made him flannel shirts and Catherine wished to make some drawers for him but I would not let her as I consider it nonsense to bring a boy under any circumstances up to[o] tenderly and altho we had a few days of very cold weather he ran about quite brisk and never felt the cold. John left here on the 23rd of last month owing to the state of the roads and the ill health of his wife they had to make a tent over the dray for her to get down to Napier. John insisted on my wife going with them to Napier in case any fatal accident happening on the way. I stayed at home till Sunday evening when I went down and brought Catherine home on Monday. I then went down on Tuesday night and came home with the dray and my wife on Wednesday night again and found everything all well at home. The fence from the river to the swamp is finished last week and the sheep are into the padock now and doing very well. There is a few lambs coming now but not a great many. I am sorry to tell you that one of the Auckland Lesters [Leicesters] took very ill and died but the others are doing very well. Alick has been at Napier