Mothers are always quick to sniff out when you're trying to buy their love (or silence, or loyalty, or forgiveness). So we suggest you please both pocket and parent by using these austere times as a great excuse to put more thought and less cash into your celebration. Here to help are Daily Info's top suggestions for a recession-friendly Mother's Day. Do send us your ideas!
Remember the Date
This year Mother's Day is Sunday 26th March. That's the first step sorted.
Out and About
Oxford City
There are some excellent themed walks to be had around the city of Oxford, including a Sculpture Trail (map produced by Oxford Brookes) which takes in an Anthony Gormley man, and a bewildering array of animals, and an Architecture Trail (map produced by Oxford Preservation Trust). The latter shows a millennium of building in Oxford and both of these could make your Mum see her home city differently.
Free Flowers
No, we're not advocating stealing from your neighbours or your nearest florist. Why not take your Mum and present her to the flowers instead of the other way round? We particularly recommend the crocuses in Headington Hill Park, and there are some fabulous daffodil carpets around, including in South Park.
Also on that note, and further afield, Waterperry Gardens is offering free entry to the ornamental gardens on Mother's Day.
Under Cover
If it's not the weather for gadding about town perhaps it's the moment for that visit to the Ashmolean Museum you've been planning, to show your Mum how cultured you think she is. The Egyptian Galleries are pretty new and sparkly for a lot of 2000 year old artefacts, and just the thing for a cringeworthy "How often do you see your Mummy?"-based pun. There are fancy audioguides, which are free to borrow, just inside Gallery 22.
There are always a plethora of gigs, concerts, lectures and other events in Oxford, catering for all tastes, and some of these will be free. Here's all the free events we know of, updated constantly!
Cards
You're never too old to make a card for your Mum, and it might be more fun than jostling your way through the shops at the last minute. You could find a picture of your Mum's favourite animal, and turn that into a card. Who could fail to love the blue-footed booby?
Or why not pick up some free paper offcuts from Daily Info (many colours available, particularly white and yellow) and make some origami sculptures? If you think this is a bit boring then you haven't googled origami sculptures recently. Lifesize elephants? Perfectly detailed lobsters? Origami Yoda? Or perhaps something simple but lots of them, like a 100-strong flotilla of swans...
And if all else fails, there's always macaroni.
