Review

ACCORDING to the latest medical opinion, it seems I have a 1 in 5 chance of suffering another stroke in the future – which, I’m reassured to hear, is quite low.

The new medication seems to be working as prescribed.

My blood pressure is normal; my cholesterol count is under control; none of the scans show much that’s untoward – a little clogging in the arteries of my throat, but not unduly worryingly so.

So, it seems, I’m a hoppy bunny again.

Except, of course, that I actually have had a stroke, and I’m not fully recovered from it yet.

And whether I ever shall fully recuperate is something of an unanswerable question.

But still, I come away from the review today feeling a little more optimistic about my future health prospects.

Slow cooker quandary

I’VE BEEN reviewing slow cookers with the thought of maybe purchasing one.

I rather fancy doing stews and casseroles and soups and the like, and I’m told slow cookers are just the ticket for such things.

And like everything, the more you pay, the more bells and whistles you seem to get – the problem is to decide which ones I’m genuinely likely to find useful and which not.

The variations are quite staggering, though. Price-wise, there are the cheap and cheerful types for under £20, to the so-called “professional” models costing more than £100. Feature-wise, too, I have to decide do I need a timer? Do I require rice-steamers, chicken roasters and keep-warm devices?

Suddenly, the simple idea of a slow cooker takes on head-scratching proportions.

Why, oh why, does life have to be so complicated?