The Chateau Diaries #3 Escape to La La Land

[soll]

: On another note, is anybody here a member of the ETTC DIY All Comments Welcome Facebook page? I am not but would be interested to hear what goes on behind closed doors. As far as I'm aware, it is another platform like this for people to be critical of the show.

Ooh, I wonder if that was the criticising site mentioned in the Karen and Brenda fan groups. It didn't sound like it was tattle they were referring to. Just off to take a nosey...

Okay, so I am really confused now. The original FB groups for Escape to the Chateau, and Escape to the Chateau DIY, seem to have spawned even more offspring than the Chateau Diaries group. There is one called Escape to the Chateau DIY fan club, which I presume isn't the critical one?

 

[Calvignac]

@Calvignac do you think they will need to get the work in the cottage signed of by some kind of building regulations body when it's close to completion?

I don't think so. Especially because they work in their own property and with their own tools, workers etc. But if something goes wrong, their insurance won't cover the damages if nothing is done by the French standards.

 

[NotAChatelaine]

I haven't spoken much French since doing O level donkeys years ago, but I find I can understand Stephanie perfectly. She speaks it just like we did in school i.e with English phrasing and accent! The only thing my ear picks up is the more authentic way of pronouncing the 'eau' sound at the end of words.

It so funny to think back to learning French at school (in my case, a million years ago). When I started school in England (we lived in the W Indies until I was 9 or 10) French was akin to astrophysics as far as I was concerned. I absolutely hated it and floundered terribly for the first few terms. It all changed when I moved up a year and was taught by an utterly terrifying, very grand lady who was half White Russian and half French, living in reduced circumstances. She dressed impeccably (Years later I discovered that she invested in expensive fabric in the sales and tailored her own clothes as if couture) and was bedecked in pearls the size of gulls eggs - the last vestige of a previous life. She was prone to wild gestures with her arms and had a booming voice. There was no gentle touch in hoer approach to teaching. On paper, you'd think she was eminently unsuitable. But there was something about her which transformed French lessons and, against all odds, I became (as did the others in my year) quite good at it. I am certain it was the element of theatre that she brought to the classroom. And we all adored her.

But what we were taught as spoken French was very much classic, Parisian French. With a beautiful accent, naturally! You could say it was not really French-French. On one occasion, a classmate who had spent most of her summer holidays with relations "somewhere in France" was telling a little anecdote to entertain the class at the beginning of term. A sudden roar of disapproval from Madame who said - in French - that she would not tolerate the use of such sloppy vocabulary, saying it was vulgair, and the accent had become that of a vagabond. All because my classmate had assimilated everyday, casual and (God forbid) slang spoken French rather than the formal structure used at a royal court!

I've veered off the Lalande path and turned down Memory Lane, sorry!

 

[TheycallmeMimi]

Lolander
I've heard her say only "C'est tout?" (=that's all?) to the mail man delivering parcels, I'll hold my judgement


Cat speaks french in
The Chateau Diaries: 007 AT LALANDE!
it starts at 12:25 she is bying cheese

 

[Mand]

I quite fancy making that potato and goats cheese galette they made last night. It looked really good. Not so sure about the kilty whisky & honey one though.
Regarding SJ’s level of French, I’m more surprised by it being so rusty after 15 years as a French resident than the fact that her mum is French. My kids are all bilingual, grew up in France, but now that they’ve been back in their other home country for uni for a few years their French is definitely lacking.

 

[PeacockQueen]

SJ was born in the UK, raised and schooled there. She learnt French by staying with her Grandmother in the South of France every summer. English was her mother tongue.

Yes I know all of that, however she said that Isabelle sent her to French lessons in England. I was pondering why Isabelle didn't teach her French herself, as her Mother tongue in the home.

Stephanie's french is not that great. She's not fluent and her accent is quite strong. That's the reason why the cheese guy made a joke about her english the first time we saw him in a video.

I didn't think it was a joke, he thought she was French with good English, which was a compliment about her French, not a criticism

 

[La Brocanteuse]

Also, speaking a language is a bit like exercising a muscle. She has been so isolated at Lalande and very much in an English-speaking bubble. Even all her trades people are English expats. She simply doesn’t give her French a chance.

 

[bibisilver]

The Lake Story

There once was a lake
And make no mistake
Had water and "fishies"
And all that it takes.

One day the gendarmes
Showed up at Lalande
And told the cute blonde
Madame pull the plug

Since then mademoiselle
Had been in distress
No lake to be found
No fish seen around

Her magic chateau
Had no boat to row
Without the lagoon
Were just trees to prune

For years she dreamt
To fill up the lake
To buy a new boat
And row once again

She spent a good fortune
On surveys and tests
Long hours of dreaming
Of Lalande’s Old Lake

The years went passing
Madame reached old age
No longer a young blonde
But still with no lake

One day in the winter
She received a note
It was from the county
And wasn’t too long

“Madame Chatelaine
We’re happy to say
That we give permission
To fill up your lake”

Madame took the note
With tears in her eyes
And threw to the fire
That lit up the night

The taxi was waiting
Outside in the yard
Her suitcases packed
She didn’t look back

As they crossed the bridge
She turned one last time
Lalande seemed so distant
But grandiose at that

The water returned
To fill up the lake
And children and parents
were joyful to play

The new Lalande owners
Were happy to say
The lake made their chateau
The most magical place

 

[Calvignac]

Yes I know all of that, however she said that Isabelle sent her to French lessons in England. I was pondering why Isabelle didn't teach her French herself, as her Mother tongue in the home.





I didn't think it was a joke, he thought she was French with good English, which was a compliment about her French, not a criticism

No, he didn't think she was French. No French native speakers would think that Stephanie is French. Her french is not fluent at all and she's got an English accent when she speaks french.
The cheese guy was not criticizing her. He was joking in a very French manner. We call it the French wit. And Stephanie understood it very well.

 

[La Brocanteuse]

No, he didn't think she was French. No French native speakers would think that Stephanie is French. Her french is not fluent at all and she's got an English accent when she speaks french.

I thought it was obvious he was joking and she got the wrong end of the stick!

 

[Sfyns]

I've just watched the Sunday vlog, lovely cheese, yumm. But whoever pointed out Philip's enormous nostrils has completely done it for me, now it's all I can see when I look at him

That was me sorry

 

[PeacockQueen]

Lolander
I've heard her say only "C'est tout?" (=that's all?) to the mail man delivering parcels, I'll hold my judgement


Cat speaks french in
The Chateau Diaries: 007 AT LALANDE!
it starts at 12:25 she is bying cheese

Anyone with basic school french can ask for cheese though? Its very easy, just a few words. Not sure that that tiny clip proves she is fluent or has excellent french??

 

[arwensgal1975]

Just watched Michael's newest video with the beam.....yikes!!! He would have been better off to demolish the whole cottage and start from scratch. It probably would have been finished by now. LOL!

 

[Suzigoggs]

Has she become "cheese lady" now? If so, lucky Dana!
EDIT:
Oops, finished reading posts and Dana herself, mentions cheeseman has a gf.

Yes, but she’s doesn’t say it’s not her !!!

 

[arwensgal1975]

It was nice to see LOTL in front of the camera for a change and Nati did a great job filming her. Steph's French isn't rubbish, we're just wondering why it isn't any better.

I've heard her say only "C'est tout?" (=that's all?) to the mail man delivering parcels, I'll hold my judgement


There's nothing she can do. Brenda can have her fan page.

Having a fan page is one thing, but the way Brenda is behaving is another thing. Major cringe fest.

 

[ChocLili]

In the interest of balance here is Brenda’s toile update. The most interesting part (not shown on this picture) is “Brenda Gibbons has turned off commenting on this post”. No need to delete critical comments if they can be denied existence.

 

[Krypgal]

We covered a lot of ground in the last thread (#2). Just some that I can remember:

• we still think Stephanie is talented and interesting (we all seem to be 'fans')
• who is Cat, really? We seem to like her too
• the Trotter cottage rolls on (and will probably fall down)
• the hapless Gwendoline, surrounded by grifters
• an exploration of the 'superfan' Brenda (and Donna)
• 'promotions' of all sorts orbiting Stephanie "The Lady of the Lake" TLOL
• Dan, Anneleise and kids - we seem to like them too
• Brenda's on, then off, Christmas workshops (lockdown bites)
• Hanni - we're just confused
• boy wonder, Phillip. What's going on there?
• is SJ a hoarder?
• mice! (and hedgehogs)
• Lalande finances (well, we can speculate . . . )
• wonderful limericks (renamed 'Donnegals')
• the lake - is all as it seems?

We'll done..brilliant recap!

Thought I'd get on the bandwagon. Here's my toile, available for worldwide shipping.

View attachment 296681

But have you put it as your profile picture?

I've just watched the first five minutes of Michael narrating a scary short story ("Tales From The Chateau - The Phantom Coach - Ghost Story").

The YouTube comments are largely adoring but I only lasted 5 minutes due to a wooden delivery, devoid of emotion. I know Michael and his fellow vloggers are not professionals (in fact part of the attraction is that they are not) but they really need to cultivate what they are good at. To me, scary story telling in a darkened chateau library could be promising but just didn't work in this case (inserting a giant oak beam into a crumbling cottage with the incorrect tools by the Trotter clan - now THAT was scary!). Thumbs down from me. Anyone have a different view?

He's copying SJ who is an amazing story teller.. I gave up too, after 3 mins!

Cheese Guy has nice eyes, LOTL's lipstick was very pretty, suited her very much.

What I don't get was why Dana was there, was she roped in just to provide the transport for Cheese Guy (maybe he doesn't drive), or to smooth out any lingual bumps should LOTL's French not be up to par, since Mummy is not there.

I'm surprised LOTL doesn't speak English with a French accent given that French was her mother tongue - I'm guessing she spent far more time talking to Darling Daddy than Miserable Mummy as a child! Also wonder why Isabelle sent her for French lessons as a young child rather than teaching her herself.

Probably because she wasn't exactly mother of the year! Lol

 

[66carola]

Philip's french is excellent. Dana and Philip speak casually in French together.

Dana has just posted on FB in response to a query about who is locked down at the chateau.

Oh, where is Selmar?

 

[Krypgal]

Thanks to your mentioning it, @Calvignac, I dipped into Ryan's Lockdown 2 Day 1 vlog. As well as the Bonne Maman fiasco which was unintentionally hilarious, I was amused (for all the wrong reasons) by his Croissant Tutorial. Apart from those 2 moments, I thought the vlog was self-indulgent codswallop.

Agree..he just makes it up as he goes along..His boring uncle is thrust in front of the camera, and has nothing to say either..I can't bear his hellllooo when his vlog starts..makes me cringe!

Oh dear Brenda. Being a paying guest does not provide a shield from scrutiny when you choose to appear on a public platform such as Shat-O-Tube. ‘Tis the way of the world these days I’m afraid. I guess at least on the Fairy Irishmother’s page comments shall be duly moderated.

View attachment 297014

LOL..and turned it off before anyone could reply!

 

[ChocLili]

Oh, where is Selmar?

We can speculate of course, just like we did with Hanni (consensus was Hanni has been sewn into the couch...).

Where is Selmar?
“At the beach” in his camper (with female fan friend(s))
Kidnapped and tied to a tree in the forest by Ruby the cat
Built himself into a corner of the downstairs loo
Electrocuted by a badly wired chandelier
Fallen in between unopened gifts, never to be found.