GREEN PARTY Make like a head of state and actually see the St Patrick's Day parade for the first time by booking a grandstand seat.
Each of the 16 grandstands along the route on March 17th comes with a commentary by a well-known Irish actor or comedian - and serviced bathrooms. You'll have the best view out of the 700,000 or so spectators who turn up to watch the parade. You might need to be a little creative with the basic seats they provide, however: bring your own cushion and Champagne, and make everyone else, er, green with envy. Book early, as the seats always sell fast, even at €60 each. Call 01-6763205 or go to www.stpatricksfestival.ie. Nicoline Greer
LUXURY ON TAP Want to get rid of those lingering post-winter blues? Yoga teacher Orla Punch is combining health and luxury in what sounds like a reviving break in the five-star Adler Thermae Spa and Wellness Resort in Tuscany from March 12th to 16th. Daily sessions of meditation and yoga, as well as hiking and biking in the surrounding Tuscan hills, will be combined with spa treatments and healthy, gourmet food. The luxury hotel is built in the style of an antique rural villa, surrounded by gardens. It boasts a thermal spring and pools, and is just a few hundred metres from the picturesque medieval village of Bagno Vigno. The healing properties of the area's thermal waters were discovered first by the Etruscans and then by the Romans. Others who came to partake included Lorenzo Di Medici and Saint Catherine of Siena. To book a place, call Orla on 087-9340839 or e-mail info@orlapunchyoga.com. Cathy Dillon
MAE PLOY We love these Thai curry pastes. At just €1.95 a tub, they're more pungent and aromatic than supermarket versions. No artificial preservatives or colourings, and they last indefinitely. From Asia Market, Drury Street, Dublin 2. Marie-Claire Digby
MASTER AND CARAVAGGIO To celebrate the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt's birth, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is hosting Rembrandt-Caravaggio, an exciting and ambitious exhibition which juxtaposes two masters of 17th-century European painting. Opening this weekend, it is the first time that Rembrandt and Caravaggio have been shown together in a joint exhibition. Interesting parallels are revealed when their works are side by side, such as their realism, psychological insight and depiction of light and shade. The exhibition features more than 35 paintings, on loan from various international collections (including Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ from the National Gallery of Ireland). This rare opportunity to see famous paintings by two of the greatest artists in the history of European painting is sure to be an unforgettable experience. It runs until June 18th, so you've plenty of time to book a cheap flight. Tickets, which cost €20, are available online: www.rembrandt-caravaggio.nl. Eimear McKeith
BEADY EYES The new range of Mia Jewellery, at the Narrow Space Craft Gallery in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, has rose quartz, Chinese porcelain, garnet, semi-precious gemstones and hand-painted Peruvian clay, all mingling together in Lucia Kelly's pretty necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Get out your most plunging of necklines for the Cashel designer's signature Freestyle necklace. If it's jewellery to be worn for eternity, Maureen Lynch's new range of bespoke engagement and wedding rings has a timeless feel. Lynch makes traditional circular diamond rings, but her more contemporary designs are elliptical and square-shaped, with discreetly placed diamonds. Available in 18 carat white gold, 18 carat yellow gold or platinum. She meets every client for her couture service, which takes about six weeks. Make an appointment through her studio, at the Old Fire Station, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, 01-2147052, www.maureenlynch.ie. Nicoline Greer
A DAY BETWEEN THE COVERS A world without books doesn't bear thinking about. That's why World Book Day on Thursday gives us all a chance to celebrate the joys of reading. As part of the Quick Reads campaign, which aims to encourage emergent adult readers, a series of books by best-selling writers such as Maeve Binchy, Ruth Rendell, Joanna Trollope and Minette Walters will be published on the day. Every schoolchild in the country will receive a €1.50 book token, and for that price they will be able to buy specially produced books by leading children's authors. There will also be exciting readings, signings and activities taking place at bookshops, arts centres, libraries and schools throughout the country. And during March, you can take part in the Books for Hospitals scheme, which involves buying a book and donating it to your local hospital by leaving it in a special bin at participating bookshops. For every 10 books donated, the bookseller will give an extra one free. More details: www.worldbookday. com/ireland. Eimear McKeith
FOUR HANDS BETTER THAN TWO Since they began collaborating two and a half years ago, Cassie Yukawa and Rosey Chan have shot to fame with their four hands, one piano duets. They begin an eight-venue Irish tour in Drogheda's Droichead Arts Centre on March 3rd, and also play in Tuar Ard Arts Centre, Moate (March 4th); Birr Theatre and Arts Centre (March 5th); Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar (March 6th); Coach House Dublin Castle (March 8th); St Iberius Church, Wexford (March 10th); Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray (March 11th) and Dunamaise Theatre, Portaloise (March 12th). Tickets prices and booking details from venues.
JUNIOR MASTER CHEF There should be no shortage of talent competing for the title of Tesco Young Cook of the Year 2006. The competition is open to budding culinary stars between the ages of 10 and 16. They have to submit main course and dessert recipes of their own invention, with a limit of €25 for ingredients. You can get entry forms from Tesco branches; enter by March 10th. The winner receives a weekend at Disneyland Paris for a family of four, as well as prizes for their school and their teacher. Marie-Claire Digby
COSY UP The people behind new haberdashery store Ban Si at Bridge Mills, Galway sent us a knitting pack comprising a small ball of maroon wool, two cute knitting needles and a pattern for that ultra-modern necessity, the mobile phone cosy. Last time I knit anything was as a six-year-old when my hole-filled red hairband was held up by the teacher as an example of how not to knit.
However, on a train to Waterford last weekend, I gamely tackled the pattern and - after only one fraught emergency call to a knitting expert concerning the complex matter of "casting off" - managed to craft a hole-free cosy which would warm the SIM card of any self-respecting mobile.
Ban Si, by the way, is a treasure trove of exotic feathers, buttons, silks, fabrics, threads, ribbons and trimmings, as well as the best in wool supplies. Drop in to see what other goodies they have in store. I'm off to knit myself an iPod cosy. Róisín Ingle
MAKE YOUR OWN MOBILE COSY Cosy: Cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter stitch (knit every row) for 86 rows. Cast off. Button Loop: Cast on 12 stitches. Cast off 12 stitches. To make up: Fold almost in half and sew up sides. Sew button on centre front of cosy, attaching button loop on back to match.
LIFE AQUATIC When Dr Sarah Varian, a marine biologist, got tired of "just being a scientist", she decided to take her camera underwater. The photographs that go on display at Signal Arts Centre, in Bray, Co Wicklow, on Tuesday include highlights of a decade travelling in Tanzania, Borneo, New Zealand and Tonga. The ones Varian has taken around the islands off our own west coast sometimes surprise people most, though: colourful anemones (right) take on a tropical hue through her lens. Varian, who also takes schoolchildren on field trips to show them the creatures that live in rock pools and on the shore, has set up a website to keep tabs on all that is going on around the coast, such as spotting the leatherback turtles that visit Ireland every year. For more, or to order photographs, see www.marinedimensions. ie or call 01-2828876. Challenging Perceptions runs until March 11th. Nicoline Greer