Gleaning

I've always liked the idea of gleaning - going over the harvested field and taking up any grain you can find... snappers up of unconsidered trifles are gleaners of a sort.  I suppose I first came across the idea in the story of Ruth in the Bible - when she and Naomi are allowed to glean Boaz's fields.  I think I am in gleaning mode just now - I still have a burden of fiscal tasks (re-negotiate the mortgage payments again, tax returns, small approaches to people about money, debt advice) but I am squeezing in the odd bit of cash. Today I gleaned £20 for some gardening.  If I could glean £20 a week it would be something - last week I did rather better than that.  There is a vague prospect of a single night BnB person... so it continues.

I am also gleaning scraps of information, which might ultimately result in getting an agent - and who knows, perhaps one day a publisher and an advance - of, oh, maybe £2,000.... is it worth it?  I don't know.  I'm not bothered about being "a published writer" - because I am - I am more interested in making enough money to get by to enable me to live free of the regular job halter... but things have been so wobbly that I have thought about a regular job, probably in a supermarket.  But then again, I think all the experiences I have gleaned in the last year or so will feed one of my novel ideas... I want to write a Harold Fry...  for the money!