Personally I prefer the original. This is because the colour looks less artificial and the extra space around the window gives the subject room to "breathe" in the composition. The crop is too tight and claustrophobic for my taste.

Posting in the forum makes life easier, and to be honest posting one image makes it easier to comment.

However, the choice is there.

That is very true, but the OP seemed to want to be more confidential than that. The choice is his entirely and people communicate both ways in these threads, publicly and privately as they feel appropriate.

In general, I think the best way is to publicly state a price and the worst is to hold a secret auction, but that's just my opinion and there's no rule about it.

You've got a point Dangermouse, but taken to extremes it's the same as taking all the advice.

The way I look at it is I listen, evaluate and make a decision, checking it out as appropriate. That's how I've learnt what I know now over a period of time. Sometimes I take things more at face value than others, depending on who provides the information.

For example, I always found Kevin MacDonnell to be very down to earth and sensible. I was more careful with Ron Spillman's advice, but much of it was sound. R G Mason I had little time for, despite working for a couple of years with his brother Cyril!

It's a professional job, not difficult and shouldn't be particularly expensive either.

Oil is sticky and it stops the diaphragm closing down quickly enough when the shutter is released. The result will be over exposure.

If you operate the diaphragm manually you'll be able to see how "snappy" or otherwise its action is.

If you can PM me a price that would be helpful.

Whereas I always used filters with film, I hardly ever do so with digital.

Black and white film: Red, Orange, Green for tonal control.

Colour Transparency Film: 81A for warming the colour, Polariser for controlling relections and blue skies.

Digital: Polariser (rarely), 72 (Infra-red).

I might use a UV or Skylight to protect against salt spray, but in fact have not done so in the past 10 years or so!

That looks very, very impressive.

A lovely scene and if i may I'll suggest a slight re-composition.

Bright areas catch our eye, so the bright area top left is a little distracting. It pulls us away from the centre of interest, the pool of light bathing the lawn in a warm glow.

If you cut out the areas to the left of the tree and possibly include more of the reflection, which is wonderful by the way, then I think the image will be much stronger.

I don't have more reflection to include, but perhaps something along these lines as a starting point:
[IMG]http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/johnriley1uk/BurfordCottage-by-K10D.jpg[/IMG]