SOAR, thanks for the course yesterday and for posting the pictures of our work. I really enjoyed working with you - you were certainly patient, and I never felt rushed. Having never carved before, I was delighted that I managed to produced a pretty decent spoon at the end (with a butter knife too as a bonus!). I certainly learned loads in terms of technique and approach, but it was also really useful to be able to try out various different tools before making a purchase.
For anyone unsure of whether to undertake a course, I'd certainly recommend it and you get lashings of tea and biscuits too!