Arrowtown book buyer Miranda Spary continues her regular column about her recommendations for a good read and life as she sees it . . .
I've just been told by a very poor friend who has to drive very old cars, some even made of wood, that I am a bit Marie Antoinette-ish sometimes.
The terrible thing is that I think he is probably right.
Life in the Wakatipu is so fabulous that it takes some effort to remember there are lots of people, even in New Zealand, who don't have electric blue skies and that enormous shiny yellow thing every day.
And I'm so lucky with my work - writing this column gets me invited to all sorts of events.
I also get asked to write stories for magazines, and it was almost impossible to remember that this week's story was work at all.
The Wallis boys at Minaret Station near Wanaka have created a luxury (too modest a word) tent hotel high in the mountains behind their farm.
It's been open for just over a year, and has already made Tatler magazine's list of the world's top hotels.
Old Marie-Antoinette me with my darling in tow had a glorious time mustering sheep in helicopters and soaking in the hot tub on our private balcony, then swanning up to the lodge for dinner cooked by brilliant Leungo who was the original chef at Botswana Butchery.
Work? How is this work?
Now I just have to work out how to persuade them they need a story about heliskiing at Minaret. Written by me, naturally.
The spoilt cow has also been in Melbourne - we went to visit our No 1 son with No 3 and daughter as well. No 1 has just got his first suit-wearing job.
I usually feel a stab of sympathy for anyone I know in the Wakatipu wearing a suit - they're mostly off to court or a funeral - so it was a huge shock to see our son wearing one as if it were an everyday outfit.
And then our No 3 was invited to spend the day at the bank he's got an internship with next year, so he too started this suit-wearing business.
Our tiny little guys suddenly dressed up as businessmen - it seems only yesterday they were in Batman suits.
Melbourne was marvellous, but there is nothing better than arriving back at Queenstown Airport.
It was Jim and Karen Boult's 30th wedding anniversary.
He's such a romantic guy.
When she came to pick him up, he thrilled her by putting us in the car and letting her drive us home as her anniversary surprise. Happy, happy anniversary Mr and Mrs B!And it was lovely to see Nico Evers-Swindell and his beautiful new bride Megan in the basin this week.
I hardly recognised Megan.
Last time she was here, I met a buxom blonde, but her latest role wanted her much smaller and darker. Nothing will change that smile though.
Do get along to the Arrowtown Museum - the autumn festival starts today and the art exhibition opens tonight.
To keep me away from my Marie Antoinettish ways, there's nothing better than reminding myself what life is like for other people all over the globe.
However bad you think your life is, the characters in Pulitzer Prizewinning Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers will change your mind.
Katherine is a staff writer at The New Yorker and she has focused on how poor people get out of poverty.
Read the author's note at the back first - it puts a whole new light on the book which tells the true story of a slum community living behind the billboards leading up to the luxury hotels near Mumbai Airport.
It's disturbing and disgusting and still manages to be hopeful and heartening.
No-one can read this without feeling enormous gratitude to have been born in New Zealand and have the benefit of excellent social welfare, justice, health and educational facilities.
Thank you all for the feedback about the council-appointed tree slashers last week.
I was horrified to hear how many perfectly good trees have been removed completely, including two beautiful, healthy almond trees in Arrowtown's Anglesey St which gave year-round pleasure to everyone.
It's good to see everyone is keeping an eye out for this vandalism now, but it will be better if the council actually do something about it. Let those tree slashers eat cake, not chew up our beautiful trees.
