Conspicuous acquisition

Then . . .

An Escada jacket

Kiwi Fruit Pavlova

A mobile home in Brittas Bay

Sunday lunch in Hunter's Hotel

A bottle of Australian sparkling wine

A cleaning woman once a week

Owning a Jack Yeats print

Inviting friends to the pub to celebrate your birthday

A baby sitter

A three-piece suite

A round of golf on Saturday morning in the local club

A house off the South Circular Road

A well-tended patio

Now . . .

A Prada wardrobe

Starfruit Salad ("I picked up the recipe on one of Darina Allen's cookery courses")

A holiday home in the Dordogne (sp?)

Daily lunch at Patrick Guilbaud's

A case of vintage Veuve Clicquot

Live-in Filippino staff

Lending galleries your collection of Irish art

Flying a planeload of friends overseas for your birthday

A full-time nanny

The Clarence Hotel's penthouse suite

A week-long tournament at Mount Juliet

A house on Sorrento Terrace

Helen Dillon landscaping your garden