I CAME, I SAW, I CONKERED The ground is littered with the shiny fruit of the horse chestnut tree. If you still dream of being the conker king, the seventh Irish Conker Championships take place in Freshford, Co Kilkenny next weekend. See www.irishconkerchampionship.com. Nicoline Greer
A PICTURE OF YOUR OWN Most of us don't really "get" art until we're older - despite having been dragged around various galleries as kids - but children's book illustrator Adrienne Geoghegan is determined to change that. She believes that young children's imaginations can be stimulated by pictures. She and her partner, artist Mark Neiland, noticed that their young son often chats about the art that they've filled their home with.
This encouraged the pair to launch My Very Own Picture, a company that provides art for children's rooms. "We hope that our art will inspire children to create their own stories and offer them a fresh perspective," says Adrienne. "They might see something new in a picture every day and the absence of words can often encourage truly creative storytelling."
The art is in limited edition prints on stretched canvas and starts at €100. The company is having a children's party and launch day (with clowns to provide some giggles) in the Ocean bar in the Millennium Tower at Charlotte Dock in Dublin's Docklands today from 2pm until 4pm, with 20 per cent off any purchase. See www.myveryownpicture.com or call 01-6776032 for details. Emma Cullinan
COOL FOR KIDS At last you dredge up the nerve to dress the baby in that extravagant gift from their godmother. Well, you don't need to be afraid of those kinds of clothes any more because a Dublin-based couple, Keith Feighery and Gillian Wynne, got so fed up with looking for something out of the ordinary for their own baby that they set up a bright and easy-to-use website, www.bababeag.ie, where just about every item of clothing, gift, toy or useful item is from a range that's either new to Ireland or not widely available.
Baby vests, gros and kimono tops by Bonnie Baby and Organics for Kids look soft and cosy, and clothes by Uju London and Turquaz for children up to eight years come in colours and prints you won't find in your local chain store.
Present ideas include a newborn gift set of organic cotton clothes (€41.95), a box of socks by Made in Heaven which comprises six pairs in the most dotey colours with clouds on them (€20), as well as photo albums, Pooki toys, picture frames and little blankets (€22). Joyce Hickey
SUPPORTING THE LIFEBOATS The ocean has always been a constant presence in our collective consciousness, since in Ireland we are never very far away from it. It's as powerful as it is constant, though tragically people drown every year in our waters.
This week, a fundraising CD for the Aran Islands lifeboat, which has been in operation for over 80 years, has been released. The Aran Islands Lifeboat Collection features both archival and contemporary recordings from islanders and musicians with a long association with Aran.
Among the 30 tracks are contributions from The Waterboys, Frankie Gavin, Steve Cooney, Vinnie Kilduff, Sean Watty Flaherty, Paddy Bergin and Lasairfhiona Ní Chonghaile. Many of the featured musicians will play at a concert tonight to launch the CD in the Cill Ronan Hotel on Inis Mor. Rosita Boland
SLOW DOWN, GO FURTHER You wake up to the sound of an alarm clock, you knock back an espresso, you pack the kids off to school, you check your e-mails, you look at what you have to do today and you realise you're already running late by 9.30am. Life is always speeding up, and there's never enough time. Sometimes, you just need to slow down - and the Slow Living movement offers an antidote to our collective haste with the simple advice to "Slow down and go further".
Inspired by the Slow Food movement that developed in Italy as a response to fast food outlets, the Slow Living movement is all about taking the time to evaluate what is important in life, and then taking the time to enjoy those things. Tomorrow, the Cultivate centre in Temple Bar is hosting Slow Down Sunday, which aims to promote the philosophy behind the movement.
"It's about encouraging people to take stock, and to take time over the important things," says Davie Philip from the Cultivate centre. "There is a slow cities movement now, and slow design, which puts an emphasis on human scale and ecofriendly design. Despite the connotations of the word, 'Slow' is now becoming a sign of quality - it's healthier, and natural. You engage with the local rather than the global."
"It's a value system rather than a lifestyle," says Fiona Corbett, who is involved with the Slow Food movement in Dublin. "You're more conscious of what you're eating, and how you spend your time. The people involved are very diverse, it's not just a group of groovy, relaxed people."
Events on the day include a meditative morning, from 11am, brunch from 1.30pm with talks and films on Slow Food and communities, and finally Being Human from 7.30, an evening of creative exploration featuring stretching exercises, dance and art projections. The day should set you up nicely for a less hurried week. See www.cultivate.ie for details on Slow Down Sunday, or www.slowfoodireland.com for information on the Slow Food movement. Davin O'Dwyer
THE ORIENT IN A JAR Today marks the beginning of Diwali, the six-day Hindu Festival of Light - a good time to put the new range of Sharwoods cook-in sauces from Sri Lanka, Nepal and Malaysia to the test. I'm not a big fan of ethnic sauces in jars, but there were two of the six new varieties I'd be happy to pass off as my own.
Rendang is a traditional wedding dish in Malaysia, explained Indian chef and product designer Munish Manocha, who served up the new range, without any additions or adaptations, at a lunch in Dublin this week. His Beef Rendang was a deeply aromatic dish, with lots of desiccated coconut adding texture and sweetness to the deep terracotta red sauce. Hariyo Masala, a Nepalese mint curry, worked well with lamb, and is also good with monkfish and vegetables, said Manocha, who has been cooking since he was 10. "My Dad's a Simon Cowell type; every dish I'd bring out, he'd say: 'That's crap; take it away.' "
At 20, having put in five years in the family firm, manufacturing and exporting bicycle parts, Manocha left for Switzerland, where he trained as a chef and left the bicycle business behind for good. He's currently developing a range of chilled sauces with a 18-day shelf life that will be available here early next year. The new Sharwoods sauces are available nationwide from branches of Tesco. Marie-Claire Digby
CANINE KIT AND FELINE FASHION Ever heard of the Bel Air Global Gallivanter? It's the latest luxury accessory for jet setters of the four-legged variety, comprising a travel case with a bed, passport holder, bowl, toy, collar and lead. It costs €1,450 in Muttugly, a new boutique "for cool cats and discerning dogs" on Charlemont Street, Dublin 2 (01-4759449, www.muttugly.com), conveniently located beside a veterinary clinic.
After acquiring Molly, a handsome beagle, owner Sinead Deegan left her marketing job to scour dog spas in the US, sourcing the best services and products for pet "parents" in Ireland. The shop has coats in fashionable tweeds, winter woollies, reflective waistcoats and rainwear at prices from €17.95 up to €80. Deirdre McQuillan
RETURN OF THE TEA PARTY
There are now as many speciality teas as there are coffees. The recently opened cafe Joy of Chá (10 East Essex St, Temple Bar) has a menu which runs to three pages and describes each tea as if it was a fine wine. With some 60 varieties available, you can choose from gunpowder tea, bad weather tea, sun fruit, ginger peach, Turkish apple and Japanese cherry, and they're also available loose (€4 per 100g).
In George's Street Arcade, Dublin 2, M&D Coffee and Tea sells fragrant speciality teas with top-quality ingredients. Choose from green tea with lemon, myrtle and ginger, orange tea with peel and blossoms, China mango or white tea. (€3-€5 per 50g). Fallon & Byrne also has a wide range, while Avoca's Friendship, Sleepy, Inspiration and Expectancy teas are designed to suit the occasions they describe (€6.95 per 60g). Eimear McKeith