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Wise words: Anyone fond of doggerel verse - and of the antics of Boris Johnson, the outspoken blond bombshell of a Conservative…

Wise words:Anyone fond of doggerel verse - and of the antics of Boris Johnson, the outspoken blond bombshell of a Conservative MP for Henley-on-Thames running for mayor of London - will get a laugh from the cautionary tale he has produced called The Perils of the Pushy Parents (Harper Press).

Sage advice includes:

"Maybe sometimes it's a sin
Trying to force our kids to win.
Maybe pushing them ahead
Helps to cheese them off instead.
Even if your life's a bitch
Watching all your friends get rich,
Isn't it a kind of cheat
Using children to compete?
Let them breathe and let them be;
Let's not live vicariously.
All the pushing that you do -
Who's it helping, them or you?"

Perfect gift potential, all year round. Might prevent you from starting
off the day as an atrocious nag. Patsey Murphy

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Get ahead:Shop till you drop in New York, then flop for a facial, makeover or hairdo at some of the city's swankiest salons for a fraction of their cost at home. Bumble and Bumble, a celebrity-frequented salon dubbed by New York magazine as "the arbiter of hipness", offers free hairdos by trainees. Make a beeline to 415 West 13th Street. (www.bumbleandbumble.com, tel 00-1-212-521-6500.) So does Aveda, at its academy, where experienced hairdressers come for professional retraining. The cut and highlights I received were by presided over by Aveda's international colour chief David Adams. To see the man the Guardian termed "the best colourist in the world" in his London salon would have cost at least €700. An alternative to sporadic academy events is the Aveda Institute, with year-round training, drop-in and by appointment on 233 Spring Street, SoHo, tel 00-1-212-807-1492. Orla O'Sullivan

Meet the artists:Artists and craft workers generally make their living by supplying galleries and gift shops. There are few opportunities for them to sell directly to their customers, and get their feedback. With this in mind, a group called "Artisans 12" has organised its own gift fair at the end of the month, in Tullow, Co Carlow. Artisans 12 was formed when a dozen artists and craft workers got together from five neighbouring counties - Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois and Wicklow. The artists hope to create a friendly atmosphere, where customers can meet them. In the new year they hope to plan future events countrywide. Work on exhibit will include textiles (above, by Bridgette Anderton), jewellery (pictured by Jackie Keilthy), ceramics, paintings (below by Trudi Doyle), wood sculptures, glassworks and candles. The "Artisans 12" gift fair is from Thursday, November 29th to Sunday, December 2nd; 9am-6pm Thursday to Saturday, and 11am-5pm on Sunday. Clare McCarthy

The giving gang:The Core Group is a circle of friends, families and business associates who came together to raise funds in response to African drought. Their events have focused awareness on and raised funds for a number of good causes, not just in Africa. On Thursday (November 22) they will host a night of entertainment in City Hall, in front of Dublin Castle, to raise money for Console, the suicide-prevention and bereavement-counselling group. Frances Black, Acabella and the Dublin Gospel Choir will perform, and drinks and nibbles will be provided. It's hoped the evening will help fund the development of a much-needed child psychology service for children bereaved through suicide. Tickets for the event, which starts at 7pm, cost €30 at the door. For details see www.console.ie or contact valeriefitzsimons@gmail.com. Clare McCarthy

Kiwi cadabra:Adventurers planning a trip to New Zealand should check out a new website called www.cadabra.com. It is designed to help first-time visitors and independent travellers plan itineraries in a country with many attractions, such as skiing in Queenstown or whale watching in Kaikoura, which have huge distances between them. It claims to be the first website in New Zealand that offers the traveller a one-stop shop where they can research, plan and book complex touring arrangements and multiple destinations within the country. Founder Graeme Frost launched the website after meeting an American couple on a 10-day trip they had researched and booked over the internet in New York that turned into a logistical nightmare. The site offers online users direct access to more than 1,000 accommodation options and 3,000 tourism service suppliers, as well as travellers' tips and ratings. Deirdre McQuillan

Santa lucia:Lucia van der Post was the founding editor of the wonderful "How to Spend It" column in the Financial Times, which later became a full-blown extravagant glossy full of her graceful flourishes and sound advice. "LvdP is on safari", her byline once read, and I've been keen to follow her travels ever since. From fashion to travel and general modern decorum, she's hard to beat, and she has just put together a rather old-fashioned compendium of tips for the harassed modern woman, on how to work and have a life, and look after relationships, children, home and friends. Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me (John Murray, €20) is packed with good ideas and, as she would put it, lessons in grace and elegance. Of course the shops and services she mentions are of use only to those living in or around London, but the advice is sound:

- Never take offence - only small people take offence.
- If it doesn't fit in the shop, it isn't going to fit when you get home.
- Never have anything to do with men who carry little purses.
- Don't do anything grudgingly. If you're going to do it, you might as well do it well.
- It's better to be clean and tidy less and read more.
- A great haircut is worth any number of dresses.
- Never go out with a man who doesn't make you laugh. Patsey Murphy

Under one roof:There's a lot to see in the National Gallery at the moment, so this is a good time of year to meet friends there for a stroll through the galleries. The vibrant exhibition of paintings from Poland remains in the Millennium Wing, but be sure to take in the smaller show of portraits in the Atrium - Catching a Likeness - Portraits on Paper, which features some borrowed and some of the gallery's collection by the likes of Ingres, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Paul Klee beside the work of Irish painters Sean Keating, Michael Kane, Muriel Brandt, and makes for a compelling show. It leads in well to another show of drawings by people who have attended art courses in the gallery (such as Sylvia Farrelly, who produced A Girl in a Red Dress, right) and the work of their tutors, including Mick O'Dea, Una Sealy and Donald Teskey. Have lunch, or take your favourite children along for a visit. Fine Christmas cards and gifts from the shop, too. Patsey Murphy

Great danes:The Blue Door in Naas is the kind of gift shop crammed with novelties that every town needs: first of all it has present potential for last-minute gifts for all ages. Secondly, if you've been once, you'll go twice, even if you live at the other end of the country, and, thirdly, it's the only place in the country where you can find Noorgavel furnishings made in Sweden. All in good Scandinavian taste, it has a great collection of furnishings and decorations for home, hearth and table, and is run with charm and enthusiasm by Eileen and Peter Kelly. We love these soft Danish blankets handprinted in felted wool, and will be back for reindeer table decorations come December, among other surprises. The Blue Door is on Wolfe Tone Street, Naas, Co Kildare, and is worth a detour. (045-901573). Patsey Murphy

Honest to goodness:A fire in Dublin's George's Street Arcade last year left Honest, the popular cafe run by Darragh Birkett and Martin Ansbro, completely burnt out and closed for several months. Now, a renovation is complete and the place has re-opened. The new room looks similar but different: orange, mustard, green and black remain predominant in the colour scheme, but with the addition of new banquette seating, and old-style chairs and tables. Thankfully, the food hasn't changed too much either. Everything is still deliciously straightforward, based around fresh, high-quality ingredients and great bread. Meats are bought at Smith's butchers around the corner; vegetables are picked up at the markets each day; breads are made each day on site, with chilli, olive oil and rosemary added to the mix. This is one of the best places in town to get a good wholesome breakfast or lunch. Eoin Lyons