Mother’s Day gift list 2022
After a long, gloomy winter we’re looking forward to getting out into the fresh air again. And this year’s Mother’s Day gift guide is all about enjoying the outdoors – whether at home, on holiday or on days out.
As ever, our list is focused on presents that would be appreciated by senior mums, who are ready to enjoy their retirement years. The ideas could suit anyone of any age though.
I’ve made it clear where we’ve been sent a review copy to test of any product or service.
Finally, I will be adding to this list over the next couple of weeks, so do pop back to see additional reviews.
Enjoying the garden
It’s hard to prise my son out of his egg hanging chair in the garden, especially with the cat on his lap keeping him warm. While he’s pretty strong and mobile, he thinks that with a strong base the egg chair could be an asset for a senior mum too. There are several on the market, including the Palma Egg Chair from Kettler (not reviewed).
What to do while relaxing?
Reading is an obvious answer. We’ve tried out a couple of ideas.
First is a real book – actually Book 1 in the Castleby Series by JM Simpson, called ‘Sea State’. This is a well-written mystery thriller with sympathetic characters, and had me engaged from the first page. It’s published in an easy-to-hold format, on very white paper, but the print could be darker for easy reading. Book 2 is promised for March 2022.
Alternatively if mum is an avid magazine reader, you could look at an electronic magazine subscription. Readly gives you unlimited access to 6,300 magazines and newspapers. I tried it on an iPad and it’s pretty easy to read at that size. Readly is offering s a Mother’s Day gift card of 3 months for the price of 2 – that’s 3 months reading for £19.98. Magazines on offer range from Craft to Hello OK!, Bella, gardening, puzzles, Women’s health, Yours, Saga and many more.
Another thought for an hour in the garden is watching the birds, and spring is a great time to add to your bird feeding activities as nesting begins to wind up. There are numerous bird feeding options around from the very cheap to the luxurious. We tested the Heritage seed feeder, offered by British family-owned firm Henry Bell. It’s a good robust feeder with four perches, is 32cm high and has an easy opening lid and removable base to make for easy use, cleaning, and refilling. Within 10 minutes of hanging the feeder out, it had attracted blue tits and a robin. Henry Bell Contemporary and Heritage design products can be purchased from garden centres. (RRP: £14.99)
Getting around
We’ve recently reviewed the Travel Scoot lightweight mobility scooter. Take a look at what we thought. And if you use the code wtgo before 27 March 2022, you can claim a 5% discount of £120.
And the Travel Scoot may be ideal for our next idea ….
Parks and gardens
I visited Westonbirt Arboretum some years ago in the snow and enjoyed its silent beauty. We made our visit as part of a long winter weekend in the Cotswolds as part of a deal with a hotel chain. It’s an excellent part of the country for a visit – although last time we were there parking in the villages was tricky. Westonbirt is just one Forestry Commision park you could consider for a day out, and of course there’s always the National Trust, Heritage England and the Royal Horticulatural Society places to visit.
Knowing what to wear in spring outdoors can be tricky. We had always thought of Cotton Traders as the polo T-shirt company, but nowadays they offer a huge range of clothing and homewares. We chose to try out the lightweight Sherpa fleece jacket from their Essentials range for wearing on a soft spring day. It’s a light jacket with zip and poppers, which I always appreciate. Sizes range from S to 3XL, and seems to be reasonably generous. £42
Taking care of outdoor skin
Still on an outdoor theme – just – we tested the After the Rain handcare gift set. After the Rain is described as capturing the scent of a spring garden on Arran following a rain shower. It’s a blend of lime, rose and sandalwood, and while scent is a very individual thing, I found it appealing. The scent was quite strong out of the bottle but dissipated after a few moments on the skin. Not too greasy, so a pleasure to use. The company also offers bodycare and home gift sets. £30.
When it’s just too wet and cold
There are many good health reasons for getting outside. Better mental health, exposure to the sunshine vitamin D, and regular exercise are all good for body and soul.
Sometimes the weather’s just not good enough though, but exercise remains important. Curves gym aims to provide a supportive environment for women of all ages, where they claim to offer ‘a non-judgemental space’ (not reviewed).
Like some more ideas?
Take a look at our more recent gift list suggestions:
Photo by George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com from Pexels
