Still in service

“We were having a discussion the other day about hot water bottles,” writes a Dundee reader. “As many of us are in the over-70 age group, most of us grew up with one of these, rather than the fashion for microwavable pads and scarves that you see today.

“We all still have them in the house and most are still being used in the chillier evenings. I prefer a bottle to an electric blanket or heated pad – although I have to say that, as they get a little bit older, there is the added frisson of danger in case the rubber perishes too much and they burst. There’s nothing amusing about very hot water escaping into the bed.

“What do other readers prefer as a way of keeping cosy during winter evenings?”