Monday, January 2l.—We are having such peaceful days, hardly any wind, and hours of sunshine.
The fowl-house is finished, and this morning I had several gifts of hens to put into it. While we were at breakfast one small child of five, Lizzie Rogers, brought as her birthday gift a hen in a bag. One hen laid an egg an hour after its arrival! The eggs here are very small. I visit the house many times a day to show it to various visitors.
The garden is looking so bright; the zinnias have done splendidly, and some are over two feet high. Our vegetable garden now produces cabbages, turnips, and a few peas. Carrots are coming on, and the tomato plants are in blossom and look most flourishing. The ground is quite warm six or seven inches down, and is more like a hot-bed.
Wednesday, January 23.—The man-of-war is daily expected; the horizon is scanned from early dawn to twilight; but after this week the people say they will have doubts about its coming. For the most part they are without tea and coffee, and are glad of our tea-leaves.
Friday, January 25.—We opened our last flour tin today; we hope to eke out the flour for a month by using only half-a-pound a day and mixing with it a liberal proportion of potatoes.
Yesterday I had my first bathe. We went to a place amongst the rocks where the sea runs in and deep enough for swimming. Graham has begun bathing with the boys after school. The beautiful calm weather has gone and the wind come back again.
Wednesday, January 30.—Charlotte Swain came in to tell us there was a shark on the shore and to ask if we would like to go and see it; so we went down. It was a small one, only six feet long. The skin is very rough, like emery paper, and is used by the people for polishing horns. The flesh is remarkably white and looks as though it would be good to eat. The liver when boiled down makes very clear oil for burning in their lamps.
This evening Rebekah brought us a well-baked loaf. We were touched by this, for flour is scarce now. She said they could do on potatoes better than we could, though we have not come to that yet. The men have been fishing and we have more fish than we can possibly eat.
There are other occupants than fowls of the fowl-house. Four big pigs find it a most comfortable place to retire into. It doesn't matter how often they are driven out. Whenever a storm comes on in they go again, and then they have the best of us.
Saturday, February 2.—This morning, though it was wet, such was our energy we went off for a bathe before breakfast, and found it most refreshing.