KATIE D.I.D. BLOG

So, my friends..........I have been away! From the blog. I am sorry I did not give a warning, but a break was needed. Nothing earth shattering.....just things to attend to. Children to send out into the world. Business to work on. Trips to plan. In short......I needed to let go of the blog for awhile and figure out a new type of life with kids gone from the nest. It was not easy to take the blog break. It was like moving to a new town...saying goodbye to old friends.....for awhile. But I hoped I could come back at some point, or try to if any of you are still here. Are you?....still here? I hope so. I hope you understand.

So, the thing I have come to understand is that we all need a break now and again.......and again.....and perhaps again. But if something is important, we make the effort to come back around and restart. Begin again.......and what better way to begin.....than by taking a break.

India Hicks and her dreamy new book, India Hicks Island Style..... what a fabulous break!....

It is full of images that will let your body stay right at your desk, but will take your mind away on a relaxing vacation. It might even get you thinking that perhaps it would be a good idea to move that desk to a new location altogether. The Bahamas perhaps?

Many of you know of India Hicks and her fabulous life. But for those who do not......Her father was David Hicks, iconic decorator...... She was a flower girl in the wedding of her godfather Prince Charles and Princess Diana...... Her grandfather, Lord Mountbatten, was the last viceroy to India. Quite a background! India Hicks grew up in Oxfordshire, England, but lives now on Harbour island in the Bahamas with partner David Flint Wood and their five children.

This book is about her life, where it started and where it is now in the Bahamas. It is about how she got there and what life is like on an island paradise. It is about the connection between her past and present and the things in her home that tie the two together. Mostly it is a journal about how her home has become what it is today......casual, care-free and beautiful.

A beautiful life makes for a beautiful book! The images throughout this book are inspiring. There are many of the island itself and more about the house that India built with her many memories showing up in every corner.

Now....just a word on the quality of the book......I always like to know, and maybe you do too! really nice coffee table size book about 9.25" x 11" x 1.25".....nice matt finish to the cover.....and nicely formatted full bleed photos as well as framed.....more photos than prose, but prose are very interesting! Because the style of India's home is so classic, this book will be a keeper pretty much for the life of your library.

India's concluding words in this book must be true for pretty much everyone....

"In those moments of silence I realize that my house is simply a series of rooms. What makes it a home are the memories, the objects, and, above all, my family."

It is certain that each object in this home calls forth a memory worth keeping.

So, with that said, it is time for me to make more memories of my own! I am planning a trip, and will be walking the old stomping grounds of India Hicks by starting off the trip in England. We will be traipsing across the country from London to Wales, and then off to Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy over 4 weeks in May. My husband and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary. Celebrating 25 years of amazing memories and looking forward to many more.....