benhurr, I am basically trying to get a feel of the pros and cons for different ways of going about the rest of my training. I think i'd be daft if I didn't plan ahead. However I agree that I should deal with the hour building side of things fairly soon.
Does the CFI do the IMC testing for East Midlands Flying School (as he is a CAA examiner) ? Do they offer any block discounts at all? I plan on phoning them up shortly to get the IMC booked up, not that I will get much flying done with the weather as it is.