I spent a long afternoon writing my first post and then it disappeared into the void.  Where I know not.  It was a big disappointment as I had carefully constructed my initial mixed thoughts about retirement.  Maybe it was meant to be as it was quite negative overall suggesting that a great deal of planning needs to be done before undertaking a major life change like retirement.  A bit of an obvious sentiment really on reflection but something a lot of us do.  It is like a giant race to retirement and we crash over the finish line exhausted and happy (ish) and then after cooling down and taking stock some of us wonder well what next. This occurs for those of us who are not volunteers or bitten by the travel bug.  I had (and still do) intended to move back to the place of my birth : Canada. For various reasons I have ended up living in London (UK) for 39 years but like an elephant I still hanker for `home’ at the end of my days.  I love London but I think as we get older there is always a special place in your heart for where you grew up.  Sometimes it is just misplaced nostalgia based on memories with no real substance.  But life is what you make it and I think that I would rather do something and then think oh well that was not the right decision perhaps, let’s go back to square one rather than regret not trying. I will stop now in case I lose this post!