Hi from Sheffield

[terrym]

ok, so i should of really asked this early. with the home brew kits, whats the difference between fermentation, carbonating and conditioning? The kit i'm using (Coopers Canadian Blonde) tells me to bottle after 2 weeks and add carbonation tablets that i don't have

I suggest you read through the stuff in the link I gave you earlier, its all in there.
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=57526
You don't need 'carbonation drops' its just expensive sugar. Use table sugar its cheap and predictable. Plenty of stuff on this forum about how much sugar to use; a good rule of thumb is 1/2** tsp per 500ml bottle.

** for clarity that's a half tsp

 

[fourbob]

Fermentation is the stage where the yeast is converting sugars in your wort into alcohol. Essentially, turning grain extract into beer. This takes about 2 weeks.
Carbonation is making your beer fizzy. If you are bottling your beer, this means waiting until fermentation has stopped, adding a bit more sugar for the yeast to eat, getting it into bottles and sealing them. This sans that the carbon dioxide the yeast produce can't escape and stay in solution ynt the pressure is released (i.e. when you open the bottle). This causes the fizz. You don't need carbonation drops, table sugar works fine. Again, about 2 weeks in a warm place is enough time for this.
Conditioning is basically leaving the beer alone for as long as you can 😄. The longer you leave it (within reason) the clearer it'll become and the flavours will develop. How long to condition depends on the type of beer, how desperate you are, your own taste......