Nick, gimp is an ok program for free. Photoshop takes a lot of learning. Lightroom is probably what I'd recommend, even an earlier copy, maybe 3, would be pennies on eBay now. I use it for 90% of my editing. Plus, if you ever need a hand with Lightroom, I know it backwards, so I'm always happy to help 
Thanks for the nice comments, much appreciated. It's nice when folk like what you do.
Thanks for the nice comments, much appreciated. It's nice when folk like what you do.