[Woodcarver] Personal request from a handicapped person

[Alan Jones]

G'day from Australia Guys,

I know some this is off topic.

I suffer from Chronic Pain, many people I know on this list will also suffer
from this. Because I can't go far, I am stuck in my house, while I can
drive, it isn't far. I love carving though I'm 46 - I gave my mother a
little flamingo for her birthday, I felt like a kid in high school
presenting his project to his parents from his woodworking class! I have
grown to love carving, I really enjoy it, for the first time in many years I
have been able to be creative with my hands. For many years my only talent
lay in computers, the Internet and research on given topics. I am very good
at research. Research in carving is very difficult, even the most
complicated of search terms will give thousands of 'hits' that take ages to
clamber through, more often or not, the information you really want is in
the middle

I have printed every tutorial I can find (about 75!!) . I look at the bottom
of nearly all the messages that are posted on this list and check out all
the websites of you guys. Some of the sites are very good, they demonstrate
really well what you can do. I am left wishing that I could carve like some
of you guys can, but to do this I need to find some free patterns for easier
projects so I can continue to learn.

I don't have real knives for wood carving I found a hand made knife for
something or another in a secondhand store for $5 and have sharpened that
right up. It is a bit rough, bit long, but at least I can roughly carve. I
depend on my secondhand power tools to help me carve.

I only get $600 a month from the government (my wife get about $150 less).
While I get my medications for free, I pay close to $70 a month for dietary
supplements, I can't afford to buy patterns - even though to you they may be
cheap, this is because by the time you do the conversions in money, the
price jumps to about 150 - 160% of the advertised price (then you have to
add the postage). So if you know of some good cheap carving patterns
available on the web could you please let me know.

I hope to have at least one real knife in about 5 months, when it comes
time, I will ask you nice people what would be the best to buy, I don't want
to waste my precious money.

Now comes the off topic request.
======================

A couple of months ago, I posted a request here for people to send me a
postcard or two, I had one person respond from this list. I have been told
by my doctors, in all likelyhood, I will never really be able to travel
far - travel for me is very painful, after driving for abut 30 minutes, or
being a passenger for about 40 minutes. I have to stop, get out of the car
and walk around, often, that is it - the end of the trip. My pain is very
severe, probably the best way to describe it is to compare it to a woman
giving birth to a baby. During the actual delivery, the poor woman suffers
really bad pain, I can get that type of pain up to 5 times a day - on really
bad days, even more if I am really unlucky. Because I can't travel, I have
decided that if I can't go to the world, then the world will have to come to
me.

So if anyone have any old postcards - from anywhere in the world and would
like to have them in a nice home wheere they are really looked after,
lovingly cared for. OR, if some of you nice people want to buy brand new
card or so and send them to me I would really appreciate it.

My full name and snail mail address is:

Alan Jones
PO Box 209
SMITHFIELD
SA 5114
AUSTRALIA

I thank you in advance for anyone who can help me.

TTFN

Alan in Adelaide, South Australia.