The annual help a useless man find a gift for his wife thread

[Carleatspeas]

Hello Mumsnetters,

Me again with my annual thread looking for gift advice for my wife. In return, I will give top tips on male gifts (no we don't want cheap cycling gear. Yes we do want expensive hiking boots).

My wife (46, outdoorsy, dog loving) has had a rough few months with the passing of her father, so I'm keen to get her something special. Holidays are out as we have one booked in Feb. All I have to work with this year is that she seemingly loves everything from Wolf and Badger, likes Penhalligon's perfume and I have a note in my phone that says "Rosa's T Gloves" but no idea what it means. Only that I made a note of it when she mentioned them at some point...

Help!

I'd also like an inflatable kayak. A mid range one, not a cheapo supermarket one. Something like a Decathlon Itiwit. Easy to take with you on a day out, pop it into the water and paddle away from the crowds. You could team it with a buoyancy aid for the dog.

Failing that, just get her a horse 😆

A gift that was very well received by me was a paddle board. Do you think she might like that?

Exclusively

oooooh, binoculars is a really good idea.

They are so lovely. Very warm.

Earrings are usually a safe bet. You must know if she prefers yellow gold, white gold, platinum or silver and studs or dangles. Just look in her jewelry box to see her style then get something similar but not the same. If you want to get her a ring you need to know her ring size. I've got a few rings in my jewelry box that no longer fit but I doubt DH would know that. Rings are very expensive so you want to be sure she'll love it. I'd take her to choose a ring. Then she'll get one she loves.

If she wears make up Victoria Beckham and Urban Decay eyeliner pencils are getting a lot of love over on the Style & Beauty threads and would make a good stocking filler. Although lots of colours to choose from so you'd need to have an idea of what colour she'd wear.

Posh cashmere shooting socks to go in the Le Chameau wellies?

I love mine! They are so cosy. That's a good present. The nearly new cashmere company do similar too

Ref outdoorsy, Paramo smock. Love mine.

What about a very fine cashmere wrap? The Travel Wrap Company do them although you may find something similar that is cheaper elsewhere!

If you are based in the forest, as suggested by your post above, I think a gift card for Limewood, Chewts, Carey's would be fab.

Or, off base completely, how about a classy, comfy garden lounger? Welly socks, hand warmers, rechargeable hot water bottle (have seen stoov advertised a lot and they look fab), kindle, Apple Watch,
print by a local artist for somewhere meaningful?

@Carleatspeas sorry to resurrect this thread but can you please help us out with the much promised male ideas?

I checked back and was disappointed you hadn’t kept up your end of the bargain 😉

Leuchtturm notebook
Tree for the garden
Indoor plants if she's into them?
Chocolates from Dark Sugars
Nice wine or her favourite drink
A book you think she'd like (get a gift receipt?)
Spotify premium if she likes music
Great coffee

Would also love some men's suggestions.

@ShirleyPhallus ah, I hadn’t actually realised they were suede! You’re definitely right! I also stand corrected on the grip. I still think they look cute but yeah, not the most practical.

If she likes make-up these are supposed to be good but you’d need to ask the sales assistant for advice on which one to get for her skin tone.

https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/beauty/make-up/?fs_alp_id=70492621&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7KHTrp7uggMVV5ZQBh3RiQcDEAQYASABEgIJyfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Re: a ring I agree it’s often a big investment and often best chosen by the person who is going to wear it, although I personally love when someone I love makes the effort to pick out something for me, it’s important to either get it right or make sure it’s returnable/exchangeable though and allow them to be brutally honest about it without upset if they hate it and will never actually wear it!

I remember you!

Can you get Space NK to make a gift box of full sized Bum Bum products?

Does she ever admire jewellery on anyone on TV that you could track down? Eg Kirsty Allsop often wears earrings like these . The same jeweller also has a lovely selection of rings if you can narrow down a style

Well, I've asked for a ring which I can use to pay for things, but also to unlock and turn on my car. It's a Smart ring called Cnick.

Merino base layers for sporty types - you can even get these from Aldi or spend a fortune elsewhere if you wish.

Nikka from the barrel Whisky is my favourite

A micro plane for cheffy types

Bullet blenders for healthy types

Quality roll top waterproof backpacks for cyclists/ commuters.

Thank you @Carleatspeas !! Some great ideas here 👍🏼