Anton & Cynthia: Thanks for the great digital tips. My little Canon Powershot has the half click down for the shutter and also a focus square which can be adjusted from center to other views. I've been practicing this. My son loaned me a tabletop tripod. This helps immensely to reduce camera shake and out of focus pics. I'm going to try the tip using a white card with the black writing. Once I master these techniques, I'll be looking for Anton to share that beautiful Australian blue sky background.
Thanks again for the excellent tips.