Thanks everyone!
All advice gratefully received
This should be called 'second light' as it's only the second time the sky has been clear enough for a viewing. It started off cloudy but then thoughtfully cleared.
One thing I've learned - don't stick the 'scope on decking! Decking seems to transmit every vibration to the 'scope, including my heart beat even if I'm not touching the 'scope
Tonight I scored the gllobular cluster 47 Tucana
and magnificent it is! I note there are a lot of other items of interest in that region, but the trees at my place block anything much lower down. Might have to get the chainsaw out... who needs trees anyway
M42 in Orion was huge! I didn't realise it would be quite so nebulous (if that's the word). I can clearly see how the Trapezium gets its name
I'm quite prepared to spend lots of time using my two Plossls to get to know the sky, but I can see why someone would want those wide field eps. If I glue my eyeball to the plossl, it does start to make the whole thing feel more like a spacewalk, but doing so becomes strenuous after a while.
Anyhow, thanks for listening (or rather, reading)!
Cheers,
Nicholas (who's off to bed now, star-struck).