Gift suggestions needed

My 60th is imminent (how the **** did that happen so quickly?). Helen
(wife) keeps asking me what she can buy me for a present. There isn't much
I want or need in terms of "things". Cars bikes etc are too expensive and
as for stuff like tools, garage equipment etc I'd rather buy my own. Apart
from bikes, computers and travel I don't have any hobbies. So...any
suggestions. My current thinking is along the lines of a voucher for an
off-road biking day or a track day. I am a novice in both departments but
not unduly cautious, e.g. I did a wheelie school a few months ago. Any good
suggestions for companies/venues who can do a gift voucher...or any other
novel ideas?

 

http://www.punternet.com/

simples.

 

For some reason she seemed less than enthusiastic about this option.

 

Failing approval by Helen of darsy's suggestion - flying lesson,
glider lesson, walk with wolves, dirty weekend in London including
Michelin * curry.

 

I'd go with the flying lesson idea: here are some more interesting
flying ideas:

Gyrocopter air experience filght (would be a bit chilly in winter
though)

R22 air experience flight

Tiger Moth trial lesson/air experience (chilly/needs fair weather)

Joy ride in a Dragon Rapide (needs fair weather)

Alternatively, if you prefer terra firma, I imagine there are various
tank driving centres or rally schools around the country.

 

I'ld love a gyrocopter, to have and to fly.
I know where there is one of those Wallis machines, lovingly cared for
in a kitchen in Portugal.


--
R100RT
Aprilia Pegaso 650 IE "The Flying Mythos"
Formerly: James Captain, A10, C15, B25, Dnepr M16 solo, R80/7, R100RT
(green!)
www.davidhowardjeweller.co.uk

 

The flying stuff is quite appealing. I don't care when I actually do it -
happy to wait until next year and better weather as long as she can give me
the ticket/voucher on the day. I will investigate further...

 

The Doctor bought me a rally school day, some yearts back.

Utter rip-off. Most of the day was spent plugging around on quad bikes
and Honda Pilot buggies, all of which were restricted. We got four laps
of (I kid you not) an airfield perimeter road in rear-wheel drive Toyota
Celicas and that was it.

It was shite. I suppose there must be some decent ones out there,
though.

 

Top tip. Forget the gift voucher idea, and ask her to go direct. I
bought The Doctor a light in a microlight once (which she loved) and
while we were there we noticed that trial flights were about two-thirds
the price paid forthe gift certificate.

And even then, you could haggle. The kids wanted a go and to prevent
civil war it had to be both or not at all, and so they agreed a price
for two back-to-back flights, first one kid and then the other.

The gift vouchers are appealing but all they are is some company making
a 50% mark-up.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, The Older

My club has stopped dealing with the voucher brigade, they're fucking
terrible payers. They now only accept direct bookings.

 

Ah. that does sound a bit shite.

I keep meaning to have a go, but it has to be on gravel or mud
..

 

Yep. I did this for Pat's flying and glider lessons. Google for a
convenient club. In our case both the clubs we found were happy to
give us their own "vouchers", valid for about a year.

 

Clearly a chef who has no need for a chopper.

Err. Oops, that kind of slipped out.

Why the kitchen? Big doors?

 

Welcome to the ukrm oldfarts club.
Time to buy a "sensible" bike.

 

You say that but you're quite old. Best het it done quickly.

 

+1 for an "UKRM does The fat duck".

Which would lead to another quintaessential "Hotels in London" thread, I
guess.

 

If you like snow, some place where you can ride snowbikes and take SWMBO on
a dog/larger animal sleigh tour. Better if body temperature is kept within
operating ranges with the help of local booze as a rule.

Serious off-road involves crashes, so does snowbiking. But snow happens to
be softer.

Also keep in mind:

- No countersteering. Direct steering and full throttle is the holy way to
go round corners.

- Ask for an individual session/day. You'll probably be 2.5x faster than
average people (yes).

 

I found this really hard to get the hang of when we went quad biking a
few weeks ago.

The guy running the tour said that bikers tend to find them harder to
get used to than non-bikers - and he wasn't wrong.

Once used to it, I found they could be drifted around bends quite
nicely, though.

 

I did a half day with one at Chipping Norton a few years ago. FWD rally-
spec Pumas, with a slalom set up on a large tarmac area and a short
purpose-built rally stage which was slippery as **** courtesy of some
bugger in a tanker driving round spraying water everywhere. Two sessions
on each and a lap as a passenger at the end of the day to see how it
should've been done.

The full day would have been better than the half day.

This year I did half a day's stock car racing in Birmingam. Four races,
8 laps each, in a shitty horrible Corsa with a dodgy gearbox. Good laugh
though.

 

Hmm. When I was dicking about on one earlier in the year, I found the
best way to get round a corner was whack the throttle open, countersteer
hard and drift it. Direct steering just made it feel like it was going
to roll over.