As ever, employment in the column-writing business remains a tenuous proposition, so I've been casting about for alternative forms of endeavour with the potential to adequately fund my required lifestyle.
I should have noted more carefully the words of Samuel Johnson, who succinctly observed in his 1755 Dictionary preface that "those who toil at the lower employments of life should not expect rewards for success or diligence".
If only I'd taken up politics or joined the public service.
Instead of slaving away each week, officialdom would now be moving me sideways into a "job for the boys". Employment in New York or Washington would be beckoning - maybe even Hawaii, where I would be a most suitable candidate to run a legation office helping desperate New Zealand tourists find a decent cup of coffee in Honolulu.
"Why don't you write a book about your experiences?" suggest concerned friends.