GuestFran:
When you're learning to play, strumming is hard to catch..it is normal to have problems with that.
Playing faster/smoother comes with practice (Lots of hours--and plenty of frustration)and speed is not nearly as important as timing/consistency.

Be patient with yourself and have fun.
Give yourself a break when you need it and keep on pluckin..it's worth the effort.

You'll be able to find quite a bit of useful, encouraging information here by using the searchbox thingy.
If you join mudcat, you'll also be able to send/receive personal messages.

I look forward to seeing you around here.
Welcome to Mudcat!