January 1965 A trip out in the country

January 3, 1965
Sunday. Dick and I drove down to St. John's for Holy Communion at 11:00 a:m. When we got back we called in at the house and found that Harvey Birns had tacked a message over our garage door. Mrs. Goff had phoned and asked us to stop in and pick up her and Doris on the way up to the farm.

The day not being too cold and the highway good we drove up to Lipton and found them waiting for us so we went on up to the Goff farm. The road had been plowed out sometime back and was alright so we had dinner. Just Les, Joy and the three boys there. They have got over their sicknesses pretty well. Uncle Horrie and the boys were there on New Year's day.
 The boys were playing their hockey game on the table. Their wood pile is pretty well buried in snow. Les still has his tractor in Lipton getting it fixed.
We did not stay for supper as Mrs. Goff wanted to get home and so we got back about 7:30 p:m.

A Funeral On Christmas Eve

More from the journals of Bill Nevard
December 24, 1970.
Dick got the Christmas pudding made yesterday and started cooking it this evening. I got the half turkey in to thaw out and we made the stuffing.
 I went to the San for the mail this morning and got my senior citizen's travelling card. The wind was blowing hard and a fellow said the Lipton road was blocked by drifting snow. After dinner Harry Lindsey phoned up up to say he was going to the Sid Phillips funeral and would pick us up about 2;45 so he did and we rode with him to the Lipton town Hall. We met the snow plow on the highway. Snow drifting across the highway both going and coming but we had no trouble getting along. A lot of people there and Mr. Badham took the funeral.
 Dick, Phil fisher, John Radwell, Edwin Senft, Hugh Robertson and one other were the bearers. Pat Neil, Charlie Hook, Fred Wagner, Ernest Senft, Sandy Goff and I were the honorary bearers. We all rode out to the cemetery after the service. The bearers in Edwin Senft's car and the honorary bearers in Ernest Senft's car. Cold and windy at the cemetery although we were sheltered from the wind  by a tarp. Then we drove back to town hall but did not stay for lunch, coming home with Harry Lindsey.

Coming into the valley we passed a car that had gone off the road into the deep snow and been left. We had supper and Dick went to bed for a while. He got up in time for us to go to the Christmas eve service at 11:30 pm. It was not cold and the Church was well filled. Mr. Badham asked me to light the Christmas candle. We had a good sized choir and they sang well but I could not sing in exultation having a cold and a sore throat. I helped Harry to count the collection. It was after 2 am when we got home to bed.

December 19 1945

From the daily journal of Bill Nevard.
I cut my fourteenth load of wood in the morning and in the afternoon I took the team and tank over to Uncle Arthur's south quarter and helped him get some more lumber from his old bin. Dull today and a raw Northwest wind blowing but the temperature not so low as it was.
I saw the moon partly eclipsed last night. It was threatening to snow but not much fell.

Not Bill,  but one of his neighbours with a typical load of poplar logs for firewood.

A Funeral

December 12, 1966

I went to visit Bob Drever this morning. I also cut up three more pumpkins for jam. In the afternoon I dressed up and drove to Lipton for Bill Peak's funeral. It was held in Lipton Town Hall. Most of the people were there when I arrived. Pat Neil, Philip Fisher, Harold Phillips, William Michelson, Edwin and Victor Senft were the bearers. Anne Yackel played the organ. Quite a number of people attended. Les and Joy, Mr. and Mrs. Fisher, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Neil, Gladys Hays and Thelma Kreutzer, Mr. and Mrs. John Senft, Mr and Mrs. Sid Phillips, Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Hook, Bill Newth, Mr. and Mrs. Reg Waters, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Huber, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Bryant, John Kube. I did not go to the cemetery but came home. It was a beautiful day. Bill Peak was 81 years of age and came out to the country in 1911.

Bill Peak is somewhere in this photo taken at a Church service at Balrobie School.

December 1970

December 11: I cut the beef up this morning and Dick took it out to the shed to freeze. Then we jacked up the Beaumont and put blocks under it to take the weight off the tires. In the afternoon I drove to Lipton and visited Syd and Rose. Their daughter, Irene Huber was there with one of her boys. Rose gave me a cake when I left. Then I went to see Mrs. Fisher. Olive was just leaving. Gladys was there. We had a game of Chinese Checkers. Mrs. Fisher also gave me a cake. I visited Mrs. Goff and Doris, then went to Dave's store for groceries before driving home.

December 18: I got up in good time this morning and got ready to go to Regina with Don on the bus. Dick thought he might be along about 9:50 as he had done before. Dick started the car to warm up at 10:00 am but no Don arrived. When 10:30 rolled around we knew we had missed the first bus and were likely to miss the second but just then he arrived with a truck load of firewood. Dick drove us to the bus depot and the bus arrived just as we were buying the tickets and we were the only passengers. One old lady got on at Qu'appelle and 13 other passengers at Balgonie.

Don was not particular where we had dinner so we walked from the bus depot to the Chi Gardens. It was closed, to our sorrow, so we had to look up another eating place and on the way back we landed up at the Town And Country where we had a nice meal for $2.94. We went to the book exchange where I bought six old books. Then Don wanted to go to the Bay so we did. It was the first time I had been in the store. Don bought three records and I bought two. Then we went to the Medical Arts building between Scarth and Cornwall to keep Don's appointment. We got there by 3:00 pm but had to wait until 3:45 before he could see the doctor. I think the doctor was satisfied with his progress. He has to keep on with the diet and come back in two months.
Then we had to go to a special store to get the stuff Don has for his diet. Then to Simpsons where I stood guard on our stuff while Don looked around and bought some shirts. By then it was time to get back to catch the bus. They had to put on a special bus to take care of the home coming passengers and that one was filled right up.