           Ploughing up land
           Ploughing in morning
           Putting logs under
           Putting up yard
           Putting up fence
           16th
           Putting up a bank

           23rd
           Very showery. Building water closet. My wife went to town. Cutting up thistles.

           Very fine day.

           Putting up a stock yard.

Dark gloomy day.

           The last of the year.
           All is quiet, we have had a very wet season so far. Let us hope it will end well





Jimmy Currin has lived in Dunedin since 1999, and has done a lot of the things one does in Dunedin.




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