Unlike some furry mammals who are visible throughout the year until they hibernate, the common hot water bottle does the opposite. You are not likely to catch a glimpse of it until the first signs of winter begin to appear. Then, voila! 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 a hot water bottle is an aesthetically-challenged object. In fact I cannot remember the last time that I actually bought one. I am sure it would have been a last-minute idea for an elderly relative at Christmas.
We as as nation still appear to be ‘tied’ totally to them. Once we as a nation were ridiculed by a Hungarian born British author called George Mikes. He is quoted as saying in his book ‘How to be an alien’, “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 reflect the way a typical person on the continent sees the English attitude to sex.
But wait a minute! Much has changed since then. Can I believe my eyes, have these things become ’sexy’? I found a site the other day whilst doing random searches, that had a good selection of different styles and shapes. If it was an unusual gift that I wanted to buy, things that were different from high street shops, I might start at this place. They have everything here, from silver gemstone jewellery to unusual gifts, and most things in between!
But if you are just concentrating on hot water bottles then my favourite was the cushioned shaped products, like the ‘Giraffe cushion’. All of these looked extremely comfortable, and probably had therapeutic values for those suffering from lower back or neck pain. For those who care for the environment, they a manufactured using 100% recyclable materials and are guaranteed not to fade.
