We are coming into spring here in southern land. My camellias and magnolia are in bloom. Today was a lovely sunny day, filling people with smiles and energy.

Sis has decreed that I should turn the spare bedroom into a hobby room. OK, so long as it can be done on the cheap. There is a horrible orange and brown carpet which I have never liked. It wasn't in very good condition, so we tore it up and found the boards underneath were in good condition, so decided to polish them up, and put down a nice rug. Our first step was to take the old carpet to the tip. We dumped it, then took a look at the recycling shop they have there which sells still usable goods. And wadda ya think! They had some offcuts of carpet, a nice beige, in perfect condition. And how much did the guy ask for it?

TWO DOLLARS!!

We grabbed it and whizzed back home with it. Looked great and matched the curtains beautifully. So now I have a totally recarpeted room at a price even a dyed in the wool skinflint like me can't complain about. I gotta start checking out the tip more often.

Okay, it looks like I am up for some big expenses in the coming year. I was lucky an old college friend who inspects State rental housing came round and had a look at my place. Here's what he told me:

There is damp coming down from the leaky spouting and it will need mending.

There are not enough vents in the basement and more will have to be put in.

The plaster should be painted with waterproof paint by next winter, and some of the boards need replcing.

The old logburner in the living room needs to be taken out as it doesn't conform to the new regulations.

I have to start getting quotes right away as there is a real shortage of qualified tradesmen locally and it can take months to get a job done.

As to paying for it, I have been told to ring Disability Information Services, as there are grants available to do repair work on health grounds. I have been in contact with the City Council which is running a Healthy Homes initiative, and will put insulation in the houses of people with disabilities. I will probably have to pay a third myself. So the problem is not insurmountable.

And I have applied for a couple of parttime jobs, one in a bookstore and the other at the library. I have customer service and library experience as a volunteer, so I hope that will help me get a foot in the door. The New Zealand academic year finishes in a month, and many students will be heading home, so I stand a good chance of getting temporary work over the holiday period anyway. Many of the employers here don't like to hire students as they have a reputation for being unreliable. So someone is sure to want a, umm, "mature" person.