In praise of the humble hot water bottle
As Jack Frost ran rampant across Northern Ireland this week, many of us will have turned to the comfort of our old faithful hot water, placing it in the bed to warm up icy cold sheets.
Hot-water bottles will never be fashionable, to talk about them even is to invite condemnation for being a fuddy-duddy. And yet would anyone turn down the offer of a hot-water bottle in this weather? I think not!
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Hide AdA hot water bottle is cheaper and more eco-friendly than leaving the heating on all night.
Some people like to sleep with a ‘naked’ hot water bottle; others prefer a cover – soft and fluffy, for maximum cosiness.
Making a hot water bottle is a ritual than many of us will have learned from our own parents.
You decant boiling water from the kettle into the bottle, keeping it slightly bent, then burp the bottle to let out the air as the rubbery aroma fills the air. The cap is screwed on reassuringly tight, then held upside down to ensure there are no drips of water.
Like a hot bath after a long day, a hot-water bottle is the kind of underrated comfort that is easy to overlook and yet somehow makes life so much better. Just don’t tell anyone!
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