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Any advice?  recipes etc.

I have a leaven that is about 17 years old. I think that the instructions in the article are a good start. However, it really is about feeding the yeast culture in the starter. The longer you have the leaven the more robust it becomes. I store mine in the refridgerator and bring it out in the morning I want to make bread. I add some flour and water to get to the consistency of thick cream and allow it to bubble up. I then take what I need for my bread and place the starter back in the refridgerator.

I add more flour (about half the quantity I intend for the final bread) and water and allow to bubble up. I make a dough by adding flour and salt and allow to rise (about 4 hours depending on temperature). I then tin the bread and place in the refridgerator overnight. In the morning, I remove the bread and allow to rise (2-4 hours??). Bake at 200C for about 50 mins.

I am sure that this seems rather vague. It was intentional because after baking bread (yeasted and sour dough) for 30 years I now do everything by look, feel and experience. That is not the way I work generally, but, with home-made bread I think it is essential. So, just keep baking and observing. You will eat a lot of mistakes, but, you will be rewarded immeasurably once you get the hang of it. 

Thank you so very much for the great advice, I shall do as you suggest and learn by doing and will enjoy every minute.

My no. 1 advice? Don't spend too much time trying to create a starter from scratch. If the first one or two tries don't "take", just go to your nearest bakery, tell them that you'd like to try your hand at baking sourdough bread at home, and ask them for a half-a-cup or so of their starter. They'll gladly give you some, particularly if you go to a neighborhood type of bakery (rather than a supermarket one). Too many people get frustrated while they're trying to create their starters from scratch instead of just starting to bake!

Once you have a starter, it's almost impossible to kill it if you keep it in the fridge between uses and feed it more or less regularly. You can use almost any sourdough bread recipe if you have a healthy starter. Two of my favorite recipe books are Local Breads by Daniel Leader and The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz.

Happy baking!

Thank you!  That is what I shall do, we have a very good local bake shop and I know them well.  I will stop in today and get some starter.  Again, thank you

I just got a new kitchen toy, a Brod and Taylor folding proofer.  My very first use is to grow a sour rye culture.  So far it is doing very well.  Being able to keep the culture at an optimal temperature (quite a bit warmer than my kitchen is in winter time) seems to really make a difference.  If you are having problems, considering temperature might help.

To make the starter I am following the recipe in Dan Leader's Bread Alone.  I have been baking bread from that book for years.  It is a great place to start if you are new to artisan-style bread.  There are two recipes for bread starters (wheat and rye).