Tales of the unexpected

To all loyal kiwis around the world, and in NZ, Happy Waitangi Day on Friday!  Our national day.  I’m having a ‘celebrate New Zealand’ week, not just day.  And I must admit to a real pining for home, and the ocean… I’ve found a legendary house online to buy in my beloved Hawkes Bay.  Just one small problem, I don’t really see how we can live there?!

My kids ask just about every day when we’re moving to New Zealand.  Born in London and having lived here all their lives, they don’t claim to be ‘Londoners’, they relate to themselves as New Zealanders.  Home is where the heart is.  Having said that, we know how lucky we are to live in London, and we make the most of all this amazing city has to offer.

The NZ Society is an extremely efficient, and very cool, voluntary organization arranging events all the time in London for loyal Kiwis, often in association with The NZ High Commission, so we’re off to the annual Waitangi Day church service at St Lawrence Jewry-next-Guildhall in the City of London on Thursday night, and I’m honoured to be Guest Speaker at the annual Waitangi Day charity ball at the Park Lane Hotel on Friday.  You know me, I’m bound to throw in a few surprises…!

Yesterday Sim and I met with an awesome chap who interviewed us for the Mail on Sunday, Event Magazine.  He wanted to know the back story of how Incognito Artists was born and what fun we’ve had so far during the journey.  What a great way to spend the morning!  And as we sat for hours with our healthy herbal teas and hydrating water (my ‘wellness coach’ wife is relieved I’ve finally seen the light.  But that’s another story) we found out we had more than a few things in common.

One of which really struck us.

He’s a reporter and I’m a performer, and while we may execute a very different role, we are both permitted into this surreal world of the uber rich and high society for a moment in time, to fulfil a need.  And in return we get a glimpse of some magical, dream-like situations, with beyond pinch-ourselves stuff, and can’t quite believe what we’re seeing so much of the time, good and … sometimes not so good.  We’re allowed to see inside this unbelievably surreal world… and then we both go back to reality, back to our families, and lawns to mow and mouths to feed without a raft of paid help.  We both shared our Sir Richard Branson anecdotes, we compared our Beckham family stories (both agreeing what a down-to-earth, loving family they are.  Extremely clever, regardless of what many would have you believe) and many more.  We listened to his fascinating tales as much as he listened to ours, enjoying lives well lived.

So we may be in the Mail on Sunday ‘Event’ magazine this weekend.  Woo hoo!  But I’ll have to rely on Simone to buy a copy at our local store, as I’ll be in Udaipur, in India, providing the entertainment with Incognito Artists at another surreal private party, experiencing what it’s like to contribute and be involved in these dream-like, exquisite, magical moments for the seriously wealthy.  And hopefully make a massive difference with our contribution, because that’s the whole point of what I do.

Have a great week!

Ka kite anō

Geoff