BEagle, thanks for your feedback! I think you have probably misunderstood my reasons for posting here... I just wanted to share my experience of a skills test/renewal proficiency check so others can benefit from another tale of what not to do.
Of course my UK PPL itself is unexpiring and I'd be crazy to apply for a JAR-FCL PPL (which I'm not) but didn't want to give my entire life story - it wasn't really relevant to get my point across.
Happy flying!
lhd