Left it a bit late to get your dad or your children's father a Father's Day gift? Don't worry, we've got 7 easy ways to make sure he has a fabulous day regardless.
Here are our 7 last-minute gifts and treats for fabulous dads.
1.Breakfast in bed
There's really nothing that quite beats the luxury of a lazy Sunday morning. If you have kids, let them help make their dad breakfast in bed. If you live at home with your father, tell him to have a lie-in. Whether he likes a big cooked breakfast or prefers coffee and a croissant, set a tray with proper cutlery, a linen napkin, a small bloom if you can find one and the Sunday newspaper.
Deliver with a flourish and leave him in peace for an hour.
2.Vegetable seeds
If your partner or dad is someone who has always wanted to try gardening but never gets round to it, buy him some vegetable seeds. If you only have room for some small pots, get some heritage tomatoes in interesting colours. If you have a larger space, why not clear a patch and get him a starter pack of seeds to grow salad leaves and quick-germinating vegetables?It might just be the start of a wonderful new hobby.
And if he's already a keen gardener find some native, unusual seeds. You can decorate an old shoe box and add dividers so he can file them away neatly. If he likes to cover up when he's digging you could get him a durable, simple linen apron to protect his clothes.
3.A reading subscription
Lots of independent bookshops are running bespoke book subscription services. For a very reasonable price your partner or dad will receive a set number of books each month, based on his individual preferences. This is a lovely way to experience new writing, and also a beautiful gift if you live far away from your dad.
4.Bake a surprise cake
If, perish the thought, you have forgotten all about Father's Day (and goodness knows, life's busy, it happens!), make a surprise cake and have a family tea together. You could get your kids to each write something they love about their dad on a piece of paper and then put these into a hat. The lucky dad can then try to guess who said what. He will feel properly loved by the people who are most important to him.
5.Paper chase/ treasure hunt
If you have kids this is a really fun family activity. Think of a route that leads from your house to somewhere the dad in question loves (a park, a pool, a cinema, a restaurant, a beach). Set clues to hide along the way. Teenagers love thinking up fiendish clues, and you can get them to set off in advance and lay the trail. Or you can sneak out early on while he enjoys his breakfast in bed and hide them yourself.
If the end place is a pool or beach make sure you pack a bag with all the essentials he'll need, like a decent linen towel, swimming trunks and a cold drink.
6.Secret home makeover
If your dad, or the father of your kids, is one of those busy people who is always intending to get on with DIY and home improvement jobs but never gets the time, why not do it for him? Send him out for the morning and get some friends round to put up the shelves he keeps meaning to finish. Ban him from the bedroom for the day and give it a make-over. Set up your bathroom so it resembles a spa, get him some luxurious bath salts, new bath towels and a natural sponge, tune an MP3 player in to his favourite podcast and let him relax. If he likes to cook, clean up the kitchen so it's a joy to be in: sort through the spice racks, chuck out any out-of-date jars lurking at the back of the fridge, get his knives sharpened, refresh your linen tea towels, clear out any 'drawers of shame' full of useless clutter.
7.A ticket for a weekend away
Treat your partner and yourself, or your parents, to a weekend away somewhere special. If you are on a tight budget try Air B'n'B or alternative places to stay like shepherd's huts or camping. If you can stretch to a hotel, find somewhere that's meaningful to him - perhaps near the place you met, or in a city he's always wanted to visit. For the morning of Father's Day make a homemade ticket with clues so he has to guess where he's going, or if you're taking him overseas make a meal that's special to that country and leave him a ticket on the table.
With a bit of imagination you can turn an ordinary Father's Day (or a forgotten one) into a really wonderful experience.
What do you like to do for the dad in your life on Father's Day?