The Chateau Diaries #33 Starring she who shouts from balconies, written and directed by Tattle

[ComtesseRose]

So... Loki gets aroused by knees... I'd hate to see what happens when he sees Philip's ankles...

Dear Jon 832
You are more than welcome to express, that the Indonesian doll is not pleasing for your taste level.
I just want to say, these dolls are part of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. I'm sure Indonesians are proud of their folk art and their heritage.
Dolls like these may become extinct, because people lose interest in crafting them.
If you are going to snub your nose at the doll, I do hope you keep the same energy for:
- Carnivals
- French Cuisine
- Swiss Watchmaking
- Cremonan violins
- Japanese Papermaking
- Dutch Windmilling
- Traditional Thai Massages
All part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List...

 

[purejuice]

Exactly! I saw something today in the gift grab I have never seen before and never want to see again - little cozies used as coasters for stemware. Number one they were very ugly, number two it's not necessary to use coasters with stemware unless you are a real slob and number three, coasters made from absorbent fabric defeat the purpose as they will only soak up any condensation and then soak into the surface of the table you set them on. Where do these people even find these homespun crafty ideas? Must have to dig pretty hard.

That's what I thought. Why apply a wet alcoholic compress to my good furniture?

I particularly like the idea of worker owned Cooperatives. There should be more of them. I think with Covid, we may see an upsurge in small businesses taking off like this.

ICYMI
New law protecting and encouraging coops

Cooperatives and Worker Buyouts in France | Grassroots Economic Organizing

geo.coop

Nearly 300 new ones set up in 2013

France is witnessing a growth in worker co-operatives - Co-operative News

As France celebrates its 14 July independence day (Bastille Day), the country is witnessing an increasing number of co-ops, with over 263 co-operatives set

www.thenews.coop

The French coop org with up to date annual reports

Les Scop - Sociétés coopératives

Découvrez le site de la Confédération générale des Scop, et comment les Unions régionales aident et accompagnent les Scop au quotidien.

www.les-scop.coop

 

[lyna]

From "Opening gifts in the entrance hall".
"..... Whenever Phillip is holding the camera, he emits a darling snort ....".

Darling snort? Darling?

 

[ChateauFrosted]

Kudos to you for that!! I kinda miss Ted Casablanca and his blinds! Damn that Jeremy Renner, ruined all the fun.

=) Oh yesssss =)


Just went back to tha gift video and LOOK... LOL ........ Philip got a hedgehog.... I just fast forwarded to this random gift and this got a good chuckle .....


Timestamp 13:34


=)

I have this guft video running on my TV right now... and this moment caught my eye....

I don't know how I feel about eating home made jarred items.......

 

[darkone]

Ma Petherick must still be sleeping this AM......interesting comments not deleted yet

 

[Clara Burnett]

I suppose if you nit pick, a gite is not a BnB.

I supose if you’re SJ, that doesn’t matter, as long as it keeps her cashflow up to beat.

But why on earth does he still have so many patrons even if their number is decreasing?!

Because there’s many fools around. Also, maybe some have signed up for a year or so, paid in advance...talk about fools

 

[FlyByeNight]

Part of what first caught my eye about LaLande was the suggestion that it was an artistic commune and the volunteers were a part of that. That's what the Manor and Maker grifters are talking about. What precisely they have to teach people like the ancient masonry restorers, or the surrounding farmers who grew up with the Naidaillacs in possession, the chapel restorer, or the goat cheese guy, I'd really like to know.
I do believe worker owned cooperatives are the wave of the future.
I wish I knew more about the way the feudal chateaux worked, we don't want that slavery to return. But imagine Dan and Annelise at the head of such an enterprise. Imagine if LaLande was run as a place to teach artisanal trades -- half paying guests, half non paying. You could learn to restore masonry, cut and fit beams and tiles, electricity and plumbing for old buildings plus eco friendly French drains, rainwater cisterns, solar panelling, wind energy, small farm animal husbandry, forest management, heritage botany and birds/bugs/etc., mill restoration or solar powered milling projects and heritage organic farming. Taught by the locals en Francais. That would be cool. See you there, mama. I'll be the one wrassling the sheep, getting some goats for cheese making, shearing sheep and researching old Le Berry wool knitting patterns and broderie/lace making for workshops with very rich American broads who pay $100 a skein for trophy wool. And an equal number of local artistic textile students, gratis. Toile de Jouy, mon cul. See, my French is getting better already.
I have no doubt as @FrenchGirl123 says France is full of well-restored chateaux owned and run by the French, giving back to their village and not just serf jobs. I need to look into that and find out what's happening.
Thanks for your initial thoughts, inspiring.

You're welcome, I'm with you, on board with this, cool ideas! Wish things at Lalande were more like this. It's deeper and more satisfying. They could also produce while they learn, and have a shop to sell those $100 wool skeins!

 

[Clara Burnett]

The more they show these unwrapped videos, the more I notice the majority is just a bunch of junk you'd find at a thrift store in the US that no one would want. If she's paying taxes on these packages, it's probably costing more than the value of the items in the long run.

Her outcries when receiving this crappy junk are very explanatory, don’t you think? It’s all amazing and beautiful to SJ, who is clueless when it comes to class and style.

 

[Dippy Hippy]

Just watching the gift grab - Selmar is going to talk to the fairies and get some fairy tea from them.

He's definitely smoking weed

 

[purejuice]

You're welcome, I'm with you, on board with this, cool ideas! Wish things at Lalande were more like this. It's deeper and more satisfying. They could also produce while they learn, and have a shop to sell those $100 wool skeins!

Yes! I wonder if there are chateaux in France who already do this?

 

[Rory]

I still can't believe someone sent toothpicks and common as muck spices (from a supermarket), opened during last week's CAC. I'm keeping track of the worst gift ever.

 

[MidCenturyMadOne]

@Marquis de Potpourri I knew MM's comments would wind you up!
Shame he can't even name Andy Cohen's baby (hey Michael, it's Ben).

I'm convinced MM is a total fake (I think that's been discussed here before), wish someone would catch him out.

 

[Midnightcowboy]

Her outcries when receiving this crappy junk are very explanatory, don’t you think? It’s all amazing and beautiful to SJ, who is clueless when it comes to class and style.

I wonder how much of her reactions come from her childhood. Lotl has previously stated that Mummy never gave her birthday presents, as she had already given her one, the gift of life....my late mother grew up the the 30's/40's, and was made very aware that her twin brother was more important/better than her. She had very little in the way of 'girlie' things, and her most prized possession, a doll went missing, never to be found. She loved pretty feminine things, and was like a magpie in charity shops buying blingy tat.... does this sound familiar?

 

[MidCenturyMadOne]

Ma Petherick must still be sleeping this AM......interesting comments not deleted yet

I can tell that person what he gives patreons - a fat zero, hence why I deleted my membership.

 

[Milre]

None of the hosts I've communicated with hosted families. Some advised only couples as they don't get lonely as easily. One suggested getting a hot tub and beer fridge. I have a diy hot tub and zero interest in having to drain it daily. Or the issues that can arise from drunks sitting in hot water. I don't go on excursions enough. Have no interest in opening an adult daycare. It was a suggestion to help keep elders in their home longer. Mowing minor home maintenance. From the sound of it someone would have to supervise them. The cost of hosting, the special diets and the entertaining just aren't worth the labor. A few people brought up if you're going to have to clean up after them it would make more financial sense to Airbnb the guest house as a nonprofit and use the funds to hire some workers. Pre Covid I hosted a nonprofit organization that does community improvement here for one week every year. Last project was a toddler playground. I found Skankanee by researching workaway. Her party lifestyle seems to fit in with what hosts have expressed. Woofers want education in organic farming. I'm not large enough for that. And again all the issues above.

True, my clientèle improved once I posted on the profile that I need ID and proof of health insurance on arrival, won't offer pickup from airport or train station, have no alcohol in the house and don't cook on regular basis, don't cater to special diets (though I have plenty of allergies myself ) and have fast WiFi only in the morning (though not true)
I had my share of bad/weird experiences too, but not worse than when family comes and stays for a couple of days. It certainly helps if you have no problems saying just "No" to some requests.

 

[Espe]

I still can't believe someone sent toothpicks and common as muck spices (from a supermarket), opened during last week's CAC. I'm keeping track of the worst gift ever.

We could run a competition and vote for the most tasteless gift, we could encourage SJ to have an Oscar-type winners' party and wear her yellow dress which would be a strong nominee, up there with the "condensation coasters" and many knitted items!

 

[FrenchGirl123]

Hopefully that's code for marijuana otherwise it's just plain goofy, which Selmar can be. I don't mind middle aged folk pretending there are fairies if they are talking to very young children, if not, it's distinctly weird and to be avoided. I'm not a fan of Selmar's goofy side. I think he acts like that sometimes because he's uncomfortable and doesn't know what else to do. Like all the rest of the cast he falls into immature behavior on camera. They just cannot be normal, it's too difficult for them. They always have to be pretending to be having a blast of a time not matter what they are doing. It must exhausting.

Exhausting and not that good for mental health in a long term.

 

[Dippy Hippy]

While visiting Dan's blog I notice he's gone into merchandising now. These are hideous and expensive. He must be aiming for the adolescent market

 

[Espe]

I agree. I wish he would shut up as the camera man/person.
I lasted a few minutes and left my better half to watch

He looked so awful, too with his beanie and jeans. I can't stand those ripped jeans! Seeing them sitting next to each other, I really can't understand why a woman of her age would find him attractive.

She doesn't like him mentioning IJ. He started to talk about an occasion when IJ saw a video when they had put hot food on a piece of furniture and she telephoned to tell them off. SJ shut him up by changing the subject very quickly.

She went rather overboard on applying her lipstick for that gift grab!

 

[The Gardener]

This gift -grab thing gets worse and worse and for the first time I fast forwarded through it. The stickless puppet should have been a warning but what sent shivers down my spine was Stephanie saying it would ( correct if wrong only listened once) go in the Grand Salon which was to become a room for objects collected from around the world.
Why?
If the idea is to restore this place to its former glory then surely the puppet and the dozens that are now going to arrive should be displayed in a dedicated 'World Room' or some such name. Likewise Daddys paintings should ALL be hung in a gallery devoted to his work so they can be appreciated together.
It just comes across to me as somewhere to offload any old stuff and the reactions to receiving it is becoming more and more difficult to present as 'amazing' 'beautiful' etc. Perhaps they should just say " Oh Wow" because that covers delight and horror in one go.