41 h. ago Who could deny a hot, tired delivery driver the fruit from their cherry tree? | Adrian Chiles

All the poor man wanted was fresh fruit from the tree in front of my flat. I would have needed a heart of stone to refuse himI couldn’t understand what the food delivery bloke was saying to me. His accent was as heavy as his helmet and his words were getting lost in it. At the flats where I live, you’re never more than five minutes away from a weary rider like this turning up bearing someone’s tea, dinner, breakfast, lunch, snack, whatever. They’re not usually there for me, but it has been known.As I parked near the entrance, I saw him hand over his goods to a neighbour, but, unusually, he seemed in no hurry to speed off. He stood there looking up at something, before getting back on his moped and making to leave. But then he looked up again, thought better of leaving and got back off his moped. It was then that he came over to me saying words I couldn’t quite catch. He pointed up at the tree we were standing beneath and then I heard him properly, saying: “Please, if I pick cherry, ...

Politics

8 d. ago I knew everyone would hate my mustard shorts. That didn’t stop me buying them | Adrian Chiles

I can’t explain what was going through my mind my when I splashed out on them. But I’ve spent three years trying to make amendsOne day in my late teens I found a pair of jeans that fitted me nicely. This was at the newly opened Merry Hill shopping centre in the Black Country. The jeans were an odd colour but I liked the cut of my jib in them. This was until I told a schoolfriend I’d bought some mustard-coloured jeans. “What kind of mustard?” he asked. “Not English, surely?”I’m afraid they were. But I stuck with them, resolving to wash the colour issue away. Sadly, thanks to the ferocity of the laundering, soon after I’d got them from English mustard down to dijon, they fell apart, bringing the whole unhappy episode to an end. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago I did a road journey in England avoiding motorways – and discovered a whole new country | Adrian Chiles

Aston Clinton, Weedon, Maids Moreton – motorways bypass so many fascinating places. Maybe it is this that makes us an island of strangersI learned a lot driving to Hinckley in Leicestershire. I had some work there. That’s showbiz, folks. I didn’t do the journey as I’d normally do it – eyeballs out, gripping the steering wheel, fixating on the satnav ETA, on some motorway or other. If I’d done it that way, it would have taken less than two hours. For a change, I decided to take my time. And this change was as good as a rest. You’re unlikely to find London to Hinckley in any coffee table book about the World’s Best Road Trips, but this little odyssey lifted my spirits no end.It helped that I was on my motorbike. Wherever I’m going, I find motorcycling the shortest route to serenity. I think it’s partly an ADHD thing, with the relief that total absorption affords me. On a motorbike you have to be absorbed – hyper-focused, in fact – because your life is on the line. And while there’s ro...

Transport

3 w. ago My signed tie is up for auction. I don’t think even my mum would buy it | Adrian Chiles

It dates back to the time when I was hot television property, but the embarrassingly low £10 starting price speaks for itselfWhenever I see a signed this or that for sale, I ask myself why anyone would want it. Apart from anything else, unless you were standing next to the celebrity when they wrote their name down, how can you know it’s genuine? With that in mind, I wish to vouch for the authenticity of one unique piece of memorabilia.A friend, quite beside himself with mirth, has sent me details of lot 4238 in an auction next week. Though it was only a WhatsApp message, I swear I could discern the marks from the splashes where his tears of laughter fell. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Jodie Foster says she doesn’t ‘understand’ young actors who want to star in ‘bad movies’

‘They don’t care if they’re a grape in a Fruit of the Loom ad,’ said ‘Taxi Driver’ actor

Events

4 w. ago It can be hard to end a phone call. But 'Okaybye' is not the way to do it | Adrian Chiles

I’m not necessarily expecting a ‘love you’ from the person on the other end of the line – but don’t make me feel I’ve outstayed my welcomePhone conversations can be great things. It’s a shame we’re in an age when you can’t just have them on impulse. One of my oldest friends came to mind yesterday morning. We had not spoken for a couple of months and I wanted to hear his voice. And even with him I felt it would be a slight imposition to just call. So I texted him first to see if he could talk. This process has become so normal that I didn’t give it a second thought until afterwards. Anyway, he responded in the affirmative, agreeing that the call could be made there and then, which it was, and we had a good conversation.While meeting a friend in person is optimal, phone calls have their place. Sometimes it feels as if you can say more, perhaps speaking more frankly than if you were looking into the whites of each other’s eyes. Continue reading...

Politics