Fathers Day 2015

Fathers Day is upon us already next month, on the 21st June 2015 to be precise.

Doesn't time just seem to go by ever faster as you get older? I am sure Mothers Day was only a mere blink ago? With that in mind I thought that it would be great to share my favourite gift ideas for those special men in our lives, our own Dad's, our Granddads and of course, the Dad's who have helped us raise our little people.

Is it me or does it get harder each year to find that perfect Fathers Day Gift? I mean what do you by the man that has everything? I know it doesn't come down to that one day, and we should show those we care about each and every day of the year, but lets face it. It's nice to dedicate one whole day, just like you would a birthday.

Luke and I are pretty into our fitness these days, and we enjoy adding herbs for a bit of natural flavour to our meals. So when I saw the Desktop Herb Garden from Bluw, I thought it was a quirky but rather super idea. When I say desktop garden, that's exactly what I mean. You set it up on your desk, be it at home or in the office and there it sits, growing for your lunchtime necessities or even for a cup of herbal tea!

The Bluw Herb Garden retails at 12.99.

Is it me or do we all seem to misplace our keys? I for one have lost count of the times that I have tidied them away into the fridge... Left them on the roof of the car after trying to haul one to many bags of shopping into the house in one trip. Then there's my other half.. He is always losing his set. That's exactly where the Fetch My Keys Key Finder from Getting Personal comes in so handy. By simply whistling it sets off a beeper inside the dog shaped key ring.

It causes the dog's nose to flash and through the whistling and the flashing it helps guide you to the round about vicinity of where they are hiding! Great if you have dropped them down the side of the sofa, or you have...Accidentally placed them in the fridge! The Fetch My Keys Key Finder retails at £6.99 and will really make your Dad thankful this Fathers Day!

Many parents get a token gift from their little one before they are old enough to do so for themselves, and I thought that this next gift was a great idea. The Man Mug. It just screams out to be purchased for that Dad in your life who is either a big tea or coffee drinker. Now Leo's Daddy is both of those (although newly converted coffee drinker!) but an avid Green Tea consumer. 

It's a monster of a mug, and absolutely perfect to keep around the work site. As a carpenter this mug has certainly fitted in and makes the perfect 'builders brew'. It boasts a chunky saw-style handle with a built in spirit level (I actually LOVE this!) and even ruler measurements. Not to mention that the handle even has room to store the included pencil. What more could a Dad want!?

The Man mug retails at £11.99 from Getting Personal.

Now you have the perfect man mug, why not put it with their favourite coffee syrups so that they can enjoy their favourite flavours at home? The Monin Coffee Syrups are the flavourings you find in all of the tastiest Costa Coffee's, so even if you intentionally purchase them for 'him', you know that ultimately you will be helping to share them!

You can pick the miniature gift set up with 5 delicious flavourings:

- Caramel Syrup

- Vanilla Syrup

- Hazelnut Syrup

- Gingerbread Syrup

- Chocolate Cookie Syrup

The gift pack that retails at £6.95 from Tesco even comes with 2 limited edition coffee stencils. Imagine that in the other half's man mug!

While were on the beverage subject, why not treat Dad to some revolutionary beer? BREWDOG Beer to be exact. BREWDOG are on a mission to brew world class craft beer, and I have to admit that we really enjoyed the bottles that we were sent over to try. I am not usually a beer drinker, but they were a real treat. I did have to share them with Luke.. But that was only fair right?

You can view the headlining brews over on their website.

Of course if your other half's or Dad is anything like mine, you may have a adrenaline junkie on your hands in which case look no further than into the blue experience days! They have a great selection of experience days that would make the perfect gift for Fathers Day, from driving days such as Tank and Train driving to Monster Trucks and Segway. If driving isn't what you had in mind what about water sports? pampering or even flying!?

I may have to add an experience day in for Luke this Fathers Day, or maybe even his birthday!

In a day an age where everyone owns a smart phone, we are all looking for ways to keep them protected and looking their best. Luke is usually sporting a cracked screen after yet another unexpected moment where it either falls out of his pocket, or takes a leap of faith.. In fact over Christmas he must have got bored of dropping his iPhone 5, and decided to test out my shiny new 6+! I am sure you can imagine how I felt about my phone casualty so soon after the release! Barbour International have a very stylish range of phone cases available, and with Luke being a motorcycle fan, this is sure to score me some big brownie points! The cases have been crafted using Barbour Internationals very own prints, materials and trims in order to really add a touch of biker cool to your phones protection.

Luxury features of the biker inspired phone case:

- Barbour International iPhone 5S Covers in Dark Blue or Dark Brown Slimline Protective

- Soft microfibre lining for iPhone screen protection

- Deboss Barbour International logo

- Compatible with iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S

The Barbour International Slimline Protective Case retails at £24.95.

Having been nothing but a iPhone user for many years I was intrigued to put the Nokia Lumia 640 through it's paces. Opening up the box I was impressed by the size and impressive colour of the casing. Being a vibrant colour, it certainly let me know that the Lumia had now entered the room. It took me a few minutes to work out what I was doing, merely because it was so new to me. After I had signed in using my Microsoft account I was pretty much up and running. I took the time to install the apps that I use the most, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the likes so that I could get a real feel for the phone.

Once I got used to the interface I found it simple to operate and navigate around. I was particularly impressed by Cortana and just how efficient it (or should I say she!?) was to use, especially in direct comparison with Siri, who I don't tend to optimise on any level. Cortana even helped me personalise my likes and interests into the phone so that it could provide relevant news directly into my feed. Cortana can even call your friends, help you keep track of things that you need to do (my other half needs Cortana in his life for sure!), setting alarms and just being an overall useful assistant.

What I really love on the Lumia is the 8 megapixel camera paired with the LED flash, it's a great combination to get some great snaps. I have actually really enjoyed using the Lumia and this is based primarily on the camera. It has a handy editing function that allows you to crop, frame, add filters and really spruce your creations up.

The Key features of the Lumia 640 are:

5-inch HD display

8MP camera for great photos

4G connectivity for superfast internet browsing

The Lumia 640 can be purchased from Microsoft on Pay As You Go for £109.99 or Sim Free for £129.99. That's a whole lot of phone for the price tag. 

Nothing says thank you for all you do than gifting that special man in your life a new electric razor. The Braun Series 5 is a great example of the ultimate gift this Fathers Day. Retailing at £199.99 it's a luxury gift and one that is sure to make your Dad's day. 

The Series 5 is equipped with a unique combination of power and precision for uncompromising performance without sacrificing on skin comfort. While the FlexMotionTec delivers significantly more skin contact in problem areas for efficient shaving with less skin pressure, the PowerDrive supplies 20% more motor power than before, for high speed cutting even on dense hair meaning that this raazor promises a smooth ride from start to finish. 

Braun Series 5 Features:

-New FlexMotionTec of braun Series 5 electric shaver 5070cc delivers efficient shaving results with less pressure, minimizing skin irritation.

- Patented UltraActiveLift effectively lifts and cuts problem hairs in fewer strokes. 

- New PowerDrive with 20% more power for high speed cutting even on dense hair. 

- CrossHair blade captures stubborn hairs for outstanding closeness that lasts. 

- New design automatic Clean&Charge station, it cleans, charges and lubricates at the touch of a button--so your shaver feels like new every day.

Amazon currently have the Braun Series 5 available for £113.28 at the point of publishing this guide.

Happy gift hunting everyone!