Two days in Spring 1943

Looking back on Bill Nevard's journals 69 years ago today I see he was busy as usual.
April 18, 1943..........Sunday, and I went to visit Percy Radwell in
the democrat with Gleam and Embers this afternoon. It was my first visit
there in seven years. The grades are still bad in spots but the highway
is getting dry. I found them all home and saw baby John Radwell for the
first time. I asked Percy about hatching eggs but they could not supply
me as they have no roosters. Percy will let us have some Victory seed
oats for 35 cents a bushel. John Senft is getting seed barley and oats
from Percy. Percy cut 15 loads of crested wheat grass hay off 4 acres
last year in 2 cuttings. I heard that Mrs. Thompson's oldest crippled
son died on Thursday.
April 19, 1943
I went to Fisher's this morning to try and get some hatching eggs but Mrs.
Fisher had put her eggs in the basement and thought they would be too
chilled to set. She phoned up Mrs. Goff but their eggs were the same.
Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have not been any too well lately and Tom Goff is
crippled up from being kicked by a horse. Mr. Fisher was hauling water
and putting it down a well. Ernest Senft is now a father. Mrs. Fisher
promised to save some eggs for me. In the afternoon I went on section
25 and got 30 green poles for Dad to make a new hen house with.

Bill Nevard on the right all dressed up in his Sunday best. 1943.

Lucky 13th?

Long time readers may recall an earlier mention that Ernest Nevard first set foot on Canadian soil this day (April 13) in 1903. After a long voyage with brother Arthur on the S.S. Lake Manitoba with the rest of the barr-colonists it was probably good to get back on solid ground. A long way from their home in Lexden, Essex, U.K.
The day before , April 12th was Ernest's 25th birthday. A young man setting out on the great homesteading adventure. I only knew him in his later years as he appeared in this photo from 1954 laying the cindercrete blocks for Dad's new barn.