Well, that didn't take long, did it? Me, selling the VW-T4 Camper, the star of its own YouTube Channel. I can hardly believe it myself if I'm being totally honest with you. One day we're chilling by a fire pit at the side of the van enjoying some random river or sea view (I can't even remember) and then we drive home and swing by a local motorhome retailer in Limavady and commit to buying a hugely expensive 4-berth motorhome with the one thing we're after... More floor space.

More or less the day she was nearly finishedMy beloved VW-T4 camper at Benone beach. Now, when it's just me and the other half, the van is absolutely perfect, add Milo (he's a Pug / Jack Russel cross), still good cause he's only a wee fart of a dog, but when you throw in the other four-legged family member, Lucky, that's when the frustration kicks in. She's just too big. Weighing at nearly 8st and 5ft tall when upright, she takes up nearly 50% of the floor through no fault of her own. She's a Lab/Alsation cross, the deepest of barks you'll ever hear, but with nothing but love in her heart, so with much reluctance, I'm selling the camper so that she can have the space she needs to move about, and not get under our feet.

To be fair, Lucky has adapted well to the camper, she's learned to step back from the fridge door when Daddy wants in, and she tuckers herself under the rock 'n roll bed when it's time to go to sleep. The problem is, you're always fearful of stepping on her when you wake in the night to use the Porta-Potti, and once that bed is out, you have to think carefully about where you stand, as there aren't that many options.

So what have we bought I hear you ask (those damn voices)? Well, we haven't got it yet, still waiting on the finances to be approved, but we've only gone and got ourselves this yoke to the right. Fiat Lunar PremierProbably the newest motorhome we've owned.

Again, we had a wish list of things we wanted, but the priority was always going to be floor space for Lucky, and this literally has heaps of it. A fixed rear bed, which means the wife can sleep on for longer if she wants. I can move into the 'lounge area' which is essentially near the front bit that has a sofa, table and chairs I can work from. The bathroom and separate shower area are accessible and I can even make a cuppa and not disturb the dogs or Kathy. Everyone is a winner. We're hoping to have it by mid-next week (September 2022), but we'll see. No rush as we've another big thing happening... We're moving to Ballykelly too! Again, I kid you not, this is for floor space again, but of a different kind. Upper floors.

We currently live snuggly in a bungalow, but with 2 teenage girls, with next to no real privacy, as they have to walk across the main hall to use the bathroom/shower, adding to the reality that boys are going to be on the scene, plus music and just well, hey, girls being girls, we felt it was time to move to a house with actual stairs in it. However, we found a house with not just one flight of stairs, but two! We're moving to a 3-story townhouse (subject to contracts etc) which will mean, I and my good lady will be occupying the ground floor, the main living area and kitchen (and a large bathroom) are on the 1st floor, and the girls will have the two large rooms upstairs that have ensuite bathrooms and there's even an extra spare room for when my kids come visiting.

Farmer at workFarmer at work We're all super excited about lots of different things. It's almost like we're living the life we wanted for ourselves when we retire, but we're doing it now. I'm back out doing photography and drone work with my sub 250g unrestricted DJI Mini Pro 3, footage of which I'm capturing is currently going through the process of being quality reviewed so that I can sell stock video, I'm blasting out images left right and centre from the various locations we've been parked in. This tractor image you see on the left, I didn't even have to leave the garden to get it, he was right next to my house going about his own business when I captured him at work.

With my last wedding, I'll be photographing just a month away, I didn't want to totally walk away from photography. I still enjoy the odd gig here and there, the odd festival, but truth be told, I'm getting too old to be running up and down alters photographing couples. The craic was mighty, has to be said, and I do get a buzz out of doing them, but this stuff, writing, drone photography, stock video capture, this is where I'm going now. I'm even back to writing reviews for restaurants again, that's how much I've missed writing.

The day job gives me the freedom (and financial security) to work from anywhere. My wife is happy, the girls are going to be much happier, my children will have a decent space to stay in when they come to visit, and with a bigger rig to travel about it, and the ability to bring the dogs, it won't feel like we're just slumming it in the back of what is essentially a weekend away camper. We'll still have our fire pit nights sitting by the motorhome watching the sun go down, the dogs by our sides as we enjoy a cold drink. This way though, I'll be able to get up in the morning and continue my weight loss journey because I'll have a proper stove to cook from, a kitchen to work in, and a proper fridge to store the types of food I should be eating, not the junk I have been eating. Plus, I'll be able to shower that campfire smoke from my scalp (I don't have hair as you already know) and feel like a proper member of society, should I wish to do people stuff.

2021 started off okay for me, working away on the buses, completed that camper van, which I was really getting the benefit from, my eldest getting married, and then, back to an old company I'd previously worked at towards the later part of the year. Scotland for 3 weeks in 2022, a new granddaughter, a promotion and a transfer to a job I simply adore, and now we're moving home, selling the camper and buying a motorhome to create even more adventures and memories, and have the ability to spend more time with my family without worrying about the costs of kenneling the dogs, as they'll be coming with us, as we'd always intended when we retire.

Life is for living, you have to squeeze your dreams in where you can, and simply do what makes you happy. What are you doing to make you happy?

If you're interested in buying the camper, you can see further details here: VW T4 Camper (LWB High Top) If it's still listed when you read this, then it's still for sale.