20 h. ago Remote controls, tumble dryers, documentaries do we have to make everything so complicated? | Adrian Chiles

I’m not saying everything was better in the good old days – but a lot of things really don’t need the latest bells and whistlesI was once trying to get a television idea commissioned about a subject or issue that I thought was important. So important that I can no longer remember what it was. Whatever it was, the commissioner stayed alert for a minute or two but soon clouded over and demanded: “What is it you’re trying to say?”“Say? I’m just saying it’s really interesting.”Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster, writer and Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Politics

2 d. ago The 'secret' tumble dryer setting that stops bedsheets 'balling' up

Drying duvet sets can be frustrating but some machines have a clever cycle that can prevent it tangling

Politics

7 d. ago What I have learned in my filthy, bloody, sisyphean quest to tame my garden | Adrian Chiles

It’s chaos as small jobs become big jobs, tools disappear and distractions lead to furious frustration. Then you spot spring’s first flower ...There’s no such thing as gardeners’ block, I once read. This from, I believe, a famous writer who was making the point that if you’ve got writers’ block, you should just go and do something else for a bit. Point taken. There is no such thing as gardeners’ block because if you get stuck doing one job, even in the smallest garden, there are roughly 10m other jobs you can be cracking on with. Which is quite right. And this is what makes gardening either the worst thing for you if – like me – you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or possibly the best.I stride into the garden full of purpose and ambition, with a smile on my face. Invariably, several hours later, I stagger out of there, aching all over, scratched, bloodied, filthy and demoralised, having dug, scraped, cursed and carried myself to physical and mental exhaust...

Events

9 d. ago This is the best way to dry your clothes without a tumble dryer

Cleaning expert Sarah Dempsey says it is a cost that can easily be reduced

Politics

1 week ago Experts reveal the best time to run your tumble dryer to slash energy bills by half

If you're on a time-of-use, or off-peak electricity rates and tariffs, you could save a significant amount of money on your energy bills - but what time of day is it best to do the laundry?

Science

1 week ago The best times to use your tumble dryer to slash energy bills and save money

With the cost of living crisis hitting many households across the UK, Brits are looking for ways to save money and reduce their energy bills - and even the time of day you use your tumble dryer can affect the cost

Economics

1 week ago Adrian Chiles reveals he's going on a mega pub crawl around the whole of Ireland

TV presenter Adrian Chiles has revealed he is going on a 'just for fun' pub crawl around all of the counties of Ireland - Adrian admitted the tour has 'no higher purpose'

Politics

2 w. ago My dad died a year ago – and a photo of him on Google Street View brought me up short | Adrian Chiles

A friend sent me the image by surprise and I felt a lot of things very strongly: love, upset, amusement, pleasure and angerAn old friend sent me a photo that caused me to stop whatever I was doing. I stared at it for a long time, possibly without drawing breath. Martin and I grew up living next door to each other. He now lives in Australia. It was from there that he sent me a screenshot of Google Maps’ Street View, showing what had been our homes. Side by side, just bricks and mortar obviously, but teeming with meaning for both of us. That wasn’t the thing though. The thing was that in a corner of the photo stood a familiar figure in a red jumper. My dad.He died this time last year. And yet here he was, standing under the tree next to his car. I felt a lot of things very strongly all at the same time: love, surprise, upset, amusement, anger, pleasure and other things. This was a month ago, but it’s on my mind again this week as it would have been his 87th birthday. And I’m still no ...

Events

2 w. ago 'I slashed my tumble dryer bill by 40% by adding one simple item to machine'

It's fair to say the cost of living isn't getting any easier. But thanks to a savvy tip from one woman, you may be able to massively cut back on your tumble dryer bill

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Biologists were not part of the crime food chain’: why Ecuador’s scientists are facing violence, threats and kidnapping

Despite government efforts, armed groups control many remote areas. Now researchers are caught in the crosshairsRaul*, a biologist from Quito, has been leading conservation projects in the Chocó rainforest in north-east Ecuador for more than 20 years. It has not been easy, he says, recalling the threats he has received over the years for reporting illegal hunters and loggers in reserves, but he never considered giving up.Last year, however, tensions in the area escalated after violence soared on the country’s coast. Accounts of almost daily killings in the cities of Esmeraldas and Guayaquil emerged as gangs appeared to fight over territory, while forced recruitment in rural areas increased, as did extortions, known locally as vacunas, or vaccines. Continue reading...

Events