We like to show off our new-found wealth, but who’s counting the cost?

Ronan Mullen

One of Shelia's entries concerned an encounter in a Dublin bar which she had been told was 'cool Dublin'.

Sheila found the place charmless. In her blog, she tells of meeting a man called Seamus whose ability to converse was limited to listing his inventory of newly acquired gadgets. "I'm very big on the upgrading. I now have two fully-loaded Mercs with 10-wheel drive and purple-tinted skylights, seat-warmer pads and a talking GPS system " The list, we were told, went on.