George Clarke’s Old house, New home

Last night the whole family made our TV debut on George Clarke’s Old House New Home show on Channel 4, you can watch the episode on the Channel 4 website.

I wanted to give a shout out to all the companies and people that helped us renovate our beautiful Edwardian home in Addiscombe Croydon. I’ll try and write up something about the whole experience in another post.

Trades

Builder: Perfect Building Solutions
john.f.curran73@gmail.com

Electrician: KEAS Electrical Ltd
info@keaselectical.com

Plumber: M&I Heating and Plumbing
miheating.plumbing@hotmail.com

Front Room

Wall Light and Green Table Lamp Base: Pooky
www.pooky.com

Paint, “Papavera” and “Golden Honey”: Sandersons (Style Library)
www.stylelibrary.com

Yellow Song Armchair: Maker and Son
www.makerandson.com

Kitchen

Kitchen Units: Pluck 
www.pluck.kitchen

Worktop installation: Total Tops
www.totaltops.co.uk

Worktop: Tri Stone Surfaces
www.tri-stone-surfaces.co.uk

Apple green tiles: Johnson Tiles, Milton Hollins Collection
www.johnson-tiles.com

EL 13 Amp Stove Cooker: Esse
www.esse.com

Tap and sink: Franke
www.franke.com

Ceiling Pendants: Pooky
www.pooky.com

Paint, “Matterhorn”: Sandersons (Style Library)
www.stylelibrary.com

Dining Room

Yellow Song Armchair: Maker and Son
www.makerandson.com

Dining Table Top and High Chair: Stantons
www.stantonsuk.co.uk

Dining Table Legs: Tiptoe
www.tiptoe.fr

Dining Chairs: Pluck 
www.pluck.kitchen

Paint, “Matterhorn” and “Botanical Green”: Sandersons (Style Library)
www.stylelibrary.com

Bedroom

Bed: Karma Beds
www.karmabeds.co.uk

Wallpaper, “Apple”: William Morris (Style Library)
www.stylelibrary.com

Navy and Pink Bedspreads: John Lewis
www.johnlewis.com

William Morris Strawberry Thief Bedspread: Bedeck
www.bedeck.com

Curtain Makers: Dixons Interiors
www.dixonsinteriors.co.uk

Curtain Fabric, “Srrawberry Thief”: William Morris (Style Library)
www.stylelibrary.com

Ceiling Pendant and Bedside Lamps: Pooky
www.pooky.com

Paint, “Fire Pink” and “Amanpuri”: Sandersons (Style Library)
www.stylelibrary.com

Bathroom

Sacker Double Ended Bath: Lefroy Brooks
www.lefroybrooks.com

Sink and Toilet and Taps: Lefroy Brooks
www.lefroybrooks.com

Savoy Marine Wall Tiles: Johnson Tiles
www.johnson-tiles.com

Devonshire Floor Tiles: Johnson Tiles
www.johnson-tiles.com

Coving and Ceiling Roses: Keaneys Ltd
www.keaneys.co.uk

Paint, “Matterhorn”: Sandersons (Style Library)
www.stylelibrary.com

Loft

Grey Armchairs: Rhubarb Homes
www.rhubarb-malvern.co.uk

Desk Lamps: Herston
www.herston-uk.com

Paint, “Matterhorn”: Sandersons (Style Library)
www.stylelibrary.com

Throughout

Internal Doors: PJ Pine and Sons
www.pjpine.co.uk

Wooden Flooring: The Natural Wood Flooring Company
www.naturalwoodfloor.co.uk

Coving and Ceiling Roses: Stevensons of Norwich
www.stevensons-of-norwich.co.uk

Column Radiators: Radiators4u
www.radiators4u.co.uk

Ceiling Pendants: Pooky
www.pooky.com

Paint – Hallway and Stairs, “Charlotte’s Locks”: Farrow and Ball
www.farrow-ball.com

Paint – Landing, “Matterhorn”: Sandersons (Style Library)
www.stylelibrary.com

Lost My Name – Dragon Slayers

Lost My Name Book

The guys I’m working with were on BBC’s Dragon’s Den last night! Here’s the episode on iPlayer, they’re right at the end of the show. Asi’s negotiations were brilliant, the only time I can remember someone getting all the money they wanted for the equity they offered. £100,000 for 4%, a new record for Dragon’s Den.

I think it’s a safe bet for the dragon though, they’ve got really strong growth, feels like sales are almost doubling every month, Christmas this year is going to be nuts. So much stuff going on behind the scenes here too, just about to launch the book in multiple languages, even an American version because they were constantly complaining David couldn’t spell ;) Book number 2 is in the works, much more ambitious (and hopefully magical) than the first. We’re hoping to have it ready early next year. We’ve started working on an animated version of the book for a mobile and TV app. And we’ve got a new site launching soon (which I’ve been helping them with). Happy days.

One of the nicest things about working for a company like Lost My Name is the feedback we get from our customers, here’s a particular favourite we received the other day:

I have to tell you that I am 53 years old and have purchased countless gifts for children over the last 35 years and this book was the most extraordinary and priceless gift I have ever given to any one before. This is no exaggeration. Your work was perfect – creative, intelligent and beautifully crafted.

Head over the Lost My Name, stick a name in and see what it’s all about. Or watch this video:

Ah, this is the good life

Well almost, I nearly got chucked out of this place for going in the water toboggan while it was filling up (Nicky took some great video of it) and Nicky’s just been told off by a big German lady for some toilet flushing incident! It’s kind of stressfull being back in civilisation..

Chateaubriand

My mother tells me that I’ve had a habit of ordering the most expensive thing on the menu since an early age, well I haven’t grown out of it yet!

Me and Nicky have had a hunger for great steak for a while now, we had one at lunch that didn’t quite hit the spot. So when I saw a Chateaubriand on the menu tonight, I knew we were in for a good feed :) Interesting thing about this one was it came with 2 different sauces, one was a creamy mushroom affair, the other was like a boozey cheese sauce. I’m not sure if either were traditional? Can’t remember, it’s been a while. But both were tastey, espeacially the boozey cheese :)

Oh yeah, the steak was awesome.

The Black Pearl

We bought this bottle if Swiss pirate plonk because the name amused us after our boating trip. But I’m telling you, it was one of the nicest bottles of wine I’ve ever had :) If you ever come across it, I highly recommend you give it a go. I’ll certainly be trying to find a source of it when I get back home.

Update: You can buy it from Domaine du Mont d’Or, the full name is – “La Perle Noire” Assemblage Rouge AOC Valais. Going to order mine now :)

Gone Fishing

We didn’t quite finish the intended route, but we did see a good deal of beautiful Switzerland. This rowing trip pretty much marks the end of our holiday ‘on foot’. We’re now having what Nicky considers is ‘a proper holiday’ and heading to Brig in the Rhone valley for some sun and chilling (here now, blogging from a pub). There’s a campsite near which I loved as a kid, it’s almost like a water based theme park. We’ll get the bus there tomorrow and I’ll let you know if it lives up to my memory.

Meat & Cheese

I think this is the first time I’ve ever had room service. Guess how many waffer thin, tiny slices of bread I got to wash down all this meat and cheese? Four!

Tastey though, we saved some of the meat for tommorrow’s fishing trip.

I is stealing ur internetz

We stayed at the Berghaus on the banks of Lake Oeschinensee last night. Only realised this morning that there was un-secured wireless internet coming out of this rather ornate building next door. So we grabbed the table nearest (left of picture) and have been boozing/blogging all morning :)