A while ago, there was an advert on TV which claimed “Only Smarties have the answer”. For me, Crocs appear to be the answer. Those plastic shoes. Let me explain.

Since the stroke I’ve had no movement in my left ankle or toes, which appears to be here to stay. Immediately after the stroke, too, I always felt cold. Even now, I don’t sweat, just get like a furnace inside. I can be wearing my winter coat on a hot summer’s day, no problem.

In the context of these things, the slippers I wear has become a problem. The ones I had before the stroke, I stopped wearing because they left my feet cold. So I got myself some lovely, cosy, sheepskin ankle boots. The trouble is, with no movement in my foot, the bloomin’ thing kept falling off. This was great, for example, when I was walking across the garden, and could expect my foot to be covered in chicken poo as a result.

They lasted about six months. One day, I got so frustrated that this thing kept falling off, that I gripped it with my teeth and managed to pull it apart. I think that wasabout £60 wasted.

There then followed some more sheepskin slippers at about £50 – an expensive business. They used to drop off just the same, although this time I had a bit more restraint.

Last christmas, in the January sales, my wife suggested I try some crocs. I got some on-sale, insulated ones (whilst I no longer feel cold all the time, it was the middle of winter!), and, so far so good. I can wear them independently, and can put the strap down to on my bad foot hold them onto the foot. No more slipping off! They’re a boring colour but hey, it was a sale.

Little things.