A Year at the Chateau: As seen on the hit Channel 4 show

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The Strawbridge family are an inspiration on how not to let stresses and strain get the better of you or each other. It is a tribute to their spirit of adventure, their 'can do' attitude and their strength of character in refusing to be daunted. A quoted exchange between different people prevents a book from becoming a mundane recounting of, “I went here,” “We did this,” “I thought this,” “We bought this.

Irreverent, witty and emotionally charged, Long's rollercoaster ride zones in with exquisite precision and perception on the dreams, despairs and dilemmas of all middle-aged women getting ready to say a final goodbye to their youth and looking forward to new beginnings. When Nicola's husband, Dominic, retires they decide not to spend their days finding hobbies to fill the time until Countdown is on channel 4. I'm always so curious about floor plans with this sort of thing, too, because they let me better imagine how spaces might have been used back when the building was built.If you really want to watch and experience nice people restoring a chateau I suggest going on YouTube and watching “The Chateau diaries” and “Doing it ourselves” both are likeable and kind to the people around them, oh and the focus is less on themselves and more on the chateau.

The book is also very written, with each of them writing alternately, adding their own account of the day to day work, as well as their experience of living in France, the great food they enjoyed and the joy of parenthood. But I have to admit that, upon learning that she has ripped off Michael Petherick's design and claimed it as her own (and is now making bank with that design on a ton of merch), a lot of the shine was taken off while I was reading this book. So I’ve written a post on how I make my wreaths from foraged greenery around my village and flowers from my garden. Find out about her French château life here - French House Chic by Jane Webster and about the Australian Walters family who are restoring Château de Gudanes here.I came to ‘The Chateau’ late in the day; over lockdown in January 2021 and it has been my ‘happy place’ ever since!

Heartwarming, inspirational and beautifully narrated, just loved listening to them both narrating their own story, great to have more of a behind-the-scenes insight having enjoyed the TV show. Dick and Angel are optimistic troopers who take everything in stride and seem to actually enjoy the myriad challenges along the way.My favourite bits were about some of the cultural differences they encountered in France, that was quite fascinating and hilarious. Even with all Dick's engineering and DIY expertise, this maintained the encouraging anyone-can-do-it attitude. I simply love it when waiters are friendly and you can ask them for menu recommendations or new local events to attend. This is more or less what I was hoping for when I read Downton Shabby, I think—a light read that is chock full of personality and, you know, castle. La Petite Hostellerie is a quaint restaurant with an outdoor eating area which you can find at 35 rue de la Harpe, 75005 Paris.

Along the way you'll read glorious descriptions of rural life in France, with charming characters, delicious food and wonderful seasonal produce, together with the extraordinary list of renovations and restorations they completed, many of which were never shown on TV. All the tables had vintage games and memorabilia that dated back to before the Second World War and each place setting had vintage china, cutlery and a vintage French napkin.As someone who has never seen it, I felt that it glossed over so many things and was really lacking detail in places I was really craving more. As I read, I literally can’t stop smiling at the splendour and beautiful picture that Dick and Angel paint of the whole scene. When Nicola's husband, Dominic, retires they decide not to spend their days finding hobbies to fill the time until Countdown is on. Their early confidence does take a knock as they realise just how rundown their dream house is, but you see them working together and gaining confidence. While the show may have made it seem like everything happened for a reason (that fabric wallpaper in the tower comes to mind) this book tells all of the behind-the-scenes moments and it was anything but easy.