Hi again,
There have been so many discussions on here about this, its really interesting seeing everyone's point of view! I did eventually upgrade to a Canon 60D after spending 3 1/2 hours in Park Cameras playing! I went for that one because in the end it fitted my hand best and can do all the things I need it to do well enough to keep me learning for a good long while I hope! Thanks to everyone for your input, i hope to get myself in gear regarding getting photos up on here and flikr and stuff so perhaps at some not too distant point you can see what I'm doing with my new kit!
Thanks again,
Julia