I'm really grateful for the help and suggestions I've received so far - thank you!
Yes, learning to fly can be fun indeed and, in my own experience, often is. But, again my experience, it's also hard work which has on occasion resulted in brain overload and the "I've had enough for now" syndrome. As Genghis said ..."it's all about a strange combination of physical and mental skills". Anyway, I digress!
To re-emphasise, I want to get on with my training right now, not next Spring and summer and, if I'm to do this, I clearly see that I need to go somewhere that doesn't suffer from the vagaries of a British winter. Somewhere in the southern hemisphere would not be realistic - I think! - mainly because of the costs involved. This leaves me with locations in Europe with the most reliable weather. France was high on my list of possibilities, with one school in particular of interest to me. Unfortunately the weather there would probably not be reliable enough for me to chose the location I had in mind (Limoges).
It's been suggested to me that I consider Greece, where the weather probably would be ok for me to complete my training. I could also take advantage of easy, cheap flights and maybe accommodation while I'm there. Does anyone have any thoughts to share with me on this, or any other, possibility?