All language subtitles for Escape to the Chateau S07 E03 Wash House, Trench & Vintage Bike.720p.HDTV.x264-DARKFLiX.English

In the heart of
the French countryside,

a magnificent chateau stood
uncared for and abandoned.

Then, six years ago,
everything changed...

Wow! Look at that.

...when an intrepid British couple...

Turn. Turn, turn, turn.

Wow.

...unlocked its front door...

Everything is gorgeous.

...fell in love with its grandeur
and embarked on an adventure.

It's so incredibly important
to bring it back to life.

Since they moved in,
engineer Dick Strawbridge...

...and his wife, designer Angel,

have transformed almost
all 45 rooms,

including four sumptuous
guest suites

for their wedding
and events business.

But, despite the hard work, their
dream often resembled a nightmare.

You should not be able
to see the sky out of your roof.

Behind every romantic story
is the reality.

This year, life at the chateau
has been a rather different.

I'm on Heron Island!

With no weddings and events
to host...

I think we need
a roof garden up here.

O-level mathematics from 1975.

...they can tackle
bigger projects than ever.

This, I'm thinking,
is a big swimming pool.

I've got a headache.
HE LAUGHS

And there are lots
of surprises in store...

THEY SHRIEK

Come on, let's have a little look.
Will it open?

...as the chateau reveals
more secrets.

I love it. It's so me.

It's time to find out
what happens next

in this 21st-century
French fairy tale.

I think this is a good reason
to buy a horse.

ANGEL LAUGHS

As summer turns to autumn,
the trees surrounding

the chateau are beginning to turn
a magnificent golden colour.

Oh, are you coming to, Petale?

But the changing seasons aren't
the only things reflecting

the passing of time.

Come on. Petale's coming too.

Come on, straight over. Over there.
Let's see if you've grown.

Every year, it's a Strawbridge
tradition for the whole family

to have their height recorded,
starting with the youngest.

You measure a dog to her withers.

Petale, their nine-month-old
Kerry Blue.

Stay there. Stay there, stay there,
stay there.

That's it. Dorothy... There we go.
I've got it.

Dorothy, draw a line there.

Petale.

You are a little, small puppy dog.

Petale may still be discovering
life at the chateau...

...but six-year-old Dorothy
has known nothing else.

Heels down nicely.
Heels down nicely, Dodie. Stand up.

Standing up nice and straight.
That's almost... That's horizontal.

Is it horizontal? OK, stop.

Hold on, Dodo, and we are going to
say...

...it is there.
September '20.

Arthur may only be
a year older than his sister,

but he's almost head
and shoulders above her.

Head up.

And not that far off Angel.

OK.

Wow! He can't have grown that much.

There must be a mistake.

That's not even a year.
That's nearly a year, Arthur.

Arthur has... Honestly, that is
really, really scary.

That is 8cm.

Arthur's not the only one
having a growth spurt.

Daddy's been eating all his
vegetables, cos look how big I am!

I've grown two inches
cos I've eaten all my veggies.

That's true.

Oh, that means you've shrunk.

ANGEL LAUGHS

I don't think the children are
getting any bigger.

We're just getting smaller.
Yes.

I'm getting older.
What's your excuse?

This is a very worrying...
Maybe there's subsidence.

The subsidence in the chateau.

We've got nothing to worry about,
Angela -

it's just subsidence in the chateau.

THEY LAUGH

With a growing family comes
an ever increasing list of needs,

like a proper grown-up bicycle
for Dorothy.

But this new set of wheels
isn't exactly new.

Not much of the bike left, but, all
in all, with some new little bits

added onto it,
it's going to be gorgeous.

Dick and Angel discovered the rusty
remains whilst transforming

this outbuilding into
Dick's new super-sized man cave.

Did you get the right one?

Look at that!

The workshop is here for all
sorts of different things,

and you can say some are
more important than others,

but this is a bike for Dorothy,
so it is really quite important.

Now, Mummy bought the colours
that you said you wanted.

Are they the right colours?

Complicated colour scheme confirmed,

Dorothy decides to leave the rest
of the restoration to the experts.

Though she's more than willing to
provide entertainment.

Bike restoration is one thing,

but Dick and Angel
have bigger plans in mind.

Surrounding the chateau
are numerous outbuildings

and each one was, in its heyday,
essential to the smooth running

of a typical 19th-century
aristocratic home.

A coach house for
the horse-drawn carriages,

now home to Angel's parents
Jenny and Steve.

Alongside the 2,000-square-metre
walled garden,

the old stables and stores -

now containing Dick's new workshop.

An old piggery, an elegant orangerie

The remains of an underground
ice house.

And over by The Dolphin -

the chateau's
own boat on the moat -

an old wash house for
the Baglioni family's laundry.

And it's here that Dick and Angel
have turned their attention.

CHILD SHOUTS OUT

Come on, Dorothy.

Come on, missus!

First, though,
there's some tidying up to do.

Mummy's a farmer at heart.
Did you know that?

The garden around the boat needs
some end-of-season maintenance.

DICK GRUNTS

That's just one nettle done.

This could take longer
than I thought.

ENGINE STARTS

Arthur, though,
is far more interested in foraging.

Let me see this mint.

Oh, that smells amazing.

At seven years old, I did not know
the difference

between wild mint
and a stinging nettle.

Dorothy also shows off
her horticultural know-how

by harvesting
the last of the lavender.

Shall we make some lavender bags
with these? They're lovely.

Since buying the chateau
five years ago,

Dick and Angel have worked
tirelessly to make sure

their guest accommodation
is as welcoming as possible.

Be it in the four luxurious suites
in the chateau itself,

or sleeping under the stars in style
at the glamping site.

Last year, they added The Dolphin,
a 35-foot narrow boat

transforming her into
a romantic floating bolthole.

But, as ever, the Strawbridges
can see room for improvement.

There's a little loo and a shower
in there, but it's not very...

It's... It is very small
and we need something different.

So what Mummy wants to do,
she wants to turn this into

a lovely place for anybody staying
in the boat

to have their loo and their shower.

I hate to think what's
in Mummy's head. But...

I think we've got to see what is
actually down there, first of all.

Just a few metres away from the boat

are the remains of the Baglioni
family lavoir, or wash house.

They just need to try to get
near it to see what's possible.

Phew! You can see
what it looks like.

Well, we couldn't get here
a couple of minutes ago. Wow.

Did you find a path? I think we need
to go and explore the path.

Right, let me just go and have a...

Mummy's going to make it safe
for her little ones.

It feels quite...

"magical coming down here.

It is. It's actually quite special.
Yeah.

It's quite exciting, isn't it?
Come on.

Let me see. That's amazing.

Ooh!

Ah! Careful.

Wow. OK.

Um... Wow, OK.
It's huge. This is huge.

Yeah.

Behind the small door lies a lot
more than Dick and Angel expected.

In fact, nearly 35 metres squared.

It feels like this is too big
just to have as a bathroom.

We would not have a bathroom
even in the chateau this big.

It's just... It's huge, isn't it?

And considering that it was...
It's not a bath bathroom.

This is for a quick shower type
thing. Well...

Soon, though, the size of the job
is growing.

I have got a couple
of ideas because...

DICK CHUCKLES AND SNORTS
..l just...

Do you know how much that hurt,
that...?

Can we have glass
so we can look out?

There's nothing to see. Huh?
We're in a hole.

Whenever we're in our bedroom,
Dorothy is always like,

"Here's the heron, here's the deer!"
They all...

Everything comes from over here,
isn't it, when we look out.

And I wonder how we can
incorporate that into this.

Everybody put their hands up
who thought

that this was going to be
a bathroom.

ARTHUR LAUGHS

Hands up everybody who thinks
it's going to be a bathroom now.

With the nature of the...

THEY LAUGH

Right, OK.

We'll take this door off, we're
going to sort of clear this area

up a bit, and then what we are
going to do is you are going

to make a decision
when you can see more of it.

OK. And we are going to put
the kettle on and make mint tea.

Off we go. Daddy's going to take
the door off.

Careful, careful, careful.

It'll take clays to clear,
but by the time the kettle's boiled,

Dick's already unearthed
something new.

Hello!

Look. There's
a massive big trench here.

So do you think that that was when
they used to use it as a wash house?

I think, when we clear it out,
it'll tell us more about itself,

but I think you need to revise
your views when you see more of it.

OK. All right, I'm open.

Are you ready for
your foraged wild mint tea?

OK. On my way.

Oh, look at that.

Oh! Oh, that's lovely.
That should be yours. It's hot.

Oh, it's delicious.

It tastes a little bit...
That tastes amazing.

You can't dip
a custard cream in mint tea!

A week later, Angel is keen to check
on progress at the wash house.

Good morning.

Come on, Petale. Show me the way.

And there's been a rather
exciting discovery.

ANGEL LAUGHS

Was you expecting that?

Not exactly.

Oh, my goodness.

The wash house, or lavoir, was just
one of the many outbuildings

that provided essential services
for the chateau.

And 150 years ago, when the chateau
was built,

this 12-square-metre washtub
was the latest mod con.

It's amazing.

While lavoirs like this were
usually found in town squares

and shared by the community,

it seems the aristocratic
Baglioni family

preferred not to wash
their dirty laundry in public.

I don't quite understand how you
wash clothes in something this big.

In something so deep. No, this big.

Where are you going...?

I'm going with putting
a stud wall up there

and using about a quarter
of that part of it.

That's if you want to have
a shower and loo.

I love it to bits...
I love it. What is it?

Um...

This could be, very easily,
a little swimming pool, couldn't it?

Let me go through my repertoire
of excuses before...

It is, because... Urn... Right.
It is. This is.

Especially if we get one of those
things that puts current in there.

Just kidding!

She's not kidding. The kids will
thank you for it. I think let's...

I don't know if we can
make this properly waterproof,

because, look... If you look...

Dick, look at me.

Look at me. See, I don't know
if we can make this waterproof.

Dick, you can make any hole in the
ground waterproof. You know that.

Look at the weeds.
Look at that for a root.

Hold on... How long is it?

This is where me and Dorothy are
going to learn to synchronised swim.

I've got a headache.

DICK LAUGHS

The seasons may be changing,

but at the chateau there
is always one constant -

an infinitely long to-do list.

And as turning Angel's swimming pool
vision into more than a pipe dream

will need specialist help, Dick's
called in the reinforcements -

including, of course,
builder mate Steve.

This is going to be a swimming pool.

I'm not even fighting it any more.

Unfortunately, the lavoir's
original Victorian waterproof lining

is showing one or two
signs of wear and tear.

I wanted to see what
happened with the water,

because there's a plug.

Because you'd be needing a
way of emptying a pool.

Testing the efficiency of
the original pipework means,

for possibly the first
time in 100 years...

You get anything yet?

...the lavoir is about to get wet.

What do you mean no?

There's enough pressure there.

Oh, it's pinched here.

Have you got some?

But just when Dick's
solved one problem...

There, ladies and gentlemen, is
a plumber with a piece of bramble.

Plughole unblocked, Dick's
hoping the lavoir's pipe

will empty into the main drainage
system for the moat itself.

Steve!

Keep pushing from your end!

And after a bit of highly
professional prodding and poking...

That's better, isn't it?

I don't know when the last
time water came down there

and went through that pipe.

That's going to go and join
our stream, to join the Mayenne,

to join the Seine,
to go out to the Atlantic.

America's only...that way along.

Dick's plan for the new pool house
is also coming together,

but there's not much left
of 150-year-old lavoir.

We have our moat held in by a big
bank that goes round the far side.

150 years ago, very cleverly,
they put a retaining wall

on this side,
and they built the lavoir.

There's a doorway to get in.

Down here, we have got
our pit, our big bath.

So, first things first,
this wall which is all crumbling

needs to be rebuilt.

Then, I need to have some
pillars to support the roof.

So, pillars, rebuild the wall
where it's broken, put in a roof.

That's a fairly big build job,

and to do that
I need reinforcements.

And those reinforcements
come in the form

of two more Steves and an Andy.

While the renovations of the
wash house gets under way,

Angel heads up her attic workroom
to think about the aesthetics.

I have a feeling I know
what direction I'm going.

But the problem is the internet,
because you get on here,

and then you find this,
and you're like,

"Oh, that's what I would love."

I love these mosaics, I love
how they roll over the side.

But Dick literally shook
his head and went to sleep

when I showed him this picture!

Luckily, another design detail

received a slightly more
enthusiastic response.

Dick and the kids and
myself have been watching

the whole of Karate Kid.

There was a particular scene
that Arthur loved last week,

where Mr Miyagi starts creating
his bonsai trees in his shop,

and the kids, you know,
they loved them.

Actually, I think that this
is exactly the right place

to have a load of, like,
beautiful bonsai trees.

Mr Miyagi may have
inspired the bonsai,

but it's Angel's vast
collection of vintage prints

that have come up with the colour.

That's my colour palette.

It's got the lovely dusty pinks
and the greyish green.

You know, I love
everything kind of Japanese.

Really organic colours,
some lovely bonsai trees,

a little bit of gold,

just cos I feel like I need it!

Can't take the bling out of me.

The heavens have opened
above the chateau,

and to beat the weather
the work has had to progress fast.

It looks a bit different, doesn't
it, eh? It looks like a building.

Quite exciting.

What we need is, I want
a once around the whole lot,

and I want a shopping list. OK.

All right? Yeah.

These windows...
Yeah, plain reinforced glass.

So, that's four times window...

Dick may still be
at the planning stage,

but Angel's already
considering colours.

I did look at finding
tiles for this,

but I have seen that
you can get a resin paint,

Excitingly, no end,
there's a colour palette.

And there's, like, a charcoal grey,
there's a blue black.

I'm quite excited. And then,
beautiful tiles round...

Breathe, breathe, breathe,
Breathe, breathe.

OK, first things first,
we've got enough in here...

You don't care about the colours,
do you? I don't really care at all.

There is, though, another more
delicate matter to discuss.

Over in the corner somewhere
there has to be a little toilet.

Let's have a look.
This is quite important.

That's interesting you sat that way.

It doesn't need to go to the top,

but I think it needs to be
more than saloon doors.

Doesn't need a door at all.

I think if you're in here together
as a couple, and one of you needs

to go to the toilet,
then it's a bit embarrassing.

When I was in the army,
we had a set of ablutions -

they were called the long drops -
and it was a room probably

this size, and all the way around
three sides were little holes

in wood... Yeah. ..that everybody
just sat communally - like the

Romans used to do -
and we all sat in there,

having a poop, all right?

But, darling, we're not
in the army, and we are...

This is slightly different, but...

We have the wall here... Yeah?

...you cannot be seen
from the pool. OK.

I think this is a good,
good, good compromise.

But there'll be no toilet -
never mind a pool - without water.

And unfortunately for Dick,

something's standing between
him and the main supply...

...a rather angry gaggle of geese.

GEESE HONK

I need water in the
ablutions over there.

So, their area's getting
smaller for a very short period.

Some real-time goose moving.

But wrangling geese is
easier said than done.

DICK LAUGHS

Trying to get out the end.

Oh, dog!

I think Petal wants to help me.

Hmm, don't even think about it.

But once he has managed
to persuade them to migrate

a few feet to their right, a water
pipe can start being laid across

to the pool house, which
should prove rather handy.

Temporary reduced enclosure.

They'll never know.

Geese successfully gathered,

things are also moving on
a pace in the wash house.

Breeze blocks? For your steps.

They may look like
ugly cement bricks now...

...but in Angel's capable hands...

Right, there. So, I'm going
to start at the back, yeah?

You've got the biggest
job there, Angela.

Hold on, one more. All right,
they're looking like stairs.

...they're soon transformed
into some sturdy steps.

That's quite...
Yeah, that's not bad at all.

With the inside coming on,

Dick can turn his attention to the
window frames for the outside.

Hmm.

This is a big old window.

If it's a single pane of glass,
it's going to be heavy.

It always seems like a good idea

until you come down to
the last little bits.

You know, the last sort of
20% takes 80% of the effort.

I still think it's complete
overkill for a loo.

But each bespoke window will
need a bespoke frame made.

Finally, Dick has the perfect excuse
to bring out his vintage lathe.

It's just so nicely engineered.

It may be old, big and bulky,

but Dick is completely
and utterly smitten.

It is a big toys for boys.
It is, yeah.

But it's also very serious.

And, as it's his first
opportunity to play with it,

Dick's not just excited,
but also rather nervous.

DICK MUTTERS TO HIMSELF

Good.

Just remind me what I'm doing.

Right, quick check -
everything's tight.

OK, this tommy bar is out.

I think we do it now.

LATHE WHIRS UP

That's what's supposed to happen!

With a multifunctional
lathe like this,

it's plain sailing cutting
32 metres of wood down to size.

Oh, ten, we like it.

Now, that's the sort of
machine you have to respect.

But the pool house isn't
the only thing taking up

Dick and Angel's time.

Bringing Dorothy's old bike
back to life has now become,

for both parents,
a true labour of love.

I've been handed
the baton of the bike!

Dorothy, she wants a fade.

I have watched people
doing it on the internet,

and I have to say,
there is an art to it.

So... Right, let's see.

Well, there's definitely more
on the bottom than the top.

The bit that Dick is doing -
you know, the brakes

and the really important safety
parts - are all well and good,

but Dorothy is going
to want a good paint job!

Oh, the stress...!

So, before she goes too far, Angel's
keen to confirm her young client's

strict instructions
on how the colours blend.

Is this fade?

The blending, yeah.

So, you're happy with that.

Let's look at the bike frame
and work out what colours

are going to be what, OK?

How about we do this blue,
this bit here...

Oh, I haven't even finished yet.

Yeah.

OK.

Now there's a clear vision -
at least in Dorothy's head...

We should get started.

...it's time for Angel to commit
to the rather complex colour scheme.

You can shake it.

And l'lljust shake this one.

Angel's even managed to source
a special eco friendly paint -

no face mask required...

Go on, give me a
little dance with it.

...a fact also worth dancing about.

Is it good?

You love it? Oh!

But like her mum,
Dorothy's also a perfectionist.

Hmm?

ANGEL LAUGHS

Over the past five years,
Dick and Angel have worked hard

to bring their beautiful chateau
back to life.

Now their attention
has turned to its outbuildings,

and in particular the remains
of the old lavoir, or wash house.

It's just so exciting.

What was once a giant washing tab

is about to become
a miniature pool for their guests,

decorated with dusty pinks
and soft greens.

This is great. I was a bit dubious

and, actually, there is
an elegance to it now it's painted.

But a supply chain hiccup

has meant Angel's had to adapt
some of her design decisions.

I genuinely wasn't going to
wallpaper the ceiling until...

...we couldn't get any plaster.

The French do it loads. Lots of
houses, everything sort of covered.

You know, ceilings -
again, wallpaper.

And it's something
we don't really do as much,

but they do it because, you know,
you line it and you wallpaper it

and you don't have to plaster it
in the same way.

Wallpapering the ceiling
will not only cover the cracks,

but also give their guests
something to look at.

You know, doing a bit of...
SHE LAUGHS

"backstroke,
looking up at the lilies.

It's just... It's lovely.

But, to find out
whether her other idea works,

Angel needs builder mate
Steve's expertise.

Oh, I've got my lippy on, Steve.

I forgot this was going to be
a messy job.

Angel would like the lavoir pool

to have curves in all
the right places,

like an enormous roll-top bath.

And that means cutting corners.

All right, let's see.

That's all you need. That's perfect.
Yeah.

Right, I'm well chuffed with that.

OK. I actually also want
a bit of a pattern.

Right, let's see where we can have
these in. So it's one, two, then...

...one in the centre of that.

It just feels like it is to be
a bit more natural out here.

Plan achieved.

Do you want me to start cutting them
for you?

THEY CHUCKLE

Now she knows that her main
design ideas are going to work,

Angel can focus
on the little details,

like miniature bonsai trees.

She and Dick just need to agree how.

I love it already, and I think
that in a pot, with a little trim...

We could work on that one together.
No, no, no, no. That's yours.

Instead of joining forces...

So the one I'm going to go for
is going to be...

...this one!

...Dick declares
a battle of the bonsais.

Well, darling, we're both going to
say each other is the winner, right?

No. No, give over.
I'm going to beat you.

ANGEL LAUGHS

I'm going to find my yin
and my zing, or my Zen or something.

I've got to find those.

Right, well, I'm going to go
and find my secateurs!

I'll get my saw!

Bonsai literally means
"planted in a pot",

and involves pruning
the roots and branches of trees

to create miniature versions.

It's also meant to encourage
patience, reflection and calm.

Really competitive already,
isn't it? It's not, darling.

I'm not being competitive,
by the way.

You're the competitive one
in our family.

I was going to make you a cup of tea
and sort of...

Yeah, yeah, as if we're going
to do that. ..enjoy ourselves.

Darling, we both know,
now we're in the zone,

neither of us is going to stop
until the get to that stage.

While Angel has a designer's
delicate touch...

Look, that already looks good.

Right.

...Dick goes in for the kill.

That was brutal, and I've never done
that to a plant before. I know.

That was a bit scary, wasn't it?
There we go.

Though she preferred not to compete,
Angel soon takes the lead...

Right. My next one. OK...

# Ta-daa! #

...and breaks out the big guns -
a cake stand.

Yeah, I'm just going to,
like, work on mine.

Interesting,
cos you hold it up and you look

and you see some shape in it, yeah?
And then...

I'm still being brutal.
There's another one to go.

Look what you've made that into.

Am I allowed to tweak it?

This is what you think about bonsai,

doing little snips
with little pairs of scissors.

So you don't want any...?

No. No, you don't.
Justmjust checking.

I love you. You know that?

THEY LAUGH

But, just as Angel has almost
pruned her way to victory,

Dick discovers his inner Zen.

There we go.

That looks lovely, baby.
It's getting there, darling.

Over at the wash house,

digging and drilling holes for the
pool's recycled filtration system

is more familiar ground for Dick.

So I'm going to take
this little bad boy

and I'm going to make sure
it ends up in the, um...

...in the hole.

DRILL WHIRS LOUDLY

At the top of the chateau,
well away from ditches and drills,

Angel and the children are
climbing up to her attic workroom.

Angel wants to make scented bags

using lavender
gathered from the chateau grounds.

And she's hoping
the children will help her.

Oh, fabulous, fabulous.

Dorothy, let Mummy show you.
You hold this, get the other hand...

# Boom! #

Yeah, perfect, perfect!

Is that smelling amazing or what?

Let's choose the fabric you want.

I mean, these are beautiful.

OK.

We have very, very bespoke
lavender bags being made.

However, these take, honestly,
60 seconds to make.

They're so simple.

So I've got my little bit
of tea towel.

And where do I want
my little tag to be?

I'll probably have it in here.

A quick seam or two...

So this is my cute lavender bag.

Would one of my assistants
like to actually help me

put some lavender in?

Right, it smells really good,
doesn't it?

Little bit more? Oh, a little bit
more, yeah, absolutely.

Right, brilliant.
Well done, matey.

But Arthur seems to have succumbed
to the lavender's sleepy scent.

Down by the wash house,

Dick's bespoke window frames
are being fitted.

Something quite nice
about the fact this has all...

...been made here.

You know what?

It's almost as if that was
supposed to go in there, isn't it?

But Angel has designs
on the windows too.

I've been inspired
by an incredibly beautiful

and big sort of Art Deco pool.

By adding simple wooden struts
to Dick's frames,

she's hoping to recreate it,
but on a much smaller scale.

I think it's going to look quite
sort of striking.

Unfortunately,
their pool's proportions...

Oops!

They can't be this big!

...are proving problematic.

They had the height,
and mine are stumpy,

and I'm still trying to get
something that looks quite elegant.

But I haven't figured it out yet,
and that's why I'm having a play

before Dick comes in
and says, "Right, what do you want?"

It's the end of a busy day,

but Dick's still has
some important work to do.

Been a long time since I've put
together a bicycle like this.

Hold on, let me get my...

Look at that.
It looks like a bicycle.

Fit this on here.

Now, if we turn the wheel,
it goes forward.

That is the right side.

I'm putting modern bicycle bits
onto an old bike,

which is always interesting.

Following in her mum's footsteps,
Dorothy has an eye for design.

I would never have thought
of a paint job like this.

It looks sweet, doesn't it?
Come on, she's done a great job.

And, what's more,
Dorothy knows her mind.

But Dick has other priorities.

Brakes - very important.

Got to keep my girl safe.

We used to think we were lucky
if we had one brake!

The big day has arrived

for Dorothy's first ever
grown-up bike to be revealed.

She's going to shut her eyes...
Shut your eyes, shut your eyes.

You wait there, You wait there.
Eyes are shut?

0h!

HORN HONKS

And she can't wait
to climb into the saddle.

Come here, up you go. You ready?

HORN HONKS

She's off, she's off!

Oh, she is off!

Steady, steady, steady, steady.
Well done!

This bike's probably older than me!

Nice and steady...

Oh...don't go too fast for Daddy.

Well done.

Oh, wow!
Look at you on that big girl bike!

All Dick and Angel need to do now
is keep up.

Come on!

Work to convert the remains of the
chateau's 19th-century lavoir

into a 21st-century pool house
is going swimmingly.

Don't want it being
insulated by the leaves.

Dick's next job is to create
a sustainable heating

system for the pool, using one huge
flexible solar panel.

We're going to make our frame
and then pop this on it.

The piping all comes afterwards.

A thing of beauty.

Roofer mate Steve
offers an extra pair of hands.

Always thrifty, Dick is aiming
for free hot water all year round.

This is...

...a hinged...solar thermal
collector frame.

All right - it's four pieces of wood
and six pallets.

But that's exactly what it's going
to BE - that's more to the point.

And, as usual,
his plan involves turning modest

materials into a fully functioning
example of ingenious engineering.

Up we come.

That's a good start.
This actually comes upright.

What we have, the sun's
going to be up there,

autumn, winter. In fact, the lowest
point - the sun only really

comes up above the
height of the chateau, there.

Middle of December, could be
like that.

Could be like this

in the middle of the summer.

But whatever it is, we try
and make it as efficient as possible

by pointing it at the sun.

One solar collector.

I can feel it in my waters,
it's coming together now, you see.

Soon Dick and Angel's
moment of truth arrives.

This is exciting.

It's time to fill up the pool
and find out if it's watertight.

Dun, dun, dun! You ready? Go.

Woo-hoo-hoo!

Right, I think that...

"we'll leave it for a couple of
hours.

The kids are going to be so excited.

As the leaves turn golden
outside, it's time for Angel

to put her signature finishing
touches to the lavoir.

I did say I was going to find a way
to get some gold in here.

Angel's glimmering grout
mirrors the opulent

fireplace on board their canal boat,
The Dolphin.

This is The Dolphin's
private swimming quarters.

There's nothing
straight in this place!

You just never quite know
sort of what eyeline to take.

A little bit like the house,
actually.

But when it comes to installing
Angel's art deco window design,

Dick soon discovers that his wife's
eyefine

is the only one that matters.

The first one you've got up
needs to come out.

I haven't started yet...

Oh, that's why.

It's not very good.

Are you happy with the vertical?

No, not at all.
It's well...way off.

Il'l, in, in, in, in, in, in, in.

In, in.

Yeah.

There?

No, no...

Down, down, down, down, down, down,
down, down, down, down,

down, down, down, down.

SWP'

Great. Perfect.

Or maybe come up a tiny little
bit on the right.

Your left.

The lavish lavoir is coming
together.

But it still
needs its competitive bonsais.

That does actually look
really beautiful.

So you're just using mine
frame your two?

I'm trying to make your one
look good.

First prize gets to
go into the pool first.

Oh. I only hope I don't win!
SHE LAUGHS

The pool's water might not have had
a chance to heat up yet,

but Angel's already keen to create
a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

I want this place to
feel like a spa.

Look, can you smell this?

Wow. Lovely.

Right, OK.
Pick your favourite two.

I'm going to have a little bag
and this one.

I'm just going to put them over the
chairs so...

Right, so... ..so it smells amazing.

Smells like a spa when you move.

It actually does smell very
lavendery, doesn't it? It does.

If you have them by your head,
there, you just...

I'm going to fall asleep every time
I sit down. I know.

Over the past weeks, the derelict
lavoir - a piece of forgotten

chateau history - has been
given a new lease of life.

What was once a ruined wash house,
reclaimed by nature...

...is now the chateau's very
own oasis of calm.

A hidden retreat for both guests
and the family to enjoy.

The tank where chateau servants once
washed clothes brought back

to life as an enchanting
private pool,

surrounded by personal touches
handcrafted by the whole family.

This feels really cosy in here now.

And I love that, you know,

we're being sympathetic to the
original building, you know,

we've got all
the gorgeous walls and the shape

and the lavoir - which we did not
know was here - and yet the little

bits that I love, you know, the
windows, they feel really art deco.

It's a simple thing, but I love it.

And this little area - you know,

this is the picture that was in my
dressoir. I loved it,

and actually it was only today that
I thought, why is that not in here?

I feels exactly right here.

And, you know, we've had
so much fun doing the bonsai.

This place, the kids are going to
love it. It feels magical, you know?

It's not only original,
it feels very, very special.

Thank you, Mr Strawbridge,
this is an absolutely lovely toilet.

You are such a mickey taker.

Do you know what we're missing?

Apart from the children.

What?

Peacocks.

We're not having peacocks, ever.

Just so you know.

Have you ever heard the racket
they make?

It's really peaceful now.

I wonder if
it's going to be this peaceful,

though, when the kids come in here!

In you go. In you g0-

A bonsai?!

DOROTHY:

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!
Have a look around first.

OK, OK...

Before the pool party can get under
way, there is an important

score Dick and Angel need settling
by their independent adjudicators.

Mummy and Daddy made those
bonsai trees.

OK, now, what we have to do is you
two have to look at the four

of them, and judge which
you think is the best bonsai.

OK, now, bonsai is
also about the, you know,

the bits that aren't perfect,
and, and the...

...and the trunk.

Right, really unusual,
unusual trunks...

My wife... OK, so...

But discerning
Dorothy can't be swayed.

DOROTHY:

Which one for you?

Oh, my goodness...

Oh! It's a 2-0 win to Daddy!

Dick's diminutive tree might have
taken the title...

OK, Daddy won.

The really, really good news is then
he gets... I won 2-0!

...he gets to go in the pool first!

Yay!
KIDS CHATTER

Woo! Oh, my goodness me! Woo!

Daddy's going in,
cos I'm the bonsai champion!

Yay!

After all the hard work, Dick
and Angel know the future will be

overflowing with cherished family
memories for many years to come.

Smile for Mummy, Dorothy!

I am so cold!

I am so cold...!

Oh, my goodness me!

Just too beautiful!

Next time,

the orangerie is overhauled...

Like all things, it's never easy.

And this is just the start.

...there's anxiety in the attic...

I do not have my brave gloves on me
right now.

...and Dick causes
chaos in the countryside.

How do I get down, though?

LAUGHTER

Subtitles by Red Bee Media