pinot

Hi everybody,

I would like to know if there are members living in Australia. Do you live in a town, village? What kind of home do you have. How does your regular day looks like? Do you have a LQS? Do you need a car to get to the shops? Do you buy fabric from the States or do you have your "own" fabric and patterns?
I've been in Sydney a very long time ago and lately I am thinking about Australia a lot.

Crlyn

I'm from the Gold Coast in Australia, population between 500,000 and 600,000.......it's one of the fastest growing area's in Australia, and the 6th largest cities.

Our home is a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom brick and tile.

We do have local LQS and I do service them when fabric is on special, or store sales. Most of my fabric I buy online from the States, simply because it's too expensive here.

:D

pinot

Hi Carolyn, thank you for your reaction but I'm so stupid. Where is the Gold Coast and why is it called that way? Is it very hot there during summer?

Rainy Day

Pinot, you are not stupid!
The Gold Coast was named that in the 1950s to sell the land, the climate is like Cannes, it is very hot and humid in summer.
I am in Melbourne, which is like Paris - we even have a brown river that runs through our town. I live in the outer suburbs, near the beach in a small wooden house.
It has been a strange summer here, and it looks like being a cold winter.

My day - Rainy of course!
Seriously, I work from 8.30 am to 5 pm, I ride my bike or walk to work.
I ride to the shops most of the time, unless I am buying a lot of stuff, then I drive.
I have 3 LQS nearby, I buy from them and the Net.
When were you in Sydney? I lived there many years ago.
I love Quiltmania magazine - it has articles about France in it.
Most of our fabric comes from the USA, but I do buy some from local manufacturers like this one:
http://www.auntycookie.com/
Aboriginal designs - I buy them from the USA - they are cheaper . . .

Moonglow

Hi pinot,
Like Carolyn I also live on the Gold Coast. My home is also 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, brick and tile. I have lived here for over 24 years. Prior to that we lived in many parts of Australia as my husband was in the Air Force. The Gold Coast is about 1 hours drive south of Brisbane which was recently devastated by floods.

As public transport is not reliable I prefer to drive to the shops. Fabric in Australia is expensive and I try and support the local stores however whilst the Australian dollar is so strong I have purchased fabric online and have been very happy with my purchases.

I currently work 22 hours per week but hope to retire soon so I can devote more time to my quilting.

I would be interested to hear about your life in France.

woody

Hi Pinot

I live in Canberra which is the capital of Australia. It has a population of around 350 000 and has hot summers (normally but not this year) and cool winters but not cold enough to snow. Public transport here is fairly good but as the city is very spread out it can take a while to go to the other side of the city. There is alot of green spaces in Canberra, with native bush and animals, they call us the bush capital. My home is also 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, brick and tile with a nice yard and in a quiet street. I have one LQS 10 minutes a way and another 4 within 30 minutes drive, but I buy most of my fabric online.
My husband and I own our own business so I work from home doing the book keeping as well as being as involved as I can with our 2 children.
I would also like to learn more about France

falcon

Hello Pinot.
I live on the coast just south of Mandurah which is about 1 hours drive south of Perth (capital city of Western Australia).My husband and I (and our little dog) have a little cottage near the beach. We have a local bus service and excelant train service to Perth, but we mostly drive everywhere. We are retired and I spend most of my days in my sewing room.
We go to the gymnasium twice a week and that is when I usually pop into the fabric shops. Fabric in Australia is very exspenive so I am always on the look out for bargains.
We have a very nice Quilting group nearby and we are able to sell some of our work through the shop we have set up there.
We have had a long heat wave here and are looking forward to some cooler weather.

Crlyn

I've only just caught up with this thread again Pinot, I will try to answer some of your questions.

It was the place to buy and sell land in the 1940s in the real estate boom, hence the name Gold Coast. Back then it was just a lot of little towns, and eventually they all become one.

The main industry here is tourism, it's well known for it's beaches.

We do have hot summers, though most parts of Australia does, but our winters are very mild.

You might find something of interest here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Coast,_Queensland

I would also like to hear about your country pinot, also something about other country's from our QB members, and some of the different states in the USA.

:D

pinot

Dear Woody, Carolyn, Moonglow, Rainy Day and Falcon,
Thank you sooo much for your respons. It's so much fun to receive messages like this. It has nothing to do with quilting but as we all are women with the same interest it is very interesting to read about your lifes.
I have been living in France for 6 years now(my husband was in the dutch army and was retired) and I don't regret one second! I am officially dutch but my parents were born and raised in Indonesia. The Netherlands or Holland is a very small country, very flat, a lot of rain and wind and my children and grandchildren live there. They visit us (8 hrs drive) very often because the weather here is much more pleasant and we have a lot of space.No need to tell it's famous for its tulips!
In Holland they have bread, saucise, cerials, coffee, cheese for breakfast, the same for lunch and a warm meal in the evening. Here they start with a big bowl of coffee where they dunk in their bread from yesterday or put some confiture on it, at noon they have a hot meal and in the evening some meat or soup and salade. Potatoes are a vegetable here. I think the french eat very healthy but the meals are often "bien arrosés" very well sprayed with wine!
I live in an old chicken farm in a small village that has its own castle. If you want me to, I could tell you more about my house which is very very old. I have to drive almost one hour to get to a castle which is a quiltshop and that sells american fabrics. Nothing else. So I buy all my fabric by internet from the States and some stitchery and patterns from Australia.
I can walk to the market on monday and to the few shops we have. For the mall I have to drive to Dijon (1 hr)
Falcon, I have a relative living in Perth but don't have any contact with her. I wish I was your neighbour for a few months!!A small house near the beach sounds wonderfull to me during wintermonths. Winter is cold and humid here and the summers warm. I have seen the flood in Queensland on tv. Horrible! And it will have its influence on your economy I think.
Rainy Day, I have a typical dutch bike so I could join you to the LQS! Oh how I would love that!! I have nobody here to talk about quilting etc etc but do have a few ladies that I teach a bit of quilting once in a while. But I miss a good quiltingfriend. Fortunatly I have this board!!!!! Thanks everybody, bisou, Pinot

pinot

Hi Rainy Day, we were in Sydney in 1986. My husband had to go to an international meeting of all Blood Bank directors. He was a doctor in the dutch army and this way I've seen a lot of the world. I had to discover Sydney on my own and I loved it! It was very british to me and I loved the smells, the colorfull birds in the sky, the mix of people, the food, the kindness and warm hospitality of the people we met in the streets. I met a wife of another doctor. She was so sweet. They lived in Victoria and he was from Calcutta. But after a few years the contact got less. That's how things go in life! I would love to visit Sydney again but it's a long journey by plane. But you'll never know, maybe I'll win the lotery one day!!!ne