It’s my dad’s birthday next month and I’m trying to decide on the best birthday gift for him. He’s always had a bit of an obsession with war-related topics (he loves war movies, loves war computer games and has always dreamed of being a tank driver!) so I thought I’d make some of his “dreams” come true this year.

One of my friends recommended an Air Rifle Shooting experience which takes place in a real war bunker. That will give him (and other war enthusiasts) the opportunity to find out what it would have been like to be in the frontlines in enemy territory! My friend Alex went on this experience and he says that it really gives you a good insight into something that you ordinarily wouldn’t be able to experience. That is, it puts in you in the front lines of a battle-zone without putting you in harm’s way. Gives me the peace of mind I need as far as my dad is concerned!

The other experience that I’m considering getting him is a Tank Driving Day where he’ll be able to drive a real military tank around a professional tank-built course. I’ve bought this experience for someone else and that guy can’t stop talking about, so I’m sure it’s a winner Also, considering the fact that my dad’s always wanted to be a tank operator, this would be just up his street.

Treat your dad to a fun day activity and make this a birthday to remember! I’ve still got some time to decide but I think I’m leaning towards the tank driving… Let me know what you think!

When I was growing up as a little girl I always used to get my dad the same thing every father’s day – books on fishing and savoury snacks. Heaven knows how I came to choose that combination. Now that I come to think about it, my  mom still gives her dad the same thing every year too – five pairs of black socks. Hmm.

A quick and rather humorous phone-call to some friends revealed the same results:  Lydia buys her dad lighter fluid every year (!!), Eva takes her dad out for dinner, and Kim always buys her dad a new tie. He must have a lot of ties. But the point is this: why are we so set in our gift traditions? I strive to make everybody’s birthdays extra special with a unique gift that nobody was expecting, so why is Father’s day exempt from this?

A quick visit to wikipedia tells me that Father’s Day seems to be a relatively new thing – the first ‘official’ day was observed only 100 years ago. And, believe it or not, it was started by a daughter.

But that still doesn’t explain why I’m still searching for fishing books. I think this year I’m going to break the little tradition in our family and face the fact that my father has a whole shelf of books on fishing but hasn’t been out on a boat for at least the last ten years. I think this year I’m going to stop and think about what he’d really like.

Funny enough, he likes cooking. He always says he’s the Jamie Oliver of our kitchen back home. I can work with that. What about a cooking course? There’s one that my friend recommended to me – a market-fresh cooking course. Basically, you go out to the fresh-produce market with the chef who then guides you through the different veggies and other produce. Then you buy everything you like and go back to the kitchen where the chef shows you how to cook it…

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Kim made some weird seafood dish (yuck!) but I’m sure you can choose your ingredients according to your own personal tastes.

This year, why don’t you make a concerted effort to get your dad something he’d actually want? Whether it’s a flying lesson, a Lamborghini track day or even a cooking course. At least it won’t end up on the shelf next to the last year’s gift!