What are you buying for your Dad? So hard to buy for parents!

[Chandeleria]

I normally spend somewhere between £20 and £35 on my Dad, but this year I'm stumped, totally stuck.

I can't do books, shirts, socks/slippers or wine because these have been done recently for him. I'm so stuck! He is early 60s, very outdoorsy, into long distance cycling, farming/small holding and quite techy (a silver surfer no less!).

The main problem is that they are fairly comfortable money-wise so anything they want (within reason) they have.

I'm stumped, I was thinking of a silver USB memory pen and then get it engraved but they are pretty pricey. The cheapest I can find is about £34 but its only a 1GB and I'd still have to pay to get it engraved. The 2GB and 4GB are over £40 and again, I would still need to get it engraved too.

Any ideas?

We've bought DFIL a Kangaroo back pack water thing for cycling (mind blank of proper name at the moment). He could easily buy it himself but it's the thought that counts right

Thats not a bad idea, I think he might have one but I could check.

It is the thought really, but my problem is that I am terrible at thinking of gifts, I can never think of what people might like. It not just for them either, if someone asks what I would like I can never think of anything either!

Same problem with my dad except he has no hobbies. Between my brother and I he's been given iPods, a DS, DVD recorders, wii and God knows what other gadgets, all a 5 minute wonder. He doesn't read, doesn't need clothes and is diabetic so can't even buy chocolate. I offered him a 5kg bag of xylitol (artificial sweetener good for diabetics in case you don't know) but he just laughed....

Me too help

I can't afford a yacht and he doesn't like the other normal dad things

That's the beauty of them having a hobby, especially cycling, you never have enough bike stuff according to DH. A big tub of chamois cream has been known to bring him a lot of pleasure LOL

Does he like music, bands, theatre, concerts, etc, to make tickets a good option?

Magazine subscription maybe?

I get my lancastrian dad a selection of yorkshire beers (I live in leeds)

running joke but he appreciates the effort I go to to source them