Romany man, one way to learn to read the dots might be to start with tunes you already know. If there's something you can already play and you can get the dots for it (in the same key! -get someone to check this out for you if you're not sure) it could be a way to learn to match the notes you see with the notes you're playing.

It's not rocket science, it's fairly straightforward and I think a lot of people imagine it to be more difficult than it is. For a melody instrument like recorder you only need to be able to read single notes (no chords to worry about), and only the treble clef, which keeps it simple. It's not like you're learning to read a score for the church organ - give it a go!

Marje