Overview
Leslie Adkin continues to work on his father’s property Cheslyn Rise, near Levin. Farming activities this month include mowing and carting hay, mustering and drafting stock for sale, drenching, and clearing land. Leslie works with his father William and his brother Gil (Gilbert), as well as their two permanent labourers Jim and Anstice. Towards the end of the month the workers set up a number of bush-burns, and the most successful burns almost twenty acres of bushland.
Leslie is a regular church-goer, and this month is particularly moved by a ‘remarkable + clever speech’ on the evolution of man from his animal to his spiritual state. Leslie also attends a number of social events, including a garden party organised by the ladies of the Methodist Church.
Perhaps the most exciting event of the month, however, is his trip to Hastings on the 25th. There Leslie reunites with his sweetheart Maud Herd, and makes her a formal proposal to marry him. She accepts, and that evening the two enjoy a concert at nearby Cornwall Park. Leslie stays with the Herds for the rest of the month, enjoying a picnic at Clive Grange on the Tukituki River, a visit to the family's farm, and a trip to the pictures with Maud and her sister Alice.