The Chateau Diaries #15 Grifters of a feather flock together

Incognito Chatelaine said:

They had a dog before, a lovely golden retriever (see below) but he died - so I doubt the puppy purchase was to gain Insta followers. Moreover, Frank and Ivo strike me as the type of couple to care more about anthuriums than algorithms.

Frank seems to be eloquent and multi-talented, he even made his own Lalande cheese at one point. What a loss he is... I also fell in love with Ivo in an interview, he is incredibly charming. I would imagine that both of them would make enthralling dinner guests.

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I've read his entire blog. You can see my past comments about it. It's lovely and so is his vision, but he seems depressed and things are falling apart. Not a whole lot of progress has been made and he often posts from bed. They don't really have the skills to fix things, but the to-do list is growing, and I gathered that from him literally saying they don't yet have the skills or money to fix crumbling walls, etc. Then there's that undercurrent of neighbor shade. I read the whole thing through a filter of their past at Lalande and I'm guessing that like Michael Petherick, they should stop griping about the past that hurt them, and make it happen for themselves. The puppy is a not a charity rescue, that is for sure. Gorgeous dog.

They should team up with these dudes.

Milre said:

So the green house is to become his bedroom? Or bathroom?

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With his love for revelations my guess would be the bedroom.

Marquis de Potpourri said:

uh oh...I can see his next vlog titled "threats and insults by my stalkers."

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I add a some prejudices about scandinavians:" I believed they are all blonde and pretty? "

witchgrass said:

I've read his entire blog. You can see my past comments about it. It's lovely and so is his vision, but he seems depressed and things are falling apart. Not a whole lot of progress has been made and he often posts from bed. They don't really have the skills to fix things, but the to-do list is growing, and I gathered that from him literally saying they don't yet have the skills or money to fix crumbling walls, etc. Then there's that undercurrent of neighbor shade. I read the whole thing through a filter of their past at Lalande and I'm guessing that like Michael Petherick, they should stop griping about the past that hurt them, and make it happen for themselves. The puppy is a not a charity rescue, that is for sure. Gorgeous dog.

They should team up with these dudes.

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I suppose he takes these gorgeous pictures from bed too? They don't look like the images a depressed person would produce, but hey, what do I know. Like I said, you seem very informed indeed.

Clara Burnett said:

I suppose he takes these gorgeous pictures from bed too? They don't look like the images a depressed person would produce, but hey, what do I know. Like I said, you seem very informed indeed.

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Am I? The internet'll do that for you I guess, when someone blogs their day on a public platform and offers it up for the masses. His pictures are good. A lot of closeups of single flowers. Sunset from the same viewpoint. He's a little bored.

In my experience anyone who has to elevate a parent to sainthood post mortem. That parent was seriously messed up in life. If you have to remind people someone was a saint in life it's because everyone else remembers they were far from it. If my husband painted my daughter in that way there would be a definite interrogation and investigation into what exactly is or was going on there.

witchgrass said:

Am I? The internet'll do that for you I guess, when someone blogs their day on a public platform and offers it up for the masses. His pictures are good. A lot of closeups of single flowers. Sunset from the same viewpoint. He's a little bored.

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Photographers have entire gallery shows of single flowers and sunsets. All the one's I know are far from bored. I snap a pic of the sunset and am too busy to be bored.

Milre said:

So the green house is to become his bedroom? Or bathroom?

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No, he said he's going to plant tomatoes (if he said "tomatoes" once he said 100 times!!!...I love me a British accent but if I had heard him say TOMAHTOES one more time...!!!!!!) and a few other veggies...I guess so he can make more chutney...I must not have ever had chutney before because that stuff didn't look very appetizing to me.....

@FauxChateau I like your avatar. But have you checked Hanni isn't hiding out in there?

Still gets my vote for Thread 16

Krypgal said:

#16 Mirror mirror on the wall, let the Tattlers gather, and watch me fall!

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Clara, could you post a reference to your friends ig or blog again pls? And yes, I have trawled through about 30 pages trying to find it and have given up.....

#16 Skeptic tanks and American Loons.

Regardless of the chosen thread title name (doesn't bother me at all) I just love skeptic tanks, bless him, perfectly poetic even if unintentional.

lalablahblah said:

In trying to put my finger on mummy I think she has a lot of traits of histrionic disorder. Histrionic mother, father with some disturbing sexual fantasies, over attachment to his daughter spoiling her would explain a lot. I think I would be disturbed if my father painted me with my breasts bare, bottom exposed in a sexual position "frolicking by the fountain" with a host of other pornographic characters. Yes it's art. Salvador dali paid people to have psycodelic orgies for some of his art. This stuff isn't Michael Angelo. It's a mix of Hugh Heffner and Walt Disney.

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lalablahblah Postmm3815390
And we should not forget the infamous Eric Gill.

#16 No longer need the Danish fella, time to shut him in the cellar!

Jeeves said:

Still gets my vote for Thread 16

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Thanks

The Chateau Diaries #16 The grass is always greener over the sceptic tank

Krypgal said:

#16 No longer need the Danish fella, time to shut him in the cellar!


Thanks

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He’s Dutch though, isn’t he?

lalablahblah said:

Anyone who spent years with a narcacist will then spend years processing PSTD.

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Yes I am very well aware.

Clara Burnett said:

The way I read their posts, they are not writing about the shat-o but about themselves and their experiences living in a rural community. They spend many years at the shat-o so yes, it's bound to pop up, even now, living so close to it. PTSD seems very unlikely to me, given the eloquent way they describe their trauma(s). If it were me, I'd be ranting and raving.

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I don't think PTSD is always manifested through ranting and raving. Sometimes it's internal rumination eating away at your body like acid. Sometimes it's handled by unscrewing the bottle and pouring the drink. Sometimes people do write eloquent essays and poetry. Lots of ways to deal.

OopsieDaisy222 said:

Long time lurker, first time poster here. Just watched her Patreon financial update. I cannot believe she's pulling in over 20K per month (and thanks to her new historic tax status will keep most of that), and everyone is FREEZING in the house! How about get a decent heating system and have your B&B available year round? Why is she faffing with wallpaper when the building needs major structural repairs, decent heat, etc? I think she excuses using that money on design as "Bringing new life into the chateau." You know what would bring new life in? Having a building where people aren't in danger of freezing to death in their sleep.

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Exactly, need $$$ increase the B&B biz. Attract more workshops. She hosts opera and music workshops (through her connections?) but there's so many other kinds of popular workshops (or were pre-pandemic) - yoga, painting, cooking, photography. Does she attract any of these? With only 5 rooms it's hard for someone running a workshop to make $. I see she's trying to stay under threshold of additional French laws with the 5 rooms but that choice affects her potential. So, she made choices that show she doesn't care enough to bring in the money needed through her business. In addition to these choices and the e-begging, lots of evidence here in threads that she stinks at administrative and paperwork, office work and running things in general. Maybe disorganization and lack of any discipline make it hard to do what's needed for the chateau. Why give money to someone who runs things like that?

witchgrass said:

#16 Skeptic tanks and American Loons.

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Gentle reminder. People are giving to her from all over the world.

Though I get Mason is the official loon, he is one person, doesn't seem that's the intent of the title.

Krypgal said:

#16 No longer need the Danish fella, time to shut him in the cellar!


Thanks

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Great but needs changing to Dutch!

Oh, and for those of you who commented on Marie's 'unmade' bed, you are clearly not aware that #unmadebed is a big thing on IG! Hers was positively tame in comparison...

sailonsilvergirl said:

Maybe some overall disorganization and lack of any discipline makes it hard to do what's needed for the chateau. Why give money to someone who runs things like that?

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Very true. And also a valid question would be: the two boys that are actually in business with her know this and are very much involved in the decision making, why are they not all over her for her failure to fulfill obligations and finish even a simple task? The only answer I can come up with is that it's not a business after all, but a pet toy for the girl they both are still deeply attached too (if not full on in love with). Now that they both have found love elsewhere, they can't afford to spend a dime on her anymore, hence the e-Begging galore.