Welcome Simon.
As Nightmare has already said, if you are not sure of your intentions, just book yourself a trial instruction flight. It normally only goes for about half an hour or so and won't break the bank, and will either tell you that it's not for you, or most likely why the hell didn't I do this before.
Then once decided, you can plan ahead at your own pace.
A Birthday gift of a T.I.F. is a great idea, tell the family.