Thanks for those tips Penny. I have not seen Venus since last autumn, when I saw it in the East in the morning. There were so few unclouded nights this winter in Köln, that I probably would not have seen it anyway. I expect with the city lights I am unlikely to be able to spot Mercury, but I shall have a go. Last summer was a great time to observe Jupiter from here, but it seems to be disappearing from view. Apparently it will be available briefly for a short time early in the evening, so I shall look for it again tonight.
That planet tracking site looks intersesting, so I shall be looking into that some more. I don't do science and mathematics, but it is nice to be able to look up at beautiful things and know some of their names!