The old designs are always better

[The Dong]

Here's my grumpy old man hot tips for 2012 ;)

My other half got a hot water bottle as one gift recently in some 
allegedly global holiday event, but an old stoneware/fired one, not a 
daft rubber thing:

http://www.lovehotwaterbottles.com/images/stoneware-hot-water-bottle.jpg

Pretty much like that. I had to make a rubber seal, but that was easy.
Not a rare thing as they were hugely mass produced until the ghastly 
rubber ones took over. You might get one about the same price as a 
snazzy rubber one.
The first test when filled, without preheating, with water from the 
kettle was a resounding success, with the bottle still at a comfortably 
warming temperature in the bed nearly 12 hours later!
One of those rubber things would almost certainly be an icy block before 
waking up ;)


I know it most definitely is a recent fad or quite fashionable at 
present to install a wood burning stove, but I really want one by next 
winter, simply because we have all been convinced that it is 'too much 
hassle' or 'not kind to the environment' to 'burn your own stuff for heat'.
Of course, that's utter bullshit.
Especially when you consider that I could collect enough _fallen_ wood 
each year over a few days or weeks to heat the house for free with just 
one 5-6kw stove, + it could keep a kettle hot for tea or be used to make 
soups or stews etc.

I mean, that would save us about £400 per annum for a start on 
electricity bills, + keep the house potentially a lot warmer than it is 
now. What's the sense in not doing it and paying the electricity f'ckers 
heaps extra so they can lump us with extra carbon taxes which the 
government probably uses for wars because it's certainly not going on 
advancement of power technologies?

Of course, the authorities have stuffed us all as regards the complex 
regulation for installing such a device, requiring high outlay to get 
certified installers for certain simple jobs, but hey ho. I'd probably 
also be breaking some 'law' or other for having the audacity to chainsaw 
up a fallen tree or bough on common land (as in not someone's garden or 
a park) but I don't f'kin care about that shit any more. As soon as I 
bags it, it's my wood, OK. Talk to the axe ;)

Oh the sense in not moving _forward_ with the times....
I just hope I can scrape up enough money to do it.
It's not the stove cost, I can already afford that and have picked out a 
few designs, it's the cost of getting someone to certify the install, 
and I'll bet most companies will only do that if you pay them to do it.