Vs6gy:
..., but at the moment, I am beginning to wonder, if I am 'biting off more than I can chew'..??
You only need to bite off what you enjoy. The uno is a good starting point, I would tend to go for the hardware as the main thrust plus the online tutorials and your book.
Playing with the hardware will either whet your appetite or not. How far you then decide to go with it is up to you.