Since retiring from the British Armed Forces in the summer of 2011, I became, (almost uncontrollably) drawn to an ubiquitous and ever-growing surfeit of specific web-pages, those that primarily accommodate a litany of concerned comments – and despairing detail from fellow retirees across the globe – an almost incalculable number of aging souls, of whom, …more

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Don turned 65 in October 2007 and thoughts of wanting to retire and travel more began to take precedence over his former enthusiasm for his work as a private-practice neuropsychologist. However, because of some very poor financial decisions we’d made a couple of years earlier he was not in a position to retire, so he …more

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It was just one of those days. You will all know what I mean when I say this, as we all have them from time to time. It was one of those days when something that might have been relatively straightforward in the UK, could potentially turn into an expensive expat nightmare. Most expats will …more

If you are like me, you will remember wishing when you were a kid that there was some way that you could send those nasty Brussels sprouts* to those millions of poor, starving Chinese children that your mother kept telling you about. Also, if you are like me, you remember when we used to fix …more

Recently, memories of France often appear unbidden, at unpredictable moments. They arrive as palpable, vibrant images, frozen in place, just an instant. Their startling vividness often triggers thoughts about the time and space around them. In France it is easy to find fresh, local, delicious, inexpensive food. Traveling by bike, it is easy to eat …more

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You and I have something in common, you know. We are kindred spirits, probably sharing the same generation, sharing the same experiences in life that brought us to this point in time – right now. Undoubtedly, you are a vaunted member of the “Baby Boom Generation” brought up on Elvis Presley, hoola hoops, the JFK …more

When I first retired from teaching in June, 2010, I was relieved to no longer plan lessons, assess a student’s progress or wait for a bell to ring so I could use the bathroom. I really thought it would be easy to quit work, easy like instant oatmeal. In the past two decades several of …more

From the time we were first able to understand the word, we have all been in pursuit of as much happiness as we can find. After all, it’s in the constitution, right? However, happiness is an elusive study target. It’s been hard to define, and even harder to measure. But in recent years, social scientists …more