It 'May' be the perfect birthday month, but what's the best birthday gift?

We reckon we’re both quite lucky to have our birthdays in May. Mine at the beginning of the month and Edd’s at the end. Both around bank holidays – which was nicely timed by our parents – thanks!

We’re lucky because it feels about the right distance away from Christmas to get a gift or two. We always feel sorry for our son and my mum whose birthdays are so close to Christmas time that they get a bit of present fatigue.

It’s also warm enough to do something outside – if we were birthday party type people (which we’re not really – so it’s wasted on us!). Unlike January when it’s too cold to do anything or muster any energy up (son’s birthday), or December (mum’s birthday) when it also cold, but you can’t book anything that doesn’t involve tinsel and Christmas menus.

So having definitely agreed that we’ve won what we think is the lottery for the perfect birthday month… here comes the rub.

Having set up Tinker and Fix as the perfect place to buy presents for people who like to make, mend, grow, DIY and, well, generally Tinker and Fix stuff – it makes finding the perfect gift for Edd completely impossible. I’ve said this before, and I’ll no doubt say it again. My pain is (hopefully) your gain.

The gift I would have bought him from Tinker and Fix this year for his birthday (if I was but an innocent bystander) would definitely have been the Skatewood Hori-Hori. That would have been a very easy win that ticks a number of good present boxes:

1. It’s a gardening tool that he’d love as he’s already a big fan of the Hori-Hori garden knife – both our own serrated version and the Niwaki Hori Hori too.
2. It’s skatewood – which not only means it looks cool and has a nice backstory, but – from a gardening present perspective – it’s completely unique – no one is the same. Which he likes. And makes it feel a bit more bespoke and special – which is exactly what you want from a gift for gardeners (who may well have it all, already!)
3. It’s sold by a small business, and it’s been made by a skilled craftsperson. The Skatewood Hori Hori’s are made by the brilliant Ben from @afterlifebf – who is generally a really nice guy, with a great talent. Edd (and I) like supporting small businesses that are trying to do something interesting – so it would have a nice backstory that he’d like.

We’re currently looking at a couple of new penknives too - which also would have made great gifts for Edd – as he is a real penknife fan and can never, quite, have enough. But we decide (and test) new tools and kit together. So there really is little room to find something new that we aren’t already discussing!

So – it’s back to the drawing board for me – on the eternal search for a present idea. Genuinely – if you have any ideas… send them on to me… just insta message me with ‘secret squirrel’ and I’ll lock Edd out of Instagram for a while!!!

-Lou-