Jane Reynolds

Kärcher Steam Cleaner SC 2.500 C Review: 3rd April 2013

Written on 03/04/2013 by Jane in Uncategorized

I'm currently faced with the daunting prospect of having to spuce up my recently deceased father's house ready for sale, so an unexpected email from the Mumsnet Bloggers Network offering me the opportunity to apply to test the new Kärcher SC 2.500 C Steam Cleaner couldn't have arrived at a better time.

I felt very lucky to find out I'd been accepted, especially as by then I'd also seen their new TV advert – where a glamorous model effortlessly mops the floor with her Kärcher SC 2.500 C Steam Cleaner while smiling beatifically at her metrosexual partner who's sitting manfully minding their 'Boden-esque' baby twins in an opulent, spacious open-plan designer kitchen.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ADVERT

Once she'd finished the floor, one quick puff with the hand tool was all it took to blast away the thick layer of filth and grime from her hob and tiles before she and 'Mr Perfect' were able to gaze adoringly at their offspring (as they crawled eagerly towards a rogue biscuit which had somehow fallen to the floor), safe in the knowledge that there were no dirty dog hairs, muddy footprints or any hint of a germ to put their little cherubs at even the slightest risk of a tummy ache.

Now that's all very well, but what would happen in a REAL house?

The Manual

Maybe it was me, but I just didn't find the instruction manual very helpful. Diagrams showing the purpose of each of the attachments would have helped me enormously, and I ended up having to go on to YouTube to watch a few videos to get an idea of what to do.

When I looked closely at the box afterwards I saw that it showed a few photos, but not enough to make it clear exactly what each of the different tools could possibly be used for (apart from the obvious).

This loose insert didn't exactly improve matters either!

Setting up

The white floor pad left a big pile of bits all over the carpet when I took it out of its packet, but the unit was simple to assemble. I found it a bit tricky to separate some of the attachments as the yellow buttons didn't always push the clip down far enough to release it, but other than that I felt confident (having watched the videos) to fire it up.

Because I struggle reading instruction manuals (which mostly have the really important information tucked away in-amongst page after page of unnecessary drivel), I'd missed the bit that explained what the lights on the two buttons on top of the unit meant and so wasn't sure when it was actually 'ready for action', but once I worked it out I was away.

Using the cleaner

I started on my dad's double-glazed bedroom window. Cleaning was never his forte, and it would seem as if the window hadn't been cleaned since my mother's death over twelve years ago. He had a venetian blind up, the bed's headboard had been in front of it, and as he never opened the window this was what I was faced with:

Karcherwindowvideo

After having watched the TV advert I'd expected to point the nozzle at it, the dirt to miraculously melt-away and for the window to look like new within a few seconds. That wasn't the case, but – to be fair – it didn't do a bad job. The problem was with the white sealant which (as you can see from the video) remained decidedly black.

The next room I tackled was the bathroom. Those tiles had been up there for almost thirty years, and the black mould had stubbornly refused to budge (no matter how often I'd taken a range of cleaning products and green scourers to them!), so I didn't expect much) but even after only a fairly short burst there was a definite improvement:

Karcherbathroomvideo

As you can see from this photo, there is a difference, but – like with the window – it would be unrealistic to expect a 100% improvement on something in that condition.

The Kitchen

Feeling fairly disappointed by this point, I moved downstairs to the kitchen. The stainless steel drainer is extremely limescale-encrusted (due to a leaky washer which means that water constantly collects along it) and the calcification stubbornly refused to budge – despite several minutes' steaming.

The floor too, showed no real sign of improvement – even after using both the mop pad and the pointy nozzle, but that's because the tiles are around fifty years old and had probably never even been sealed (my parents had carpet tiles covering them for many years).

By this point I was feeling rather deflated, but that was when the fun started.

A steamy love affair blossomed

I gave the cooker knobs a quick squirt and – behold – WHAT a difference!

Look at the gunge in there. Nothing I'd done before had ever managed to get rid of it properly, so after I'd blasted the cooker knobs I eagerly started on the washing machine. Once I'd steamed around the buttons it literally looked like new, and by then I was completely hooked!

The dishwasher was next in the line of fire (grime-free now!), and I then tried one of the small glass panels in the kitchen door. One quick puff on each side of the pane and a buff-up with a bit of kitchen roll had it sparkling like new.

I haven't included photos of the (halogen) hob as it wasn't really dirty, but it definitely looked a lot shinier after a quick steam, nor of the cooker hood (as they didn't really show the difference clearly enough), but let me assure you that the grease literally 'melted away'. (I just used the bare nozzle then wiped it with a cloth as I didn't want to get years of baked-on grease all over the pristine white attachment cover.)

Conclusion

Prior commitments (and having to wait for my brother to be available to do the videoing for me) meant that I only had that one chance to use the machine before having to write this post, but it's sat here at the side of me now and I cannot WAIT to continue using it.

I'm going to go back and do the rest of the tiles in the bathroom and the rest of the glass door panels and windows in the house (all of which are in a much better condition than the one featured above so should come up a treat), before nipping outside to use it on my car once the weather warms up a bit.

Car interiors are notoriously tricky to get clean as they're full of little seams and crevices: the PERFECT challenge for a steam cleaner and one that I feel 100% confident it'll handle brilliantly.

Summary

Even after only having used the product once for this test I quickly discovered that for 'close' jobs it's probably better to use the shortest tube you can (so that the steam is more concentrated), and that a short, sharp burst is sometimes better than a longer/continuous stream of steam.

Any of you with older/responsible children could probably even get your house cleaned for you, because it's so exciting and addictive to use that it actually makes cleaning feel like fun – and is a lot more 'hands-on' than any video game!

Anyone wishing to clean a normal house couldn't do better than invest in a Kärcher SC 2.500 C Steam Cleaner, and although I'd have never considered buying one I'm now completely 'sold' on it and will incorporate it into my regular cleaning regime from this point onwards. (There's an iron attachment that I was going to purchase today but have just discovered that it's only available with the SC 2.600 C model. What a shame.)

To summarise then: it's light, easy to use (despite the confusing manual!) and it really does work. For busy mums wanting a clean, hygienic home with the minimum of effort I can't think of a better product than the Kärcher SC 2.500 C Steam Cleaner and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

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Jane Reynolds's Weekly Blog – 10th March 2013

Written on 11/03/2013 by Jane in The Complete Blog

Taken in 2009

My father died at 8.10 pm on Tuesday night.

After that little moment on Sunday afternoon where he'd suddenly woken up (after having slept for the best part of a fortnight) and demanded something to eat and drink, he'd fallen back into a deep sleep and that was the last time he ever opened his eyes.

By Monday lunchtime, Sam the nurse had determined that it was time to administer the 'syringe-driver' (a battery-operated intravenous pain relief system) and told us that he'd have 48 hours – at the most – to live. His right hand had swelled to double the size and he'd gone all cold and clammy.

We all said our final goodbyes individually on Monday evening (although I'll never know whether he actually heard us or not, as I discovered agonisingly the next morning that his hearing aid had been on the wrong setting), and I slept downstairs on Monday night so that I could listen-out in case he needed help. Apart from a couple of little groans he made it through the night ok, but when the morning carers arrived they made a shocking discovery: his skin had become a mass of bloody weals/sores.

As he was in a coma by that point we can only hope that he didn't feel a thing. He certainly didn't appear to be in any sort of pain, as his face didn't alter during the whole time the carers washed and changed both him and his bed.

The lovely nurse Sam came again at lunchtime and confirmed that he was very near the end. We'd arranged to all be together that night to watch the football on TV and share a Chinese takeaway. Just as we'd finished eating (one of us had been with him almost every few minute over the previous few hours) the evening carers arrived and the next few minutes are a bit of a blur as – suddenly – he'd just stopped breathing …

Lovely Sam was back on the scene within ten minutes and a doctor arrived shortly afterwards to certify the death. We rang the Funeral Directors who arrived twenty minutes later, so (after barely an hour) it was suddenly all over and we stood numbly in the front garden as they drove him away.

Even when you're expecting it, you're still not prepared for it.

The reassuring part for us was that he'd been cared for at home by his family, had barely experienced any pain (thanks to the wonderful pain-management drugs available today), and had simply stopped breathing. That has to be just about the 'best' way to go, except for the fact that he'd been asking for someone to help him die every day for eleven weeks, but we have this ridiculous system where we can end an animal's suffering but not a human's.

All these do-gooders who bang on about the 'right to life' should try justifying to a terminally ill person WHY they need to be kept alive and WHY they have to slowly lose their dignity and the ablility to function until they reach a point where they're not even able to swallow, need to wear a nappy and have to have their bottom wiped. Call that life?

I am more hurt and angry about that than anything else, because our father wanted to die and we couldn't help him because THE LAW says he has to be kept alive. I can't speak for my brothers, but it's certainly changed me and the way I see my future. I hope that I stay well enough, long enough for a law to be introduced (as it surely will one day) to give people the right to be able to end their life at a time of THEIR OWN choosing.

Since then:

We're working well together in taking the first few steps without him and planning his funeral etc, but are all feeling pretty exhausted emotionally at the moment. It feels very surreal being in 'his' house/our family home without him there, but we've got to get used to it.

We're also very mindful of the fact that – in comparison to some – we've had it 'easy'. Our father was very well for almost the whole time during his cancer, and although it was challenging to have to watch him go from still being fairly fit to seeing him lying there as helpless as a baby, it could have all been so much worse, and at least we were able to spend quality time with him and say goodbye. Many people don't get that – or lose a parent to dementia etc – which must be utterly heartbreaking.

And now:

Now it's just the three of us: my two brothers (+ one wife and one girlfriend!) and I. We're a small family anyway, and I'm feeling really aware of that right now. Selling the house will be hard because we'll lose the 'meeting place' we've always congregated to for any sort of celebration – or sometimes simply just to hang out and watch the football on TV and have a takeaway together with our dad.

We've had brilliant help along the way from nurses, carers, and even the local pharmacy and my dad's doctor's receptionists – all of whom have worked so well in helping him and us during the last three months of his life.

The funeral's on the 21st March, and a week after that it's Easter. I'll be cooking a big meal for 'all the usual suspects' on Easter Sunday and then we're all going to have to bite the bullet and start on the house clearance/sale etc. Our lives will never be the same again, but we were all there for our father at the end and he knows that we'll all stick together and look after each other now that he's not there to look after us …

Work-wise

I'm planning on restarting those Soapy Corners on Sunday 7th April and resuming all my broadcasting activities week commencing Monday 8th April. It'll be good to be back but I've got a hell of a lot to get through first. I'll be ticking off the days on my Soapy 'Advent' Calendar!

Thanks for reading. Have a good week everyone.

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Jane Reynolds's Weekly Blog – 3rd March 2013

Written on 04/03/2013 by Jane in The Complete Blog

Well, here we are again.

Another week's gone by and my father's slept through most of it. He was awake on Friday morning (although very unresponsive; just staring blankly at the TV), but that's been it – pretty-much … until the nurse turned up on Sunday afternoon after we'd had to call her out because he'd barely been able to swallow his medication half an hour previously and seemed to be choking.

When a cancer patient's near the end of their life they lose the ability to swallow, apparently. This must be very frightening for them (it certainly is for US).

He'd struggled to swallow his two spoons-full of medicine and tiny little sleeping tablet on Saturday night; had slept right through three carer visits, and when we'd tried to give him a drink at about 1.00 on Sunday afternoon he'd started to choke.

This came 24 hours after he'd had to have an injection in his stomach to control the build-up of mucus in his lungs/throat, so we were rather worried and I called the District Nurses' Out-of-Hours switchboard and asked if a nurse could give me a ring, but a nurse actually arrived a short time later.

He was barely conscious at that point and could hardly even nod his head to acknowledge her questions, but a moment later he suddenly opened his mouth and said quite clearly (and in a tone of voice which made it sound as if we'd been deliberately starving him) "I want … I just want something to eat and drink. I am starving."

Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather. Talk about embarrassing. There we were, worried that he was possibly about to die, but (yet-again) he'd done his trick of suddenly coming back to life – and right in front of the nurse too!

Luckily she was lovely, and didn't appear to mind a bit about having (what had proved to be) a completely wasted visit. I felt terrible though, because it had proved to be a real false alarm and I felt so guilty at wasting her time.

My brother fed him a few bits of tinned mandarin orange then the very second the nurse left the room he immediately shut his eyes and has been asleep ever since. Now what was that all about, aye? It's almost as if he was somehow trying to prove something to the nurse. Maybe he just thought he was going to have to have another injection and it was his way of trying to prevent that happening?

We'll never know, but it's now Monday morning as I write this and we're entering the eleventh week of caring for him.

Our rota system's become a real routine now, and it's going to feel strange when we no longer have to be 'on duty' to do our shifts. I'm still barely getting anything else done though, and it's frustrating to even think about it – so I'm trying not to – as it only makes me feel more stressed.

Each week I write this little blog and say that I think he's not got long left, but I really am surprised that he's still with us now. I'll be even more surprised if he's still alive by this time next week. It shows how fit and well he was before it all kicked-in I suppose, as I'm sure that if he'd not been as strong he'd have been long gone by now.

It makes us even more frustrated that there's no law which could have allowed him to have been able to just drift away peacefully (and with dignity – which he certainly hasn't got now), rather than have to lie there literally waiting to die.

Hey. Mr & Mrs S's birds were young Guinea Fowl. I finally found out!

There's no Soapy Corners again this week I'm afraid. Thank you to those of you who've told me that you're missing them. I appreciate it.

I won't be doing my 'Soapy Spot' on Alastair Greener's Big Mid-morning show on Thursday again this week either, or my live Wednesday night Soapy Show on Tellyspy (it's a bit hard to talk about Soaps when you haven't actually watched them!) but I'll hopefully be doing my TGI Friday show with Paul Dawkins from 4.00-5.00 pm on Friday on Swindon 1055.com.

PS 'Jane's Soapy Corners' have gone digital. Simply download the Tellyspy Podcasts App onto your iPhone or iPad then search for Tellyspy and all the previous editions are on there.

Thanks for reading. Have a good week everyone.

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Jane Reynolds's Weekly Blog – 24th February 2013

Written on 25/02/2013 by Jane in The Complete Blog

"Two steps forward and one step back".

That's what it's felt like over the last week as my father's condition's worsened, but each time we think he's probably about to die he suddenly perks up a little. That's the 'One step back' bit.

The 'Two steps forward' bit is two steps nearer to dying he gets with each passing day. He's gone downhill significantly since last week and can barely talk now. He's no longer eating, and the District Nurse had to give him an injection yesterday (Sunday) to dry the mucus up that was collecting in his throat and causing him a lot of distress.

He's confused, and can barely even lift his (baby's) drinking cup to his mouth without assistance any more, but the worst thing of all – for him – is that he's in danger of developing a large pressure sore on his back so the nurse has said that he's got to be kept on his side (and for the carers to turn him over every four hours) from now on.

We've had to wedge him in place with rolled up blankets and cushions – as he keeps trying to roll onto his back (understandably). As if that's not bad enough; when he's on his left side his hearing aid starts squealing and he can't get his hand up to adjust it, but he won't let us do it for him. He's even forgotten how to adjust his hearing aid, and keeps flicking the switch to the wrong setting so that he loses the tiny bit of hearing he still has.

He also had a little 'accident' on Saturday lunchtime. I'd popped out and one of my brothers was 'on duty' *daddysitting* when it happened so rang the carers (who'd already been for the lunchtime visit) to see if someone could come and clean him up.

I arrived back just before the carer arrived and (needless to say!) it was me who ended up assisting her (it needs two people and they were only able to spare one to come back to us) in cleaning my dad up, and it's something I'm very sorry I had to do, as it's left me with memories I'd never want to have had of my father.

The look on his face (as he lay there naked and soiled) at having his daughter see him like that was extremely upsetting for me, but someone had to do it …

And since then:

So. As I sit down to start writing this at 11.00 on Monday morning, he's sound asleep downstairs. My shift starts at 2.00 today. He's on high-dose pain relieving patches now, and we 'top him up' with extra liquid medication as and when he needs it.

I thought he looked gaunt last week, but his cheeks and eyes are now so sunken that it's hard to even recognise him as our father any more. With no food in his system he's getting weaker by the hour, and we're bracing ourselves for the end now.

I'd never have believed it would be so time-consuming though. The constant stream of carers, nurses and callers to the house (combined with the washing, cleaning and generally keeping on top of the detritus caused by a house full of people) takes almost every moment of my time when I'm not doing my 'shifts', so even checking Twitter or answering my emails etc is proving tough!

My 'to do' list is getting longer by the day (or it would be if I had time to write one), and I'm still more than a week behind on EastEnders, but that's probably just because I find it so hard to have to sit through without either Tanya, Zainab or Janine in it and am just psychologically 'putting it off'!

Emmerdale and Coronation Street's brilliant comedy writing and one-liners continue to keep me smiling (and even laughing out loud), but EastEnders is just so dire it's hard to endure when you're already feeling pretty down. Hats off to Patsy Palmer though. She's so convincing as Bianca, but her currrent struggles are hardly a barrel of laughs, are they?

I can't not mention Corrie's Gloria's new beau Eric, though. Roy Cropper's dad, or WHAT? (If I had the time I'd have put a photo of Roy up too, but you can hopefully see the resemblance without it!)

The Lord Giveth and the Lord Taketh Away …

After having to unexpectedly help clean my dad up on Saturday lunchtime I was so overwhelmed that I knew I just had to get out of the house for a bit, so made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go and watch Swindon Town's home game against Preston North End.

It was 2.15 pm by that time and I was going to walk there, but the carer's next call was near to the County Ground so she offered to give me a lift so I quickly put a pair of thermal tights under my trousers, grabbed my woolly hat and gloves and before I had time to change my mind I was there!

I'd stuffed a Twenty and a Five Pound note plus a couple of pound coins into my pocket as I left, and quickly popped into the little newsagent across the road from the ground to treat myself to a little bar of chocolate for half time. It was all going swimmingly, and as I queued for a ticket I felt so proud of myself for doing something so spontaneous and 'out of the box'.

As I came to pay I realised that my Twenty Pound note was missing from my pocket. I'd never just shove notes into the outside pocket of a coat normally, and guessed that as I'd put my hand in to get a coin out to pay for my chocolate it must have fallen out.

I raced back to the shop and asked if it had been handed in (knowing full-well that there wasn't a cat in hell's chance of that), and when they said that it hadn't I retraced my steps again – desperately searching for the money – but to no avail.

By this time I was feeling overwhelmed as the emotion of what I'd just had to do for my dad and the stress of it all just hit me. Tears started to well up in my eyes, and after asking a Policeman (and the various programme sellers etc that were milling around) I realised sadly that I'd just have to go home.

As I stood there in despair – considering my options – my eyes rested on a bit of paper on the floor by an overflowing bin. It was about an inch square, and as I looked I realised it was MONEY! As I picked it up and unfolded it, it turned out to be a Ten Pound note with a Five Pound note inside.

I immediately felt torn between guilt and sympathy for the poor person who'd (like me) at some point realise they'd dropped it, and astonishment at my incredible good fortune to have found exactly the right amount I needed to get in to see the game. It felt like The Universe's way of letting me know how important it was for me to get totally away from everything for a couple of hours, and so I handed over my Twenty Pounds in a sort-of daze.

Although I'd missed the start by that point, I watched the match and it was SO good to be able to jump up and down a bit and have a little cheer when we scored. It was absolutely FREEZING though (and I was like a block of ice by half time), but I wouldn't have missed it for the world and will definitely go again now. It's a shame we only drew, but you can't have it all, can you?!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a bird – well, birds!

I'd told you about the birds at Mr and Mrs S's last week (scroll down if you want to know more). Well, when I went to do my office cleaning there at 6.00 this morning, as I went to take the rubbish over to the bins they were all right there at the side of me!

It was amazing to see them there, and they didn't even run off when they saw me so I rushed back into the office to get my phone so that I could take a photo of them. I still don't know what they are though!

No Soapy Corners again this week I'm afraid, but I'm 'champing at the bit' and will be tapping away again just as soon as I'm able.

PS 'Jane's Soapy Corners' have gone digital. Simply download the Podcasts App onto your iPhone or iPad then search for Tellyspy and all the previous editions are on there.

Thanks for reading. Have a good week everyone.

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Jane Reynolds's Weekly Blog – 17th February 2013

Written on 18/02/2013 by Jane in The Complete Blog

A bit of sad news for any of you who've ever seen any of my photos on here occasionally and on Twitter: Mr and Mrs S's 'little duck' flew away this week, which only leaves 'big duck' all by herself now. Aah, poor thing.

I went to do my Thursday ironing job on Saturday afternoon this week, and as I went to hang one of the ironed shirts on the curtain rail I spotted a group of baby birds wandering along the field by the back of Mr and Mrs S's fence. A couple of minutes later I heard a bit of a commotion and saw that one of them had somehow found its way into the garden and couldn't get out.

The rest of them were going berserk: all squawking and looking helplessly at their brother (I'll bet it was a boy!) to 'get the hell back' over the wire fence to them, but – of course – he couldn't work out how to!

Every time I hung the next shirt on the rail I had another look and nothing had changed, so after half an hour or so I realised I'd probably have to get out there with Harvey the dog when I'd finished the ironing to try and sort it.

Luckily, it somehow managed to free itself from its 'prison' a few minutes later and I was relieved to see them all toddle off up the field.

I've googled baby pheasants and turkeys this morning, but neither of them look like these birds (which were almost white). Anyone know what they are? Unfortunately, the camera on my phone wasn't able to zoom in far enough to be able to get a good enough close-up of them.

That little moment was the highlight of my week – which probably gives you an indication of how my week's gone …

This week's *daddysitting* has brought different challenges to last week. He's deteriorated a lot over the last seven days. As I write this (at 10.45 am on Monday morning) he's sleeping, and has been all morning; not even having had his watery porridge – which is virtually the only food he's now eating.

He started on pain relieving patches on Tuesday (which were meant to replace his liquid morphine and paracetamol), but the dose was probably too low as we've still been having to give him regular top-ups of his 'medicine'. The nurses will presumably just ask his Doctor to write a prescription for a higher dose later on today when they come.

When he gets to the point where he can't swallow any more he'll have to have to go onto intravenous medication, and I don't think it'll be long now before that happens. He's very poorly, and we're all just preparing for the inevitable. The most challenging bit for my brothers and I is that whenever he has a 'bad' day we brace ourselves for him dying, but (up until now) he usually follows that with a 'good' day so it's a complete roller coaster of emotions for us all.

I really will be surprised if he lasts another week now though. He wants to die, but until his body finally gives up we have to carry on doing the best we can for him. You'd have put an animal out of its misery long before now. Why, oh why can't we do the same for people?

If you could see our father you'd cry. He's like a skeleton. It's heartbreaking to see him, and even harder to have to commiserate with him every morning when he realises he's woken up again and not just died in his sleep (as he prays for every night). Why should ANYBODY have to endure that?

Our carers (from Bailey Care Services, Melksham) are angels. We have about a dozen different ones who all do various shifts, but every single one of them is so dedicated and committed to their work that we feel very lucky to have them. We're so grateful.

A couple of the girls were attending to my dad last Wednesday lunchtime so I left them to it and went into the kitchen. I'd got the radio on and was listening to the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2, where at that exact moment Jeremy was inverviewing a 76-year-old man whose carers were giving him a 'less than satisfactory' service.

As the poor man recounted his terrible tale I compared it to our situation and quickly sent a tweet off to the show to say how lucky we were and how lovely our carers were. A couple of minutes later I heard Jeremy start to read the tweet out on-air so turned the radio up loud so that they could hear it. They were absolutely chuffed to bits to get a mention and left with big smiles on their faces – as did I. It was a lovely 'happy' little moment in the middle of this sad time.

It's such a lot of work looking after my father that I haven't even finished watching last week's Soaps yet, so – needless to say – there won't be any Soapy Corners again this week. I apologise for this (again!) but hope you'll stick with me.

'Jane's Soapy Corners' have gone digital. Simply download the Podcasts App onto your iPhone or iPad then search for Tellyspy and all the previous editions are on there.

Thanks for reading. Have a good week everyone.

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Jane Reynolds's Weekly Blog – 10th February 2013

Written on 11/02/2013 by Jane in The Complete Blog

Here's a lovely Sunrise Over Swindon photo I had to stop the car and take as I drove back to my dad's house after my cleaning job at 7.15 am last Friday morning. Gorgeous, aye?

Right. It's now Monday and I'm in the front room attempting to write this short post. I'm daddysitting at 2.00, but it's proving more difficult to finish these few paragraphs than it ever does to produce the whole of my Soapy Corners normally.

Unfortunately, the years I spent Housekeeping – combined with my inherent need for order (and to have got all the day's 'proper' work done before starting on anything of my own: a trait inherited from my mother's Hardworking Yorkshirewoman's side of the family!) result in me hardly being able to apply myself to anything work-related for longer than five minutes at a stretch unless I'm sitting at a desk and safe in the knowledge that I'll be free of interruptions for a couple of hours at least. That's why I've had to rent an office for the last two years.

I'm also an 'early bird' and do my best work in the early mornings. By 2.00 I'm pretty much done for the day (creatively-speaking) so would do 6.00-3.00 ish in my office, go to the gym on the way home and then get all the rest of the the day's bits and pieces out of the way before I sat down at 6.00 pm to do some tweeting and start the night's Soap-watching for my Soapy Corners.

My brothers and I are currently doing this rota system of care for my dad and I'm doing most of the early shifts so am already drained by the time I even think of getting my mac out, but as I still have to fit all my ironing work/radio shows in too, doing any 'proper' work is just beyond me at the moment.

I don't think we realised just how much of a strain it was going to be caring for our father. He's become a lot more forgetful over the last week and is now saying that he wants the curtains closed (his hospital bed is in the back room overlooking the garden) because the thinks that children on their way to school are looking in and laughing at him.

There's no way that anyone could see him (the garden is completely enclosed and not near the road), but it's little things like that which are hard to know how to answer as he's adamant about it – and about things like saying that he hasn't had his porridge when he has, etc.

It just shows how fit he was before this all hit him though as – despite barely eating and drinking now – he's still hanging-in there. The district nurses and the carers (who are now coming in four times a day to attend to him) are all wonderful, and it certainly helps break up the days – although we now have so many visitors that there barely seems to ever be a moment of 'quiet' at all!

As for my Soap-watching: I only caught up on Emmerdale and Coronation Street after a mammoth session last night, and I still haven't watched Thursday or Friday's EastEnders – although I'm very reluctant to as I can't bear to watch Nina Wadia's final scenes as Zainab. I'm so sorry that she's left. Her departure will be a BIG loss to the show – in more ways than one.

I won't be doing my 'Soapy Corners Live' on Tellyspy this week (because it's half term and Daniel's away) and I won't be able to write a Soapy Corner blog again this week as I simply don't have the time at the moment. I do apologise, and hope you all understand. It's agony though, as there's SO much I want to say!

I won't be able to do my Soapy Spot on Alastair Greener's Big Mid-morning show from 10.45-11.15 on Thursday this week either (as I've got to go and do one of my ironing jobs – which earn me money so have to come first!), but I will be co-presenting my TGI Friday show with Paul Dawkins from 4.00-5.00 pm on Friday on Swindon 1055.com.

'Jane's Soapy Corners' have gone digital. Simply download the Podcasts App onto your iPhone or iPad then search for Tellyspy and all the previous editions are on there.

Let's see that the next week brings. Have a good week everyone!

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Jane Reynolds's Weekly Blog – 3rd February 2013

Written on 04/02/2013 by Jane in The Complete Blog

It's 6.30 on Monday 4th February and I'm only just posting this.

I still haven't done the 'behind the scenes' admin for my previous two weeks' blogs yet. Last week's blog didn't get posted until late on Monday afternoon (by which time I was almost beside myself with stress), and when I still hadn't watched last Wednesday's or Thursday's Soaps by Friday night I finally had to admit to myself that there was no way I'd be able to get my Soapy Corners out this week.

So much work goes into them, and as I can't bear to post anything less than 'What I call' 100% perfect (in my own eyes!); on balance I felt that it was better to post nothing than to have been at my wits' end again in my attempt to put out a 'full' blog.

The reason for all of this is – of course – my father.

As you might know: he's dying of cancer and is deteriorating further with every passing day. The carers are now coming in four times daily to attend to his 'personal' needs, he's unable to even feed himself or drink from a proper cup any more and is pretty-much just hanging on by a thread now.

You'd think that would mean less work, but it's actually more, as he wants to sit holding my hand most of the time when we're on our own together, which means that I've barely been able to do anything this week other than try and keep on top of the washing, housework and constant stream of visitors/calls.

He's also getting very forgetful (because of the morphine), and we're constantly having to explain things to him. He can't even use the TV remote any more, so whenever he wants the channel changed it's a right kerfuffle trying to find him something he's both interested in watching and has subtitles on it!

I'm already not even sure whether I'll be able to get a blog out next week either, as wondering where on earth I'm going to find the time to do it makes my heart start pounding in my chest – literally!

I've 'ad to 'Sort 'me 'ead aht'!

I adore doing my Soapy Corners but I have to be realistic. Much as it's my heart's desire/goal; I don't actually get paid for doing them, so have had to have a bit of a talk to myself and face up to the fact that if I continue to put myself under so much technically 'unnecessary' pressure while all this is going on, my health could end up being at risk too.

There's SO much I want to write about what happened last week in Soapland (and I'm still two episodes behind on EastEnders!) but I hope that if you're a Soapy Corner regular reader you'll understand and just bear with me until I'm able to post another blog.

We're playing a 'waiting game' here – not least my dad (who's disappointed every morning now as he realises that he's woken up alive again), and we're all just wondering as to how long we'll be keeping up our rota caring for him.

It's lucky that my two brothers (+ one wife and one girlfriend) are all around to share the load, and our rota/shift system has worked remarkably well so far, but it's very emotionally draining for all of us, and with me also being Executor/the eldest/the daughter, I can't help but feel that additional burden of pressure on top of everything else.

And there's more to come …

What happens NEXT is looming ever-larger too. It's not just the thought of the funeral, but everything else that's going to follow on from there too – not least the fact that once the house is sold we'll not only lose the life-long sanctuary of a family home/base, but that I'll have nowhere to live either!

It's certainly focussing my mind (as you can imagine), and the need to earn a proper wage in order to support myself has suddenly become a reality again.

When I gave up work six years ago to write I'd hoped that 'the story of my life' wasn't going to repeat itself this time (every time I've ever been on the verge of some sort of success or something good happening, life's come along and scuppered it).

Unfortunately, that's exactly what seems to have happened (so far), and looks to be happening again now. I'd really hoped that my Soapy Corners might have secured me some sort of regular Soapy-related income by now but – alas – it hasn't happened yet.

About a year ago I received an email asking me if I'd like to pen a big storyline for one of the Soaps. I thought (for at least four minutes) that my luck had finally changed, but it turned out to be a hoax from a fake email address. Who'd do that, aye?

That's the sort of thing that happens to me though. I could give you lots of other examples of how unlucky I am but I'm sure you've got enough problems of your own without wanting to read about mine!

If you're a regular reader of mine you'll know that there's been more than one occasion in the past where I've felt like throwing in the towel, but there's just something which keeps driving me on. A few little things happened last week which could really have made me give up for good, but I read a tweet on Friday which got me thinking and gave me a whole new perspective on it all. (God, I love Twitter!)

Giving up on my writing's just not an option for me, but I'm just going to have to step back for a short while in order to take care of my dad (and myself!). If I can get those Soapy Corners out this weekend I will, but if not I'll be aiming for the following week, so – once again – apologies for that.

I'll still be doing my Soapy Spot on Alastair Greener's Big Mid-morning show from 10.45-11.15 on Thursday and co-presenting my TGI Friday show with Paul Dawkins from 4.00-5.00 pm on Friday; both on Swindon 1055.com, and 'Jane's Soapy Corners' are LIVE as usual from 6.00-6.30 pm on Wednesday nights on Tellyspy.

'Jane's Soapy Corners' have also gone digital. Simply download the Podcasts App onto your iPhone or iPad then search for Tellyspy and they're all there.

Have a good week everyone!

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Emmerdale-y – February 2012

Written on 02/02/2013 by Jane in Emmerdale-y

February 2012

My father's in the final stages of terminal cancer. We're caring for him at home but it's extremely demanding, and I'm consequently having to try and fit my Soap-watching in whenever I'm able to grab a spare moment.

It normally takes me from first thing on Saturday morning until Monday lunchtime to produce my weekly Soapy Corners (and then I have another half a day's admin etc to do on top of that), but I'm currently struggling to have even finished watching one week's episodes before the next week's start!

Posting my last Emmerdale-y post (27th January) while trying to look after my father and still do my regular ironing jobs and radio stints was so stressful that it forced me to accept that I was simply going to have to put everything else 'on hold' for the forseeable future.

I'm so sorry for this. It's just another example of the 'story of my life' though (see the 'About Me' section), but if you're a Soap-Watcher then you'll already know that whenever you think you're about to get a break in life, something comes along and kicks your legs from under you!

Emmerdale-y will resume as soon as possible. Thank you, and I hope to see you then.

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Corrie Corner – February 2013

Written on 02/02/2013 by Jane in Corrie Corner, Soapy Corner

February 2013

Posting my last Corrie Corner (27th January) while trying to look after my father and still do my regular ironing jobs and radio stints was so stressful that it forced me to accept that I was simply going to have to put everything else 'on hold' for the forseeable future.

Corrie Corner will resume as soon as possible. Thank you, and I hope to see you then.

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Carchelle Corner – February 2013

Written on 02/02/2013 by Jane in Carla Corner

February 2012

My father's in the final stages of terminal cancer. We're caring for him at home, but it's extremely demanding and I'm consequently having to try and fit my Soap-watching in whenever I'm able to grab a spare moment.

Posting my last Carchelle Corner (27th January) while trying to look after my father and still do my regular ironing jobs and radio stints was so stressful that it forced me to accept that I was simply going to have to put everything else 'on hold' for the forseeable future.

Carchelle Corner will resume as soon as possible. Thank you, and I hope to see you then.

PS

If you love the thought of Carla and Michelle as a couple then you'll probably really like my novel 'Just Good Friends?'

It's the story of close friends Ruth and Helen, whose drunken kiss leads to a whole lot more! It's available as a paperback on Amazon and to download on all eReader formats (and at the new, low price of only £2.99).

The perfect book to tide you over while you wait for Carla and Michelle to finally 'get it together' (we hope)!

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Queen Vic Corner – February 2013

Written on 02/02/2013 by Jane in Queen Vic Corner

February 2012

Posting my last Queen Vic Corner (27th January) while trying to look after my father and still do my regular ironing jobs and radio stints was so stressful that it forced me to accept that I was simply going to have to put everything else 'on hold' for the forseeable future.

Queen Vic Corner will resume as soon as possible. Thank you, and I hope to see you then.

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Jane Reynolds's Weekly Blog – 27th January 2013

Written on 28/01/2013 by Jane in The Complete Blog

Each week is getting more demanding (time-wise) as my dad's condition deteriorates.

This blog is only finally getting posted at 5.00 pm on Monday. The list of OTHER stuff I'm meant to be doing is getting longer – and more scary – by the day, but my dad has to take priority and everything else has to be fitted in around it.

I'd like to write more but I need to get this posted, so hope you'll enjoy this week's Soapy Corners and I'll see you next week!

I'll be doing my Soapy Spot on Alastair Greener's Big Mid-morning show from 10.45-11.15 on Thursday and co-presenting my TGI Friday show with Paul Dawkins from 4.00-5.00 pm on Friday; both on Swindon 1055.com, and 'Jane's Soapy Corners' are LIVE as usual from 6.00-6.30 pm every Wednesday night on Tellyspy.

'Jane's Soapy Corners' have also gone digital. Simply download the Podcasts App onto your iPhone or iPad then search for Tellyspy and they're all there.

Have a good week everyone.

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