The most memorable period of my retirement so far has been the year I spent abroad taking a Master’s degree at the University of Malta. The course was free, (thank you EU! Some of us love you!) and my very civilised student accommodation cost less than the price of tuition fees for an MA in the UK. I met some wonderful people, made some great friends and learned so much - not least about negotiating information technology! The lifestyle was a completely new experience and the Mediterranean weather was bliss! My subsequent year back at home, however, slaving over my dissertation, was much less fun - I’ve never known such a hard and lonely slog. But the satisfaction of graduating was worth all of it. Life continues to develop as a result - I’m now learning the violin in order to play Baroque music, something I discovered I loved through one of the modules studied in Malta.
The family was encouraging and supportive throughout. After I’d finished, my husband, in the company of one of our sons, took his dream trip abroad to trace some lost family links (and found them!)
So, in a sense, it’s never too late, but go for it while you can. Two years on, in our seventies, neither of us is fit enough to be able to attempt what we did then. But we have such great memories to cherish!