There’s a comfortable noise.

More like a hum in fact. Every now and then I hear a portion of a conversation and it inevitably revolves around quilting.

A child runs through the crowd and demands his Parents attention.

The men attending seem to be in the grey hair group and I note that one of them is fast asleep and about to fall in his dinner. Is Quilting that boring? Maybe he has a sleep disorder. The funny thing is that his wife just shifted his orange juice and plate and the conversation with her friends continued without a beat.
No outside windows make the room grey, punctuated by the neon lights of the pokies next door and the colourful message boards describing the food you can purchase. There is a faint smell of cigarette smoke, roast lamb and alcohol.
There are strong Australian accents that are harder on the ear than the accents I’ve been listening to over the past few months. Somehow I never seem to be aware of accents in the USA, maybe it’s the lilt I’m used to. However, as long as 30 years ago I was acutely aware of the change when I arrived home and was greeted at immigration with a friendly “G’day”.

I’m sitting in the restaurant associated with an RSL club. My Aussie friends know just what I mean; however for my friends elsewhere, I guess it is like being in a very large VFW.

Ladies in winter clothes are lined up for such delicacies as a prawn sandwich or a pie and chips, finished off with a piece of Pavlova and a cappuccino in a mug. It’s the lunchtime and the ladies are taking a well-earned break. Some people are here to visit the vendors upstairs and as they leave they carry plastic bags full of treasured “must have” goodies.
There’s always a show and tell in the coffee shop as they pour over the contents of the bags with their friends. You can hear the exclamations from the other side of the room
I’ve done a little spin round the vendors myself. The booths have an Australian flavour. One is a booth is selling vintage Australian pinnies and patterns. Pretty close to my heart I can tell you.!!!!
There are a couple of booths selling Japanese fabrics, one with Vintage American Quilts and sewing notions and quite a few with the proudly made quilts by innovative designers… the vendors offer them in the hope of hitting a big seller.
Folk have come from far and wide to attend even as far away as Japan. Classes are held in the conference part of the building.

Nice way to spend a week.