Shame? - No shame!

Anyway... for the removal of the axle from the differential the DIY says to use curved circlip pliers. If you don't have any I found thread some strong wire through the little hole on the ring worked well.

The DIY says to use the wire for putting the clip back in (so you can find it if it pings out) but I found it worked well for the removal as well.

Don't forget to cover up the differential after you've finished working - I did do this but over night a strong wind blew away my plastic bag and then filled the diff up with sand for me. I ended up striping and cleaning the whole thing out... mishaps like this tend to add a delay to the repair! (Still I put in two new diff seals whilst I was there)