The Pieces of Life

It's been more than a week since I arrived home but the jetlag is still lingering. 

I don't know if it's the exhaustion of 7 gruelling weeks on the road or a symptom of something else (check-up is this week; no doubt the GP will say: "Try and stay off the International Date Line for 6 months"), but I've been sleeping 12 hours every night. 

I'd forgotten how wonderful an early evening at home, and a warm bed on a cold night could be. 

You know that feeling?

Unfortunately, I still have work to do and a book on Provence is due. (Uh-hem, was due!)

But this past week of sleeping, writing, working, sorting bits retrieved from the bottom of my luggage, reconciling travel receipts, catching up on emails and friends, and generally realigning life's quarters has made me think about what one friend dubs "the pieces of our existence".  

None of us ever has a neat, perfectly formed life, do we? Our lives are made up of the flotsam and jetsam of our movements; a few bits from one place; a few more bits from another.

We are the sum of these pieces. 

But sometimes it feels as though some of these pieces are missing.

And sometimes the pieces seem so disparate as to confuse us. And we struggle to understand how they jigsaw together to form our identity. 

Are we a mother first? A wife? A partner? A sister? A writer? Or even (as I feel at times) a simple housekeeper? 

Do we belong at home? In New York? In London? In our offices? Or somewhere else, beyond the doorway, or indeed the horizon?

I've spent the past month connecting with friends whose lives have become 'un-jigsawed'. (Terrible grammar but go with me on this.) The pieces of their lives have, for various reasons, fallen apart. Marriages have collapsed; careers have flatlined; their lives have come to a jolted stop; like the 7.12 train, halfway between two destinations. 

As one friend put it: "My garden of life seems to have overgrown when I wasn't looking... How on earth did that happen?"

(Oh, so many metaphors here!)

Another dear friend confessed to me that, despite being incredibly successful and even winning an Emmy in LA this year, she had a teary moment recently when she realised she was 41 and her life was something of a discombobulated state. 

Who hasn't felt like that at times? 

Life shakes us around, like a cold snap in spring (which the Northern Hemisphere has just had), and I think it does it deliberately, just to see how we cope. That's my theory. 

I also think that the best way to cope is to be kind to yourself. And be true to yourself, to use an old cliche. Remember your strengths. Remember who you are, not who others perceive you to be – especially those who may have only met you for a minute.

Remember what you can do. And how well you do it. 

If you be gentle on yourself, and wait for life to settle once more, you'll soon be able to see the corners of your jigsawed existence again. 

And the rest will fall into place in no time.

That's my words of wisdom for the week anyway...

(All images mine.  Images from New York, London and the Rothschild garden on the French Riviera – which was actually incredibly beautiful.)

The Hollywood Hills

A day or so ago, while waiting at LAX airport, I did a quick post on an extraordinary garden that belongs to friends who live in the Hollywood Hills. 

Unfortunately, I had to delete it, because a) they lived in an extremely private gated estate full of Grade A (ie Oscar-winning) celebs and I didn't feel I could really feature the stars' houses in such a public forum, and b) the garden is part of a feature being included in a new magazine that's being published later this year. However, when my friend (who owns the garden with her husband) saw that I had deleted it, she kindly emailed me to say I could re-instate it, with her blessing. So I have, but have deleted all the stars' names, and the name of the estate, out of respect for all concerned.

I feel really fortunate to have been able to visit this somewhat secret part of LA, and to have also visited one or two of the 'names' that live here. Even if my haze of jetlag, I could recognise that it was a very special treat.

Thank you Jill for being so gracious and generous with your time. I am so very grateful.

PS Having trouble with comments, so have simply added them manually. Suspect my laptop has jetlag too... Thanks so much for the lovely notes Penelope, Elizabeth, Linda and Sarah. Very grateful. Stephanie – I'll email you re the magazine shortly. Just trying to finish writing the Provence book this week. x

penelopebianchi has left a new comment on your post "The Hollywood Hills"
Awesome! I am third-generation Pasadena; and I haven't ever heard of it either! What a treasure!!! LOVE!!!


Elizabeth@ Pine Cones and Acorns has left a new comment on your post "The Hollywood Hills":
I have never heard of this neighborhood, what a special place. You are blessed to have such friends. Their garden is spectacular.


Linda C. has left a new comment on your post "The Hollywood Hills":
Hi Janelle, glad you are back in blogland. You HAVE been really busy haven't you.
Keep well.

Sarah has left a new comment on your post "The Hollywood Hills":
How incredible! What a beautiful place to live and you are so fortunate to know such a wonderful person. Gorgeous photographs. Safe travels.... x


pve design has left a new comment on your post "The Hollywood Hills":
Beautiful and decadent in many ways. Reminds me of a bygone era. Love all your images and thanks for taking us on a tour. pve


smr has left a new comment on your post "The Hollywood Hills.":
What an extraordinary place..an oasis with fountains, pools, terracotta roof tiles and white walls. Its interesting how this mediterranean /spanish influence never really took off in Sydney apart from a few houses designed by Professor Leslie Wilkinson ..

A Guide to London (By Colour)

So you think London is a predominantly monochromatic town? 

Well, it is, but come summer, there's an explosion of glorious colour – in the floral borders of the parks, in the boutiques, even in the tea salons, where bright shades replace the traditionally muted tones on the menus in celebration of the warmer season.

Here's a tiny glimpse of where you can find colour in London. 

Designers Guild, Chelsea.

A profusion of colour in textiles and wallpapers. 

They had pulled out all the pinks and greens in anticipation of Chelsea Flower Show week, and the displays were enough to make you forget the prices and buy one in every colour.

Number Sixteen Hotel, South Kensington.

Still my favourite bolthole.

My favourite rooms at Number Sixteen, the Schiaparelli-pink single rooms, which have enormous French doors out to an equally enormous terrace overlooking the street. Great value if you don't mind a small bed and can book in advance.

Kate Spade, Chelsea.

Their entry for the Chelsea in Bloom exhibition this year wasn't elaborate, but it was still gorgeous.

Ms Lulu Guinness' handbag boutique in Chelsea, which is a paen to pretty colour.

An exhibition in the Chelsea Flower Show's floral marquee. 

This was the orchid display. Isn't it beautiful? 

I've never seen an orchid I didn't like.

Another sublime garden at Chelsea this year. 

This was the Brewin Dolphin Garden, designed by Robert Myers Associates and built by Willerby Landscapes. This one had a lipstick-pink wall, which acted as a stunning backdrop against the pleached trees and the pink and green borders. 

It was awarded a Gold medal. No wonder.

The Gore hotel in Kensington.

If you need somewhere to stay that isn't too expensive and close to everything, The Gore is fantastic. It's right next door to the Royal Albert Hall and a few steps from Hyde Park and the V&A. The interiors are a flamboyant mix of traditional and whimsical. 

Very eccentric. Very British. And very, very friendly.

A secret corner of London, tucked away between Kensington Road, Palace Gate/Gloucester Road and Cromwell Road. Loved wandering around here one morning.

More Designers Guild. 

Don't come here if you're averse to colour.

Lina Stores in Soho.

A lovely little deli/food store that's like an old-fashioned general store.

The Draper's Arms pub in Islington. 

A great little local that non-locals treks miles to visit.

Look at that Kelly green bar. Just beautiful.

A store in Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill. 

Westbourne Grove is the hot new spot for great furniture if you're wandering Portobello Road markets on a Saturday. It's where a lot of really interesting dealers have decamped to, and the stores are just as lovely as the stock.

Yet another Designers Guild. 

No, this post isn't sponsored. But if DG wants to toss a cushion this way, I wouldn't say no...

Paul Smith's store. 

Paul Smith is a firm proponent of colour. Have you seen his wallpaper? 

The Prêt-à-Portea high tea at the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge. 

Went here with a few particularly lovely people on a quiet afternoon. 

We loved the Jason Wu-inspired coconut hatbox-shaped cake bag in retro leopard print chocolate. It was almost too beautiful to eat...

The Hollywood Arms pub in Chelsea. 

Another stylish little hideaway if you're looking for a place to have drinks with the girls, or even a date on a Friday night.

Portobello Road. 

Isn't this house uplifting?

It's a great sight to see as you make your way to the weekend markets...

More Portobello Road.

I loved the Portobello markets. I'd forgotten how much fun it was.

An exquisite door near our hotel in South Kensington. 

It's the perfect shade for a front door, really.

More from Lina Stores in Soho. 

Told you it looked like an old-fashioned general store.

The relatively new Ambersand Hotel in South Kensington. 

Although we didn't have high tea here, the displays did look inviting. And they matched the decor too. Just splendid. As the English would say.

More from the Berkeley's haute couture-inspired high tea.

A fantastic store called The Exchange, which is on Gloucester Road. (There is another in Chelsea.) This boutique had the most extraordinary display of vintage and gently worn designer garb in London. Many of the shoes and clothes still had the tickets attached. I bought a pair of Chanel heels here for 100 pounds. But I could have bought half the store.

A lastly, there is a great little bookstore called Heywood Hill in Mayfair, where you'll find the most interesting (and most colourful) display of titles in the West End. 

I unearthed a heap of vintage Cecil Beatons here for very cheap. Some were even signed.

Potterton Books in Chelsea was another great literary find. They had some gorgeous gardening books. And the staff of both were some of the nicest you'll meet.