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Norm on the run

Posted by Lil Lou on 25-08-2009

When Mark finally uncovered Norm hiding in his flowerbed, the cheeky gnome was told to sit in Bill's car - and then he vanished!

The next we heard from him was when he sent us his holiday snaps from Sinah Warren, one of the Warner Leisure Hotel locations in Hayling Island.

He had a great time, bought himself a pair of sunglasses and lounged by the pool.

What will that naughty Gnome get up to next? Mark's surely going to have some harsh words for him should he see him again. But for now Norm, having had a relaxing time, is back hiding in the chapel somewhere.

Posted by Lil Lou on 25-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…

All change in Theme Dream

Posted by Big Lou on 24-08-2009

Theme Dream has certainly done some chopping and changing over the last few days - although the top two are still way out in front.

Natalie is still trailblazing ahead with 237 - that's 44 points ahead of second-placed Sarah's Wags R Us team. I am now just four points behind Sarah, and am in fourth, so I am well-chuffed with that.

And only 60 points separate second down to 20th, so although there's been plenty of ups and downs over the weekend, everyone is still well within reach of the top spots - assuming Natalie's Hector's Heroes stop steaming away with the lead.

At the bottom, new boy Jim is already catching up the back of the class despite only registering on Tuesday and knowing nothing at all about football. He has 75 points, while Jo's I hate football team is just ahead on 82. The Dorsett sisters and Simon Thomson make up the rest of the bottom five.

Posted by Big Lou on 24-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…

Wags R Back!

Posted by Sarah on 21-08-2009

I was thrilled to see my fantasy football team leap up the table after a massive win for my beloved Liverpool on Wednesday.

I say beloved - I didn't even know they were playing! But that doesn't matter, because Wags R Us are now second in the Theme Dream league with 146 points - 93 of which came on Wednesday.

Mark actually dropped points to 97, although he is now up to 139. Maybe the paper agreed with us that it was a fix him being in the lead!

Natalie has now taken the lead on 147, and Nick is on 142, so it's definitely tight at the top. My Wags team is out of the bottom half, but there are a many who weren't so lucky - but about six or seven teams are within a few points of each other, and it is still early yet. Who knows where the Wags will be come the end of the season?

Don't forget to keep an eye on the Theme blog to see how your team - and the mighty Wags - get on!

Posted by Sarah on 21-08-2009 | 4 Comments | Leave a Comment…

My lovely (and lively) holiday!

Posted by Jodie on 20-08-2009

I've just got back from a fantastic 10-day Turkish break and although I was looking forward to returning to my home comforts towards the end, now I'd much rather be back there than 'sweating it out' in the office!

Somehow, the 40-degree heat was more bearable with the swimming pool at arm's length, cool drinks and ice creams on tap - not to mention the lazy days on the beach.

My step-daughter Georgie, my husband Rob and I stayed at a really lively hotel resort called Asena Village, nestled in the mountains of a town called Hisaronu - a bus-ride away from the gorgeous Olu Deniz Blue Lagoon beach.

We were only a 10-minute walk away from the town centre - perfect for when we fancied a bit of nightlife or shopping!

We took three different boat trips throughout the holiday too. We tried a Dalyan Adventure as part of a lively group of 35 people - really just an excuse to chill-out, sunbath, and visit a natural mud-bath.

The best, however, was the Chill-Out Cruise, where we stopped at five different bays throughout the course of the day for swimming, snorkelling, lunch and more sunbathing!

My husband tried scuba diving for the first time, and while he enjoyed his first underwater experience, Georgie and I tagged along for the boat-ride and chose to keep our heads above water!

I arrived home feeling thoroughly relaxed, with a good tan, and I would definitely go back. For now, though, it's back to work!

Posted by Jodie on 20-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…

Theme Dream kicks off

Posted by Nick on 18-08-2009

The first fixture in the Theme Dream league threw up some interesting results - although many may be screaming 'fix' after Theme Group's MD Mark tops the leader board with 108 points.

The highest placed customer was Natalie Dobson with 103 points, despite her pre-season claims that she was clueless about football.

Theme's Marcus Bishop was third (101) after his Arsenal-heavy team racked up the points, while Weizong Chen and Chloe Gee filled in fourth and fifth.

From here the points spread out through the remaining 18 players down to 33 points, giving the Theme Dream an average league score of 61.

It's early days yet, and the winner will ultimately be the one with the staying power to last the distance, but the league's off to a flying start.

Posted by Nick on 18-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…

Naughty Norm found!

Posted by Big Lou on 17-08-2009

Norm the Gnome's week of mischief came to an abrupt end when Mark discovered him hiding in his prized flower basket.

The cheeky chappy had bedded down among the plants for several days, and Mark had watered him several times before finally spotting him nestled among the flowers.

He was promptly exiled from the building (and told to sit in Bill’s car), but before Mark could scold him even further, Norm disappeared to another hiding place.

Where will he be found next? No one knows for sure. But what we do know is that Mark won’t be impressed when he gets his hands on this naughty gnome.

Posted by Big Lou on 17-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…

Love Hate

Posted by Vanessa on 13-08-2009

While reading this month's Computer Art (mainly because it had our studio in!), I was struck by this logo for events management company Love Hate.

Not only do I really like the neat, simple, elegant lines, but I also like the ambiguity of the logo - although it is designed to be a love heart within the letter H, at first glance I thought it was two faces glaring at each other to illustrate the hate aspect.

I don't know if the designer did this on purpose but love the way it carries the double theme of love and hate.

Posted by Vanessa on 13-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…

Theme Group Fantasy Football

Posted by Nick on 11-08-2009

Theme Group is celebrating the kick-off of the new Premiership season by setting up a Daily Mail fantasy football mini league - and is asking clients to join in, too!

Pretty much everyone here has picked their team, with selections ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Even the non-football fans got in on the act (and suspiciously contributed many of the sublime choices), and we are now eagerly awaiting Saturday so we can see how we all got on.

Man United fan Laurence went against everything his heart told him by opting for Chelsea hero Frank Lampard and Liverpool icon Steve Gerrard.

Vanessa opted for a Chelsea-heavy team that looks capable of doing well, but relies on the rich boys steering clear of injuries.

Spurs fan Warren has probably chosen a few too many Tottenham players to finish near the top of the pack - that's the danger of blind faith!

Only time will tell if people's selections were wise - if Nick was wrong to have Darren Bent as a sole striker, if Big Lou's gamble on Fulham's Clint Dempsey was inspired, and if Lil Lou's Lads were chosen on any criteria other than having nice legs.

But now we want you to join our mini league and pit your football brains against us. Don't worry if you have no football knowledge - that's usually an advantage.

All you need to know if that the monthly winner will get a little prize for their efforts. It may be a bottle of drink or a box of cakes, but it will certainly worth picking 12 players for!

If you want to join, look out for your fantasy football email, or drop Me a line to get details.

Posted by Nick on 11-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…

No Place Like Gnome

Posted by Lil' Lou on 10-08-2009

It would be no surprise to move into an Old Chapel and discover that it is haunted - but Mark's quickly discovering that his new office is home to an unwelcome visitor of a rather different kind.

Bill brought in Norm the Gnome several weeks ago so he could show his pint-sized friend around. Needless to say, Mark wasn't overly impressed with a gnome ruining the clean lines and swanky image of his new office and asked Norm to leave.

Since then the gnome has gone into hiding - around the Old Chapel. He is waiting for Mark to uncover him and realise that he never left the building - at which point he will run off and find a new place to hide.

Norm's tormenting of Mark has already began, but keep an eye on the blog over the coming weeks to see where he is hiding now.

Posted by Lil' Lou on 10-08-2009 | 1 Comment | Leave a Comment…

JEEP Campaign

Posted by Goldie on 07-08-2009

I spotted these brilliant, really simple Jeep ads in a magazine recently and thought they were really clever.

By taking block colour silhouettes of two things that sum up two extreme environments - hot and cold or mountainous and swampy, for example - and overlaying them slightly, they have created a subtle Jeep image.

The campaign is clever because it makes you look twice and, although it's unlike any other Jeep ad, it sums up the fact the vehicle is equally comfortable in a range of extreme conditions.

The Malaysian-based company who came up with the campaign won several awards for the clever simplicity of the idea.

Posted by Goldie on 07-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…

Ghost's First Birthday

Posted by Mark on 05-08-2009

Our resident Ghost - who visitors to the Old Chapel may have seen bounding around - recently turned one.

It's been a crazy year for Ghost that has absolutely flown by. In that time he's more than quadrupled in size, and has given me more than a few grey hairs!

And although he's prone to the odd clumsy accident, I wouldn't have him any other way - and I don't think my team here would.

He loves coming to the office (howling joyfully as soon as I pull up outside) so much that we thought it fitting he had his first birthday party here.

We enjoyed the delicious choice of party snacks Ghost supplied, and he enjoyed laying in the middle of the kitchen being tickled by all the female staff. Can't think where he gets it from!

We are now looking forward to his second birthday, although if he grows at the same rate he'll have to duck to get in the front door.

Posted by Mark on 05-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…

Theme Group gets Studio of the Month

Posted by Nick on 04-08-2009

Theme Group hit the big time recently when design magazine Computer Arts featured us as their Studio of the Month.

Aside from the obvious kudos of appearing in a well-respected design mag as a company, it has also led some of those actually pictured in the article setting their sights on the big time, with movie careers the next logical step in this rise to superstardom.

Mark did say he wanted his photo retouched so he 'looked like Tom Cruise'. He is, in fact, a dead ringer for the Hollywood star - if height is the only factor - so an action movie might be a possibility.

Big Lou and Nick were both thrilled to discover what the back of their heads look like. They used the pics to audition for headband modelling, but both missed out because of their short hair.

The whole process provided Jim with an unnecessary boost to his ego, and has ordered a three-storey luxury trailer so he doesn't have to work with the office's 'non-stars'. Parking it may be a problem.

And Vanessa was delighted to be the most famous French designer in Berkshire (or Woodley, at least), and hoped her appearance would pave the way for an influx of French custom at Theme.

In all seriousness, however, we were very honoured to be featured in such an esteemed magazine, in a feature in which some major outfits have appeared in the past.

It shows how lucky we are to have such a great office, and is testament to the hard work put into the Old Chapel's refurbishment.

Posted by Nick on 04-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…

Bug Jam at Santa 'Bog'

Posted by Big Lou on 03-08-2009

Despite the wet weather (and when i say wet, i mean thunder, lightning and boggy mud wet) Genie, Cosmo and friends made it to Santa Pod for Bug Jam this year.

I was in my element, with v-dubs as far as the eye could see, even on the quarter mile strip! And yes, I admit, some did look like they were out for a Sunday cruise, but a beetle reaching 120mph in nine seconds is still VERY impressive! Even more amazing was the jet car that reached 230mph in a quarter mile - you could feel the engines thundering through your body as it shot past.

All that's left now is to rid Genie of all the caked-on mud and make her sparkle again.

Posted by Big Lou on 03-08-2009 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…