(Hot water) bottled up emotions

We tend to see less of certain furry mammals in winter as hibernation occurs, the opposite applies to the common hot water bottle. It stays hidden in some dark corner of a cupboard until it feels the first sign of a chill. Well, what do you know! There it is at the bottom of the bed

Of course this is nonsense, but I just wanted to highlight that for most of us hot water bottles are aesthetically-challenged objects. i don’t have a clue when was the last time that I actually went into a shop and bought one. Probably it would have been a last-minute idea for my Gran’s Christmas present.

We as as nation still appear to be ‘tied’ totally to them. We were once as a nation ridiculed by a Hungarian born author, George Mikes. In his cheeky book ‘How to be an alien’, he mentions “Continental people have sex lives, the English have hot water bottles”. It is possible that there was an element of truth in the parody, especially in the days when designs were bland and uninteresting. These words probably match the average continental person’s view of the way the English have sex.

Hold on a minute! Things have changed. Can I believe my eyes, have these things become ‘sexy’? The other day I stumbled across this site that appears to stock many different styles and shapes. If ever I was looking for unusual giftsto buy, things that you wouldn’t normally find in the high street, this would certainly be the place to start. They have everything here, from buddhas to retro telephones, and most things in between!

For anyone interested solely in hot water bottles, the ones that appealed to me were the cushioned shaped products. What i saw looked very comfortable and probably had therapeutic values, for those of us who suffer from lower back pain. They are made with recyclable materials and are guaranteed not to fade – perfect for those individuals who care about the environment.