My last penneth worth
There seems to be a common misconception that flying IFR is a "heads in cockpit" thing. This may be true in IMC, but in VMC you should NOT keep your head in the cockpit. You may be receiving seperation services from ATC but ATC can vector you into a mountain, or into the path of pop up traffic they didn't pick up in time, and ultimately its the PIC's responsibility to see and avoid. I respect high time experienced pilots and learn a lot from them, however its in my nature to question what they say when what they say hasn't been justified properly.
Still, as FD no doubt we'd all get along in the pub which is the important thing
EA