70th birthday gift for a man

[flipnflap]

A family member is shortly to have his 70th birthday. Have any of you ever given or received successful 70th birthday gifts that you'd recommend. I don't want to say what hobbies / interests he has because I'd like an open range of suggestions. The budget could be several hundred quid.

[webbo3]

I'm getting this as one of my dads christmas presents,its only cheap so you can buy other things.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/1000-Unforgettable-Sen ior-Moments-Friedman/dp/076114076X



Dave.

[curiosity]

They may already have it but I got my dad sky+ installed and he loves it. If they like the garden there's some lovely sundials you can get with your own inscription on. This went down really well as a wedding present recently. If they haven't got one you could get them a PC with internet, we have a "silver surfers" course in our area, if you have one they are either free or very cheap you could sign them up for this to get them going. My colleague did this for her dad and it went down well.

[Iolanthe]

I know 70 would be a bit of a challenge, but for my son-in-law's 40th a few years ago, I bought him 40 different, relatively small, useful and not so useful gifts which he loved. I wrapped them all separately and packed them all in a laundry basket.

Over a period of a few weeks, he wrote me 40 different Thank You letters in reply which I still have, as they were very witty, and worth keeping. Apart from things he could keep, I bought things like Yorkshire tea bags (as he's a proud Yorkshireman), jar of honey, which he loves, a tin of venison pate, which all went down well.

One suggestion your family member might like could be to drive round Brand's Hatch, or somewhere similar. My husband treated me to this for my 60th, and I had a whale of a time. They do off-road driving as well as the race track.

I wouldn't particularly recommend a balloon flight as the weather is unpredictable, and my brother-in law had to have 6 changes of date before the weather was suitable.

Whatever you choose, I'm sure they'll love it!

[Pottyone]

If it was me I would try and think of something he might have said he wished he had done, whether that be a trip in a glider or helocopter or a place he hasn't been to. If you have a budget of several hundred then that may pay for a nice weekend away (if he has someone to go with). Giving him something like that to remember rather than a material item may be nice. Is he having a party? Could you organise a surprise party with your budget and invite some friends he hasn't seen for ages?

[Tups]

Be very careful it you decide on something adventurous. He may not want to do it or, worse still, he may do it for your sake but hate it! Do suss him out first before booking up a glider flight or a couple of laps around a racing circuit! He may prefer a chauffeur-driven ride in a vintage car. Much safer!

[Pottyone]

Thats an idea, you can hire really fast cars just for a weekend. I wonder if you can hire nice vintage ones.

[kita1]

I recently got a man of 70 + one of those little remote control helicopters. It kept him amused for hours! They are about 15-20 quid so very cost effective and can be flown indoors so no going out in the cold weather.

Everyone is a big kid at heart and part of the fascination was thinking how chuffed he would have been to have one when he was a kid.

[antony22882]

I would suggest a magnifying glass or reading aid, as at that age small print often becomes quite a challenge. They are available from many different online stores including this one: Magnifiers