Compiled by Nicoline Greer
MAMA MIA Being pregnant these days sounds like so much fun. Okay, well, not fun exactly, but you have a very good excuse to get rubbed up the right way at the Pregnancy Store. They do Indian Head Massage, a deluxe pregnancy massage which is a full body massage, or a mini pregnancy massage, which goes straight to weary legs and sore feet. They also have what owner Dee McGoldrick calls the "calm after the storm massage", the "New Mama Massage". It all takes place on a special table with a hole to accommodate bumps. Parents can also learn how to massage their babies, which can help calm a child's emotions, aid digestion, relieve colic and wind, and make your baby love you forever. The Pregnancy Store, 53 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 (01-6718111, www.thepregnancystore.ie)
BRICK WORK If you are in full gardening mode by now, but don't want to muck up the earth as well as your fingernails, there are environmentally-friendly products out there. The Irish Peatland Conservation Council doesn't want us to redistribute the bogs of Ireland on our precious flowers. Its Grow Brics are a peat alternative and are made from 100 per cent recycled coconut fibres. Each brick makes 10 litres (a bucket full) of compost simply by adding water. You can use them for hanging baskets, window boxes, seed germination or propagating cuttings. €2.50 each. Order online at www.ipcc.ie or contact the IPCC shop through the Bog of Allen Project, Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co Kildare (045-860133) E-mail bogs@ipcc.ie
A GOOD RIBBING Get the wind in your hair and take a trip in a six-and-a-half-metre rib boat that can go long distances "on the whiff of an oily rag", according to Gail McAllister of the West Cork Sailing School. They go as far as the Fastnet, Bull Rock or the Skelligs on a calm day. When the sea is more lumpy, you won't get that far but the bumpy ride will get the adrenalin pumping. They also do powerboat courses where you can learn to drive the boat, or you can charter the boat and an instructor for up to five days and go exploring the parts of Ireland that you definitely wouldn't see on a road trip. They will take three people at a time. One hour: €100, half-day, €235 and a full day, €390. Rib Raid Adventure, West Cork Sailing School, The Boathouse, Adrigole, Beara, Co Cork (027-60132, info@westcorksailing.com, www.westcorksailing.com)
FULL OF HOT AIR Musicians, jugglers, singers, dancers, comedians, fire eaters and mime artists will take to the streets of Tullamore at noon today for one of the country's biggest busking and street entertainment competitions. It's part of Tullamore's Phoenix Festival, which also includes the Mór Music and Audiovisual Festival at Charleville Castle (see 7 things to do this week). The festival also includes hot air balloons to commemorate Ireland's first aviation disaster when a wayward balloon destroyed Tullamore town centre in 1785. Busking & Street Entertainment Competition, today, noon to 5 p.m., O'Connor Square & the Bridge Centre, Tullamore. Hot Air Balloons, Town Park, Tullamore, today and tomorrow from 6.30 p.m. (www.phoenixfestival.ie, 0506-24606)
MANGE TOUT Alain Ducasse's culinary philosophy sounds a little terrifying. It consists of "constant questioning and re-evaluating, while being vigilant in the selection of ingredients for taste and quality". But, then again, that's probably what has earned him Michelin stars, and why you might want to learn French cooking from him. Gourmet on Tour is starting weekends in a modern and expansive kitchen on the outskirts of Paris. Participants can stay just off the Champs-Elysées in Le Tremoille, which was built in 1883 and has received guests such as Charles de Gaulle, Orson Welles, Marlene Dietrich, Louis Armstrong and Johnny Depp. From €790 per person, Gourmet On Tour, Berkeley Square House, 2F Berkeley Square Mayfair, London W1J 6BD, (00-44-207-3965550, info@gourmetontour.com, www.gourmetontour.com)
CLICKETY-CLICK If you are one of the gazillions of people that have bought a digital camera lately, maybe it's time to see what you can do with it. The Gallery of Photography is offering four-week intensive courses in the brave new world of digital photography and imaging software. The course is designed for absolute beginners and experienced photographers entering the digital era. If you're still humming and hawing about whether to buy one, this is a good way to find out: they supply all the equipment including cameras, computers and scanners. The courses are very popular so book early. Course dates: Monday September 20th, Wednesday September 22nd, Monday October 22nd and Monday November 22nd. The course runs from 7-9.30 p.m. one night a week for four weeks and costs €180. Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 (01-6709293, gallery@irish-photography.com)
STEP TO IT McDonald's has a new adult happy meal as part of its latest drive to convince us that it is possible to eat healthily under the arches. The new "Go Active!" Meal contains a salad, a drink, a walking brochure and a Stepometer which, strapped to the waist, counts the wearer's steps. A whopping 10,000 steps a day is recommended by the three-time Polish Olympic gold medallist Robert Korzeniowski. You don't have to buy the whole meal and can pick up the handy Stepometer for just €2.50 until the end of the month. Róisín Ingle
TEEN TV Inspired by the brilliant Channel 4 series Wife Swap, an Irish TV production company is searching for teenagers to take place in a programme called Teen Trade. Teenagers from contrasting families will swap homes for a week to see how they cope. If it's anything like Wife Swap the results should make hilarious TV. Interested teens should check with their parents before contacting Stopwatch TV on 01-4100845. Róisín Ingle