These are great responses - the value people have put on visualisation is an eye opener for one.
I appreciate greatly the words of encouragement and I know, as several people have said, it will come and I will wonder what the fuss is. It was not that long ago I was convinced I would never hover.
I would still encourage those of you who now have conquered "the thing they couldn't do" and gone on to be Igor's Spiritual Love Children to share with us neophytes any practical tips on how you did it. I am also interested to know if any of these difficulties ever return to you even today.
As an aside, it seems to me that the best instructors are the ones that have struggled themselves at some point. The "gifted" rotary pilots who woke up one day and could fly whatever ship they chose to turn their attentions to seem to scratch their heads a bit when you learn to hover, progress to circuits and then suddenly can't turn left without climbing. Again.
Never underestimate the value of the simplest tips shared. There are many of us who read these threads silently, lapping up the crumbs of wisdom from you folks.
Cheers,