Although we do try and insist on no Christmas presents, some people still prefer to buy us some things - my future mother-in-law being the main culprit. Mr C returned home one Friday night with a box full of presents. Oh well.

This year, if you ignore the copious amounts of chocolate and wine, there were actually some very useful bits and bobs in there. A mini tripod for the camera, a tow-rope for the man, and some very nice torches.

Unfortunately, the torches didn’t come with any batteries and we had to wait a few days for the local hardware shop to open after the holidays, before we could purchase any. Apparently, Mr C went home to his mother and asked why she had bought a present with no batteries attached. She replied that she thought maybe it was the type of torch that stored energy.

“From where?” Mr C asked. She thought about it and decided it could be like the calculators. The solar-powered calculators.

That’s something I really, really want for Christmas - a solar powered torch. Fantastic.