Isle of Boden

Favourite albums

1. World Party - Goodbye Jumbo
2. Supertramp - Breakfast in America
3. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
5. Bjork - Vespertine
6. Getz/Giberto – Volume 1
7. Various – Ibiza Chillout Session
8. Screamadelica – Primal Scream
9. Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
10. Damian Rice – O
11. Air – Talkie Walkie
12. Mylo – Destroy Rock & Roll
13. Doves – Lost Souls
14. Daft Punk – Discovery
15. The Killers – Sam’s Town

My ideal dinner party guests

• Boudicca
• Jonathan Ross
• Marilyn Monroe
• John Peel
• Napoleon
• Oscar Wilde
• Mona Lisa
• Henry VIII
• Jesus
• Winston Churchill
• Nancy Mitford
• Nelson

Nice things to do on a Sunday

1. Go boating on a river
2. Watch an old black and white film
3. Ride a horse
4. Go for a very long walk with the children, ideally along a coast
5. Eat a huge lunch
6. Plant a tree
7. Drink several bottles of red wine (not on your own)
8. Eat ice creams by the seaside
9. Build a dam/treehouse
10. Go to church/mosque/synagogue/chapel

Question you never knew you wanted answering:

How do you tell the difference between real Abalone buttons and fakes?

These are buttons that are literally made from the shell of the abalone, a large shell with a grey pearly inner. You can tell just by looking, if you know what to look for, but as with most things, the best way is to lick it. A real shell button feels cold when you lick it, whereas a fake (plastic) one feels warm.

Perfect songs for a Sunday morning

1. Hey There Delilah – Plain White Tees
2. Life on Mars – David Bowie
3. Sun is Shining – Bob Marley
4. Shoulder Holster – Morcheeba
5. Poor Leno- Royksopp
6. Lola’s Theme – Shapeshifters
7. The Only Living Boy in New York – Simon and Garfunkel
8. You’re the First, the Last, My Everything – Barry White
9. Sunday Morning – Lou Reed
10. Thirteen – Big Star
11. Supergrass – St.Petersburg
12. A Message to You Rudy – The Specials
13. She’s a Rainbow – Rolling Stones
14. There She Goes – The La’s
15. Just the Way I’m Feeling – Feeder

Question you never knew you wanted answering:

Why are important meetings at Boden known as Shags?

In the early days when we were just getting things going, we couldn’t afford the luxury of enough space to devote to meeting rooms. Instead, if we had something that needed discussing in private, we’d wander off to the nearby Holiday Inn. If anyone asked, we’d simply say that we were nipping off for a quick shag. It stuck.

Things that make Johnnie smile

1. A friendly face
2. Good manners
3. Riding very fast on a horse
4. The sound of my children’s laughter
5. Seeing happy customers in Boden clothes
6. Rare filet steak, mash (with lots of cream) and gravy
7. Sunset over the smoking shed
8. Our employees (almost always)
9. People trying really hard
10. Many episodes of Blackadder, Little Britain etc etc.

My design icons

1. The tube map
2. Daleks
3. Japanese lavatories
4. Sausages
5. Jaguar E-type
6. Red telephone boxes
7. David Bowie’s make-up around 1973
8. Raleigh Chopper
9. Concorde
10. Pint mugs
11. Salvadore Dali’s moustache
12. Marmite jars
13. The Union Jack
14. iPod
15. St Pancras Station

Things I’ve stumbled upon

www.shazam.com
You know how it goes – you hear a song, you like, it, but have no idea what is, then later on can’t remember how it went, then never hear it again leaving you despondent and with no direction left in your life. With shazam, you just dial a number, hold your phone near the music and get a text telling you everything you need to know. Problem solved.

www.erobertparker.com
If you are a fan of the grape, you’ll be hard pushed to find a more comprehensive wine website. This man is the final word on wine reviewing, and though it is a subscription site, I reckon it’s well worth it. Best read while sampling.

www.treesforcities.org 
An independent charity that carries out tree planting and green initiatives in urban areas. Get involved in projects from Leeds to Addis Ababa, or aim for a biggie with the Million Trees Campaign here in London.

www.landmarktrust.org.uk
The Landmark Trust is another fantastic charity, preserving some of our most remarkable and historic buildings. Once they’ve done that, the buildings are given new life by letting them for holidays. When it comes to making your own bed and then getting to lie in it, this is as good as it gets.

www.timebank.org.uk
Time is money, money is time. TimeBank is a national charity that allows you to volunteer and donate time rather than the folding stuff. You tell them what you’re good at, they suggest how you might be able to help. Simple.