Hi all,
I hope you all had a Happy Crimbo!... and a Happy New Year, thanks for all the help.
In the end I bought a 400D with a 17-85 lense and a 70-300 lense, all in for £1000. I would of preferred to buy the 40D and 100-400 lense but that would of been another £1200, and for my needs that would of been a little over the top, I can always upgrade.
The 17-85 lense has been a joy to use over Christmas!..great for all the family around the dinner-table shots!.. the 70-300 will take a lot more time though, as yet I haven't been out in the countryside to see what it can do. I have a few Andy Rouse photography books on the way which should help me understand SLR a little more.
Cheers!