Finally...

Its taken.a while, and I need Incredibish's help to create a OSX Sierra bootable installer, but I finally have a nice clean installation of OSX running on my MacBook.  99% of the software has been downloaded, installed and updated and the user accounts set up.  I haven't lost any data as far as I can tell at this point either.  It would have been miles easier to have simply reinstated my original installation from the cloned copy of my failed hard disc, but I took the decision that after 5 years of constant upgrades etc the computer could do with being set up again from scratch.  I think it was worthwhile - I hope so as it took blimmin' hours.  

I owe Incredibish big time for getting me out of the hole that I found myself in.  If you run a Mac you are unlikely to need a bootable installer, but it might be worth your creating one, just in case, as without it, in the event of a total hard disk failure you are in a bit of a pickle, unless that is, you have a friendly brother-in-law :-)