then a lone (or with consenting passenger) beat-up-the-sky-sortie every now and then would clear the cobwebs and wake you up! in the local area or further afield then go home- what's wrong with that? Is this unrealistic/cuckoo-land/soon wears off kind of stuff?
Nothing wrong in that at all - the flying you describe is largely what I do due to being too busy to do much more than 1-2 hours a month. I recommend you fly more regularly than this! I hope you'll forgive me in reiterating what others have said regarding passengers; you need a few PIC hours under your belt first as pax management
can be demanding.
It sounds to me like you 'just' need to find an aircraft that you simply just enjoy flying - if you can find that machine then even 10 mins in the circuit in winter becomes enjoyable. My own opinion is that that aircraft will probably have a stick rather than a yoke and very possibly a tailwheel although I found both the Bulldog and YAK-52 to be sweet handling machines too.
My opinion has been formed by flying Chipmunks, Jodel, Cubs and then Pitts S2A. All four (for me at least) are just a joy to fly for the sheer hell of it. While not a beginners machine (although nowhere near as tricky as some would have you believe), the Pitts was the one that enthralled me every minute between start up and shut down.
I suggest you draw up a shortlist of types you think might be fun and try to get a ride in each and form your preferences from there.
One last thought - I've never flown one but the Fournier RF-4 has a fantastic reputation as a fun machine to fly - single seat but aerobatic and cheap to run. Not the norm for a 'motorglider'. Worth considering a share in one to hours build.