good morning vegancruiser....
The best advice in this thread, as so frequently occurs, was that given by Ghengis....
I started flying at the age of 50, in gliders, and figured I better get on with it before the final curtain came down! so been flying ever since, and have the PPL, IR, bells and whistles and 3,000 hours.
So true, that the older you get the more your learning curve turns into a flat line! I have had to suggest to some enthusiastic students over 60 that perhaps it is best just to enjoy flying dual!
But you want to get the ticks in the boxes, best suggestion is to go to the US of A. Florida is great, but avoid being near Orlando, heavy heavy traffic of heavies overhead, I just flew at Kissimmee a couple of weeks ago, and their patterns (circuits) are fairly restricted because of all the jets winging into Orlando.....
ALSO, BEWARE! Never but never part with your money all at once. Flight schools have a long history of going belly up, and they love to get a wad of cash up front. Pay as you fly...it may save you big bucks in the long run.