Escape to the Chateau: Make Do and Mend (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Episode #1.4 - full transcript
- Five years ago,
Angel and I fell in love
with a derelict 45-room chateau.
This is truly beautiful.
And since then, we've
spent every spare moment
bringing it back to life.
- This is beyond better
than what I've imagined.
(cheering)
Now, at a time
when so many of us
are tackling jobs at home,
- We want to use
Angel's creativity,
- See the vision?
- and Dick's ingenuity,
- That is the basis of a bed.
- To solve your design
and DIY dilemmas.
- We want your help
sorting out our front door.
- From crafty conundrums.
Magazines are great to
use, the ink is waterproof.
- To entire room renovations.
- We've all got our power tools
(tools whirring.)
- We'll be on hand to help.
We're going to be drinks
trolleys partners in this.
- Amazing (giggles)
- You got your bus too?
- Yeah! Bus to bus.
(laughing)
- Because if we can do it,
I am an average crafter.
I've just got the
mindset of having a go.
So can you.
- Stage one complete.
(Dick laughing)
- That's just given
me goosebumps.
- And look at that
smoker! That's phenomenal.
And because we're stuck at home,
we're filming it ourselves.
- I'm filming me filming
you being cross with me.
I love it.
- Make sure you press record!
Now that really
is Make Do & Mend.
(calming piano music)
- Life at the Chateau, is
always full of adventure.
- Petal! Come!
- And today, our
newest family member
is having her first trip in
our beautiful camper van,
Mademoiselle Daisy.
- Can we drive around
our chateau in this?
- Yes. We can. Yeah!
It's lovely having
Daisy out. Isn't it?
- [Child] Yeah.
- And it's lovely having
Petal camp in here with us.
- Hi Petal. Do you like our van?
It's going to take us
on lots of adventures.
(engine starting)
- Here we go. Do-do-do-do-do!
And Miss Daisy's
on the road again.
- And when we're all together,
every outing's exciting,
no matter how far we go.
- And, I think we are there now.
- Gorgeous.
- Now we're back
from our mini break,
it's time to help you
with your projects.
What have we got happening?
- Oh, there's oodles.
- But who's up next?
- Hi Angel!
- Hey Dick!
- I'm Natalie.
- And I'm Peter.
- We both live with our cats
and our dogs and our chickens.
As well as our two
amazing foster children,
and our new addition, our
eight month old daughter.
- Willow.
- Willow.
- Aw. (laughing)
- Now I love a project,
and I've just taken on
my craziest project yet.
We've actually gone and
bought a field and a bus.
- [Natalie] A double decker bus.
- [Peter] A double decker bus.
- Oh my God!
- We're pretty good with what
we're doing with the bus,
but we really want some
outside living solutions,
so just things that are gonna
enhance that camping trip.
- One of the problems is though,
because it's agricultural land,
you can't have anything
on it permanently.
So anything we put on the field,
we have to take back with us.
So it has to be beautiful,
it has to be practical.
- [Natalie] Functional.
- Yeah We need your genius guys.
- Yeah so, can you help us?
- Yeah, help us please!
- Please!
- It's clear they don't
want help with the bus.
- But we can help them
with their outside space.
And it's got to look
gorgeous. And be practical.
- The word "gorgeous"
slipped in there, didn't it?
- It's true.
I like things to be both
functional and beautiful,
but first we need to find out
what Natalie and
Pete actually need.
- Hello, Hiya!
- [Natalie] Hi guys!
- [Peter] Hey! Hi,
how's it going?
You at your bus too?
- Yeah. Indeed. Bus to bus.
- What's important to you?
What do you like to do when
you get to your retreat?
- Just relaxing
really, isn't it?
- Yeah. Just playing,
cooking foods, sitting out,
trying to, you know,
just chilling out.
- Just enjoying like
the peace and quiet.
- Kitchen seems to
be the way forward.
- Yeah. Kitchen and
a nice area to sit.
- And if you've got
the woodlands there,
we can find a way,
a very efficient way of cooking
using the wood you have.
You know, it's ablutions
that are not permanent.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Yeah. I really
like those ideas.
- It'd be really easy to
knock up a solar shower.
It would mean that you have
somewhere to douse the children
at the end of the day,
before they go to bed.
- Yeah, that's a good idea.
- Yeah, I like that.
- And just to have a bit of
hot water when you need it.
- You could even use it to wash
the dishes if you wanted to.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Yeah, or wash your, yeah.
- Or you can shower and wash
the dishes the same time.
- I love that!
- Naked dish washing is not
something we
encourage in France.
- [Peter] No?
- [Natalie] It's not something
I want to see either.
- I made some chairs out of
some old tires we had here.
Now, they were for the kids.
They were a bit
bright and colorful,
but actually I think you could
do something really
nice and quite stylish.
- [Peter] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That'd be great, yeah.
- I think the big
thing for us now,
is to get you in your field,
camping there and using it.
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Listen, take care you two.
- Bye!
- Did you see how big their
bus is compared to ours?
- I know. (laughing)
- Natalie and Pete
might have a bigger bus,
but they need some
compact camping ideas.
And a portable solar
heated shower system,
is surprisingly easy to build.
Here we go. Well, I have
here some water in a bag.
I'm just gonna check the
temperature. 20 degrees.
That's not bad.
That's not cold, cold.
This is going to be
my hot water supply.
And you say, "But Dick, 20
degrees isn't hot!" (laughs)
The sun up there, shining down
here, if we shine it onto,
if we look at an
area a meter squared,
you've got about a
thousand watts of power.
That's about the third
of the power of a kettle,
comes out of the sun.
This is probably a
quarter of a square meter.
So you could have 250 Watts of
sunshine shining on this bag.
And if it's a black
bag like this one,
then over a period of time,
it's going to heat up.
But what we have to do,
is we have to make ourselves
our little kitchenette.
(fun music plays)
I need to capture the sunshine.
If I just point at the
sun now, in two hours,
the sun will be over there.
I have to find a way
of following the sun.
And then, look.
- Oh! Isn't that clever?
- And then when the sun
moves, I can follow the sun.
Look at that!
That goes up there like that.
Put this on the top
of that like this.
We have a washing
capability, see.
- Oh, lovely.
- But the magic
doesn't stop there.
This is a second one of these.
And if I just take my
hot water tank off,
on goes my kitchen sink.
Just use a wedge to
hold the board in place.
So, you have a sink.
Okay.
Look.
Capturing the sun, get warmer!
- That was so quick.
(water spraying)
(fun music)
- As well as helping
others with their projects,
We also have our own on the go.
Mine is operation love,
AKA Grandma's top
secret birthday party.
The kids have already
made blue coconut ice,
and I've cooked mum's other
favorite, homemade honeycomb.
Now, it's time for
the centerpiece.
Mom does not particularly
like birthday cake,
but one thing she does
love is profiteroles.
So I'm going to make her
a French profiterole cake,
a Croquembouche, which actually
means "crunch in the mouth."
But instead of actually
joining it all altogether
with the caramel, which is
quite a traditional way,
I'm going to put it all
together with chocolate.
Choux pastry, 85 grams
of unsalted butter,
and four teaspoons of sugar.
Then 200 milliliters of water.
Onto the hub to melt the
butter, pop the flour in,
and give it a good mix.
One big lump, all come
away from the sides.
I'm going to put it
in here to cool down.
It just needs to come down
and off in temperature.
Then I can beat my eggs in
without it being scrambled.
Three eggs go into the
mix. Then it's piping time.
Get rid of my end.
All three.
A little dab of water to
smooth and help them crisp,
pop them in a hot
oven for 20 minutes.
And viola! Profiteroles.
I'm going to fill
them, some with creme
And actually I might do
some with squirty cream
because I know mum will love it.
After that, it's just a
matter of securing them
with cocktail sticks
to a polystyrene cone
wrapped in parchment paper.
Oh man. I could just
eat that right now.
It is genuinely very,
very, very satisfying.
I do not know if
there is quite enough.
So close.
(laughing)
- So two full batches
of profiteroles
isn't enough for six people?
- That is such a pain.
I'll just have to make
an extra batch later
because it's time now to
watch another request.
- Right? Who's next?
- Right. This is Johann.
- Right.
- Please guys. I need your help.
I really want to
build a dog house,
but I don't know where to start.
So basically I'm standing
where I would like
to build the doghouse.
- That's big. We don't know
how many dogs he's got yet.
He's got a lab at least.
Oh there's another one.
- Wow look at-
- The dogs are coming.
They're decent
sized dogs as well.
- Okay.
- This is our family
that you can see.
We're all very excited.
- Hello.
- I'm here with my
little helper Frankie.
- Oh, she just got-I
know you're looking at-
I know you're
looking at the tools.
(Dick laughing)
I can see, but Frankie
has got the just-
she's got a melty smile.
- We can't wait, can we Frankie?
- Yeah!
(Angel laughing)
- Do you know how you
say goodbye in France?
"Au revoir."
- Au revoir.
- Au revoir Frankie.
- Do we need a dog
house for Petal.
As a dog, having a
little house to go into
would be quite nice.
I think Petal would
really love that.
- I think where you're
going to come into your own
is when it comes
down to the wallpaper
and the actual color scheme.
Maybe we could get a mood board.
- I don't know if you're
taking the mickey.
- (Dick laughing)
I know you don't.
(both laughing)
- As a family, we love
the great outdoors.
And over the years
we've discovered
there's few things better
than campfire cooking.
Now, as Natalie and Peter
have requested ideas
for an outside kitchen,
I reckon a rocket stove
could be a useful
addition to their field
and our walled garden.
The principle of
this is very simple.
It's a chimney.
Having made my little
circle from a pit,
I'm now gonna build my chimney.
I'm going to build it
up with turf around it.
The turf turns it
into a proper chimney.
Stones are supported by the turf
Okay. So circle of
stone is the chimney.
And by putting the turf
around the outside,
the only place for the air
to go is up the middle.
Whew, give me lots of
flames where I want it,
where I'm gonna have my griddle.
So to build the stove,
choose a safe location
away from trees or fences.
Dig a shallow hole,
place stones around the outer
edge, leaving a small gap,
then build them up
to create a chimney.
Finally cover the
stones in turf or earth,
leaving the gap
clear to feed in wood
and let the air rush in.
But my hands are dirty.
Oh, would I had somewhere
to wash my hands.
Look at that.
And we're up to 37
degrees, 98 Fahrenheit.
See? Muddy hands.
- Oh terrible.
- And that is warm
water, warm water.
Ta-da! It's a kitchen.
- Now it's time to work out
how we can help
Johann and his family
build an incredible doghouse.
- Hello! How are you?
- Hey guys. How are you doing?
- Hold on. (whistles)
Petal, come on girl!
- Oh yes.
- She's galloping.
Come here, come here,
come here, come here.
It's my girl. Come up
here. Look at this.
This is Petal.
- Hi Petal.
- so that's our
little puppy. Okay.
Here is a question for you.
When do you intend
to use the doghouse?
- We're really looking
for a little outside area
for all the dogs to,
you know, be happy.
- Simplicity we can do.
It doesn't have
to be complicated,
but it can be a decent size.
We're going to have to
make it weatherproof.
So if you can get yourself
access to any wood
that's sort of the
cheaper the better,
that can shape our design.
But the thing is that's before
I let this girl loose. Yeah?
Before we start talking
about decoration and design
and making it lovely.
- It's gonna be
a family project.
You know, my children
want to be involved.
- Great.
- Hello! Oh hello
little one. Who's this?
- This is Theo.
- Hello Theo.
- How old is Theo?
- 12 weeks
(angel gasps)
- Congratulations.
- Wow.
- Well you've got
your hands full there,
‘cause I was about
to rope you in.
You gonna have time for that?
- Yes.
- Have you got some old beds
that you want to refurbish,
or have you got some old bits
and pieces around the place?
- Yeah. I love keeping stuff.
(Dick laughs)
- What?
- It's a dog house.
- If anybody mentions a
mood board I'm out of here.
Angel want one of
these for Petal,
and now I'm getting
really worried.
- Great idea.
- We'll have a bit of fun.
We'll have a bit of fun.
- Fantastic. Thank you guys.
- Thanks guys.
- So what size do we make it,
big enough for
Dorothy and Petal?
Or did we make it
big enough for Petal?
- Arthur and Petal, you.
(both laughing)
- While we wait for your Johann
to get his materials together,
my job is to convert
Dorothy's wendy house
into a place fit for
both kids and canines.
As the wendy house already
has a pitched roof,
it just needs an extra awning
to create a new Petal porch.
For Johann,
I reckon a wide sloping roof
should do the job, right?
Petal house.
We're going to be putting a
door in here somewhere. Okay?
And we need to have something
to stop the rain coming in.
And I want a continuation
of the angle of this roof.
And for that, I've got
my angle-a-dangle thing.
That is the angle of the roof
there and along the bottom.
So we look at this now.
That's the angle of my roof.
So right, down here somewhere,
have a piece of wood coming
off at that same angle,
it'll look nicer
‘cause it'll look
as if 1 did it on purpose.
And this is all about the
looks isn't it, darling.
- Yes.
- Okay. Come here, come here.
Let's have a look at you.
Come here, come here, come here.
Let's see what size
you are at the minute.
You're nearly 45 already.
So a piece of string
in the middle down low
That's nice and curvy.
That is the angle of the roof.
So if I put it down
here like this,
It'll look like the
angle of the roof.
- That works, doesn't it?
- You should never sound
quite so surprised.
- I never do.
- You always do.
- I never do.
- Petal isn't the only one
that we're lavishing
with our love.
Mum's birthday's coming up
and as well as
traditional sweets,
she also loves old
fashioned party games.
If you don't know
what Splat the Rat is,
it's a very very simple concept.
You need a board, a
mallet, a rat and a pipe.
And if you've got
that all the pretties,
you can do whatever you want.
So get my rat. This is
actually, this is a dog toy.
And I think actually
if it works,
this will make a
great sound. Okay.
Take my rat. I put it
in. "Oh don't drop me."
And you've got to bang it.
And then the rest
is just decoration.
I've just cut up literally
some strips of wrapping paper.
I'm just going to stick
them on with, with PVA glue.
When you get to this
stage of party prep,
you start to feel
excited for it.
I am really looking
forward to mum's birthday.
Last one then-going in.
Great.
I can't wait for
the kids. (laughing)
- First though,
we have some seedlings to
plant in the walled garden.
What? Shh gently does it.
Now if you look, see on
the little white bits,
can you see little hairs,
very, very fine,
tiny, tiny, tiny,
tiny, tiny little hairs?
Those little hairs are
where they get the goodness
out of the soil.
- It's as much hair as
you have on your head.
- Cheeky chops.
- Even though I know
a lot about plants,
I never knew that before.
- Now you do.
- You put a gap in your fingers
while it's holding a plant.
Then you-
- Tap it. Yeah. A little
squeeze. Look at that.
- Oh mate, that
was so well done.
- And then, you put it into
that hole. See that hole?
Just set it very gently in
that whole for me. Oh man.
How good is that?
That's a planted out seedling
done by Arthur
Donald Strawbridge
Seedlings in, it's now
time for another request.
- Who are we on with? Samantha.
- Samantha.
- Hi Dick, hi Angel.
My name is Sam.
I live with my partner and
almost four year old son Adam.
Something that I'm getting
really interested in
is growing vegetables.
- Oh the garden, right.
- And I've never had
a garden of my own.
- I can relate to that.
I never had a garden until
I got a walled garden.
- This is your first
garden, isn't it?
- Yeah.
- You get overwhelmed with
all of the information.
All the advice I'm getting
is very conflicting.
- Stop, stop, stop, stop there.
There are lots of different
things she can do.
We have to understand
what her aspirations are.
I think this could be me
giving her advice here.
Don't know what you think.
- I think this is
definitely not me.
What I've enjoyed
is seeing the kids,
really, really spending
time with them,
planting seeds and
them understanding
where things come from.
Sam's going to love
that part of it as well.
- I started to grow some rocket,
and it was doing really well.
I was like, "oh, it's amazing."
I'm really really
proud of it. They died.
So I was absolutely gutted.
I would really
like some guidance
with that side of things and
especially with the layout
of our garden as well.
And so I just wanted
to pick up some skills
and be able to look
into the garden and
be really, really proud that
it's something that I've done.
- So she wants to
be the gardener.
- Yeah.
- This is your first garden.
- My first garden.
- You started in your
garden with a walled garden,
and I took 60
years to get there.
- Well, darling, I don't
like to do things by half.
- Talking of walled gardens.
I think the perfect place
to chat to Sam is here.
Hello?
- Hi.
- First thing's first.
What are you trying to
achieve from your garden?
That's the main thing.
- Somewhere for Adam to play.
We want to grow our own
fruit, our own vegetables.
I want to be able to
do something myself.
- When you taste something
from your garden,
it is so much better
than anything you've
ever bought in your life.
- Yeah. Definitely.
Do you want me to
move the laptop around
so you can see the garden?
- Go on, spoil me girl.
That is a good wall
for sunshine, isn't it?
- Yes, it is.
- That means that it's going
to be a nice warm wall,
and you've got a bed all
the way in front of it,
all the way along that wall
is probably one of the
best parts in your garden
for getting sunshine
and things to grow.
What I always say to Angel
is, you can have anything.
You can't have everything.
- Yes. (laughs)
- If you did make a little
plan of your garden,
and then I'd like a list
of all the things you like
eating from the garden.
- Definitely.
- And then we'll see
how we bring that plan of
the two together. Take care.
Lovely to speak to you Sam. Bye.
- Goodbye.
- So she's got a lot of learning
to do and a lot to enjoy.
- 'Course she does.
Babe you got half a century
of learning behind you.
- It's slightly more
than that, actually.
I am that old.
While Sam draws out
a plan of her garden,
we're going to
catch up with Johann
and his magnificent doghouse.
- So as you can see,
we're really getting on
with the doghouse now,
which is fantastic.
Enjoying it?
- Yeah
- With construction
work well underway,
it's time for me to focus
on the interior design.
I've got these two
cushions with pillows in.
What I'm going to do is
just sew these together.
I'm going to just
put my pillows in.
Petal does not smell that much,
but she does smell a little
bit, especially when she's wet.
(laughing)
And having a little bit
of double protection
is not a bad thing.
So I'm going to
make an envelope.
This is leftover fabric.
In terms of getting fabric,
going to a charity shop
and just buying an
old pair of curtains.
They are cheap as chips,
but the fabric is
really quite nice.
So on this one you need a piece
of fabric cut to the width
and whatever length is, two
and a bit times the length.
And then just fold it here,
give myself a
little bit of space.
I'm just going to put
a couple of pins in.
Now the great
thing about this is
that I'm going to do two
straight lines of sewing,
and I've got my pillowcase.
- That's the way you
put your duvet on.
- It's the way I put
my duvet on. (laughing)
So what I have in
here is my envelope.
Let's hope Petal loves
it as much as we do.
Oh I can see her. Quickly.
Oh no, she's coming.
She's coming.
Arthur, quickly, put the
cushion in. Put the cushion in.
Take that end,
take the other end,
and I'm sure Petal won't know
that it's the wrong way
around. There we go. (laughing)
Next. Come on. Quickly quickly.
- I'm sitting down
on my little chair.
- All right. You put
that one on there.
You hook it on there.
- Petal!
- Petal! (Dick whistling)
- Dad she's right behind you.
- Oh yay!
- Straight into her
bed, laying down.
That's a good girl.
(kids yelling)
I've given Petal's cushions
some added chateau chic
by sitting them in an
old vintage suitcase.
But she isn't the only one
getting some creature comfort
because Johann, Nicole,
and their family
have turned what was once an
empty corner of the garden
into a palace for
their poochies.
- Oh lovely sage
green. I love it.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- Wave guys
- That final shot
was just magnificent
Everyone chilling
out at the dog hut.
- Hiya!
- Hello!
- That's not a bad
looking dog house is it?
- We're well delighted with
it. We're well happy with it.
- The dogs must be truly comfy.
- Oh yeah. I'm
sleeping over tonight.
- It's a cracking job.
I like the fact that
this isn't a dog house.
This is a family house.
- I love that expression.
The symmetry of the doors,
the different color words.
You know, the wallpaper,
the coziness, the bunting,
the attention to detail.
You nailed it. It's fantastic.
- Thank you, we're really
chuffed with it. We love it.
I really enjoyed taking the
sewing machine out again.
It's been a while
since I've done it
since the kids have been
so wee. So it was good.
- Lovely to hear that Nicole.
- You've done all the hard work.
So it's time to enjoy it now
in every way you possibly can.
- Mwah.
- Take care.
- Good to see you. Bye-bye.
- Bye.
- I like what you said.
It's a family house.
- Not a dog house.
- Not a dog house.
It's a family house.
Get out to the family
house (Dick laughs)
It doesn't sound as,
you know, as naughty.
- It's a lovely sunny
day at the Chateau,
and I've set myself up outside
because Sam has now sent
me a plan of her garden.
- This is what I drew up,
which is what our garden
looks like from the house.
Happy days.
- Before I advise
on any planting,
I need to work out where
everything should go.
When Sam said she wanted
some work done in the garden,
very first question has
to be, "where's south."
So what I've done is
I've actually laid out
her garden in my garden.
Sam's house is here by
this line of stakes,
wall up this side, wall across
the back and down this side.
So this is her garden.
The sun rises over there,
goes up over the house and
sets down on that side.
Really important information.
But all of this, it comes,
it breaks it down into zones.
This area over here, she's
talking about putting-
what's that, sort of something
like raised beds and a bench,
great stuff, but
you can already see
by the shadows down
there, by late afternoon,
this will be in the shade.
So maybe that's not
the best place to sit.
If you want to sit
out in the evening
because not many of us
sit out in the morning,
this side of the garden is a
great side to be sitting in.
This is a great
plot to play with.
- Like Sam,
Natalie and Pete also want
to spend more time outside.
They're already working
on their camping shower
and rocket stove.
But I got a bit of easy
upcycling that they can do too.
I've done a kid's
version once before,
but this method adds
some extra outdoor style.
Tire chairs are just such
a great thing because
most garages have a pile of them
that they just
want to get rid of.
Spray painting is a quick
and very easy way to do it,
but if you do want a little
something more, and I do, rope.
To start with it
is a bit of a pain,
but I'm going to glue
gun the first piece on
all the way around.
So you've got a nice curve
cause this first one,
to be honest, is the
most important one.
Right next to the edge now,
and I can see a little bit of
a curve, which is very nice.
It starts to feel like
it's not just a tire,
slightly outdoorsy and robust.
And once you're
happy with the rope,
cut a seat out of plywood,
glue on layer of a fun pattern,
and add your favorite fabric.
If you're feeling ambitious,
you can even make a back to
your chair using chip board.
Brings it all together.
Job done.
- No sitting down
for long though,
as it's a busy day
at the Chateau,
and it's time for
another request.
Make, make a video happen.
- Okay.
- Hi Dick, hi Angel. I'm Jill,
and I'd really love Angel's help
with reupholstering this chair.
One day we thought
the dog was sleeping.
We were watching TV. I
came into my cup of tea.
I let out a mighty scream.
(Angel gasps)
He ripped off all the braiding.
He ripped off the beads.
He started to rip
the material off,
pulling all the stuffing out.
I just sobbed and sobbed.
- That's why Petal isn't allowed
to roam around the Chateau.
- No
- So basically she
wants a dog proof chair.
- Unfortunately, I won't be able
to make Jill's chair dog proof,
but I do know how to
bring it back to life.
- Hi. How are you?
- I'm good Angel. How are you?
- I'm really well, thank you.
Oh, I love the chair.
- I love the chair,
but I just want it
to look lovely again.
- What bits of it did you
love when you first had it?
- I love the shape of
it, the big seat on it.
It's a real centerpiece
of the house, really.
- Right. Itis a
centerpiece, and
we're going to make you fall
in love with your chair again.
So tell me about your skillsets.
What are you prepared to
do for, for your chair?
- I'm prepared to
rip the material off
if you tell me that's
the right thing to do.
- I don't think you have
to take the fabric off.
I think we can get a big square
and do it over the fabric.
- Then I could see how my
upholstering skills are.
And yeah, I'll give that a go,
I've got some samples.
I really like that one.
- That's lovely.
- I liked that one as well.
- Oh, that's, that is gorgeous.
- That one's like a velour one.
I don't know if that would
be easy to work with.
- A tiny bit of a
stretch can be handy,
but actually it can also
cause you problems as well.
If you pull this off,
and I think you will,
I just know you're
going to be so proud.
Right dear, we'll
speak again soon.
- Okay brilliant. Thank you.
- So have a lovely day. Bye-bye.
- Jill hasn't made life easy.
It's quite a challenge for a
first time upholstery project,
but there are some
really simple techniques
that can completely
revive chairs like Jill's.
For me, this is in
pretty good condition,
but it probably is the
best chair that I've got
to show Jill how she can
bring her chair alive.
Right let's see.
Now, I'm going to start by
taking the braiding off.
I love seeing all the old
tacks. It's really nice.
It's like seeing an old
traditional bit of tailoring.
Okay. So this is
going to be my top.
Okay. And I know
that I've got plenty.
That's lovely.
And this is going
to be my bottom.
As long as you got a staple
gun and the material,
you'll be good to go.
Good.
When you're doing
a chair like this,
you will do top,
bottom, left and right,
just to get it into place
so it doesn't move as
and when you're doing it.
You know, I'm right
in, okay, in there.
This bit's straightforward.
Jill's gonna be super
fine with that bit.
The bottom bit, yeah, may
be a little bit harder.
I'm going to lay the fabric in.
These arms are the
only tricky bits.
Okay? So I'm going to
pull, pull this back.
Okay. I'm going to cut
this, tuck it under.
I can start to see
where I'm going with it.
That is not looking
too terrible.
Now at the corner,
you may have to do-
you may have to
do a little pleat.
There we go. Lovely.
Now these studs are
our upholstery cheat.
And what's going
into this ridge.
When Jill gets to this
part, she'll be laughing.
This is quite exciting
because I can actually see
how this chair is
going to look now.
- It's time for me
to catch up with Sam
and find out how she's got on
with our plan for her garden.
- So it's been a few days
now since speaking with Dick.
We've been busy. We've painted
all of the fences gray,
and we've also painted
Adam's play house.
So it's all multicolored.
It's not perfect,
but Adam loves it, and I've
done it. So I'm happy with it.
Do you like your new house?
- Yeah but I'm
looking for my ball.
- Can't find your ball?
(Dick laughing)
What I'm really excited about is
the red brussels sprouts are
starting to come through,
and so is the sunflowers.
Tomatoes are
looking really good.
This is where the rised
bed is going to be built
and fruit and
vegetable going there.
It's slowly slowly
coming together.
It's going to be
amazing when it's done.
- I'm so pleased that Sam's
garden's coming on well,
‘cause I can't think
of anything better
than being outside with
your family and cooking
and eating your own
home-grown produce.
On the menu for us today
are some very freshly
picked vegetables.
- Wow oh yeah.
- [Dorothy] Now that is cool.
- Well done. Well done, my man.
- That's now getting very hot.
It's good. You see
that's the start of one.
- [Dorothy] I don't
even know what it is.
- It's a patty pan.
- [Dorothy] Looks like cheese.
- It's great to be
christening our rocket stove.
And now the
griddle's really hot,
time for a decent bit
of beef on the bone.
That's a good noise.
Now how does that look?
Who wants some beef?
Come on. Let's go have a seat.
- Here you go baby.
- [Dorothy] Dad can I have
some meat on my plate?
- You can darling.
There you go, girl.
- Lovely.
- Let me tell me how good it is.
- Cheers baby.
Thank you, gorgeous children.
We've been helping you
with your projects,
and I'm really pleased to see
that Natalie's having a go
at making the tire chair
for their camping trips.
- So far so good.
I've just stapled that
in. Feels quite secure.
Ta-da.
- While Jill's hoping
she can save her favorite chair
with some fresh upholstery.
- Hello.
- Hi Angel how are you?
- Loving it. You don't
need me. It's nearly done.
- Well a third maybe.
I've done this bit.
What do you reckon
about the staples?
Some are like in double lines.
- There are a couple of
staples that look like-
that when you put your beading
over it, your stud strips,
that they might poke out on.
I only saw a couple,
but I would get this
because this is going to sit
for you right under the ridge.
The only ones that
you need to take out
are the ones that
it doesn't cover.
- Okay great.
- Are you also happy
about the next stage
that you've got to cut
back your fabric as well?
- Do I cut it before
I put the studs in?
- You cut it before, yeah,
you put the studs in.
This way is the way that
I've always done it.
This is how you do it at home.
- I'm really excited to
see the finishing bit.
- You didn't set
yourself an easy task.
No I'm not going to
choose little footstools
in my first project.
I'm going to choose a chair
that I'm actually
sentimentally attached to.
(laughing)
- I'm also rather proud
of my new apprentice
gardener Sam
who has, in just a few weeks,
literally transformed
her garden.
- So welcome back to the garden.
I'll show you around.
This is the rised bed area,
and I'm so, so happy with it.
- Oh, that's, those
raised beds are lovely.
- One thing I really like is
that Adam can come
out of his window here
and help himself to
these strawberries.
- Wow. They're looking good.
- So big. Now they're
not green anymore.
- Every single part of my
garden I'm in love with.
It's mine and it's,
it's just perfect.
- One more.
- You want to eat one more?
(Dick laughing)
- Adam likes the
strawberries. There we go.
That's that's the sort of
vote of confidence you need.
Well done Sam.
Hello!
- Hi! You okay?
- Your garden looks amazing.
- Thank you.
- Are you happy with it?
- Really, really, really happy.
I literally, I
stand at the door.
I stand at the window
and just stare at it.
I love how it all looks.
So just waiting for it all
to start bearing some fruits.
- You're a gardener
kiddo. You know that?
- I'm really proud of myself.
- The best thing I saw
of the bit where you'd
finished your garden
was Adam and his strawberry.
- Yes.
- Right, he's four, but he
knows that you have to wait
for a strawberry to
go from green to red
to be ready to eat, and then
when you eat it, it's special.
- Yes.
- Cracking job. Now enjoy it.
Well done you. Bye-bye.
- Bye.
- Her garden is going to go
from strength to strength,
and I'm really, really
pleased for her.
- Now it's time for me
to catch up with Jill
and find out whether her
first attempt at reupholstery
has actually worked.
- I'm really nervous
about doing this,
but I've had a few gos.
So I think I know
what to do now.
What do you reckon? I
think I've nailed it.
- And just look at it now.
- So here is my finished chair,
and I'm so pleased with it.
I can't believe I
actually managed
to reupholster a whole
chair all on my own
with the help of Angel's
guidance, of course.
- What I love about that
is I can honestly feel
Jill feeling really proud
that she's done it herself.
It really feels like
it's a Jill chair.
Hello.
- Hi.
- It's so lovely seeing
you, Jill, on your throne.
-Ilove it.
- It looks really well done
as well as being very
stylish and very you.
- Thank you.
- How are you going to stop
Sim from going on there now?
- To be fair I don't
think he likes it anymore
because I made so much
noise with the hammer
and the staple gun
that he kept hiding.
- It's your throne,
isn't it darling.
and I think you've
done a great job.
- Thank you very much,
and thanks for your help.
- No problem at all.
- Bye.
- Goodbye.
- The biggest thing for
Jill and me on this story
isn't about Jill
doing the chair.
It's about Jill falling back
in love with that chair.
That is for me the most
rewarding thing out of this.
Lovely.
- Finally, we need to see what
Natalie and Pete have done
to make their empty field
a bit more user-friendly
Well my beautiful
lady. Here we go.
And it seems that the
shower wasn't enough.
They're going for
a full en suite.
- I dug a hole under here,
put this water feeder
a bit above the ground.
I scrubbed this. So
it is very clean now.
Fill it with water,
whack a fire under here,
and then hopefully have a nice
bath at the end of the day.
- I remember old
baths like that.
- Here is the rocket stove.
- The chimney will work
because of all the hot air.
Good draw, cooking, it'll work.
- [Peter] How we looking?
- Yeah, really
good. Really good.
Really good heat on it.
Ready for some steak?
- [Peter] I am indeed.
- That is really good.
I am genuinely genuinely
impressed with that.
- Yeah. Rocket
stove a thumbs up?
- Definitely.
- And after dinner,
it's time to try out
their homemade hot tub.
- Oh wow.
- How good is that?
- They look really,
really happy.
- A massive cheers to you
guys for being amazing
and giving us all the ideas.
- Thank you.
- Over the past few weeks,
Angel and I have had great fun
helping you with your projects.
(cheering)
- Some smokers.
- That's phenomenal. Well done.
- To stereograms.
- Wow.
- Bunkers to bedrooms.
- Exactly what I wanted.
- Doghouses to doors
- Many happy door clunks.
- Thank you very much.
- {Dick] And terraces..
Absolute pleasure...to trolleys.
- I love it. It looks amazing.
And it's been joyous to
see everyone's enthusiasm
as well as their readiness
to give things a go.
- And along the way,
I've even managed to build
myself a new potting shop.
-Ilove it.
- Not bad is it?
- Now we're going to
end this adventure
with a very special
family celebration.
Oh, there we go. Oh, lovely.
- Final touches.
- I've just done
hundreds of events,
but there's nothing like
doing an event for your mom.
All we need now is
the birthday girl.
- Now I think you can
let Gram open her eyes.
- Surprise!
- Surprise!
- Wow it all looks so
beautiful. That is brilliant.
- Happy birthday Grandma.
- Oh my goodness me. Oh my gosh.
I don't have to
go anywhere do I?
- (laughing) That's sheer
naughtiness isn't it?
- Do you think you've gone back
to your childhood mum?
- I never had all
this in my childhood,
not a party like this.
This is tremendous.
- [Dorothy] To
Grandma's birthday.
- Oh that is lovely.
- Happy birthday.
(cheering)
- Oh, wow.
- Oh look at that.
Grandma, how much
do you like rats?
- Not at all.
- Right answer. You tell me
when you want me to drop it.
I'll just let go as
S00N as you say go.
- Go. (laughing)
Go.
- Go. (cheering)
- Are you ready? Go.
(laughing)
- Mine's up, mine's
up. Dorothy! Dorothy!
That's your one Dorothy. Save
it Dorothy, save it Dorothy.
Get it back.
(happy music playing)
Angel and I fell in love
with a derelict 45-room chateau.
This is truly beautiful.
And since then, we've
spent every spare moment
bringing it back to life.
- This is beyond better
than what I've imagined.
(cheering)
Now, at a time
when so many of us
are tackling jobs at home,
- We want to use
Angel's creativity,
- See the vision?
- and Dick's ingenuity,
- That is the basis of a bed.
- To solve your design
and DIY dilemmas.
- We want your help
sorting out our front door.
- From crafty conundrums.
Magazines are great to
use, the ink is waterproof.
- To entire room renovations.
- We've all got our power tools
(tools whirring.)
- We'll be on hand to help.
We're going to be drinks
trolleys partners in this.
- Amazing (giggles)
- You got your bus too?
- Yeah! Bus to bus.
(laughing)
- Because if we can do it,
I am an average crafter.
I've just got the
mindset of having a go.
So can you.
- Stage one complete.
(Dick laughing)
- That's just given
me goosebumps.
- And look at that
smoker! That's phenomenal.
And because we're stuck at home,
we're filming it ourselves.
- I'm filming me filming
you being cross with me.
I love it.
- Make sure you press record!
Now that really
is Make Do & Mend.
(calming piano music)
- Life at the Chateau, is
always full of adventure.
- Petal! Come!
- And today, our
newest family member
is having her first trip in
our beautiful camper van,
Mademoiselle Daisy.
- Can we drive around
our chateau in this?
- Yes. We can. Yeah!
It's lovely having
Daisy out. Isn't it?
- [Child] Yeah.
- And it's lovely having
Petal camp in here with us.
- Hi Petal. Do you like our van?
It's going to take us
on lots of adventures.
(engine starting)
- Here we go. Do-do-do-do-do!
And Miss Daisy's
on the road again.
- And when we're all together,
every outing's exciting,
no matter how far we go.
- And, I think we are there now.
- Gorgeous.
- Now we're back
from our mini break,
it's time to help you
with your projects.
What have we got happening?
- Oh, there's oodles.
- But who's up next?
- Hi Angel!
- Hey Dick!
- I'm Natalie.
- And I'm Peter.
- We both live with our cats
and our dogs and our chickens.
As well as our two
amazing foster children,
and our new addition, our
eight month old daughter.
- Willow.
- Willow.
- Aw. (laughing)
- Now I love a project,
and I've just taken on
my craziest project yet.
We've actually gone and
bought a field and a bus.
- [Natalie] A double decker bus.
- [Peter] A double decker bus.
- Oh my God!
- We're pretty good with what
we're doing with the bus,
but we really want some
outside living solutions,
so just things that are gonna
enhance that camping trip.
- One of the problems is though,
because it's agricultural land,
you can't have anything
on it permanently.
So anything we put on the field,
we have to take back with us.
So it has to be beautiful,
it has to be practical.
- [Natalie] Functional.
- Yeah We need your genius guys.
- Yeah so, can you help us?
- Yeah, help us please!
- Please!
- It's clear they don't
want help with the bus.
- But we can help them
with their outside space.
And it's got to look
gorgeous. And be practical.
- The word "gorgeous"
slipped in there, didn't it?
- It's true.
I like things to be both
functional and beautiful,
but first we need to find out
what Natalie and
Pete actually need.
- Hello, Hiya!
- [Natalie] Hi guys!
- [Peter] Hey! Hi,
how's it going?
You at your bus too?
- Yeah. Indeed. Bus to bus.
- What's important to you?
What do you like to do when
you get to your retreat?
- Just relaxing
really, isn't it?
- Yeah. Just playing,
cooking foods, sitting out,
trying to, you know,
just chilling out.
- Just enjoying like
the peace and quiet.
- Kitchen seems to
be the way forward.
- Yeah. Kitchen and
a nice area to sit.
- And if you've got
the woodlands there,
we can find a way,
a very efficient way of cooking
using the wood you have.
You know, it's ablutions
that are not permanent.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Yeah. I really
like those ideas.
- It'd be really easy to
knock up a solar shower.
It would mean that you have
somewhere to douse the children
at the end of the day,
before they go to bed.
- Yeah, that's a good idea.
- Yeah, I like that.
- And just to have a bit of
hot water when you need it.
- You could even use it to wash
the dishes if you wanted to.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Yeah, or wash your, yeah.
- Or you can shower and wash
the dishes the same time.
- I love that!
- Naked dish washing is not
something we
encourage in France.
- [Peter] No?
- [Natalie] It's not something
I want to see either.
- I made some chairs out of
some old tires we had here.
Now, they were for the kids.
They were a bit
bright and colorful,
but actually I think you could
do something really
nice and quite stylish.
- [Peter] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That'd be great, yeah.
- I think the big
thing for us now,
is to get you in your field,
camping there and using it.
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Listen, take care you two.
- Bye!
- Did you see how big their
bus is compared to ours?
- I know. (laughing)
- Natalie and Pete
might have a bigger bus,
but they need some
compact camping ideas.
And a portable solar
heated shower system,
is surprisingly easy to build.
Here we go. Well, I have
here some water in a bag.
I'm just gonna check the
temperature. 20 degrees.
That's not bad.
That's not cold, cold.
This is going to be
my hot water supply.
And you say, "But Dick, 20
degrees isn't hot!" (laughs)
The sun up there, shining down
here, if we shine it onto,
if we look at an
area a meter squared,
you've got about a
thousand watts of power.
That's about the third
of the power of a kettle,
comes out of the sun.
This is probably a
quarter of a square meter.
So you could have 250 Watts of
sunshine shining on this bag.
And if it's a black
bag like this one,
then over a period of time,
it's going to heat up.
But what we have to do,
is we have to make ourselves
our little kitchenette.
(fun music plays)
I need to capture the sunshine.
If I just point at the
sun now, in two hours,
the sun will be over there.
I have to find a way
of following the sun.
And then, look.
- Oh! Isn't that clever?
- And then when the sun
moves, I can follow the sun.
Look at that!
That goes up there like that.
Put this on the top
of that like this.
We have a washing
capability, see.
- Oh, lovely.
- But the magic
doesn't stop there.
This is a second one of these.
And if I just take my
hot water tank off,
on goes my kitchen sink.
Just use a wedge to
hold the board in place.
So, you have a sink.
Okay.
Look.
Capturing the sun, get warmer!
- That was so quick.
(water spraying)
(fun music)
- As well as helping
others with their projects,
We also have our own on the go.
Mine is operation love,
AKA Grandma's top
secret birthday party.
The kids have already
made blue coconut ice,
and I've cooked mum's other
favorite, homemade honeycomb.
Now, it's time for
the centerpiece.
Mom does not particularly
like birthday cake,
but one thing she does
love is profiteroles.
So I'm going to make her
a French profiterole cake,
a Croquembouche, which actually
means "crunch in the mouth."
But instead of actually
joining it all altogether
with the caramel, which is
quite a traditional way,
I'm going to put it all
together with chocolate.
Choux pastry, 85 grams
of unsalted butter,
and four teaspoons of sugar.
Then 200 milliliters of water.
Onto the hub to melt the
butter, pop the flour in,
and give it a good mix.
One big lump, all come
away from the sides.
I'm going to put it
in here to cool down.
It just needs to come down
and off in temperature.
Then I can beat my eggs in
without it being scrambled.
Three eggs go into the
mix. Then it's piping time.
Get rid of my end.
All three.
A little dab of water to
smooth and help them crisp,
pop them in a hot
oven for 20 minutes.
And viola! Profiteroles.
I'm going to fill
them, some with creme
And actually I might do
some with squirty cream
because I know mum will love it.
After that, it's just a
matter of securing them
with cocktail sticks
to a polystyrene cone
wrapped in parchment paper.
Oh man. I could just
eat that right now.
It is genuinely very,
very, very satisfying.
I do not know if
there is quite enough.
So close.
(laughing)
- So two full batches
of profiteroles
isn't enough for six people?
- That is such a pain.
I'll just have to make
an extra batch later
because it's time now to
watch another request.
- Right? Who's next?
- Right. This is Johann.
- Right.
- Please guys. I need your help.
I really want to
build a dog house,
but I don't know where to start.
So basically I'm standing
where I would like
to build the doghouse.
- That's big. We don't know
how many dogs he's got yet.
He's got a lab at least.
Oh there's another one.
- Wow look at-
- The dogs are coming.
They're decent
sized dogs as well.
- Okay.
- This is our family
that you can see.
We're all very excited.
- Hello.
- I'm here with my
little helper Frankie.
- Oh, she just got-I
know you're looking at-
I know you're
looking at the tools.
(Dick laughing)
I can see, but Frankie
has got the just-
she's got a melty smile.
- We can't wait, can we Frankie?
- Yeah!
(Angel laughing)
- Do you know how you
say goodbye in France?
"Au revoir."
- Au revoir.
- Au revoir Frankie.
- Do we need a dog
house for Petal.
As a dog, having a
little house to go into
would be quite nice.
I think Petal would
really love that.
- I think where you're
going to come into your own
is when it comes
down to the wallpaper
and the actual color scheme.
Maybe we could get a mood board.
- I don't know if you're
taking the mickey.
- (Dick laughing)
I know you don't.
(both laughing)
- As a family, we love
the great outdoors.
And over the years
we've discovered
there's few things better
than campfire cooking.
Now, as Natalie and Peter
have requested ideas
for an outside kitchen,
I reckon a rocket stove
could be a useful
addition to their field
and our walled garden.
The principle of
this is very simple.
It's a chimney.
Having made my little
circle from a pit,
I'm now gonna build my chimney.
I'm going to build it
up with turf around it.
The turf turns it
into a proper chimney.
Stones are supported by the turf
Okay. So circle of
stone is the chimney.
And by putting the turf
around the outside,
the only place for the air
to go is up the middle.
Whew, give me lots of
flames where I want it,
where I'm gonna have my griddle.
So to build the stove,
choose a safe location
away from trees or fences.
Dig a shallow hole,
place stones around the outer
edge, leaving a small gap,
then build them up
to create a chimney.
Finally cover the
stones in turf or earth,
leaving the gap
clear to feed in wood
and let the air rush in.
But my hands are dirty.
Oh, would I had somewhere
to wash my hands.
Look at that.
And we're up to 37
degrees, 98 Fahrenheit.
See? Muddy hands.
- Oh terrible.
- And that is warm
water, warm water.
Ta-da! It's a kitchen.
- Now it's time to work out
how we can help
Johann and his family
build an incredible doghouse.
- Hello! How are you?
- Hey guys. How are you doing?
- Hold on. (whistles)
Petal, come on girl!
- Oh yes.
- She's galloping.
Come here, come here,
come here, come here.
It's my girl. Come up
here. Look at this.
This is Petal.
- Hi Petal.
- so that's our
little puppy. Okay.
Here is a question for you.
When do you intend
to use the doghouse?
- We're really looking
for a little outside area
for all the dogs to,
you know, be happy.
- Simplicity we can do.
It doesn't have
to be complicated,
but it can be a decent size.
We're going to have to
make it weatherproof.
So if you can get yourself
access to any wood
that's sort of the
cheaper the better,
that can shape our design.
But the thing is that's before
I let this girl loose. Yeah?
Before we start talking
about decoration and design
and making it lovely.
- It's gonna be
a family project.
You know, my children
want to be involved.
- Great.
- Hello! Oh hello
little one. Who's this?
- This is Theo.
- Hello Theo.
- How old is Theo?
- 12 weeks
(angel gasps)
- Congratulations.
- Wow.
- Well you've got
your hands full there,
‘cause I was about
to rope you in.
You gonna have time for that?
- Yes.
- Have you got some old beds
that you want to refurbish,
or have you got some old bits
and pieces around the place?
- Yeah. I love keeping stuff.
(Dick laughs)
- What?
- It's a dog house.
- If anybody mentions a
mood board I'm out of here.
Angel want one of
these for Petal,
and now I'm getting
really worried.
- Great idea.
- We'll have a bit of fun.
We'll have a bit of fun.
- Fantastic. Thank you guys.
- Thanks guys.
- So what size do we make it,
big enough for
Dorothy and Petal?
Or did we make it
big enough for Petal?
- Arthur and Petal, you.
(both laughing)
- While we wait for your Johann
to get his materials together,
my job is to convert
Dorothy's wendy house
into a place fit for
both kids and canines.
As the wendy house already
has a pitched roof,
it just needs an extra awning
to create a new Petal porch.
For Johann,
I reckon a wide sloping roof
should do the job, right?
Petal house.
We're going to be putting a
door in here somewhere. Okay?
And we need to have something
to stop the rain coming in.
And I want a continuation
of the angle of this roof.
And for that, I've got
my angle-a-dangle thing.
That is the angle of the roof
there and along the bottom.
So we look at this now.
That's the angle of my roof.
So right, down here somewhere,
have a piece of wood coming
off at that same angle,
it'll look nicer
‘cause it'll look
as if 1 did it on purpose.
And this is all about the
looks isn't it, darling.
- Yes.
- Okay. Come here, come here.
Let's have a look at you.
Come here, come here, come here.
Let's see what size
you are at the minute.
You're nearly 45 already.
So a piece of string
in the middle down low
That's nice and curvy.
That is the angle of the roof.
So if I put it down
here like this,
It'll look like the
angle of the roof.
- That works, doesn't it?
- You should never sound
quite so surprised.
- I never do.
- You always do.
- I never do.
- Petal isn't the only one
that we're lavishing
with our love.
Mum's birthday's coming up
and as well as
traditional sweets,
she also loves old
fashioned party games.
If you don't know
what Splat the Rat is,
it's a very very simple concept.
You need a board, a
mallet, a rat and a pipe.
And if you've got
that all the pretties,
you can do whatever you want.
So get my rat. This is
actually, this is a dog toy.
And I think actually
if it works,
this will make a
great sound. Okay.
Take my rat. I put it
in. "Oh don't drop me."
And you've got to bang it.
And then the rest
is just decoration.
I've just cut up literally
some strips of wrapping paper.
I'm just going to stick
them on with, with PVA glue.
When you get to this
stage of party prep,
you start to feel
excited for it.
I am really looking
forward to mum's birthday.
Last one then-going in.
Great.
I can't wait for
the kids. (laughing)
- First though,
we have some seedlings to
plant in the walled garden.
What? Shh gently does it.
Now if you look, see on
the little white bits,
can you see little hairs,
very, very fine,
tiny, tiny, tiny,
tiny, tiny little hairs?
Those little hairs are
where they get the goodness
out of the soil.
- It's as much hair as
you have on your head.
- Cheeky chops.
- Even though I know
a lot about plants,
I never knew that before.
- Now you do.
- You put a gap in your fingers
while it's holding a plant.
Then you-
- Tap it. Yeah. A little
squeeze. Look at that.
- Oh mate, that
was so well done.
- And then, you put it into
that hole. See that hole?
Just set it very gently in
that whole for me. Oh man.
How good is that?
That's a planted out seedling
done by Arthur
Donald Strawbridge
Seedlings in, it's now
time for another request.
- Who are we on with? Samantha.
- Samantha.
- Hi Dick, hi Angel.
My name is Sam.
I live with my partner and
almost four year old son Adam.
Something that I'm getting
really interested in
is growing vegetables.
- Oh the garden, right.
- And I've never had
a garden of my own.
- I can relate to that.
I never had a garden until
I got a walled garden.
- This is your first
garden, isn't it?
- Yeah.
- You get overwhelmed with
all of the information.
All the advice I'm getting
is very conflicting.
- Stop, stop, stop, stop there.
There are lots of different
things she can do.
We have to understand
what her aspirations are.
I think this could be me
giving her advice here.
Don't know what you think.
- I think this is
definitely not me.
What I've enjoyed
is seeing the kids,
really, really spending
time with them,
planting seeds and
them understanding
where things come from.
Sam's going to love
that part of it as well.
- I started to grow some rocket,
and it was doing really well.
I was like, "oh, it's amazing."
I'm really really
proud of it. They died.
So I was absolutely gutted.
I would really
like some guidance
with that side of things and
especially with the layout
of our garden as well.
And so I just wanted
to pick up some skills
and be able to look
into the garden and
be really, really proud that
it's something that I've done.
- So she wants to
be the gardener.
- Yeah.
- This is your first garden.
- My first garden.
- You started in your
garden with a walled garden,
and I took 60
years to get there.
- Well, darling, I don't
like to do things by half.
- Talking of walled gardens.
I think the perfect place
to chat to Sam is here.
Hello?
- Hi.
- First thing's first.
What are you trying to
achieve from your garden?
That's the main thing.
- Somewhere for Adam to play.
We want to grow our own
fruit, our own vegetables.
I want to be able to
do something myself.
- When you taste something
from your garden,
it is so much better
than anything you've
ever bought in your life.
- Yeah. Definitely.
Do you want me to
move the laptop around
so you can see the garden?
- Go on, spoil me girl.
That is a good wall
for sunshine, isn't it?
- Yes, it is.
- That means that it's going
to be a nice warm wall,
and you've got a bed all
the way in front of it,
all the way along that wall
is probably one of the
best parts in your garden
for getting sunshine
and things to grow.
What I always say to Angel
is, you can have anything.
You can't have everything.
- Yes. (laughs)
- If you did make a little
plan of your garden,
and then I'd like a list
of all the things you like
eating from the garden.
- Definitely.
- And then we'll see
how we bring that plan of
the two together. Take care.
Lovely to speak to you Sam. Bye.
- Goodbye.
- So she's got a lot of learning
to do and a lot to enjoy.
- 'Course she does.
Babe you got half a century
of learning behind you.
- It's slightly more
than that, actually.
I am that old.
While Sam draws out
a plan of her garden,
we're going to
catch up with Johann
and his magnificent doghouse.
- So as you can see,
we're really getting on
with the doghouse now,
which is fantastic.
Enjoying it?
- Yeah
- With construction
work well underway,
it's time for me to focus
on the interior design.
I've got these two
cushions with pillows in.
What I'm going to do is
just sew these together.
I'm going to just
put my pillows in.
Petal does not smell that much,
but she does smell a little
bit, especially when she's wet.
(laughing)
And having a little bit
of double protection
is not a bad thing.
So I'm going to
make an envelope.
This is leftover fabric.
In terms of getting fabric,
going to a charity shop
and just buying an
old pair of curtains.
They are cheap as chips,
but the fabric is
really quite nice.
So on this one you need a piece
of fabric cut to the width
and whatever length is, two
and a bit times the length.
And then just fold it here,
give myself a
little bit of space.
I'm just going to put
a couple of pins in.
Now the great
thing about this is
that I'm going to do two
straight lines of sewing,
and I've got my pillowcase.
- That's the way you
put your duvet on.
- It's the way I put
my duvet on. (laughing)
So what I have in
here is my envelope.
Let's hope Petal loves
it as much as we do.
Oh I can see her. Quickly.
Oh no, she's coming.
She's coming.
Arthur, quickly, put the
cushion in. Put the cushion in.
Take that end,
take the other end,
and I'm sure Petal won't know
that it's the wrong way
around. There we go. (laughing)
Next. Come on. Quickly quickly.
- I'm sitting down
on my little chair.
- All right. You put
that one on there.
You hook it on there.
- Petal!
- Petal! (Dick whistling)
- Dad she's right behind you.
- Oh yay!
- Straight into her
bed, laying down.
That's a good girl.
(kids yelling)
I've given Petal's cushions
some added chateau chic
by sitting them in an
old vintage suitcase.
But she isn't the only one
getting some creature comfort
because Johann, Nicole,
and their family
have turned what was once an
empty corner of the garden
into a palace for
their poochies.
- Oh lovely sage
green. I love it.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- Wave guys
- That final shot
was just magnificent
Everyone chilling
out at the dog hut.
- Hiya!
- Hello!
- That's not a bad
looking dog house is it?
- We're well delighted with
it. We're well happy with it.
- The dogs must be truly comfy.
- Oh yeah. I'm
sleeping over tonight.
- It's a cracking job.
I like the fact that
this isn't a dog house.
This is a family house.
- I love that expression.
The symmetry of the doors,
the different color words.
You know, the wallpaper,
the coziness, the bunting,
the attention to detail.
You nailed it. It's fantastic.
- Thank you, we're really
chuffed with it. We love it.
I really enjoyed taking the
sewing machine out again.
It's been a while
since I've done it
since the kids have been
so wee. So it was good.
- Lovely to hear that Nicole.
- You've done all the hard work.
So it's time to enjoy it now
in every way you possibly can.
- Mwah.
- Take care.
- Good to see you. Bye-bye.
- Bye.
- I like what you said.
It's a family house.
- Not a dog house.
- Not a dog house.
It's a family house.
Get out to the family
house (Dick laughs)
It doesn't sound as,
you know, as naughty.
- It's a lovely sunny
day at the Chateau,
and I've set myself up outside
because Sam has now sent
me a plan of her garden.
- This is what I drew up,
which is what our garden
looks like from the house.
Happy days.
- Before I advise
on any planting,
I need to work out where
everything should go.
When Sam said she wanted
some work done in the garden,
very first question has
to be, "where's south."
So what I've done is
I've actually laid out
her garden in my garden.
Sam's house is here by
this line of stakes,
wall up this side, wall across
the back and down this side.
So this is her garden.
The sun rises over there,
goes up over the house and
sets down on that side.
Really important information.
But all of this, it comes,
it breaks it down into zones.
This area over here, she's
talking about putting-
what's that, sort of something
like raised beds and a bench,
great stuff, but
you can already see
by the shadows down
there, by late afternoon,
this will be in the shade.
So maybe that's not
the best place to sit.
If you want to sit
out in the evening
because not many of us
sit out in the morning,
this side of the garden is a
great side to be sitting in.
This is a great
plot to play with.
- Like Sam,
Natalie and Pete also want
to spend more time outside.
They're already working
on their camping shower
and rocket stove.
But I got a bit of easy
upcycling that they can do too.
I've done a kid's
version once before,
but this method adds
some extra outdoor style.
Tire chairs are just such
a great thing because
most garages have a pile of them
that they just
want to get rid of.
Spray painting is a quick
and very easy way to do it,
but if you do want a little
something more, and I do, rope.
To start with it
is a bit of a pain,
but I'm going to glue
gun the first piece on
all the way around.
So you've got a nice curve
cause this first one,
to be honest, is the
most important one.
Right next to the edge now,
and I can see a little bit of
a curve, which is very nice.
It starts to feel like
it's not just a tire,
slightly outdoorsy and robust.
And once you're
happy with the rope,
cut a seat out of plywood,
glue on layer of a fun pattern,
and add your favorite fabric.
If you're feeling ambitious,
you can even make a back to
your chair using chip board.
Brings it all together.
Job done.
- No sitting down
for long though,
as it's a busy day
at the Chateau,
and it's time for
another request.
Make, make a video happen.
- Okay.
- Hi Dick, hi Angel. I'm Jill,
and I'd really love Angel's help
with reupholstering this chair.
One day we thought
the dog was sleeping.
We were watching TV. I
came into my cup of tea.
I let out a mighty scream.
(Angel gasps)
He ripped off all the braiding.
He ripped off the beads.
He started to rip
the material off,
pulling all the stuffing out.
I just sobbed and sobbed.
- That's why Petal isn't allowed
to roam around the Chateau.
- No
- So basically she
wants a dog proof chair.
- Unfortunately, I won't be able
to make Jill's chair dog proof,
but I do know how to
bring it back to life.
- Hi. How are you?
- I'm good Angel. How are you?
- I'm really well, thank you.
Oh, I love the chair.
- I love the chair,
but I just want it
to look lovely again.
- What bits of it did you
love when you first had it?
- I love the shape of
it, the big seat on it.
It's a real centerpiece
of the house, really.
- Right. Itis a
centerpiece, and
we're going to make you fall
in love with your chair again.
So tell me about your skillsets.
What are you prepared to
do for, for your chair?
- I'm prepared to
rip the material off
if you tell me that's
the right thing to do.
- I don't think you have
to take the fabric off.
I think we can get a big square
and do it over the fabric.
- Then I could see how my
upholstering skills are.
And yeah, I'll give that a go,
I've got some samples.
I really like that one.
- That's lovely.
- I liked that one as well.
- Oh, that's, that is gorgeous.
- That one's like a velour one.
I don't know if that would
be easy to work with.
- A tiny bit of a
stretch can be handy,
but actually it can also
cause you problems as well.
If you pull this off,
and I think you will,
I just know you're
going to be so proud.
Right dear, we'll
speak again soon.
- Okay brilliant. Thank you.
- So have a lovely day. Bye-bye.
- Jill hasn't made life easy.
It's quite a challenge for a
first time upholstery project,
but there are some
really simple techniques
that can completely
revive chairs like Jill's.
For me, this is in
pretty good condition,
but it probably is the
best chair that I've got
to show Jill how she can
bring her chair alive.
Right let's see.
Now, I'm going to start by
taking the braiding off.
I love seeing all the old
tacks. It's really nice.
It's like seeing an old
traditional bit of tailoring.
Okay. So this is
going to be my top.
Okay. And I know
that I've got plenty.
That's lovely.
And this is going
to be my bottom.
As long as you got a staple
gun and the material,
you'll be good to go.
Good.
When you're doing
a chair like this,
you will do top,
bottom, left and right,
just to get it into place
so it doesn't move as
and when you're doing it.
You know, I'm right
in, okay, in there.
This bit's straightforward.
Jill's gonna be super
fine with that bit.
The bottom bit, yeah, may
be a little bit harder.
I'm going to lay the fabric in.
These arms are the
only tricky bits.
Okay? So I'm going to
pull, pull this back.
Okay. I'm going to cut
this, tuck it under.
I can start to see
where I'm going with it.
That is not looking
too terrible.
Now at the corner,
you may have to do-
you may have to
do a little pleat.
There we go. Lovely.
Now these studs are
our upholstery cheat.
And what's going
into this ridge.
When Jill gets to this
part, she'll be laughing.
This is quite exciting
because I can actually see
how this chair is
going to look now.
- It's time for me
to catch up with Sam
and find out how she's got on
with our plan for her garden.
- So it's been a few days
now since speaking with Dick.
We've been busy. We've painted
all of the fences gray,
and we've also painted
Adam's play house.
So it's all multicolored.
It's not perfect,
but Adam loves it, and I've
done it. So I'm happy with it.
Do you like your new house?
- Yeah but I'm
looking for my ball.
- Can't find your ball?
(Dick laughing)
What I'm really excited about is
the red brussels sprouts are
starting to come through,
and so is the sunflowers.
Tomatoes are
looking really good.
This is where the rised
bed is going to be built
and fruit and
vegetable going there.
It's slowly slowly
coming together.
It's going to be
amazing when it's done.
- I'm so pleased that Sam's
garden's coming on well,
‘cause I can't think
of anything better
than being outside with
your family and cooking
and eating your own
home-grown produce.
On the menu for us today
are some very freshly
picked vegetables.
- Wow oh yeah.
- [Dorothy] Now that is cool.
- Well done. Well done, my man.
- That's now getting very hot.
It's good. You see
that's the start of one.
- [Dorothy] I don't
even know what it is.
- It's a patty pan.
- [Dorothy] Looks like cheese.
- It's great to be
christening our rocket stove.
And now the
griddle's really hot,
time for a decent bit
of beef on the bone.
That's a good noise.
Now how does that look?
Who wants some beef?
Come on. Let's go have a seat.
- Here you go baby.
- [Dorothy] Dad can I have
some meat on my plate?
- You can darling.
There you go, girl.
- Lovely.
- Let me tell me how good it is.
- Cheers baby.
Thank you, gorgeous children.
We've been helping you
with your projects,
and I'm really pleased to see
that Natalie's having a go
at making the tire chair
for their camping trips.
- So far so good.
I've just stapled that
in. Feels quite secure.
Ta-da.
- While Jill's hoping
she can save her favorite chair
with some fresh upholstery.
- Hello.
- Hi Angel how are you?
- Loving it. You don't
need me. It's nearly done.
- Well a third maybe.
I've done this bit.
What do you reckon
about the staples?
Some are like in double lines.
- There are a couple of
staples that look like-
that when you put your beading
over it, your stud strips,
that they might poke out on.
I only saw a couple,
but I would get this
because this is going to sit
for you right under the ridge.
The only ones that
you need to take out
are the ones that
it doesn't cover.
- Okay great.
- Are you also happy
about the next stage
that you've got to cut
back your fabric as well?
- Do I cut it before
I put the studs in?
- You cut it before, yeah,
you put the studs in.
This way is the way that
I've always done it.
This is how you do it at home.
- I'm really excited to
see the finishing bit.
- You didn't set
yourself an easy task.
No I'm not going to
choose little footstools
in my first project.
I'm going to choose a chair
that I'm actually
sentimentally attached to.
(laughing)
- I'm also rather proud
of my new apprentice
gardener Sam
who has, in just a few weeks,
literally transformed
her garden.
- So welcome back to the garden.
I'll show you around.
This is the rised bed area,
and I'm so, so happy with it.
- Oh, that's, those
raised beds are lovely.
- One thing I really like is
that Adam can come
out of his window here
and help himself to
these strawberries.
- Wow. They're looking good.
- So big. Now they're
not green anymore.
- Every single part of my
garden I'm in love with.
It's mine and it's,
it's just perfect.
- One more.
- You want to eat one more?
(Dick laughing)
- Adam likes the
strawberries. There we go.
That's that's the sort of
vote of confidence you need.
Well done Sam.
Hello!
- Hi! You okay?
- Your garden looks amazing.
- Thank you.
- Are you happy with it?
- Really, really, really happy.
I literally, I
stand at the door.
I stand at the window
and just stare at it.
I love how it all looks.
So just waiting for it all
to start bearing some fruits.
- You're a gardener
kiddo. You know that?
- I'm really proud of myself.
- The best thing I saw
of the bit where you'd
finished your garden
was Adam and his strawberry.
- Yes.
- Right, he's four, but he
knows that you have to wait
for a strawberry to
go from green to red
to be ready to eat, and then
when you eat it, it's special.
- Yes.
- Cracking job. Now enjoy it.
Well done you. Bye-bye.
- Bye.
- Her garden is going to go
from strength to strength,
and I'm really, really
pleased for her.
- Now it's time for me
to catch up with Jill
and find out whether her
first attempt at reupholstery
has actually worked.
- I'm really nervous
about doing this,
but I've had a few gos.
So I think I know
what to do now.
What do you reckon? I
think I've nailed it.
- And just look at it now.
- So here is my finished chair,
and I'm so pleased with it.
I can't believe I
actually managed
to reupholster a whole
chair all on my own
with the help of Angel's
guidance, of course.
- What I love about that
is I can honestly feel
Jill feeling really proud
that she's done it herself.
It really feels like
it's a Jill chair.
Hello.
- Hi.
- It's so lovely seeing
you, Jill, on your throne.
-Ilove it.
- It looks really well done
as well as being very
stylish and very you.
- Thank you.
- How are you going to stop
Sim from going on there now?
- To be fair I don't
think he likes it anymore
because I made so much
noise with the hammer
and the staple gun
that he kept hiding.
- It's your throne,
isn't it darling.
and I think you've
done a great job.
- Thank you very much,
and thanks for your help.
- No problem at all.
- Bye.
- Goodbye.
- The biggest thing for
Jill and me on this story
isn't about Jill
doing the chair.
It's about Jill falling back
in love with that chair.
That is for me the most
rewarding thing out of this.
Lovely.
- Finally, we need to see what
Natalie and Pete have done
to make their empty field
a bit more user-friendly
Well my beautiful
lady. Here we go.
And it seems that the
shower wasn't enough.
They're going for
a full en suite.
- I dug a hole under here,
put this water feeder
a bit above the ground.
I scrubbed this. So
it is very clean now.
Fill it with water,
whack a fire under here,
and then hopefully have a nice
bath at the end of the day.
- I remember old
baths like that.
- Here is the rocket stove.
- The chimney will work
because of all the hot air.
Good draw, cooking, it'll work.
- [Peter] How we looking?
- Yeah, really
good. Really good.
Really good heat on it.
Ready for some steak?
- [Peter] I am indeed.
- That is really good.
I am genuinely genuinely
impressed with that.
- Yeah. Rocket
stove a thumbs up?
- Definitely.
- And after dinner,
it's time to try out
their homemade hot tub.
- Oh wow.
- How good is that?
- They look really,
really happy.
- A massive cheers to you
guys for being amazing
and giving us all the ideas.
- Thank you.
- Over the past few weeks,
Angel and I have had great fun
helping you with your projects.
(cheering)
- Some smokers.
- That's phenomenal. Well done.
- To stereograms.
- Wow.
- Bunkers to bedrooms.
- Exactly what I wanted.
- Doghouses to doors
- Many happy door clunks.
- Thank you very much.
- {Dick] And terraces..
Absolute pleasure...to trolleys.
- I love it. It looks amazing.
And it's been joyous to
see everyone's enthusiasm
as well as their readiness
to give things a go.
- And along the way,
I've even managed to build
myself a new potting shop.
-Ilove it.
- Not bad is it?
- Now we're going to
end this adventure
with a very special
family celebration.
Oh, there we go. Oh, lovely.
- Final touches.
- I've just done
hundreds of events,
but there's nothing like
doing an event for your mom.
All we need now is
the birthday girl.
- Now I think you can
let Gram open her eyes.
- Surprise!
- Surprise!
- Wow it all looks so
beautiful. That is brilliant.
- Happy birthday Grandma.
- Oh my goodness me. Oh my gosh.
I don't have to
go anywhere do I?
- (laughing) That's sheer
naughtiness isn't it?
- Do you think you've gone back
to your childhood mum?
- I never had all
this in my childhood,
not a party like this.
This is tremendous.
- [Dorothy] To
Grandma's birthday.
- Oh that is lovely.
- Happy birthday.
(cheering)
- Oh, wow.
- Oh look at that.
Grandma, how much
do you like rats?
- Not at all.
- Right answer. You tell me
when you want me to drop it.
I'll just let go as
S00N as you say go.
- Go. (laughing)
Go.
- Go. (cheering)
- Are you ready? Go.
(laughing)
- Mine's up, mine's
up. Dorothy! Dorothy!
That's your one Dorothy. Save
it Dorothy, save it Dorothy.
Get it back.
(happy music playing)