The Chateau Diaries #3 Escape to La La Land

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soll

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?
 
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Calvignac

peony89 said:
@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?
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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.
 
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NotAChatelaine

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!
 
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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
 
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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.
 
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PeacockQueen

Charlie's mum said:
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.
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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.



Calvignac said:
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.
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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
 
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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.
 
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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
 
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Calvignac

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.
 
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La Brocanteuse

Calvignac said:
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.
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I thought it was obvious he was joking and she got the wrong end of the stick!
 
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Sfyns

chillijam said:
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
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That was me sorry
 
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PeacockQueen

TheycallmeMimi said:
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
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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??
 
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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!
 
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arwensgal1975

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

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Krypgal

We'll done..brilliant recap!

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

View attachment 296681
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But have you put it as your profile picture?

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

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

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!

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

66carola said:
Oh, where is Selmar?
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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.
 
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