I've learnt a lot in the past week.
A lot has been good to learn, and a lot has been very annoying.
Annoying is learning to be quieter and practising all the exercises my lovely speech therapist Claire has given me to help get my voice back.
There are quite a few people who will be very sorry to see that happen, of course.
It was also a bit annoying to learn optimism and blind self-confidence are no replacement for skill when it comes to cooking.
Our son held his 21st last weekend, together with our great friend Philly's son.
I told Philly I thought I might make a huge mountain of perfect meringues and perch a couple of little skiing people on the top as a birthday cake.
She is much more realistic than I am and knows exactly what my cooking ability is.
She rang Michelle at Vudu Cafe and asked her to make the boys a beautiful cake.
It wasn't beautiful; it was absolutely stupendous with chocolate skis and chocolate writing, and not only looked fabulous but also tasted like heaven.
Quite a different cake from the one I would have made, which would not only have lacked deliciousness and beauty, but also the other main quality in a cake: edibility.
Cath Hanna, who is quite the best caterer in the Wakatipu, got a bit suspicious about my ability to provide even buns and sliced ham.
After calling numerous times only to discover I had forgotten all sorts of important things, she finally gave up and arrived on Saturday morning armed with baskets (to put buns in), non-slip tiles (to carve ham on) and squeezy bottles for mustard and aioli (which I had also forgotten), and took over glazing the hams.
She says things go more smoothly if you finish one job first and then start another. I think she may be right.
Everyone enjoyed themselves hugely, not least the men who had had their own 21sts many, many years ago.
They were very pleased to see so many stunning 21-year-old girls in short dresses and very high heels.
They said it was a nice change from their normal nights out when all the "girls" are much the same age as themselves and with legs less made for display.
My darling is still moaning about a photo that Philly (now ex-friend) claimed had mistakenly slipped into her slideshow about her son.
It was of me vacuuming at her holiday house wearing not much and weighing about 17kg less - it was taken when my darling and I were still courting.
Apparently, I had much longer legs then and was much kinder to him then.
He's a chap who likes a bargain, so I keep reminding him that since we have been together, I have gained 33% in weight and he has far more wife than he paid for: he should be happy with his investment.
He still seems to think he's been duped, though.
There were plenty of Cantabrians at the party, and Susan Ogden tells me they call themselves "Quakers" now.
Money is still pouring in for Christchurch.
Ed Cruikshank's art auction on Friday night at Millbrook saw the whole carpark overflowing with cars and plenty of busy bidders. Great effort, Ed.
We are all so sad to be farewelling Sam and Dave Gent, who are doing the opposite migration from everyone else: they are off to live in Christchurch.
Sam has made so many of us pretty and relaxed over the years with her 101 Spa at Lake Hayes and then taking over the spa at The Hills, and finally running the whole clubhouse.
Good luck, Sam and Dave - you've been a big part of us here.
And I've been back enjoying an old favourite this week.
I know When A Crocodile Eats the Sun has been a huge hit with lots of readers and I have had loads of emails from you all about it.
Peter Godwin wrote this memoir about Zimbabwe and his family during the Mugabe years and it's absolutely terrific and terrifying.
His childhood/early adulthood memoir Mukiwa is just as good. He is one very smart guy; he studied law at Cambridge and then went on to study international relations and African history at Oxford.
He writes for pretty well every great paper and magazine in the world (hasn't made the Queenstown Times yet, but I bet he's still dreaming of it) and is very handsome.
It's hard to believe one person has experienced so much.
His tales of his country changing so much and so badly are frightening. We really are so lucky here to live in such peace.
His latest book, The Fear, was published last year and I am still a little nervous about reading it.
This one is about Robert Mugabe's last days in power and I know it is going to be scary.
I was frightened enough in the last two, but in this one Godwin heads into the most dangerous areas of the country to expose the carnage and terror these poor people have had to endure.
Please let the scariest thing that happens to me in our beautiful part of the world be learning to bike down the steep bits on the Lake Hayes track.
