Greetings from London!

After a quick 8 1/2 hour night flight from Houston, a long 1 3/4 hour wait to get through customs, a rapid 45-minute drive around the M-25 trying to re-acquaint myself with handling a manual car on the right-hand side of the road, I arrive at 389 High Road, Woodford Green, my London house!

It’s not exactly much to look at from the outside, but bearing in mind that it is a Grade 2 listed building which pre-dates 1730, making it and its sister property next door the oldest houses in Woodford Green, it’s not doing too badly at some 280+ years of age!

The differences between the two houses are quite marked. The adjoining property (with the red door) has had few alterations made to it since it was built, including the original staircase which was made from horse-hair. Mine on the other hand was bought by a builder, gutted inside and turned into a seven level, fully open house which includes two spiral staircases and a mad layout which entails you taking staircases up and down all over the house.

In the 1990s, after the builder finished messing with it, the council listed it as a Grade 2 building making further major alterations difficult to ensure the integrity of the building remained in tact. It was at this time that I bought the house and continued with cosmetic modernization such as adding floor to ceiling radiators in stunning colours such as purple, orange and yellow, painting the spiral staircases a magnificent shade of green and adding stainless steel cladding and wooden floors.

Typical July weather for the Wimbledon tennis championships – it has just poured with rain!