Saturday 5 June 2021

Birthday Presents?


What do you give a thirteen year old boy for his birthday?

A new pair of gloves? A Waterman Pen and bottle of dark blue Quink? Or maybe a lifetime subscription to The Beano?

These days the choice is endless. Ollie, my younger UK grandson was given a couple of days driving high-powered cars on a track in Yorkshire. Here he is, below, just about to take out one such supercar (I have no idea what it is) with his instructor. I believe he had a go in several different cars.


This is a great idea for kids. Next year it could be flying, scuba diving, or driving a Chieftain tank. The more extreme experiences they have the better!


Here he is at the wheel of a 'prepared' Mustang; a beast of a car. I didn't hear how he got-on, but I did see a video of him driving 'cautiously'. I'm not surprised.

The only car I've ever driven on a track was a Lotus Junior racing car, and I crept around the track at about 30 mph; I was scared stiff of crashing it. I think I did two laps.

In a few years time, I expect he'll be asking his dear Papa for a Porsche or a Lotus.

T'was not thus in my day; we had a birthday cake with candles, and maybe some Walls vanilla ice cream afterwards.

 

27 comments:

  1. Nothing wrong with buying kids, indeed anyone, an experience if you can afford it. I think it's terrific.

    U

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    1. A really great present. I hope he gets to drive the Chieftain Tank too.

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    2. Chieftain's are long gone.

      Challenger all the way

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  2. Lovely idea - my grandchildren are too old for this kind of experience and my great grandchild much too long. Second great grandchild still in the womb!

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    1. And how about you Weave? I can picture you behind the wheel of a McLaren, doing a ton down the High Street.

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  3. A wonderful gift, especially if it was a surprise. (Personally I'd rather have the pen and ink!)

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    1. At 13 I would have loved it. Even now maybe...

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  4. Happy birthday Ollie. That's the best present ever for a 13 year old. I bet he will talking about the experience till the next birthday.
    We just give our teenagers money now and they get what they want. They're usually saving for something but around here it's a new bicycle.

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    1. Not a moped? All that young teenagers wanted around here was a Peugeot 103 moped.

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  5. Ollie is a big lad for thirteen. What do they put on his cornflakes? "Growmore"? In my day thirteen year olds' feet couldn't have even reached the pedals!

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    1. His father is about 6ft 3, so it's probably in the genes.

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  6. A great birthday present. Now what will top that for the next one?

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  7. You are right about Mustangs being beasts of cars, at least they were in the seventies.

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    1. This, apparently, was a brand new 'extra-muscled' muscle car. He must have been frightened to death by it.

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  8. 13! Sounds like a proper country boy driving the ute around the sheep paddock, hahah! What a lucky lad. Did he get to play in the vintage-looking car behind that one?

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    1. It looks like an Aston DB6, I don't think he was allowed to touch that one.

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  9. Audi R8 I think. Topspeed 300 km/h.
    You are sure it is his 13th birthday?You have got a couple of years to save up for it then.
    From 200.000 euro.

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    1. I think you're right. He reached 80 mph in it. I think he was being cautious.

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  10. Kids have so many things now. Experiences are a much better gift. I remember when my son was ten and went flying for the first time.

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    1. Did he take the controls? That sounds scary.

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    2. He actually was sitting in the copilot's seat, and the pilot let him 'fly the plane'. He was so excited. Just like your grandson will remember his day, Dylan will always remember the day when he 'flew a plane by himself'. Even though 25 years later, I'm sure that he knows that he didn't really fly it solo.

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    3. What fun. In fact he probably did fly it solo, once up there all you do is to steer a bit; there's nothing to crash into!

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  11. A bit different to Pirate having to drive a tractor for the men baling hay when he was 9!
    Things do change in over 70 years!

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    1. Driving tractors when young is wonderful. I still enjoy it today, but not with those huge modern monsters.

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  12. Replies
    1. He could almost play Rugby for England!!

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