Thanks Kev, this site has always been about sharing our "secrets" and helping each other improve.
So, some more progress then - please let me know what you think - good or bad. If you're like me, you always cringe when you see the photographs of what you think is great work as the camera can be very cruel in close up.
After a coat of khaki paint, I snipped the thicker gauge wire into lengths of around 1" which when inserted into the ground would leave the posts about chest high. This gave me two issues to resolve: 1. The profile at the ends which was now pinched. 2. The bare wire was visible. A quick rub with a flat needle file solved number 1 and as a bonus, also flared the ends slightly as they would be if they'd been hammered into the ground. For number 2, I dipped what would be the tops of the posts first in white glue and then when that was dry enough, tapped the ends against a bit of MDF to flatten the dome the glue had created thus restoring the flat top, then put a bit more khaki paint on. They've also been given another thin coat of PVA just to help seal the paper on, hence the semi-gloss look.
Other than the colour and finish, which I will work on tonight as I want to make a little paler - or even a grey hue - to represent bleached and aged wood, I'm pleased with the effect. The non uniform shapes and the look of rough timber posts has been achieved I think. Pictures of the process described above attached - picture 11 was just a test shot of a post in the ground and you can see clearly the wire in the top.
Next is the rails which I have started to make out of thinner gauge wire. More on those probably tomorrow.