***I do NOT live on the Gold Cosst. I am 40 mins car travel away. Please do not request to stay unless you have a car. There are no trains or buses to Gold Coast from where I live.***

I love wine and cheese and all food. I eat everything and am willing to try most things once. I'm not much a sweet tooth but I will always make exceptions for quince paste, gelato and chocolate. I adore soy mochas and have been known (secretly) to be a bit of a coffee snob!

I enjoy cooking. I'm a healthy cook. Generally fish and veg. I have recently discovered that fish fried in coconut oil is not only healthy..but is also the BOMB! I am a huge fan of curry (Indian and Asian).

I never bake but if that's your thing I would love the chance to connect over something that you love and 'bake relationship'.

I've travelled to Italy, France, UK, Thailand, Bali and am currently in the USA for a 5 month adventure.

I am extremely passionate about people. I value hearing people's stories. I will be interested to hear yours! Weather talk bores me to tears, so unless you're looking to make a friend, I'm probably not the right gal for you to stay with/host!

The two most memorable things from my UK trip were a) being kind to an elevator attendant, only to see his whole face light up and his person become excitedly animated as he went above and beyond to tell me about the attraction I was visiting b) the homeless man only a few years older than me that had lost his job in the GFC and just missed rent and so was homeless. He was sitting in a wet quilt, in wet clothes, shivering uncontrollably with cold in the snow. He was well spoken, gentle and lovely and I gave him the last of my money so that he could buy a hot meal. He didn't even want to take it because he knew that I would go hungry, but I made him take it and I sometimes wonder if he got back on his feet.

My most memorable thing in Thailand was being photographed with some street urchins after one of them tried to stab me with a needle. I scolded her and mad her apologise...then I bought everything she was trying to sell. I have thought about those little girls so often that the final leg of my trip, I will be visiting the place where I last saw them. I plan on finding them and if their minder allows, I have connections within Compassion child sponsorship and I will be looking to get them into a sponsorship program. This thought excites and scares m at the same. time. I know it is not very safe but I am just praying for protection and that I have angels around me. It is something I must do...I must at least try to find them. Please send a prayer heavenward that I am successful in this mission!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My friend recommended this site to me a few years ago. At first I was thinking 'what a crazy idea! It is not safe to meet random people!'...but now I see that it is actually a very well thought out site. I have read a few profiles and I see that the people on here are forward thinking, generous people that long to see the world and make friendships along the way....and that is exactly what I am looking for to! I long to meet like minded people that have their own passions and pursuits, that love food and wine (and chocolate) and have the same desire to be hospitable to people as I do. I believe that my experience of couch surfing will be an extremely positive one!

Interests

I've kind of listed all these in my 'About Me' rant!...but in point form:
motorbikes, wine, cheese, chocolate, fish, fish and chips, mushy peas, comedy festivals, champagne, cocktails, the laughs to be had when you've all had one too many!, a beautiful view, the silence of a wooded area, broken only by the whiplike call of a bird, the shot of colour as a lorikeet flies past, the laughter of a baby, kids at ply, kids getting lost in their imagination, scuba diving, spear fishing, abseiling, walking and talking, lazing on the beach (although not for long...(damn my pasty skin!)), coffee and people watching, watching a live band, pears, home cooking, meeting new people (and actually having a deep conversation with them), tacos!, curry, pizza...(really all types of food...I'm interested in that!), museums, galleries, the smell of an old book (even if you don't read it, you can still get lost in its pages), perfume (floral and fresh (hate musk)), boys (bit of a romantic at heart)....so many other things! So many to list! We will have lots to talk about!!!!

Music, Movies, and Books

LOTR, Downton Abbey, Once Upon a Time, Perfume (Suskind), Anne of Green Gables, very Disney Princess movie, Kill Bill (all), fantasy movies in general, anything with John Cena haha, anything with The Rock haha, anything with Denzel!, I LOVE movies. I am currently reading the Dragon King trilogy by Lawhead. They are so good!, Just finished reading the Arthurian books (all 5)...soooooo good! I love anything thats fantasy. If I'm not reading fantasy, I am reading self improvement books (I believe that it is important to always be 'renovating or redecorating' oneself!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've sponsored children from World Vision and Compassion throughout a business breakdown. I was struggling to find money for rent and food, but I kept on with my kids...I am proud of this because i held to what is truly important to me.

I have also been a nanny for over ten years and have loved many children in that time. Although I frequently felt inadequate and far from perfect, I know I impacted my children and I am proud of that. I hope that one day, when they are grown, that they will come to me and tell me that I helped them in formative years. That would be truly amazing to me!

Teach, Learn, Share

I long to learn what YOU know! I already know what I know and most of it is just opinions! I will help you with anything that I possibly can from my years of being a small business owner. I am good at seeing when a need presents itself and I will just trust that the people that I end up staying with, that there will be a special way in which we can share, grow and learn together. Thats would be the aim of my relationship with them, for however long I was there.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My thrill at you having me stay with you. Of course the obvious like cooking and cleaning etc...but what I think will really make an impact is just how much I will be thrilled at coming to stay with you. I think that this will make for a lovely and rewarding time for all involved!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia