Dave, that is a bit like life. You can have all the fancy fan dangles you want, but if you haven't got the basics then you have precisely nowt.
Photography, like life, is one long learning curve.....sometimes it is steep and takes your breath away.
I look forward to seeing the Unicorn, but you do know that soon they will be going into hiding in preparation for the breeding season?(I'm getting nearly as whimsical as you
)