Thanks for all the replies .
I can see the sense in what you are all saying , especially about getting it down on paper first so I can see where I am going
I did try what Tricky said using tools/netlist viewer/RTL and yes it did give me a view of a schematic that might let me better understand someone elses code
and I did try going the otherway converting schematic to VHDL but the code was a bit weird , it put in lots of lines about synthesized wires , which I hadnt used in my VHDL code
I think the hardest part for me right now is thinking of something to try to code that is simple enough for a raw beginner like me , but
interesting enough for me to want to do it
Don