Need ideas for dad's birthday

willing2learn_3

Hi all

With SO much to fit in this week i don't know when i am able to get something for dad's birthday on thursday (i'm working all days and late nights!)......

anyway stress over....

got a long weekend so was thinking of doing something for him then. He's had a very stressful year, he will be 64 and he really needs something done for him.

However he has only one child, me, who has very little money!

On top of that i'm at a loss for ideas. More than a gift he needs an activity, an evening out or something. I would love to buy him flight tickets to ireland, as he has family there but i don't think that's possible at the moment.

Grateful for your thoughts :-)

Oldernotwiser

Ryanair has a sale on until midnight tonight with return tickets from Luton to Dublin for £10 including taxes. That might be cheap enough to fit the bill!

willing2learn_3

Oldernotwiser

Are you sure you are not wiser? Thanks for the tip. It actually got dad and i talking about the whole thing and although we are not going for that deal, it sparked other plans....so thanks! :-)

Curious_George_2

i know your sorted this time but for next time (or anyone else searching for ideas)
i was really broke last year around my dads birthday and ...well... hes the picky type, doesnt matter what i get him its not really good enough, or he doesnt need it, or hes got something similar etc.... *yawn* ive lost count of the times ive really tried and got him something ive put loads of thought and effort into and ive seen it round his flat sometime later still where he plonked it when he got in, unopened with an inch thick layer of dust and fag ash on it...

you get the idea ...its very difficult to get him something he will enjoy, especially with little money
SO..... i did a racing night, i sent him an invite we knocked up on the pc and got him one of those race night games http://www.amazon.co.uk/Host-Your-Race-Night-Horses/dp/B0006GVN18 we had nibbles and beer and me, him, OH and DD all had a great night of betting on the horse racing..
it was different and we all really enjoyed it (of course he complained afterwards that you cant really do it again cos you have watched the dvd.... oh well, cant win them all!)
my friend has a greyhound version... might borrow that as his birthday is coming up again!

mum2one

Curious_George wrote: »

i know your sorted this time but for next time (or anyone else searching for ideas)
i was really broke last year around my dads birthday and ...well... hes the picky type, doesnt matter what i get him its not really good enough, or he doesnt need it, or hes got something similar etc.... *yawn* ive lost count of the times ive really tried and got him something ive put loads of thought and effort into and ive seen it round his flat sometime later still where he plonked it when he got in, unopened with an inch thick layer of dust and fag ash on it...

you get the idea ...its very difficult to get him something he will enjoy, especially with little money
SO..... i did a racing night, i sent him an invite we knocked up on the pc and got him one of those race night games http://www.amazon.co.uk/Host-Your-Race-Night-Horses/dp/B0006GVN18 we had nibbles and beer and me, him, OH and DD all had a great night of betting on the horse racing..
it was different and we all really enjoyed it (of course he complained afterwards that you cant really do it again cos you have watched the dvd.... oh well, cant win them all!)
my friend has a greyhound version... might borrow that as his birthday is coming up again!

Love the raceing dvd idea.

Just a thought more for next yr, you mentioned activites, quick tip, dont prebuy the voucher, like Argos, Boots, Virgin, as usually their dearer and may have limited venues. I did activities for my dads special bdays.

60th - Went up in a light aircraft
65th - 4x4 off road experience (was £99)
inbetween - 2 hot air ballon trips - £140 (2005), last yr £147)
70th (last yr) - he had a 2 1/2hr rally experience £75
this yr - had a pleasure flight in helicopter, up for 5mins, £30

Just bit of shopping around, get better prices, the company we went through for rallying + 4x4, have 3 centres over the Uk, if you want their number etc or any other info pm me and if I can help I will.xx

Curious_George_2

and dont forget you can use clubcard vouchers for a lot of days out and activities too

willing2learn_3

Curious George

The race night sounds great i will definitely bookmark that one! Dad needs things that take him out of his stressed state, he's been stressed for so long he's forgetting how to chill! So a present, of something he doesn't really need doesn't cut the mustard!

Something active like this is great! Thanks again!

willing2learn_3

Hi mum2one!

Are you also mum to that cute dog in the photo? Thanks for all your ideas. I especially think dad would like the helicopter ride. Of course he's saying he doesn't need or want anything.......but he doesn't know what's good for him! LOL!

Did you surprise your dad with these things or did he choose them?

I actually said to him tonight that i'd seen some theatre tickets i thought he might like but they are for may next year.....he said he wants time to think but one of them did appeal, even if he had to wait. This is money saving still for me because my employer does discounts on theatre tickets.

hey i like this thread, great ideas!

mum2one

willing2learn wrote: »

Hi mum2one!

Are you also mum to that cute dog in the photo? Thanks for all your ideas. I especially think dad would like the helicopter ride. Of course he's saying he doesn't need or want anything.......but he doesn't know what's good for him! LOL!

Did you surprise your dad with these things or did he choose them?

I actually said to him tonight that i'd seen some theatre tickets i thought he might like but they are for may next year.....he said he wants time to think but one of them did appeal, even if he had to wait. This is money saving still for me because my employer does discounts on theatre tickets.

hey i like this thread, great ideas!

Hi
Could be me, I've used my dogs photo before.
Your dad is the same as mine, he always says he doesn't want anything, he knew about the airplane, had to ask, the hot air ballons he was asked the 1st time, he loved it, said he'd go again, the 2nd trip told him ngt b4.
The 4x4, and rally he didnt know to the day.

The helicopter he guessed the ngt before, not guessed, got told, we were watching an airshow, and he knew he was doing something as I had how much he weighed, he thought he was going in a go-kart, but watching the airshow, my dd pipes up, dadda, (she wont call him granddad), I'm going up in a helicopter, he just agreed, and next day (our trip), told him I wanted to go to a carboot, he gave me the car keys to drive myself, so kicked up a fuss, (the field where the helicopter went from was nxt dr to the carboot), as he pulled in, he saw the sign saying helicopter flights, dd and me went up as well, it was out of this world, he got to sit in the front with the pilot, wants to do it again nxt yr. We were on holiday in Devon.

xx

Curious_George_2

willing2learn wrote: »

Curious George

The race night sounds great i will definitely bookmark that one! Dad needs things that take him out of his stressed state, he's been stressed for so long he's forgetting how to chill! So a present, of something he doesn't really need doesn't cut the mustard!

Something active like this is great! Thanks again!

its a great night in, you all get to lay bets with the 'bookie' and by the end of the night we were cheering on our horses all the way to the finish line, and some of the horse names were hilarious...
i imagine you could pick one of these games up quite cheap on ebay, or you could borrow one for the evening.
dad loved it and so did my 7 year old DD,
it was easy to play and loads of laughs!

sarahs999

Loving the race night theme - my parents do that anyway at Rotary club so theyll love the idea of ne at home. I think there's an extra dvd you can buy with mre races on from what I just saw on amazon.