Nici Wickes - Cook, Eat, Travel

[upbeat music] Thank you very much.

Oh, I think that's happening.

I think it is.

Excellent.

Morning, everybody, on this lovely Sunday.

Um, thank you very much for joining us today.

Uh, I'd like to firstly introduce myself, um, because [laughs] nobody else is going to, so I, this is-

[laughs]

[laughs] So in c- [laughs] so in case nobody knows, um, I'm Belinda Jackson.

Uh, I'm a professional wino of many years.

Um, and, uh, it was an absolute delight to do this for the first time...

I better stop doing that, really.

Uh, to do this for the first time last year, chatting to Nick Bollinger, and, um, I was truly delighted when they said, "Would you do it again?" And I thought, "Well, yeah, I, I would, actually.

Uh, that would be amazing." So, um, it's an absolute pleasure to be here with Nicky this morning.

So, uh, that's probably it for the formalities.

What I really am here to do, of course, is chat to Nicky and, um, wheedle some things out of her that you're gonna find absolutely fascinating, and have you rushing off to buy her wonderful books.

So N- Nicky has actually gone from, uh, very much corporate life in the middle of the city in Auckland, through to what I can only describe as her, her true self.

Mm.

Uh, living in a, a wee tiny house on, on the beach.

Um, and there- there's an awful lot of in between there, which we're gonna try and chat about today.

But, uh, I think if I was to describe Nicky in the short time that I have known her, which is about three days, um, what comes through to me is this tremendous authenticity.

Uh, there is a, a real fearlessness about Nicky.

Mm.

Um, and I think that she is incredibly courageous.

And, and I say that because the path that she's chosen is not what everybody would have the courage to do.

So I'm really interested to, to find out more about that, Nicky.

So thank you very much, everybody.

Nicks.

[laughs]

[laughs] Can I just say what an absolute pleasure it is to be here in Marlborough? It's, this is the most beautiful festival, and we've been so well looked after.

And writers' festivals, book festivals, are my all-time favorite conferences in the whole of the world.

And, uh, it's so special when, when a center decides to have one of their own, and now you're in 10 years, and I think that's all credit to the great team that you've got.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's a really good point.

Mm.

The, the committee are absolutely fabulous.

Yeah.

And, um, here's, here's to another 10 years-

Yeah

... of, of bringing this to, to Blenheim.

Mm.

[laughs]