Early Retirement Rocks

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Gift Guide

Fathers Day gift guide 2020 – online gifts

Blog post title fathers day

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Fathers Day gift guide

Fathers Day is looming, yes its that time again! I thought I would create a fathers day gift guide. I don’t know about you but I would not have got through lockdown without Amazon. It helped me stay at home and still be occupied. I managed to redecorate my home office, celebrate VE day and try out new recipes and have birthday gifts delivered to family members by having goods delivered. I fully appreciate every single member of Amazon’s team who made this happen for me.  All my deliveries were delivered promptly and the delivery staff maintained social distancing.

Shops in the UK are set to reopen next week meaning you can go out and purchase gifts. But if queuing and social distancing puts you off are you wish to continue shielding or staying at home let me make some suggestions that may help you. These are products that I think the men in my life would enjoy, especially as I am possibly the same ago or older than your dad.

Monty Don gardening book. Monty Don is the regular presenter on Gardeners World and a popular figure. Written as he talks, this is Monty Don right beside you in the garden, challenging norms and sharing his advice based on years of experience.

A personalised sign for his garden shed or bar. My brother in law has made a homemade bar during lockdown and loves it, he has a personalised sign. If your dad doesn’t have his won bar, and let’s face not many do, he may enjoy having a sign on his shed. A personal gift for Fathers Day.

 

An outdoor wildlife Infrared camera unusual I know but often Dad’s have a lot of things they need and as we get older we like to take up different hobbies or pastimes. I have become so interested in my garden and looking at the birds and hoping for a hedgehog. I am fascinated by viewing these night time videos on social media. It’s not a cheap gift but maybe it could be a joint present, and could provide hours of interest. Surprise him this fathers day.

Fathers Day Gift Guide 2020

Here’s a lovely gift – reusable ice cubes – these are gold coloured cubes and come in a presentation box. A real indulgent gift that can help him enjoy his favourite drink or impress his friends.

If gold is a bit too much how about granite?

Extra large drinks cooler – this is great for staying home in the garden, perfect for beer and wine, also doubles as a punch bowl. Great for the man who entertains at home.

If he’s into DIY this magnetic wristband is fabulous – stops screws and nails etc annoyingly falling on the floor at the crucial moment.

 

If he loves cooking especially steaks and meats a food thermometer could be good. A gadget that not many people buy for themselves but would use if they had it.


How about a ManTin that you can fill with his favourite chocolate, snacks, coffees or tea. Then he can use it for storage afterwards.

And finally an Amazon gift card is always useful so he can choose his own gift. The beauty of these as they can be given as a card or sent electronically. Perfect if you do not live close by.

That seems to be quite a comprehensive list of choices. I hope I’ve provided you with some ideas and inspiration for the men in your life this fathers day.

Thanks for popping in today. I appreciate it.

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Ring Tyre Inflator – Car Gadgets Product Review

 

Image of a blue car with a blog post title

Disclaimer – The car gadget I am reviewing was gifted to me  – the Ring Tyre Inflator. However this has not influenced my review and opinion of the product. My review is completely impartial

Ring Tyre Inflator packaging

This product, The Ring Tyre Inflator,  was gifted to me for review prior to my brothers illness last year and this review has been delayed. The plus side to this though is that I have had quite a few opportunities to use it.

Owning a car is a great thing enabling travel in your own space, for convenience and  making shopping easier. However I don’t know if you are like me but there are 2 maintenance tasks that I try and avoid – they are

  1. Filling up with petrol
  2. Putting air in the tyres.

I ma educated to Masters Level but putting air in tyres is a skill that has passed me by, I leave it to Mr Fitz. I’m a little ashamed of this as I like to be fully independent. And secretly I did worry that in an emergency I would be a little lost.

Therefore when I was offered the kind opportunity to try the Ring Tyre Inflator, I jumped at the chance.

The company provided me with excellent supporting information about the product

You may or may not be aware that under or over-inflated tyres can reduce the maneuverability of a vehicle, causing your tyres to wear more quickly. This will reduce the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, increasing both fuel costs and CO 2 emissions.

Not great.

But with a tyre inflator you can drive more safely on the roads and reduce costs, as better tyre care means fewer trips to the garage!

As you will see, the team here at Ring have worked hard on the new design of the RTC1000 to provide a large digital screen for easy reading; an LED light to make it simpler to inflate at night; a flat bottom to keep the product stable; dust cap valve holder to stop them rolling around while inflating and integrated storage for the cable and airline, to keep the product neat and tidy when not in use.

But, the inflator is about so much more than its appearance, it has top inflation speeds (0-35PSI in just 2 mins) to make tyre care easier and quicker; has a set auto stop to guarantee accurate inflation and the ability to store
the set pressure ready for next time you use it.

Powered from the in-car 12V socket, it has a long 3.5m cable to help reach tyres all around the vehicle, comes with storage case and three-piece adaptor kit, and includes spare valve caps and latex gloves.

So, with all that to take in, what do our experts say?

Lizzy Sebine, Tyre Care Product Manager at Ring, says: “As tyre care is a car maintenance essential for drivers, we want to make it as easy and quick as possible. Excellent inflation speeds are essential for a tyre inflator, but so is ease of use for the motorist. We’ve taken a fresh look at our design to make sure that it’s easy to see
results, illuminate the tyre and even to make sure dust caps don’t get lost during use.”
Carney continues: “Around 40% of traffic accidents in the UK that are caused by vehicle defects are tyre related. This shows that poor tyre maintenance is clearly leading to increased risk for drivers and their passengers. Plus, new MOT rules implemented in May 2018 state that a car can fail its MOT if the tyres are obviously underinflated. There has never been a better time for motorists to invest in tyre maintenance.”

Ring Tyre Inflator

So with this information to hand I went ahead and used the Ring Tyre Inflator at home on my car. It was so simple to use! Instructions were clear – you read the tyre pressure printed on your tyre and enter it into the machine and it then automatically inflates to the correct pressure. So, so easy.

The Ring Tyre Inflator is small, light and compact and now sits in the boot of my car.

back of box for ring tyre inflator

This was a godsend when a couple of months ago I had gone to visit a family member and when getting in my car I noticed I had what looked like a flat tyre. I was able to get the Ring Tyre Inflator out of the boot and reinflate it. I was then able to safely get to a garage and have the tyre checked – there was in fact a screw embedded in the tyre and I was able to get a replacement fitted. This helped keep me safe on the road.

I would highly recommend this – it is so easy and convenient and could avoid having to call out your car rescue service, which can often mean a wait to be seen.

I would really like to thank Lucy for giving me this opportunity.

What are your hates about driving or any other maintenance job? I’d love to read your comments

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What to buy your dad, grandad or uncle this Christmas

Christmas gift guide for dad Grandad or uncle

What to buy the older men in your life is often the most difficult question you have to answer whilst Christmas shopping. They often tend to be minimalist in their possessions and often set in their ways.  They mumble ‘oh don’t get me anything’ or end up with a bottle of their favourite tipple. There is nothing wrong with that as a present but if you are looking for something different maybe I can provide some inspiration. As I am married to a 60 year old and have a brother of 70 and nephews around the age of 40 I’ve had experience of living with the likes and wants of the Grumpy Old Man!

I’ll start with socks, I know that buying socks is a bit of a joke but you know good socks really are important to men as they mature, in the same way that comfy shoes are to women. My husband has strange feet, I know too much information! Socks form holes within 2 or 3 times of wearing. I was given a pair of these Blueguard Anti-Abrasion Durability Socks for him to trial and they are indestructible and comfortable too. 3 years now and not a sign of wear. My brother has some too and loves them. In fact my brother once said that he would rather have 2 good pairs of socks rather than many of poor quality. I highly recommend them. A bargain at £7.99 – £11.99

These are virtually indestructible socks for men

Blue Guard socks

If you have read my gift guide for the mature women you will have seen that I recommended packing cubes for the lady who likes to travel. I think the same gift is appropriate for the man who likes to travel too. Even if they are only for the lady in their life to use for them! Mature men often have a larger disposable income to spend on holidays and travel. I think these make a great gift if your relative or loved one fits this category. These ones fit the bill nicely at around £20 Packing Cubes Travel Organizer Mesh Bags

 

Packing cubes are a fabulous Christmas gift

Packing cubes

What to buy the guy who is a gadget freak or even if they only have a couple of items such as their phone and ipad there are cables to be used for charging and travel. This Cable Organiser at around £12.49 is a useful gift and often not something they will purchase.

Cable Organiser

Of course there is always the gift of a voucher if you are totally at a loss what to buy, Most men would love an Amazon gift voucher they can be bought online or sent as an e voucher. This provides them with the choice of thousands of gifts.

The next gift appears quite basic but men have to shave and if they prefer a wet shave they are very particular about the quality of razor they use. However replacement blades work out expensive. This Gillette Shaving set   is a nice gift with many replacement blades which will keep on giving long into the New Year for around £32

Image for gillette proshield gift set

Gillette shaving set

 

Most mature men tend to wear belts with their trousers. Therefore a good leather belt like this one in a presentation box for under £20 is something they may like and wear often.

Quality leather belt

I’ve already suggested one idea what to buy them If they travel a lot how about a Travel toiletries kit at £25.99 contains 13 travel size toiletries ready to go and suitable for carry on luggage. Everything they need for a holiday/

Travel Toiletries set

If your man wears a hat in winter for running or walking how about a wonter hat with speakers and blue tooth connection for under £15 Winter hat with bluetooth connection and speakers 

Winter hat with blue tooth speakers

If the male in your life loves novelties or has everything how about a novelty Garden Gnome in football teams colours they can be bought wearing the colours of his favourite football team again under £20. Being a passionate Manchester City fan I’ve illustrated a gnome in my teams colours but many more are available.

Official Licensed Manchester City Garden Gnome

A novelty garden gnome in your football clubs colours

 

If you want to splash the cash how about some luggage, especially a wheeled carry on case for around £60 Carry on wheeled suitcase 

 

Well, thanks for looking and I hope I’ve helped and provided some inspiration. If your looking for something for the mature female relative or friend take a look at my gift guide for the mature female in your life.

If you like anything or have your own suggestions then I’d love to hear from you please comment or email me

 

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