Escape To The Chateau - General Discussion

[dosodog]

I only half watched (DON'T CALL ME DURING THE SHOW MOM!)....will watch again.

But!  I could watch the Chateau Cat and the Aviary on an endless loop.

 

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, dosodog said:

But!  I could watch the Chateau Cat and the Aviary on an endless loop.

Besides being a cat lover,  it makes me smile to see that amongst the flurry of activity going on at the Chateau, the cat just saunters by without a care in the world!  Those poor birds in the aviary though!!  

[DoctorAtomic]

Of course Dick can paint too. 

[Chit Chat]

FWIW, Angel has announced on their FB page that they are working on a new series called 'Make Do & Mend."   They said to be on the lookout for date, time & channel.  :) 

[Chit Chat]

On 4/29/2021 at 8:07 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

Of course Dick can paint too. 

Indeed!  I'm always a little late commenting because my DVR records this on Saturday evening on HGTV.  I'm not sure where else it's available.

I meant to comment on this last week, but I forgot.  I never noticed that the Chateau's entrance wasn't perfectly in line with the entrance over the moat.  Makes me wonder if the original architect made a mistake, or if it was off center intentionally.  I like things symmetrical, so now that it was pointed out, it's driving me a little crazy!  ha ha!

If Dick & Angel can't adopt me (lol), could I at least work at the Chateau?  The feast that Dick and his son, James, created was just fabulous!  I hope it tasted as good as it looked.  I wonder if Dick inspired him to be a chef, or vice versa.   Dick seems like such a wonderful father, and you could tell by James' banter with him that he is.    

Angel sure has a knack for throwing a party.  She is so good with all of the details.  

Last but not least, we had several cat sightings!  He/she was even sitting on the new ride!  It was all so Mary Poppins-like!!  I was waiting for them to break into song with 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.' 

[biakbiak]

10 hours ago, ChitChat said:

never noticed that the Chateau's entrance wasn't perfectly in line with the entrance over the moa

It’s not a moat it’s a pond. Moats were built mainly for protection.  The place though gorgeous was built as a country house for a rich family in the late 1880s, they didn’t give a shit about protection but they also legit needed a place for their shit to go, hence the pond. There is an entire episode where  Dick has to locates where in the pond the  raw sewage from the chateau is going and putting in the pipes to divert it so the pond is not a biohazard and got up to code!

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by biakbiak

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

It’s not a moat it’s a pond. Moats were built mainly for protection.  The place though gorgeous was built as a country house for a rich family in the late 1880s, they didn’t give a shit about protection but they also legit needed a place for their shit to go, hence the pond.

Yeah, it was pretty gross thinking about what odors people were inhaling prior to a proper sewage system being installed.

FWIW, and not to argue, but according to Wikipedia, " In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defenses, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices. In older fortifications, such as hillforts, they are usually referred to simply as ditches, although the function is similar. In later periods, moats or water defenses may be largely ornamental. They could also act as a sewer."

It might not have started out as a moat for purposes of defense, but since it surrounds the castle, in my mind I think of it as a moat/pond!!  

Edited May 2, 2021 by ChitChat

[Koalagirl]

I love how Dick and Angel involve their kids in preparing for the festivities.  The interaction between Dick’s older and younger sons was so great. 

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

The interaction between Dick’s older and younger sons was so great. 

In searching Dick's background, I see that he and his son James wrote a series of books called 'Made at Home.'   What can't he do!!

I think I might just order his and Angel's book 'A Year at the Chateau.  I see it available on Amazon.  I can see a couple of pages with the blueprints of the castle.  I love the architecture of buildings, so I'd love to see the blueprints up close. 

Maybe one day Mr. Chat and I can travel abroad and visit a real castle!  I've had a few friends who have seen some castles in Germany and they said they were awesome.   Of course visiting the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina was pretty cool, so if we never travel abroad, at least we have that!   

[DoctorAtomic]

Any party/event planning comes down to the details. All of them. You either have a knack for that, and you work on it, or you really don't. Angel clearly does. What I actually quite liked was a while ago, they had the staff together, and she made a spreadsheet to hand out that covered *everything*. 

[Chit Chat]

40 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Any party/event planning comes down to the details. All of them. You either have a knack for that, and you work on it, or you really don't. Angel clearly does.

I liked it that she ordered that big iron press for the linens and such after every party.  It's nice that she thinks of things that will make the staff's job easier.   I'm a list maker, so I can appreciate her eye for detail in what needs to be done.

I hope that Dick is enjoying the new chef's kitchen.  They seemed to have plenty of room for several of them to be able to work in at the same time.  I've never heard of black mayonnaise.  I wonder how differently it tastes.  Everything looked delicious.  They didn't show what he seasoned the chicken with, but people were oohing and aahing over it! 

[DoctorAtomic]

It's not just the list. The schedule has a time line on it too. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think it's so lovely of Dick's older son to come to France to help with a celebration for Angel's parents.      The food looked amazing, and everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves.

I'm so glad Dick fenced that old water and trash filled hole off.   

[Chit Chat]

11 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm so glad Dick fenced that old water and trash filled hole off.   

I wonder if they ever figured out what it's purpose was.  "It's a death trap."  No truer words were ever uttered!  It was definitely an accident waiting to happen.

The wildflowers he planted turned out lovely. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think Dick said it might have been a root cellar or some other food storage years ago, and the top rotten off, and it filled with water.    If you dig a big hole like that, you can keep things cooler in the summer season (My grandparents didn't have a refrigerator for years, so a root cellar, or spring house, or a cold storage stone box like the hole was, kept things cooler)

Fencing it off was the right thing, since it was full of water, and all kinds of debris, anyone who fell into it would die, and not be found (the leaves, and junk would cover up any evidence of something going into the water.   Plus, Dick couldn't even find the bottom.     I think the right thing to do is to fill it in, and cover it up.    

It might have been a water source too for the animals, or garden irrigation years ago, it seemed very deep for a root cellar, or anything like that, and I didn't see any stairs. 

Edited May 6, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Chit Chat]

Because I'm still catching up on this show, does anybody know if the castle has a smaller (serving-style) kitchen on the same level as the formal dining room?  I'd love to have the entire castle filmed room-by-room with a narrative of each one.  

When I toured the Biltmore Estate, we took a separate tour (Butler's tour) that showed the inner workings of the home.  The kitchen was on one floor, with a serving kitchen behind the humongous banquet hall.  I'm pretty sure it had a dumbwaiter between floors.  

[DoctorAtomic]

What surprised me was that Dick found the root cellar and just walled it off. For either of them not to transform it into something else. 

[Chit Chat]

10 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

What surprised me was that Dick found the root cellar and just walled it off. For either of them not to transform it into something else. 

Give it time.  Angel will think of something!!

[biakbiak]

On 5/2/2021 at 6:06 AM, ChitChat said:

might not have started out as a moat for purposes of defense, but since it surrounds the castle, in my mind I think of it as a moat/pond!!  

Your initial post that I was responding to was that it was weird that the “moat” doesn’t in fact  surround the castle and is mostly on one side and extends a decent ways from it. The primary difference is that a moat fully surrounds the building/town etc. this one does not. 

Edited May 4, 2021 by biakbiak

[biakbiak]

I watched the episode with Angel’s parents 50th anniversary and I noticed that when they were planning g the guest list in her parents place that they had replaced the chairs that Angela had reupholstered and said she intentionally left unfinished (which was totally wtf) with two more modern orange chairs with foot stools. 

[Chit Chat]

18 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I watched the episode with Angel’s parents 50th anniversary and I noticed that when they were planning g the guest list in her parents place that they had replaced the chairs that Angela had reupholstered and said she intentionally left unfinished (which was totally wtf) with two more modern orange chairs with foot stools. 

I didn't like those original chairs. Maybe they weren't very comfortable.  

[HunterHunted]

On 1/25/2021 at 12:25 PM, BradandJanet said:

Is anyone watching DIY? I'm enjoying it.  Dick and Angel certainly got a bargain price on their estate and had the right skills and level of energy to turn it into a business. On DIY, I don't understand why the couple in the rented chateau are putting so much money and work into decorating and remodeling. Is the owner paying for this, or is this part of the rental agreement? Maybe they could buy the place.  

I've been watching both shows less than legally for years. From the best of my recollection from reading something online around the time it aired, the couple renting the chateau were renting with the option to buy and the renovations were mostly confined to things that qualified for a French rebate or tax deduction program that covered nearly all of the cost of the renovation. I also feel think I recall them saying that the owner did cover some of the other renovation costs. My memory is a little hazy on this. 

On 2/24/2021 at 7:17 PM, ChitChat said:

I'm sure this website is already known to everybody who has been following this show, but again, with me always being late to the party, I'm just finding it, so in case someone else hasn't seen it, this has their story and products that you can order.  The Chateau

On 2/28/2021 at 1:12 PM, dosodog said:

That website is luscious!  Thank you for sharing the link!  The fabric section is gorgeous. Dick's Favorite Things seem to be mainly cooking knives.  The website is a visual feast for the eyes.

 

I can't buy anything from Dick and Angela knowing what went down with Angela and Michael Petherick from ETTC: DIY. Michael and Angela had become friendly. He's also a very talented graphic designer. Angela went to Michael for help coming up with some prints in the narrow boat, camper, and some miscellaneous ones around the chateau. Michael designed many of those prints. A lot of the prints in that line started as projects in and around the chateau. At some point when Angela and Dick figured out that there was a market for those prints, she went to Michael and asked him to relinquish all monetary rights to the prints, but that she would acknowledge that he designed them. I think she said there was some issue with film rights to them; I don't believe she said she was selling products that used the prints. Michael relinquished his rights to the prints. Meanwhile, Michael and had family had been filming their 3rd season (I think) of ETTC: DIY. Once they finished filming and Michael signed over his rights, producers told them that their footage was being scrapped, they were being fired from the show, producers stopped talking to them, Angela and Dick stopped talking to them, and Angela and Dick started selling products with the prints Michael designed. Michael Petherick shouldn't have been so naive, but Angela and Dick did them dirty. I was pretty done with Dick and Angela after this went down.

Michael and his family started YouTubing after being encouraged to do so by Stephanie Jarvis, also from ETTC: DIY. Stephanie has her own YouTube channel. I think the Pethericks are friendly with Jonathan and Michael also from ETTC: DIY too.

[DoctorAtomic]

I'm not sure why everything needed to be shoved in the van. You can sleep outside in tents. 

I really liked the wood. 

Edited May 7, 2021 by DoctorAtomic

[Chit Chat]

12 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

 I was pretty done with Dick and Angela after this went down.

I wasn't aware that this happened.  That's a shame.  

[buttersister]

On 5/6/2021 at 8:17 AM, HunterHunted said:

Angela and Dick did them dirty

That would put Angel’s big smile in a new light.

[Chit Chat]

In all fairness though, I'd like to hear Angel's side of the story.  I sure hope they didn't do them dirty.  I thought more highly of them than that.

[CrazyInAlabama]

It could be the production contract says that the producers  can only show tile, pictures, etc. they have the rights to.    And it would depend on the original contract about rights, and who owns the right to use photos, or other artwork.     

A long time ago, I was in the background of a commercial.   I had to sign an agreement giving the production company all rights to use my image for anything they wanted to.   That's how you can get a photo taken for modeling, and sign a release, and that same picture ends up on anything the owners of the copyright want to sell it for. 

[meep.meep]

The camper van was an epic fail.

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

The camper van was an epic fail.

I like the camper van itself, but I'm not too crazy about the wallpaper in it. It was just too busy with the patterned seats.  I'm also not usually a fan of woodwork being painted over like that.  I like it in some instances, but I hated to see the entire ceiling of the camper van get painted over.

The moveable cook stove was rather ingenious!  I'm hoping that it's not located over the vehicle's gas tank though.  I'm sure Dick thought of that and made sure it could be used safely. 

[dosodog]

I just.  It's very "twee", the camping van.  

Stupendous Man got a chevy van (long story) and we changed it into a camping van.  We removed the back seats, put down inexpensive, easy to clean laminate flooring.  A platform for a bed, that had storage for all the other stuff.  He scavenged a canopy off an RV and attached it to the side.

Our kitchen was a camp stove with a foldable rack to put the stove and paper towels, spice rack, place to hang things and the bathroom (which Stupendous Man bought for me) was a shower tent, with a 5 gallon bucket and removable toilet seat.  He was also a Tarp Wizard.  

So.....my long winded post's point?  That fancy twee camper isn't going to last very long if they go anywhere that isn't grassy. Pine needles, mud, unexpected rainstorms, sand, kids getting wet in a river, pretty much all activities done while in the great outdoors is going to ruin the interior. 

Also. No one is going to be able to go poo on the loo if anyone else is in the camper.  Even if you CAN poo in front of family, the smell factor in close quarters.  And camping food at that. 

I do love the Mademoiselle Daisy pattern though!

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, dosodog said:

That fancy twee camper isn't going to last very long if they go anywhere that isn't grassy.  Pine needles, mud, unexpected rainstorms, sand, kids getting wet in a river, pretty much all activities done while in the great outdoors is going to ruin the interior. 

So true!  It will probably turn into the "picnic van."  I grew up going camping, so I can relate to your experiences!  Sometimes our toilet was a little frame that held a plastic bag, and you found a spot out in the woods to set it up.  No "glamping" for us!!

Edited May 10, 2021 by ChitChat

[BradandJanet]

10 hours ago, dosodog said:

Also. No one is going to be able to go poo on the loo if anyone else is in the camper.  Even if you CAN poo in front of family, the smell factor in close quarters.  And camping food at that. 

I do love the Mademoiselle Daisy pattern though!

The toilet puzzles me too. I guess it's removable, but I don't know if the plan is to use it outside the camper or leave it there. Angel likes jumpsuits and is wearing one in the episode. Using the toilet would involve significant undressing. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I didn't even see the toilet. The whole thing struck me as a lot of work for not much return. If it was a day trip van, I could see it would have a lot more value. You don't need the stove or loo. 

[Chit Chat]

7 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I didn't even see the toilet. The whole thing struck me as a lot of work for not much return.

She covered it in the same fabric as the seats.  It looked like (pardon the pun) a little stool!!

I think it's nice though that they're making all of these memories with their kids.  I read somewhere that the kids don't have school on Wednesdays over there, so they try and do stuff on their days off.   

My best memories from childhood are going camping and smelling the bacon cooking on the Coleman stove on those crisp, cool mornings!  It's nice that they have the option of packing a lunch so that if they do wander pretty far, they can stop and cook something if they want to.  The kids seem to get excited about helping their Dad prepare their meals.  

[DoctorAtomic]

I would have installed a proper stove/sink in the van and just done away with the toilet and sleeping arrangements. That van isn't going anywhere strenuous that you need the toilet, and extra space. 

If you really want to camp, they can pack tents and sleeping bags for outside. Dig a latrine. 

[Chit Chat]

I did like how the bench seat turned around and you had a mini living room!  You can leave the back doors open and chat with anybody who is under the awning.  

[DoctorAtomic]

I wonder why Halloween isn't a thing in France. 

I don't know when the show was filmed, but does covid exist in this world? 

I do have to say, the staircase was really good work. 

Edited May 14, 2021 by DoctorAtomic

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I wonder why Halloween isn't a thing in France. 

I don't know when the show was filmed, but does covid exist in this world? 

I do have to say, the staircase was really good work. 

La Toussaint/All Saints Day/Day of the Dead is much bigger deal. Tons of countries don’t really celebrate Halloween and certainly not like the US does.

When they measured the kids the date they wrote on the wall was fall 2019 (forget the actual month) so no Covid wasn’t a thing during filming. 

Edited May 14, 2021 by biakbiak

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is that during Covid they didn't have events of any kind.       The couple are so resourceful, so I'm sure they'll find a safe way to go forward.    

I love the transformation of the tack room, and I'm still surprised at the beams that weren't secured in any way.     I still think the stair case was too steep, and wish they had made the bottom part a few feet longer and less steep, and the center and top portion too.    I really liked the saddle hangers, with plants, and the photos.    The finished room was spectacular.  

[Chit Chat]

12 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I love the transformation of the tack room, and I'm still surprised at the beams that weren't secured in any way. 

I hope the castle was built better than that!  That is a very nice entrance hall.  They could put a little more furniture in there and make it a sitting room for guests.  I'd like to see the upstairs bedrooms when they finish those.  Didn't they say there will be 2 or 3 bedrooms?  Looks like they have a lot of room to work with.  

I love the macramé hangers.  That brings back memories of when they were really popular here many years ago.  You don't see those much anymore.   I noticed that they pronounce it differently than we do here in the U.S.  Interesting!   

[CrazyInAlabama]

The other beams they took down when building the in-law suite were the same, just sitting there on top of another beam, and held down by the weight of the floor above it.    I think it was about the same construction in the chateau too.  

SInce all of the spaces in the Chateau are finished floors, then as long as the floor over them isn't disturbed, the beams stay in place.   The part inside the main entrance (over the mud room in the walk out basement level) had deteriorated from many years of water from people walking in there with wet feet, and when Dick took the flooring up, I think it was the same way.  

Edited May 16, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The other beams they took down when building the in-law suite were the same, just sitting there on top of another beam, and held down by the weight of the floor above it.   

Thing is, it lasted all of these years, so I guess that was how things were built 150 years ago.  It made me say 'yikes' though! 

[DoctorAtomic]

There's way more stone to the construction than your average house nowadays, so I can see how they were relying on that for support to the beams. 

[Chit Chat]

On 5/16/2021 at 2:10 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

There's way more stone to the construction than your average house nowadays, so I can see how they were relying on that for support to the beams. 

It appeared that the slots that the beams slid down into needed to be a little deeper.  

[Chit Chat]

I thought that the boat project turned out well.   From deck to wind turbine to chicken pot pie!  Is there anything Dick Strawbridge can't do?!   I liked Angel's more subdued decorating of the boat too.  That would be a great place to escape from everyone and lay down and take a nap!  Very serene.  

[Frost]

Does the boat have a bathroom?  They never mentioned that.  I wouldn't want to stay there if it meant using a port-a-pottie.   And honestly I would rather stay in the floating dome.  The boat was very cute when it was fixed up but it still seemed rather cramped.  If the weather happened to be rainy during your stay, you'd be stuck inside the entire time.

Dorothy is absolutely adorable.  I feel horrible saying it, but Arthur kind of gets on my nerves.  I think he just showboats or something the second the cameras are turned on.  I hope he isn't that squirrely all the time.   I know he's only 6 years old so I feel like an ogre!  I just could use a little less of Arthur on the show.

The scene of the family dinner made me swoon.  The pots alone were gorgeous, let alone the scrumptious feast!  What an enviable family, where they all seem to like each other and work together and teach the children and eat as a family.  Don't burst my bubble Strawbridges with a behind the scenes scandal!  I want to believe in the on screen fairy tale!

[DanaMB]

1 hour ago, Frost said:

I feel horrible saying it, but Arthur kind of gets on my nerves.  I think he just showboats or something the second the cameras are turned on. 

Don’t feel bad, I’ve been thinking the same thing. Unless we’re both ogres. 😂

[buttersister]

LOL, Arthur is the drama couple’s first born. He comes by his oversized personality naturally. He seems a happy chap, in the footage we see. Pass that pot pie (and pan), please!

Case of the missing head. Loo. Toilet. Wonder if Angel made herself a little moat boat nap time/teatime getaway? With emergency nature-calls facility the woods?

[pasdetrois]

Quote

Don’t feel bad, I’ve been thinking the same thing. Unless we’re both ogres. 😂

Yeah, he gets it from the parents, who pander to the cameras constantly, especially Dick, who constantly mugs at the cameraman.

[Chit Chat]

22 minutes ago, pasdetrois said:

Yeah, he gets it from the parents, who pander to the cameras constantly, especially Dick, who constantly mugs at the cameraman.

He's usually smiling and laughing his way through another Angel project, but maybe he's secretly screaming on the inside!  Sometimes her "just do this......" is actually a very time-consuming and labor-intensive project.

3 hours ago, Frost said:

Does the boat have a bathroom? 

I would assume that there would be some sort of toilet in there.  There were some cabinet doors that they didn't open, so I'm guessing that the loo is in there, however basic it may be.