Thursday 9th December

Dad. went down to Aunty's this morning and banked the house for them. After Frank and I got the chores done we went down to Uncle Ward's and hauled in his corn stalks for him and put them in the loft. This after noon Dad. Frank and I put some straw on the strawberries and and got in a few of our own corn stalks. To-night I started on another show card lesson and Marj. & I tried Zealand's mangle on some towels and things but it didn't work just right. At noon Marj. undertook to mend my pants and in order to accomplish her purpose with greater despatch and efficiency had me remove the torn garment and cover up on the lounge, all went lovely till in the midst of the performance in bounced the gas-man - much to the amusement of all present. We are being haunted by a black cat. He followed us home from the bridge last night, camped on our doorstep (metaphorically speaking) all night walked in this morning and made himself very much at home all day and in spite of being most inhospitably treated and spoken to by our cat curled himself up in the oven and went to sleep, he overstepped the line of newiness though and stole some thing so he has been ejected but is still clamouring at the windows and the {illegible} for admittance. Froze hard last night but has been a beautiful day.