TGI FREITAGOld lorry tarpaulins, inner tubes from bicycle tyres and car seat belts aren't normally the type of thing you find in Brown Thomas. But they're barely recognisable from their grubby beginnings.
Freitag is a Swiss company that makes bags entirely from recycled materials. The bright PVC has been transformed into trendy messenger bags, shoulder bags and travel pouches. All of the tarpaulins have done their time on the road, and each bag is unique. They cost from €145 to €215 at Brown Thomas, although if you don't mind waiting for them to arrive from Germany you can check out the full range at www.freitag.ch, where wallets cost €30 and large bags cost €170, including postage. Nicoline Greer
THE REMARKABLE PARKAs one of the biggest enclosed parks in the world, Dublin's Phoenix Park offers something for everyone. You might like to go for a brisk walk along its avenues or a casual wander among the trees, or maybe you enjoy deer spotting, bringing your kids to the zoo or playing a game of football.
You can find out more about the park by reading Brendan Nolan's recently published Phoenix Park: A History and Guidebook. It has details of monuments and buildings such as Áras an Uachtaráin and Farmleigh, as well as recounting infamous crimes and major events such as the 1979 visit of Pope John Paul II. It also has sections on literary associations, sport, music events and walks. Just the thing to get you in the mood for the Rolling Stones concert in August. The book is published by the Liffey Press at €18.95 in shops and €18.16, including postage, from www.theliffeypress.com. Eimear McKeith
WORLDLY MATTERSIf the new year has heralded thoughts of being a better person, consult Working for a Better World, published by Comhlamh, the organisation for returned Irish volunteers abroad. Those who have volunteered in other countries will tell you that it is not always easy but nearly always rewarding. The book includes volunteer stories, a travel resource list with a directory of 110 organisations and a chapter on what it is like to work in a developing country. It costs €15 from bookshops or €12, including post and packaging, directly from Comhlamh. Also catch the lively Comhlamh debates at Bewley's Cafe Theatre, on Grafton Street in Dublin, on the first Wednesday of each month. See www.comhlamh.org. Nicoline Greer
NEW LEAVESSean Moran returned to Ireland after his advertising job in New York came to an end. Not one to mourn the loss of hectic corporate life, he decided to whip up a bit of a storm in a teacup. The Ireland he came back to was a "foodie nation: everyone loved their selections of olives, coffees, wines and farmhouse cheeses, but when it came to our national beverage there was nothing". He is calling on us to abandon the dusty old tea bag of yore. The tea he sells through his new company, Sip, is tea to bring your funkiest cups and saucers out for. The range of loose teas includes green, black and herbal, as well as his bestselling Silver Peony white tea packed with antioxidants.
The leaves that go into teas such as Buddha's Tears, Lovers' Leap Garden and Smoky Jo's are picked and rolled in South Africa, Sri Lanka, India and China. Available from La Maison des Gourmets, in Dublin 2, and Passion for Food, in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, or from the Morrison Hotel or Bang Cafe if you would prefer someone to make it for you. Nicoline Greer
THE WICKLOW WORKOUTHealth nuts in California have long been able to "enjoy" the "pleasures" of boot-camp-style retreats, where starvation, rations, 15km hikes and a strict curfew are the orders of the day. Now Lisa Wilkinson, who runs the Elbow Room yoga studio in Stoneybatter, Dublin 7, has designed a retreat that is similarly demanding. The three-day residential "pure punishment, pure reward" boot camp at Kippure House Estate, in Co Wicklow, incorporates a three-hour hike, three hours of yoga, an hour of Pilates, an hour of resistance training, a circuit of the grounds and meditation. That's each day, mind. The rules are: no mobile phones, no diva behaviour and no sneaking in extra food (apparently they check). A 1,000-calorie organic and detoxifying meal should keep you going, and Wilkinson claims you'll lose between 1.5kg and 3kg (three to seven pounds). If you book today (the retreat starts at 8pm on Friday, February 10th and ends at 7pm on Monday, February 13th) there's €30 off the €480 price. Call 01-6779859 or see www.the-elbowroom.com for more details. Róisín Ingle
PROJECT YOURSELFSuper Night Shot, a performance taking place at Project arts centre, in Dublin, on Wednesday and Thursday, is a world away from your average night out at the theatre. For each evening of the show, the performers will take to the streets an hour before the audience arrives. Armed with a camera, they will film a weird and wonderful drama, acted out in the city centre and making use of random occurrences, passers-by and such props as wheelie bins and bus stops.
The performers will then arrive at Project, where the final scene will involve the audience itself. Following this, the hastily made hour-long film will be screened. It's the creation of Gob Squad, a performance collective based in Berlin, Hamburg and Nottingham. Tickets: €18/12. Doors: 8pm. There will be a post-show discussion on Wednesday. Details: www.project.ie. Eimear McKeith
* We love Habitat's low, three-legged pine stools, which come in red, black or natural. Part of the Very Important Product celebrity-designer range, they were created by Ikea founder
(and Habitat owner) Ingvar Kamprad, which may explain why they cost a mere €15