The Chateau Diaries #8 Nous sommes tous VALERIE

[ChocLili]

You know whilst shocked I am not suprised when I think about it. They only got fire extinguishers throughout chat-oo last year. I remember being amazed that people would stay in such an old venue. Also the amount of alcohol and parties and candles. It's a wonder the place hasn't gone up.

“Save the tapestries Dyson Airwrap™“

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[Rory]

I wonder if SJ got dropped by Workaway, because of her having at least one affair with a volunteer, and that is also the basis of the Dutchmen's moral questioning?

I said a while ago...imagine Stephanie was a 45 year old good looking man who flirted with and slept with female Workaways in their early 20s. And maybe had dressup days and commented on how the Workaways looked, cooked, etc. And then filmed it all. And made money from it.

 

[witchgrass]

Update: I have checked the dates, this book was written before their time at Lalande. Nevertheless, it is something of a coincidence.

Okay, so one of the caretakers of Lalande wrote an undercover book about elderly care homes (not in English).

Many have speculated here on the wealth accumulated by the Jarvis family. As I have mentioned before, I am an old bag of bones, but I did work in London in the 80's as a Commercial Mortgage Broker. What I can also tell you about these "granny farms" is that the allowance to feed an "inmate" (as many of the investors referred to them) was GBP1.50 per day. There was a specific bank which was known to approve these loans, as other, more credible, banks would not have approved a business plan incorporating that kind of neglect. I was not directly involved with these loans but one of my close colleagues was - and deeply affected by it. I left the industry when Kuwait was invaded to go back to university but I can tell you that people with no knowledge or training were making a lot of money on these "granny farms". The only requirement was to employ a number of individuals with appropriate education, I cannot remember the ratio to patients, but I do remember that it was anything but generous. In sum, I think the agents on tattle are pretty much on the money when it comes to speculating about how Derek and Isabelle became wealthy.

So, why do I bring this up now? Well, the fact that the couple who acted as caretakers of the chateau for three years (one of whom is a writer) had investigated elderly neglect in his own country, is an extraordinary coincidence and I wonder if what he witnessed at Lalande triggered unpleasant memories of his investigative project some years earlier.

Well done Clara, you have provided a missing link.

Argh my search history is going to be a mess today. Gay couple French youtubers dog dies author eldercare DIY. Someone throw me another hint so I can see their YouTube channel

 

[Incognito Chatelaine]

I’m trying to figure out why the members here actually spend so much time and effort in discussing something that clearly upsets them. Maybe the YouTube videos are not something they should be watching. A better thing to do would be to put all the time spent watching and commenting into charitable causes that benefit humanity.

Well, I can help with that... what is happening is unconscionable.

Most of us were fans of the vlogs, but eventually began to witness disturbing trends... people commenting on the vlogs that they are giving SJ their SAVINGS. Elderly people, lonely people... people who are trapped in lockdown.

It does remind me somewhat of TV Evangelists exploiting the vulnerable, and when people are very lonely, they can easily become sucked in to something akin to a cult.

This has been a gradual epiphany for many here, but revealing exploitation and avarice is also a great service to humanity.

Hmmmmm .

 

[Clara Burnett]

Hmm, sounds like an insider writing here or trying to sound like one

If visiting the chateau when my friends lived there (they were her guardians for three years, their words, I would call it slavery) and listening to their many enthusiastic stories make me an insider, then sure.

 

[Princess and the Pea]

We can agree to disagree PATP although I think it's obvious to anyone who regularly watches her vlogs that she isn't poverty stricken. She regularly mentions her London flat and goes on lots of exotic holidays - plus she has a ridiculous amount of clothes, shoes and jewellery. Quite possibly there could be a person of limited intelligence who somehow thinks her set up constitutes being poverty stricken but I'm pretty sure most people can see she's very comfortably off.

But would you give money to a friend who said they needed to repair their roof as they waved from the window of the taxi on the way to the airport?

 

[Rory]

Oh, there's lots to tell. Where to begin....

Clare I always find starting at the begining helps. Let me assist. Once upon a time there lived a Princess who often shouted at people from her window whilst wearing a 100stars bathrobe. She lived in a chatoo.

 

[frenchessence]

Where was the fire?

The fire was outside the guardians house, where my friends lived and where Nic and Marie are settling in now. Outside that house are the main connections for all things electrical in the chateau. The whole thing burned down in January 2017 because of bad maintenance and instead of getting it fixed instantly she left things unattended for more than a year later, with only temporary fixes made by the firemen and a sign 'danger de mort', danger of dying, regardless of lived there she couldn't be bothered.
[/QUOTE]
When you say ‘the whole thing burnt down’ do you actually mean part/guardians house was seriously damaged ? Somehow that doesn’t surprise me AT ALL ! Loving having you here and these IRL insights .... I feel so disappointed (but not surprised) that the speculation laid out in these threads, actually has some truth. I had originally been a huge fan. Arrived here because I just couldn’t understand the Patreon account and why so many people gave to a woman who had so much. As tine hues on, I wonder that more than ever.

Many people are saying they are happy to see DIY starting again at CDLL particularly for Selmar. May I just add that I work in high end property development / Building and whilst I understand that using volunteers is cheaper (er ... free) than paying for tradesman, there are times when the professionals must be brought in. Dear Selmar should stick to the tango and a bit of woodwork, imo he, like many there, is a bit of a Bodger. Some of the electrics are more than questionable ... and as for taking up that floor and patch-working it elsewhere ...

I feel so sorry for your friends to be used in that way. Horrid. Isabelle & SJ ultimately sound like a self-centred, hard-nosed pair of users. They are certainly not living in the real world nor paying any respect to those who aren’t so fortunate - and that’s even before Covid hit.

 

[Clara Burnett]

Yes reading all this for the first time today.....and totally NOT surprised. I have felt all along that something was just not right about the whole Lalande saga. So many other chateau owners have made it their priority to get their properties renovated and brought to current standards for heating, plumbing , safety etc. especially if you are going to operate as a business for paying guests. I wish all the Lalande cultists knew this backstory and have their eyes opened to how they are being sucked dry by this manipulative piece of work. Every time a vlog goes up as a premiere they are there with donations as well as the ongoing patreon payments that are now up to approx. $24k per month. Thank you all for your insight and exposure of the facts.

This is driving me to speak up, even though my friends aren't, or not as much. It's so sad they are cheating innocent people out of money they don't deserve. I mean, the vlogs in a way are well made and she should get paid for the filming and editing, it's entertainment. But the lies and misrepresentations are just horrible. But fans won't hear, they don't want their bubble to burst.

@Clara Burnett I'm not too well versed in the way Tattle works but wouldn't it say "new member" next to your name if that were the case? I don't wish to sound suspicious as I have found your revelations and insider knowledge fascinating, but I always like to get the full picture.

I became a member the day before yesterday and have only posted here. Maybe the status is linked to the amount of messages? I don't blame you for being suspicious. Lots of bullying and spying going around.

So much has occurred on here in the last couple of days that it's near on impossible to keep up! Whilst Clara's information is very interesting, there are usually two sides to a story and those two Dutchmen could have been the caretakers from hell for all we know!

Brenda scored a massive own goal for La Lande by directing her 6000 devotees to this page. They are obviously busy working their way through the seven previous threads as I am now getting tons more notifications to say people have liked things I've posted from ages ago.

Agree Yvonne does look really nice and for her sake I'm hoping she has no skeletons in her closet and doesn't have a side hustle selling knock off Rolexes across Stourbridge, Dudley and Wolverhampton otherwise she can expect to be well and truly busted by our crack team of agents

You are very right, there's always two sides to every story. The one side I know about is the one that got really hurt, so I agree it might be tainted by something other than sincere storytelling. However, I do know my friends and have seen with my own eyes what they done for the place and for SJ and I tell you, they were not from any kind of hell.

 

[Clara Burnett]

Still my favorite title for new thread.

Did I mention that after my friends left SJ rented that part of the chateau out to an American woman with two small children, without fixing what caused the fire to begin with, not concerned apparently with the potential danger that family was in. When that family started traveling she kept cashing the rent and at the same time used that place for volunteers, guests and other purposes.

 

[Incognito Chatelaine]

Good for you. and very thoughtful, thanks !

Can I also say that I watched an interview with your friend and he is such a charming, handsome and warm fellow. He is from a little village I know well, and the people from that region are very close to my heart. He is also so humble. You know, in a way, his personality is so soft, he reminds me of Selmar. Although your friend has a better education and is a decade younger, he radiates empathy and sweetness, as Selmar does... and I somehow have this terrible feeling that a few years from now, Selmar will be writing his own blog entitled "My old pain".

 

[Takeaway]

Seconded. To repeat myself, I said to repeat myself in one of the very early threads I mentioned that on a live premiere when donations were flooding in so fast, that they couldn’t keep up with reading or acknowledging them, an (old ?) lady gave money, SJ glossed over a brief thanks and a while later the same lady came up in comments again - which to give her credit, SJ read out ... the lady said something along the lines of these are my savings (?) and it’s taken a long time to get them together, so please spend wisely.

It’s a free choice whether to give or not, but my concern, like many others here, is that the lonely and vulnerable end up giving money

This happened on another premier episode recently someone said they really wanted to donate but weren’t being paid until the end of the month & as soon as they got their pay check they would send some money, this is really awful, so sad

 

[Ace of Spades]

Oh Brenda, Brenda, Brenda, your FB post about ferreting out the Tattlers with your Internet SWAT team....

The sweet, sweet delicious irony is that we know far more about you and your Donegal Dumpster home with fake bedroom vistas stolen from the Tourist Board website, fake Toile stolen from SJ and fake wee craic stolen from every Irish cliche ever, than you can ever hope to know about us.....


The cherry on the cake is that by highlighting this site to all the FB rabid fans as you have done, you have created the worst PR disaster ever for your beloved lesbian girl crush Stephanie..... I've got a ringside seat and my popcorn

 

[BuggaBuggaBugga]

epic
Can I pls add body cams will be supplied
I’ll be on my daybed .... awaiting my light refreshing cocktail from my PAID butler ....


@ChocLili @Linus @NorrisCS
@Fuzzypeg defo on the tour bus

I'd like a seat on the tour bus too. But please tell your butler to seat me several rows away from Heathcliffe.

I'm still pretty attractive for my age but I'm the faithful type.

Just for some levity, Chateau De Montmagner almost burst into tears because they are running out of money, won't be able to rent out rooms because of Covid, and they have no income. They do have a gofundme, a buymeacoffee, a youtube channel, a patreon account and a puppy. Despicable beggars, amirite?

This is the dirty underbelly of shows like ETTC: how easy it looks to buy an undervalued property in France and do it up. Dick and Angel Strawbridge had a TV show behind them. SJ had Mummy, Daddy and Nic Larkin backing her. The Trotters have Gwendoline's inheritance. If you check websites that market properties for sale in France, some have sections entirely devoted to ETTC DIY owners who are selling up because they ran out of money.

The reality behind the French property fantasy is that if you don't have the renovation skills and plenty of money--or are not interesting enough to develop a YT following--you are more than likely to lose a massive amount of money. Tragic really. Especially when it's older people who are losing everything they saved for retirement when they could have bought a condo on the beach in Spain and enjoyed themselves in the sun.

 

[Jeeves]

And then he went and got Gerry instead

So funny!

Has anyone written a Thank You note to Brenda for the generous Christmas Gift in the shape of @Clara Burnett ?

 

[NorrisCS]

he is getting more in patreon that some people get for working full time.

he also works / self employed at least two days at lala land.

he also gets paid through YouTube.

He also had a few gofund me that has funded any work they have done so far.

as for premier yes there is always someone donating when people premier. I haven’t notice them previously premiering so can’t say how much they made through that.

After months of watching (only) SJ vlogs - I haven’t watched any of the others - only bits and pieces of one or two of MP’s but if think there was something wrong with the sound cause all I got was “AGA”... and now reading above about Dan, it still astounds me beyond comprehension why or how they can do this. Make videos, upload them, and basically ask people to give them money. Just that. Give me your money. I have a list as long as my arm of things I need to get done in my house (love it but it’s a money pit built in 1847)... the idea of someone sending me money through a go fund me page so that I can get my floors sorted, or the flue in the dining room done, or get the holes in the walls fixed so gale force winds stop blowing through..... - this is my house. My problems. My issues. I suppose what I find equally incomprehensible is that people (the fans) think the content in these videos is worth paying for at all. You would think by now I’d have gotten my head around the madness of it all but every now and then I suffer a relapse....

 

[Incognito Chatelaine]

Aw c'mon - no-one has to send Stephanie their money - and she's said many times on her vlogs for people to please not support her if they're hard up or can't afford it.

I know Stephanie is spoilt and stays in bed half the day and doesn't like getting her hands dirty - and manages to charm everyone into doing the jobs she doesn't want to do but she's not this animal abusing extortionist that she's being painted as on here. And I still maintain that people give happily to her as they love the entertaining, regular content and the access to a fascinating way of life that most of us would never normally see. I just can't get worked up about it. She's been much luckier in life than most people in that she's been blessed with rich parents, beauty and a charismatic personality - and that's why we're all on here talking about her! Beautiful people generally have things so much easier than the rest of us. I remember reading a column by a writer called Taki in the Spectator years ago and he was talking about the jewellery of the wife of a rich friend and he said she deserved all the diamonds in the world for being so beautiful. Very unfair yes, but it's the way of the world.

And no I'm not Stephanie or Hanni or Brenda or Yvonne - I'm just someone who loves the humour on here and finds the whole mental La Lande set up massively entertaining and great escapism. But I also try to be very fair and see all points of view too.

I don't have a problem with SJ using her beauty to get on in the world... none whatsoever... but she knows elderly people are sending their savings and some are waiting until pay day to contribute... they clearly tell her in the live chat! It is all a bit too much like TV evangelism for my taste.

She could easily afford to take the high road and still make a fortune:

Ditch the cadeaux channel and the premieres, use the funds only to renovate by paying properly trained people a fair wage, and film the process for YT. No one has a problem with that at all... let her flaunt her beauty as much as she wants... let it all hang out.

However, she should not talk about how impoverished she is, whilst:

a) wearing a €45,000 watch
b) sitting on assets worth half a million (or more?) and an annual income above quarter of a million
c) exploiting staff/volunteers who are smitten/in love (e.g. Selmar)
d) allowing staff/volunteers to compromise their future health/ability to work and support themselves (e.g. Selmar's neck injury/digging up flagstones).

A bit long-winded, but you get the drift. I am not expecting her to be a saint.

 

[Raspberrybrulee]

I'll still be watching the Chateau Diaries (but not cadeaux obvs) and not just because it's very entertaining but also because I need to watch there in order to be able to keep up on here! I'm very grateful to @ChocLili and everyone else who trawls the facebook pages on our behalf as it's virtually a full time job being a member of tattle these days! If anyone was writing a thesis on the dark side of becoming a public figure via vlogging/social media they would have a field day here. It's not surprising Ruth has refused to be in the videos and was hiding from the camera whilst Michael Potts said his goodbyes on the last vlog - she didn't even do her usual wave from the car.

 

[Jeeves]

if I was managing her social, would find that sweet spot and hit it hard. Catholicism, Selmar, cute animals, family traditions, and skip the singing to put the halo back on firmly. Day trip with Selmar to see his favorite part of the area with Diesel. Leave Puff the Magic Dragon at the Chat toe. Donate a basket of goodies to the local medical staff on front line.

Going to look for my bag of euros I will wear birkenstocks with nasty white socks during the visit

The Trotters pull out Billy and Gwendoline's little boy to tug at the heartstrings - Antoine is just a little old to have quite the same appeal and let's face it, the sullen niece is never going to pulll in viewers. MP needed to up his game with a new puppy to be able to compete with Diesel, Ruby, Pea chicks, hedgehogs, etc. Isabelle doesn't manage to pull off the sweet little Granny role but just imagine Ma Petherick , with all the charm and appeal of a Chieftain Tank! The Trotters need to find a a dear little OAP - toot sweet as Del Boy would say! Both Chateaux are working to exactly the same formulae. Emotional appeals to fund the Chapel / cottage, precise descriptions of the many trinkets they require Spode, fabrics etc and a desperate need for life's little luxuries, laptops, cameras, fancy hairdryers , Fortnum and Mason teas and so on.
SJ surrounds herself with the Oxford set and wealthy hangers on, MP gathers fellow Chateau owners - both growing an extended cast of characters, either volunteers or people roped in to film or build. Neither integrate with the local community. Both inextricably linked with Brenda. The back stories have become more interesting than the vlogs so no wonder we have so many questions.

 

[Hemerocallis]

I think the expression “fur coat and no knickers” has been used before on here to describe SJ’s approach to chateau renovation. I guess “Venetian crown while the place burns down” is just a new angle on this? Lol

Still my favorite title for new thread.