I WISH I had written a diary about the happenings in my 60 years of life.

I have been lucky enough to have been given the diary of my grandmother - Sarah Watson of Winilba, Diggers Rest, which she started on New Year's Day 1929.

Her daughter Agnes Watson took over writing the diary on May 29, 1934 and every day she wrote an entry, until August 8, 1954.

Each day Sarah and Agnes recorded the weather - even when Diggers Rest had snow - but particularly the rain, which was recorded by how many points they got.

Lack of rain and visitors  feature in the diary - every Saturday and Sunday the house was jam-packed with visitors staying for a meal.

Family happenings were well documented in the diary: weddings, births, deaths, christenings, daily activities and sickness.

The Newmarket sales at Flemington were very significant in their lives, and every sale had a record of livestock sold.

Then when they bought livestock prices were recorded too, and sales of their crops.  New cars and farm machinery and what was bought for the house and farm were there too.

The diary talked about the jobs the workers were doing each day on the farm and when the thrasher arrived and finished.

Then there was the Sunbury Flower Show, Royal Melbourne Show and Sunbury Horse Show, which played a big part in their lives each year.

They were involved  at weekly Diggers Rest Hall functions to raise money for many charities, going to the country party and Diggers Rest tennis club.

Disasters such as fire - in their paddocks or surrounding district - were recorded, including drought and machinery breaking down.

Even The Weekly Times is mentioned.

One special entry was on November 1938: ``Tuesday 29th. Fine day. Bruce and Jack stripping barley at back of hill,'' it reads.

``Too cool the weather to strip so had to cut it with the binder. Weekly Times man here taking photos of crop in grassy leigh and the house, Annie and Heather and Agnes sitting on the veranda.''

The photos were published in The Weekly Times on December 24, 1938.

There are lovely photos of my grandfather, Robert Watson, and his daughters Agnes (never married), Annie (who became Mrs Frith), and Heather (Mrs Taylor, my mother).

What a wonderful thing to leave to the family members - to have such an insight into their ancestor's lives.

Again, I only wished that I had taken the time to write down all that has happened in my family's life.

Maybe this letter might encourage people to start now.

Shirley Van Keulen, Hoppers Crossing