Maree and I have never been ones to stand still, and entering retirement has certainly been no different.

Today we are off to Thailand for the next little step in what is becoming a new chapter in our lives. The main purpose of this trip is to conduct a final check on the build of the condo unit we have bought before everything is completed and handed over.

We are not moving to Thailand. Melbourne is home and will remain home, and we still intend to spend the majority of our time there. Our family, friends and so much of our life are in Melbourne, and neither of us has any desire to leave that behind.

Melbourne winters, on the other hand, are something we are becoming increasingly happy to leave behind.

That is really where the condo fits into our plans. Rather than spending the colder months complaining about the weather, we can head north for part of the winter and enjoy Thailand’s warmth, wonderful food and friendly people. We already know the country well and have old friends there, so it feels less like escaping overseas and more like establishing a second base somewhere we already feel comfortable.

There are also plenty of things to keep both of us occupied while we are there. For me, there is the opportunity to help out my mate Drew with his wargames holiday centre. Anyone who knows me will appreciate that the prospect of spending part of my retirement in Thailand while still being involved with wargaming is hardly going to require much persuasion. It gives me the chance to lend a hand, enjoy the hobby and perhaps even pretend occasionally that I am working rather than simply playing with toy soldiers. I will also be spending some time at the Thailand National Museum on some exciting new historical projects.

Maree, meanwhile, has something rather larger than toy soldiers in mind. She has always had a passion for elephants, and Thailand gives her the opportunity to spend more time around these magnificent animals. She is already planning to do some volunteer work at one of the many elephant rescue centres, where she hopes to contribute in a small way to the care and welfare of animals that have often had difficult lives. It is something she has wanted to do for a long time, and having our own base in Thailand will finally give her the time and opportunity to become involved rather than simply visiting. I suspect that while I am happily discussing terrain, rules and miniature armies, Maree will be equally happy getting her hands dirty somewhere in the company of an elephant.

It also gives us a wonderful starting point for more travel. From Thailand, much of Asia is within relatively easy reach, opening up opportunities for shorter trips without having to make the long journey from Australia every time. There are places we want to revisit, others we have talked about seeing for years, and probably quite a few we have not thought of yet.

Then, when Melbourne begins to warm up again, we can come home.

That is perhaps our idea of retirement. Not abandoning the life we have built in Melbourne, and certainly not disappearing permanently overseas, but giving ourselves the freedom to divide our time a little differently. Most of the year will still be spent at home, but during those cold Melbourne months we will have another place waiting for us, along with old friends, wargames for me, elephants for Maree, great food, warm weather and the opportunity for a few more adventures together.

It does not sound like a bad way to spend a Melbourne winter.

But first things first.

We had better go and make sure the condo has actually been built the way it is supposed to have been, and for readers expect some boring holiday snaps over the next week!

Thanks to OpenAI for help with the pics.