I retired at 50, never married, no debts, no commitments. The fatal flaw in the plan was I retired to Thailand.

13 years later I am married 12 years with 11 yo, 9 yo & 8yo.

Still working until the kids are set for college and Mom has all the shoes and bags she "needs". Guess I'll be at it another 8 - 10 years anyway. When that little girl climbs up in my lap with a hug & kiss on the cheek it is all worth it.

YMMV

1 minute ago, 86Tiger said:

I retired at 50, never married, no debts, no commitments. The fatal flaw in the plan was I retired to Thailand.

13 years later I am married 12 years with 11 yo, 9 yo & 8yo.

Still working until the kids are set for college and Mom has all the shoes and bags she "needs". Guess I'll be at it another 8 - 10 years anyway. When that little girl climbs up in my lap with a hug & kiss on the cheek it is all worth it.

YMMV

You working in Thailand ?

On 4/1/2026 at 1:24 AM, BilllyGOAT said:

Georgina this is a very dangerous line of thinking.

Retirement is clearly not for you.

You have far too much important work to do.

Three suitcases of journals do not organize themselves.

Diaries need writing

Toothpaste needs tracking

Graffiti needs documenting

Dental clinics with the word “smile” in the name need counting and verifying

Bookshops need monitoring

Good luck needs distributing

CEOs need emailing

You cannot just abandon all that and sit by a pool like some sort of normal bloke.

That would be chaos.

Also correct about Pattaya.

Wake up at 7am, gym, swim, coffee, then nothing.

What are you supposed to do after that. That entire place would be a waste of your time.

No clipboard

No high viz vest

No statistical output

Completely pointless. Take Pattaya of the list of options completely. The same goes for the Philippines.

Much better to stay in Australia.

Get up early, get the mop out for 10-12 hours, keep things under control.

Hospitals do not clean themselves.

Plus you have a structured environment there.

Clear objectives. Life sorted.

Floors

Buckets

Mop heads

Timetables

That is real work.

Not like these retired blokes drifting around South East Asia buying bars and sitting in the sun. What an awful was to go.

They clearly lack direction.

You on the other hand are running a full scale research operation.

Would be irresponsible to retire now. Unfair to humanity.

Too much data at stake.

Best to keep working indefinitely. At least another 40 years, even if you only live another 20.

The study is not finished!

Once all this valuable data has been compiled you must let us now where it is stored. Then once you "in the nicest possible way drop on the job" (I am not convinced you have a total mastery of the nuances of that phrase but never mind) we , the surviving members of AN, can collate and publish them. Much valuable research will not be wasted; if nothing else it will give us all a good giggle!

20 hours ago, JAG said:

Once all this valuable data has been compiled you must let us now where it is stored. Then once you "in the nicest possible way drop on the job" (I am not convinced you have a total mastery of the nuances of that phrase but never mind) we , the surviving members of AN, can collate and publish them. Much valuable research will not be wasted; if nothing else it will give us all a good giggle!

I truly hope he begins a Substack to share his insightful research findings. This could make a significant contribution to the world and greatly benefit others.

I gave up full time construction/ cabinet making at 66. Built my last house at 78. Sorry to have to give it up, I like seeing what I have done. I can still work on the roof, but I know accidents can happen, and I don't bounce like I used to.

2 hours ago, bunnydrops said:

I gave up full time construction/ cabinet making at 66. Built my last house at 78. Sorry to have to give it up, I like seeing what I have done. I can still work on the roof, but I know accidents can happen, and I don't bounce like I used to.

I met a guy in Pattaya last visit ,just turned 67 roof tiler from the UK , and retired to Pattaya .

He was fit as a fiddle and that age and was working up until his last week before retiring

Work kept him fit

But must be hard as a roof tiler in your 60's

7 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I met a guy in Pattaya last visit ,just turned 67 roof tiler from the UK , and retired to Pattaya .

He was fit as a fiddle and that age and was working up until his last week before retiring

Work kept him fit

But must be hard as a roof tiler in your 60's

Have you ever thought about launching a YouTube channel or becoming an IRL streamer? Imagine the potential to connect with a huge audience and achieve impressive success. You have the talent and charisma to stand out.

On 4/3/2026 at 10:43 AM, georgegeorgia said:

You working in Thailand ?

Currently, past 4 years. We have been in Lithuania and Turkey. Probably will be moving to another great country next year.