The Chateau Diaries #4 Jarvis in Jeopardy

[chillijam]

I almost feel sorry for MP, he really does seem so lost in general and this YT success has, I think, made him focus on just short term pointless goals. What happens when, or if, the gardeners cottage is finished? Maybe he plans to go around the place renovating other things for Billy and Gwendoline! Seems a bit of a lonely life for a young single person.

 

[La Brocanteuse]

The probleme is that's not a French cake. The French hate it when they have to eat it. It's an acquired taste

One of my french friends was so revolted by the Christmas Pudding I served him once he thought I was trying to poison him!

 

[NotAChatelaine]

Was just looking at Stephanie’s Instagram. She’s posted a nice photo of Dan. Note, Dan’s comment. what do we make of it?
View attachment 316228

I do enjoy Dan's dry (to the point of being arid) sense of humour.

 

[ChateauFollower]

I find it gas (Irish slang - hilarious) that Brenda is running a campaign to get TCD to 100k subscribers on YouTube. The channel is growing at its usual pace and is bound to get to 100k in the next week or so, but we'll just wait for the celebratory - 'WE did it - congratulations all a powerful community we are!'. Nothing to do with the fact that it's been continually and consistency growing with consistent content.

 

[soll]

Don't believe (like the superfans do) that we see Stephanie in her bed with no make up, no hair done and nice robe ready for the camera but just as she was only waking up. Please, don't believe it. Because it's certainly not the case

I feel like a little innocent princess on this forum sometimes! I honestly do believe that Stephanie on occasion does wake up and grab the camera. I also think that she made a decision right from the start to show herself on the vlogs both with and without makeup, just because she wanted to keep it as a real visual journal of her life, not for some knowing fake reality. I think she was too naive about vlogging in the beginning for that kind of cynicism.

 

[Pno]

Tonight’s vlog should have been:
Christmas LIST is coming!
SJ covert begging was in full display. I’m about ready to go buy some Spode Fleur de Lis poor-sill-lean and ship it off because god knows they barely have enough plates to get through the month. Another set of China just might Isabel over the edge. Am pretty sure Spode discontinued the pattern after Liberace passed on plus the gold is very delicate and if a plate ends up in the dishwasher it is curtains. (Had a family friend who owned a set).
And snaps to Princess Philip. First time I’ve ever seen one of those god awful peacock brooches in play. So well done! Seems like he is going to be there for the long haul so I need to make peace. Still would trade him before you can say ‘par fekt’ three times for MP. Don’t care if that makes me unpopular. MP+SJ were the 2019 ShatO Christmas Dream Team!

 

[ChocLili]

It's all starting to kick off about BG on Escape to the Chateau!

And we are harsh??? Save Dear Brenda!
buymeacoffee/savedonegalbrendafromnastycommentssheisjustmisunderstood

 

[Pno]

Just watched last nights vlog with my morning cuppa.
How many aprons?! Steph could insulate the roof with them. I hope all the ‘gems’ from the peacock brooch remained in place otherwise someone will get a Lalalande surprise on Christmas Day when they bite into their Christmas cake.
Sadly yet more expensive crockery.....although Steph always has to justify why she bought it to all and sundry so there is an element of shame in the wasteful spending.

@frenchessence Yes I noticed the reappropriation of MPs bedroom! We should be thankful she didn’t say Ps new room

I really think she was dropping hints for the Gift Grab. Why not tell them exactly what you want?

Think she means this type of sugar which doesn't seem to be available in France
View attachment 317579
Cane Sugar vs Beet Sugar

French Sugar

Bakers who tackle French recipes get stumped by the sugars, which don't necessarily correspond to the sugars available elsewhere. All supermarkets in France carry white granulated sugar and there's often unrefined sugars, such as cassonade, which grocers stock and are widely-available. In...

www.davidlebovitz.com

Back up the delivery truck because we will soon see as much brown sugar arriving much like the pink gravel was dumped off. Oh along with the worlds most expansive replacement pencils!

 

[ChrissyNH]

Maybe people are beginning to wake up to her shenanigans!

I think they definitely are and I think we’ve played our part in helping to expose her. Well done team tattle!

 

[soll]

She said she never wanted an opera career and nowadays never chooses to listen to opera or any other music. She was pushed into training as a singer by Isabelle.

I agree the chateau is her Wendy House and also that she is best suited to more adult, educated, and cultured company. The current crop of volunteers are often fun but come across as pretty boring for conversation unless we are missing something.

I also think that covid and lockdowns have been the main spoilers this year. She had some interesting plans in the pipeline, and I think might have gone down a different path than frequent vlogs and cadeaux vlogs had she been both busier at home and away on history research visits.

 

[C’est la vie]

An insight into Mummy’s South African life. “Enjoying great Wifi”; is that a dig at Lalande Percy? She’s probably bored. Is Isabelle keeping tabs on the Chateau ‘socials’ or perhaps she is pre-ordering some shat-o treasures from the increasingly scrutinised Brenda?

View attachment 316909

Perhaps Isabelle is busy posting on Tattle under a pseudonym

 

[Calvignac]

why do ppl assume that BB is part of personal income - normally you have a company and from that, you can pay yourself personal income or you get dividends, don't forget there are 3 investors who need to split the profit (if any) so the 1st class ticket has to come from the profit or real personal income, but people are so happy that she broke even and at the same time bought FIRST class ticket while volunteers for work food, how lovely! I am telling you guys I am learning here.

I will always find hard to believe that people actually BELIEVE everything Stephanie tells them about money and finances.
But that's my French cynical / pragmatic / revolutionary side

 

[Calvignac]

There’s already a link to this set on the Replacements website helpfully provided by a superfan should anyone wish to buy it as a Christmas gift...

And don't let me start with this story of brown sugar.
Just because Stephanie said half laughing that there's not SOFT brown sugar in France, all the American superfans believe that France doesn't know brown sugar and give their own recipe to make proper brown sugar!
Some comments try to say that brown sugar (granulated not soft) exists in France but it's lost for most of these superfans.
Sometimes I really wonder about Stephanie.

 

[chillijam]

Separately, I noticed the violent pink stripe in SJ's bedroom, looks like someone's forgotten to remove the painters tape. It's truly beyond hideous, did she mean it to be there?

 

[La Brocanteuse]

I think we've already established earier in the threads that the "no gifts" thing was a bit misunderstood, and that she actually said that as a child she never received birthday presents from her mother.

And Isabelle agreed, saying: ‘I gave you the gift of life’

 

[Calvignac]

I guess this is just what it needs to be a châtelaine. That's why we like her videos to escape from reality. Anyway you don't know what jobs she has done. Also there is a reason that managers get more paid than the people doing it. You need certain qualities and skills to run a château. She is now at this point at this age with the skills and abilities she has. I don't know too many people who have achieved more.

Skills and abilities to run a chateau... Hmmmm a chateau is just that : a chateau, a bigger house if you prefer. It doesn't take skills and abilities to run a house. I grew up in a 17e century former huge convent in France. It was cold,, it was sometimes hard but my parents never thought they had skills and abilities to run their house. And they never thought it was "work" to renovate it as they had real jobs to fund it.
And I know a lot of people who have achieved more than Stephanie at 45.
As I say, we love her videos but we need to stay lucid about her. Otherwise we're no better than superfans.
BTW We do know the jobs she has done as from the very beginning, (when she was still answering on Facebook), she was clear about it : none except some administration for her parents.

 

[peony89]

I think posting the address of the flat goes against the privacy rule of the forum, rightly so

 

[Raspberrybrulee]

I think we have to accept that SJ as a demi-Brit living abroad that she is going to take a lot of ‘home’ with her. It’s not a rebuff of French life it’s just what she’s used to, the familiar, even though she’s lived there for many years. I know this is going to get flack but I lived on the other side of the world for a very long time and every Christmas Day the oven would go on and we would stand and sweat in our shorts cooking a full Christmas dinner in 30 degree heat. The vlogs don’t pretend to be how to live life the French way, we just voluntarily watch SJ live life her way (warts and all) and then dissect everything in minutiae

Agree with @c'est la vie here - I don't see it as a rebuff to French life at all - I think people just do what's familiar. I've lived abroad also and a bit like SJ, I mainly went with what I knew whilst still trying to embrace the local ways. All the other expats I knew were the same - they would travel a long way to get ingredients that they needed to cook things from home with whilst eating the local food too.

I'm glad Dan and Annalise won Brenda's competition even though nearly all the other competitors withdrew! And how lovely are their neighbours who provide so much practical support with their renovation - what a great community they have there which they appear to have integrated into really well. I loved that the woman over the road just popped off and came back with a fork lift to move their heavy tile delivery

 

[SableOnBlonde]

Couple of observations from the cheese boat episode (gave me indigestion just watching that amount of cheese eaten so late at night)
-How cross did Maries ‘onion‘ chopping sound at the start of the vlog!
-I noticed there was now a tea towel divide on the kitchen table compared to the previous Georgian food vlog. Boundaries, boundaries!
-Marie probably miffed as both of the dishes Levan cooked she can’t eat

Ugh glad I’m not the only one who couldn’t handle the food in that episode, it made my mildly lactose intolerant stomach turn. I stopped watching after 5mins.

All that gluten and cheese must have had Philip running for the hills!


I did however scroll to the 20min mark.....there’s no way that was an accident.


Hi Isabelle, if you’re reading, I think you’re totally lovely, entertaining and only a little bit scary please get Stephanie to update us on how you and Dan are prepping the garden for winter

 

[Viva La Loca]

WOW - where has Soll gone. I was replying to her post and now her name isn't even listed to tag.
WTF is happening? as far i can see, in tattle lande we all debate and self moderate (no pun intended this time). We exchange our views and learn from each other. A healthy dose of cynicism cuts through the smoke and mirrors and it has been prompted by the growth of funds responding to the subtle/not so subtle begging, amongst other things.
Again, lets not forget there are greater powers monitoring social media than tattle mods out there.
And if its 'influencers'!! then they can **** off. My mind will walk its own path thank you very much and you will put your back out trying to stop it. Greater powers than you have tried and failed many times. Give yourself a break and go figure somewhere else.

I've wondered about that too. Would explain his swift and subdued exit on that visit, and why Ma Petherick was so thundery when she picked him up.

Also, in his scotch egg vlog when he 'just happened' to have the fortnum & mason hamper right in front of him and was explaining a-gain (begging) about how much he loves their tea, he said "I can't drink at the moment" - quickly corrected himself and said, I mean, I don't want to drink alone so I'm drinking a lot of tea. Hmmm. Alone, in a chateau with several other adults????

I've thought that about MP for a long time. The one thing we can't hide in life, without the celebrity sunglasses, is our eyes.
The lad spent 10yrs partying in Manchester and Liverpool. As with the gay (or any) club scene all over the world it is riddled with uppers, downers and all arounders. Look at the Hacienda and Manumission for example. Nowadays there is a whole chemsex scene going on too.
British drinking culture is also deeply entrenched, particularly in modern times, with a binge drinking attitude. If he has a pringles issue with booze (once you pop, you just can't stop) this will cause him to suffer from anxiety and depression. Also, Look at his dads gut, he is a big boozer as well. You can tell by the shape of it that it is not all food related.
British working class - life revolves around the pub.
British middle class - life revolves around wine and dinner parties.
British upper class - full of drugs, orgies, murder and mayhem but people are still socially accepted within those circles rather than being marginalised. The amount of heroin/opium use amongst the upper classes is part of their history and still continues to be so. Look at Hans Rausing for example or the 1920's Happy Valley crowd in Kenya.