Hello Ian and Sue and a very warm :welcome1: to the site.
It sounds idyllic where you live so you've got the best of both worlds what with the Motorhome as well.
We've also got a Rapido but the 9066df model which we love (after a few initial teething problems).
We've got 5 years of motorhoming experience but haven't been as adventurous as we thought we would just visiting Spain, France and Portugal so in 2014 we're doing Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and Germany - hopefully.
Well done for rescuing a dog - we've got a Border Terrier who also is a great traveller but not so good with other dogs.
Look forward to hearing from you on the forum and if you've any good tips re recipes or cooking utensils for the Motorhome please share them. We use a Remoska, a slow cooker and a halogen hob when on EHU.(not all at the same time mind!)
Chris