Scatter cushions and bedspreads – can someone explain to me what they’re for? | Adrian Chiles

Every night I hurl them off the bed. Every morning they are replaced. Off, on, off, on, for ever. Serving no purpose whatsoever.
Scatter cushions and bedspreads. Why? What for? If it wasn’t for the waste and environmental impact, I’d make a huge pile and torch them all. You’d see the fire from the moon. Alternatively, pick them apart and make something useful out of them. I’d collect them by means of a national scatter cushion and bedspread amnesty. Post them to a facility and leave the rest to me.
Let’s take bedspreads first. Big, heavy, useless. Especially the one on the bed at my mum’s house. I can’t always summon the strength to drag it off the bed and leave it in a heap on the floor. If I do, along with leaving no floor space for anything else, this earns me a fierce bollocking. I am commanded to heave it out of the bedroom and hang it on the bannister, which creaks beneath its formidable weight. Then, when my stay is over, I have to wrangle the bedspread back on to the bed, as it is far too heavy for her to handle. I always ask what purpose it serves. I’ve never had an answer.
Continue reading...Topics
-
Daybreak is a magical time in a big city, no matter how tired you are | Adrian Chiles
London, Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham – I have favourite early-morning memories from each of them. I’ve had enough of city living. London has been my home on and off since I came to university in ...The Guardian - Mar. 13 -
2025 Big 12 Tournament: Explaining logo-centric court with conference branding scattered throughout floor
Here's why the Big 12 has a new court design and what it meansCBS Sports - Mar. 11 -
‘Evolve or die’: Why Gen Z are finishing off old-school coaches
Erik ten Hag lost his job at Manchester United for a multitude of reasons but, in his own analysis of what went wrong, there was one particularly striking observation. “The generation I grew up in ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
I was always terrified of confrontation. Then I hit my 40s | Arwa Mahdawi
If I see someone making my neighbourhood a worse place to live, I walk straight up to them and … have a little word. What is happening to me?. Some people buy sports cars when they have a midlife ...The Guardian - 2d -
NY Giants mock draft 3.0: Projecting every Big Blue pick as free agency kicks off
Here’s our third New York Giants mock draft now that NFL free agency has kicked off.Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Monday Night Raw in Belgium: Start time, what to know for Cody Rhodes-John Cena face-off
Cody Rhodes and John Cena meet on Monday Night Raw for the first time since the shocking Elimination Chamber attack.Yahoo Sports - 3d -
My petty gripe: people keep throwing food away without asking me if I want it. Of course I do!
What does it cost you to let others finish your bowl of chips at the pub? What do you gain by binning the soggy fruit salad?. Last week’s chicken too dry to finish off. A carrot so old it flops ...The Guardian - Mar. 10 -
Every Move I Make, She’ll Be Watching Me
At 50, am I too old to be sharing my location with my mother?The New York Times - Mar. 7 -
My phone knows what I want before I do. That should be worrying – but it’s oddly comforting | Emma Beddington
On the downside, all my personal data is being harvested by faceless corporations. On the up, I’ve got a little parent in my pocket, anticipating my every need. I awoke recently to one of those ...The Guardian - Mar. 10
More from The Guardian
-
EU ready to impose more sanctions on Russia after summit talks
Show of unity marred by Viktor Orbán refusing to back declaration of support for Ukraine. EU leaders – apart from Hungary’s Viktor Orbán – say they are ready to increase pressure on Russia through ...The Guardian - 9h -
Trump signs executive order to dismantle US Department of Education
Order calls for teardown of department as Trump seemingly tries to circumvent need to obtain congressional approval. US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump signed an executive order ...The Guardian - 6h -
Glacier meltdown risks food and water supply of 2 billion people, says UN
Unesco report highlights ‘unprecedented’ glacier loss driven by climate crisis, threatening ecosystems, agriculture and water sources. Retreating glaciers threaten the food and water supply of 2 ...The Guardian - 3h -
Meta exposé tops bestseller chart despite company’s attempt to ban its promotion
Sarah Wynn-Williams’s account of her seven years as a Facebook executive is number one on the New York Times bestseller list and has flown off the shelves in the UK. An exposé by a former employee ...The Guardian - 6h -
Thousands protest in Israel over ‘attack on democracy’ by Netanyahu
Protesters accuse PM of continuing Gaza war for political reasons and ignoring plight of hostages still held by Hamas. Israel–Gaza war – latest updates Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken ...The Guardian - 11h
More in World
-
Why Indonesia's new military law is alarming pro-democracy activists and rights groups
Indonesia’s Parliament has unanimously voted to pass a controversial revision of its military law that will expand the armed forces’ role in civilian affairs despite growing opposition from ...ABC News - 22m -
Delta plane that flipped over in Toronto last month showed high rate of descent, initial report says
A preliminary report into why a Delta Air Lines jet burst into flames and flipped upside down as it tried to land in Toronto has been releasedABC News - 23m -
Israeli government dismisses head of domestic intelligence service
Yahoo News - 56m -
Israel Expands Gaza Ground Offensive as Hamas Fires Rockets at Tel Aviv
A two-month cease-fire in Gaza collapsed this week amid a renewed Israeli bombardment. The fighting now looks as if it is sliding back to full-scale war.The New York Times - 59m -
Circle K and 7-Eleven owners line up US stores sale as part of $47bn takeover bid
Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard and Japan’s Seven & i plan talks with PE firms over sale of 2,000 stores to address competition concernsFinancial Times - 1h