I just re-read my own posts, and now I'm going to respond to them. This might be extremely 'bad form' and etiquette but then, I'm not really whole-heartedly into this electronic and social media stuff anyway - so forgive me.
I have thought through the complications and also realised that unlike many people who contemplate just buggering off, I've done it before, I've lived abroad, so it's no big deal.
I've also realised that although there's only four years between my friend and I chronologically, in reality there's a generation between us. I'm not ready to take my dinner at 6 pm and then watch TV for a couple of hours.
France beckons, and I'm working out some dates. Mid-September is looking good.