Fiona Duff: Happy to kill passion if I stay warm

Now here’s something you won’t hear many women boasting about; I have quite a collection of thermal undergarments.

I know that really isn’t the sexiest thing in the world to say, but quite frankly, right now I just don’t care.

The husband of a friend of mine calls such items of clothing “passion killers”.

Today I bet he is shivering like an eight-year-old waiting to get a telling off from the headteacher. Whilst yours truly – I’m as toasty as a loaf of freshly baked bread, albeit not nearly as tasty.

I have little vest slips which are great just as autumn starts – with their lower cuts and lacy necklines it is almost possible to have them peep out from under a jumper or cardigan. This week, however, they have been stuffed to the back of the drawer and the full-sleeved, high-necklined ones have been sported. They are so effective that if I am walking quickly, or indeed up a hill, I have to remove my hat to literally let off a bit of steam.

My husband, being that type of Scotsman who claims not to feel the cold apart from on his virtually hairless head, has no truck with thermal vests.

However my son should really be living in the Caribbean, as he gets cold around mid-September. Quite why he chose to go to university in Aberdeen is beyond my reasoning, and when he returns this weekend I think he might also be questioning his choice. Needless to say, he has quite a stock of thermals as well.

Of course, the other thermal item that every warm-blooded person should have are socks. Walking around the freezing pavement with only a piece of leather and cotton between that surface and one’s tootsies is just asking for trouble.

Yes, they do stretch your shoes a tad, so best to have a pair of extra wide ones at the ready (available from Marks & Spencer, so not pricey). Best of all if you wear them to bed they stop your feet getting blisters from over-heated hot water bottles, which is a particularly prevalent problem in Scotland each winter.