Calling imaginative people - what did you get /do for mum's special birthday?

[janmoomoo]

My mums 70th coming up. What can I get her? Have any of you bought anything cool for your mum's special birthdays? Need inspiration.

She has loads of interests (painting, bird watching, strictly come dancing, travelling, sailing) but I have already bought her everything I can think of over the years. Need something original and different.

My sis bought West End tickets. Also a taster meal at Maze Gordon Ramsey's restaurant in London....I was jealous of those presents.

for my mum's 60th we took her away for the weekend to Edinburgh, no special present, just family around her and nice shops!

Her own rose?

For my mum's 50th (9 years ago) I booked a day off work for her, let her go in as usual and then went in and picked her up, whisked her to London for a lovely lunch and gave her tickets to see Phantom of the Opera, something she had always wanted to see. We had a fab day, really good to see my mum speechless for once!!!

a weekend at Champneys
Trip on the Orient Express
Booked a holiday for her and my dad ( which he paid for)

Is there a really nice 5* hotel near you? Most of them do afternoon tea which you can go to. We have a lovely luxury hotel near us and for mothers day we sometimes book this and then have a walk around the extensive grounds.

I got my mum a nintendo ds for xmas - she likes playing the brain training games and has picked it up really easily. My mum is in her 60's

RHS membership and tickets to the Chelsea flower show, you could go on members day then when the queen usually goes!!

How seriously is she into birdwatching?
Binoculars?
RSPB membership?
A birdwatching holiday, (Quite fancy Namibia myself!), "Limosa" does good wildlife guided tours abroad.

Some pet chickens?

City break?

For my mums 60th, we sent her up in a helicopter (with a pilot, of course!!, and she went all around the coast and saw places where she spent time as a child! She loved it. I think it cost around £90 for 30 minutes, but I have 4 siblings and we all shared the cost. What about that? We have a local aerodrome and they sometimes do special offers.

Wow! Thanks everyone, all good ideas. Nintendo is cool. Also helicopter ride would be fab. How do you find out where they do that? There must be one over London. Where did your mum do hers mulls?