double_barrel,
I'm happy to hear you are progressing. Your story is deją vu for me and I'm sure for many others here. Eventually you'll reach the stage where the mechanical aspects of controlling the aeroplane become automatic and you can concentrate on navigation, looking out and having fun.
With regards to simulators, my view is they are useful when learning instrument procedures, but at your stage, so much of the learning experience is dependent on the feel of the controls and you just don't get that experience in a simulator, even fairly sophisticated ones like a Redbird.