Thanks everyone, your replies are worded much better than my original question(s).
My dad was a glider instructor and he paid for me, my brother and sister to fly gliders as teenagers. Now age 43 and after reading 'propellerhead', I am reading everything I can online and buying the odd 'Pilot' magazine, thinking of getting a suitable licence to buy a microlight or PFA/LAA aircraft such as a Jodel or maybe a share in a proper group 'A' aircraft.
I know there is rarely a reason for GA to make economic sense, but part of my justification is that my family and I will get SOME utility out of a plane. I drive about 25,00 mile a year, but rarely more than 2hrs away. I might be able to use a plane for European holidays once or twice a year.
Even a cheap two-seat LAA plane would kep me current, and I could hire a four-seater for hols.
One thought is to get a Funk FK9
http://www.fk-lightplanes.com/html/fk9_-_mk_iv.html (472.5kg, Group A) with diesel engine, and hire it out for hour-building, to get other people to contribute to my flying. Another thought is that it would be part of my boys' education, just as gliders were part of mine.
Just kicking around ideas before I suggest to my wife that I spend £20-30k (licence and plane) of our hard-earned on mucking about in the sky.