BACHELOR GIRLS: Consider the massive liberation of having the house to yourself, if only for a few hours, and then consider the allure of the single life.
Of course, living alone has its pitfalls, not least those rogue attacks of loneliness, but here is a charming guide to living the solitary life with style. Live Alone and Like It, by Marjorie Hillis, was first published in 1936, when she was a New York-based writer for Vogue.
It's got that kind of pre-war pep: think of Katherine Hepburn in Front Page and the bold generation of women joining the workforce for the first time. Thus it tells you how many negligees you should have; how to prepare a supper tray, what to stock in your cocktail cabinet.
But at the centre of this cherishable book are matters of the heart. She approves of the woman who has "a standing arrangement with a near-sighted professor who has a wife in a sanitarium" but she is searingly aware of the "thousand little shabbinesses and humiliation" and nervous "wear and tear" that beset the single woman's heart.
But self-pity is to be avoided at all costs; Ms Hillis has all the antidotes. It's a chirpy little book, a thousand times more entertaining than your average Noughties self-help manual. - Patsey Murphy
Live Alone and Like It, by Marjorie Hillis, is published by Virago, €14.40.
IN THE SHED: In recent years, Ireland has sprouted a crop of small, independent nurseries, often run from their owners' back gardens. The Potting Shed in Co Wexford specialises in newly-introduced and rare perennials and grasses. If you hankered after a plant at Chelsea, you may well find it here - including the ultra-chic, deep-red astrantias 'Abbey Road' and 'Gill Richardson'. The New York series of blowsy oriental poppies is also here - 'Brooklyn', 'Manhattan' and 'Harlem' - as well as a host of hardy geraniums, dangly dieramas (see picture), and scores of other covetable plants. The nursery opens for its fourth season on March 23rd. If you can't make it to Wexford, find the stall each Saturday at Malahide farmers' market (from March 26th), and on Fridays at Leopardstown Racecourse (from April 1st). - Jane Powers
The Potting Shed, Bolinaspick, Camolin, Co Wexford is open Wednesday to Saturday, 11am-6pm and Sunday, 2-6pm, 054-83629, www.camolinpottingshed.com.
LOOKING FOR A NEW HOUSE: House Hunters, the RTÉ television programme that helps people find a suitable home to buy, is looking for participants for the new series. Specifically, they want people from the west, north and midlands who have finance in place and their mortgage approved. Ideally, the properties they are looking for should present a challenge. For example, somewhere that will double as a workspace, or a young person buying with other family members. Call the House Hunters team on 01-6170480 for more details, but be quick, they're making a final selection next week. - Eoin Lyons
FIRST STEPS: Little Feet children's shoe shop recently opened an outlet in Greystones, Co Wicklow, in addition to the two shops in Sandymount, Dublin 4 and Sandycove, Co Dublin. They stock a wide range of the reasonably priced Start-Rite and Ricosta Brands, as well as the groovy Oilily and Mod8 (pictured). They also stock Shoo Shoos, which are made in South Africa by entrepreneurs who have been given start-up support.
The soft leather shoes feature little motifs of cars, flowers, puppies and elephants. The shops themselves are designed with children in mind: the zebra, giraffe and sheep chairs will have kids trying on shoes with no complaints, while the books and toys in the shops will keep those not in the running for a new pair of shoes occupied. Littlefeet Children's Footwear, 49 Sandycove Road, Sandycove, Co Dublin, 01-2802767; Sandymount Green, Dublin 4, 01-6144744; Meridien Point Shopping Centre, Greystones, Co Wicklow, 01-2016224. - Nicoline Greer
TAKE OFF: How does an all-expenses paid trip to Japan, Ecuador, India, Morocco or Russia sound? These are the destinations to which The Experiment in International Living (EIL), a Cork-based not-for-profit organisation, is offering cultural adventures to this summer. The Japan and Ecuador trips are aimed at secondary-school students. The student who goes to Japan will spend time in a Japanese school, getting to grips with Japanese sports. The visitor to Ecuador will work on a community project and trek for five days in the Amazon rainforest. The Moroccan and Russian trips are aimed at third-level students. In Morocco, the student will learn about the country's diverse religions, while the St Petersburg trip is language-based. The seven weeks in India aren't confined to students, and the person selected will work on community projects. Entries need to be in by March 24th, and you can get details on how to enter from EIL Intercultural Learning, 1 Empress Place, Summerhill North, Cork, 021-4551535, Lo-call 1850 292939, www.eilireland.org. - Nicoline Greer
NEIGHBOURHOODIES: Show your pride in your area with a hoodie, T-shirt or bag from Neighborhoodies. This Brooklyn-based company prints hoodies, T-shirts and even underwear emblazoned with the names of urban districts all over the world, from New York's five boroughs to, yes, the suburbs of Dublin (my pink-letters-on-charcoal Drumcondra hoodie is currently in the post). Dublin is the only Irish city whose districts are currently listed in their catalogue, but if you want to display your love of Montenotte or Salthill, or if you just want a random, non-geographical slogan, don't worry. "You can have anything you want stitched across your chest - any hometown, any neighborhood, any word or number or kooky inside joke," says the company's website. To get stitched up, go to www.neighborhoodies.com. - Anna Carey
SLIGHTLY FOXED: In a world of dry, stuffy literary journals, the delightful Slightly Foxed is like a breath of fresh air. Billing itself as "the real reader's quarterly", this lively literary magazine aims to introduce readers to books and authors they might have overlooked or forgotten, and its contributors' love of reading shines through on every page. In every elegantly produced issue, writers such as Adele Geras, Michele Hanson and Emma Tennant wax lyrical about books they love, from the works of William Maxwell to the ghost stories of M.R. James. And with its high-quality paper and charming illustrations, it is a pleasure to look at as well as to read. Order a subscription or a sample issue at www.foxedquarterly.com. - Anna Carey