As ever I join these conversations late. One of the great things about this place (not606) is that I can talk with people who are old enough to remember the days of Furphy, the cinder terracing at the Vic, etc, but there are also people who are young enough to communicate the excitement of newness for things that I have seen before. I find that refreshing. I can't contribute much to the debates on the current side but it is good to hear what is happening.
As for age and lifestyle changes, it is good to hear of other people's choices, destinations. I too got tired of the rat race of London and was very close to buying a place in France. I got gazumped by another Pom. Ended up in NZ where my lifestyle changed in ways that I could never imagined so now at a way too old an age I am married with a mortgage and two very young children. I will have to work full time into my 70s, which was not what I anticipated. Good job I have a job I love and a family tradition of working till you drop in your 80s. I wouldn't change it for anything. My six month old daughter has just smiled at me and the world could not be a better place.