Dalyan – 28th August

It was Maddie and Sam’s engagement celebration on a Princess of Ekincik boat trip on Monday 28th August. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman had to go without me as I had plans with Kelly and Clare. Kelly was leaving after midnight tonight but Clare was off around midday. It had not been a long enough trip and I was going to miss them a lot. I’d loved having them both here in Dalyan and it had really made my week! We all had more last day BC Spa treatments booked in. While the girls had their last full on pamper, I had a much needed pedicure. It was £10 which I didn’t think was bad and the therapist did a good job. I was trying my best not to sob when Clare left, especially as we hoped to meet up when I came back to England and maybe get a cheeky Rhodes holiday in for 2024.

Kelly and I waved Clare off as Fikri took her to the airport then we decided to have a last walk down the river. We stumbled across Sahil restaurant, where I’d not been to in ages. I’ve got friends who love it but I’d also read bad reviews of them ripping people off fairly recently. It took a while for one of the many staff to pass me the menus he was holding and I was on my guard to see if they were dual menu/pricing for foreigners. I did speak in Turkish but was given an English only menu. It has amazing views of the river so I didn’t expect it to be cheap but it turned out to be one of the more expensive places I’ve eaten at, in August. A coke was 65 lira (£1.94)! My chicken wrap was the most expensive I’ve had in Dalyan but the chips were very good. The chicken fajitas, which Kelly ordered without the wraps, were 447 lira (£13.34), which I remembered as it was a strange price. Having said that, Kelly did say it was one of the best meals she’d had all holiday and thought it was worth the price.
On the way back through town, it was pretty warm so we stopped at Sofra bar for a swift drink. It’s probably a good job we did as the TVs had some important news showing! The Air Traffic Control System in the UK had failed and was causing chaos. Flights to and from the UK were either cancelled or delayed until further notice. Clare was at the airport with a delayed flight but access to the lounge so was coping well but we didn’t know yet if it would affect Kelly’s flight, which was at 4.50am tomorrow.

While uncertainty for whether Clare’s flight, already delayed by a couple of hours, would take off still, Kelly checked the news and called home. Regular updates came from Clare at Dalaman airport but it looked like even the staff didn’t really know when flights would continue to fly. My mate, Josh, was stuck at a UK airport trying to get to Italy. All we knew about Kelly’s flight was that she should still go to the airport to check in, as normal, even if there was going to be long delays so that was the plan. We went back to BC Spa finished off some wine and then got ready for our last meal together.
Captain Caveman was back from an amazing day on the boat with lots of friends and had not heard about the flight issues. Of course, he said if Kelly’s flight got cancelled or delayed she was welcome to stay at his place and proceeded to tidy the spare room, just in case.
We ate at Bistro Blue that evening where Captain Caveman had liver & onions for a starter and Kelly had the onion bhaji. I didn’t have a starter as I knew I’d be having a big main meal. We shared some Allure rosé wine which went down very well and for mains we ordered a steak with onion and mushrooms for me, a chicken casserole for Kelly, and Captain Caveman chose the chicken & halloumi salad. I loved the food and was very full after eating all my dinner. As we drank more wine, Clare messaged to let us know she had finally landed at Gatwick but she had been one of the lucky ones. I managed to squeeze in the shared dessert of baklava with ice-cream which was delightful and not at all Slimming World friendly. We did a cheers with our complimentary amarettos to our last night together and recorded a birthday message to the other Claire, who hadn’t been able to make it out to Dalyan this time. The bill came to 2,800 lira (£83.58) for the 3 of us. All was well except for the fact that Captain Caveman was able to ascertain that Kelly’s flight was probably going to be cancelled before she got informed of it. The plane was still in the UK and would not be leaving any time soon so it would not be likely that Kelly could get on it from Turkey. Fikri was still on hold though for 1am as we weren’t sure if she was definitely going to the airport or not.
Captain Caveman, feeling tired after a long journey from Vietnam and going out since he got back, went home. I went back to BC Spa with Kelly where we explained the flight situation and the receptionist said the hotel room was available for tomorrow anyway, should she need it.

Dalyan – 27th August

I was awake on Sunday 27th August before Captain Caveman landed in Dalaman, on time, at 7.55am. I checked the weather forecast and it looked to be a bit cooler than what he’s used to in Vietnam but still quite warm and dry. He was only going to be here for a week and then he had a Europe and UK trip planned, so he hoped to make the most of being back in Dalyan just for a short time. The most important thing was for me to sort out all the necessary paperwork so that I would be able renew my residency. Hopefully, I would have everything he needed to sign, completed before we left for another trip to Rhodes.
Captain Caveman arrived but, as he gets paid in Vietnamese Dong, he had no Turkish money. I went out to pay Fikri, the taxi fare of 850 lira (£25) while he brought in all his luggage. I was excited to see him but by 10am I was even happier – he’d managed to get me some Yorkshire teabags! His friend, Damo, had purchased a box from Cornwall, took it to Saigon to handover to Captain Caveman and then he’d brought it over to Dalyan! Unfortunately, there had still been no 2024 diaries anywhere on his journey so I would have to wait until he went back to England.
I’d waited to have my breakfast with Captain Caveman but he’d eaten already so I had fresh figs, banana, strawberries and quark with a nice cup of Yorkshire tea. I drank quite a bit of cucumber infused water in the hope of my eczema clearing up but it still looked quite bad.

By 2pm I was sending a copy of Captain Caveman’s tapu (deeds) and his tax code to Sonuç for my residency renewal file. At 3pm we decided to head over for a cheeky snifter at Tez bar before we went to meet Clare and Kelly at Lukka bar. Tez wasn’t there but his wife, Rabia, was feeding Bailey the new kitten so we had to get a photo. Of course, with Captain Caveman having been in Vietnam for 9 months I’d decided to book us in for a traditional meal as his first one.

All 4 of us were booked in for a Sunday lunch at Lukka where they do amazing Yorkshire puddings. We had pre-ordered the meat choices; Captain Caveman was having lamb and the 3 of us were having beef. The lamb dinner was 495 lira (£14.77), 400 lira (£11.94) for the beef dinner and that included apple pie and ice-cream. Captain Caveman had a couple of Efes beers which were 85 lira (£2.54) each. My glass of rosé wine was 98 lira (£2.98) but I didn’t order a second one as I wasn’t keen on the Buzbağ rosé. We shared a large bottle of water which was 45 lira (£1.34) as we needed to keep hydrated.
The food and service were good and I really enjoyed what I managed to eat, a little less than half of my meal went in to Tupperware for another day as it was huge. I even took my apple pie home as I was trying to be good. It’s not the cheapest place in town, we’d paid 1,248 lira (£37.25) for Captain Caveman and my Sunday lunch with drinks, but we had full tummies and enjoyed it. Clare and Kelly both said it would have cost more than that where they live in England so it was a nice treat, for a bit of a change.

Just after eating our meal, I got sad news that a friend, John, had died. He was the guy I met when I volunteered to push him round the Dalyan 5k Race in a wheelchair. He was quite a character and a lovely fella so I was rather sad. We decided to pop to Bistro Blue for a bit of a drink and I was in a bit of a daze for Clare’s farewell drinks. I managed a pint of draft Efes, Captain Caveman had another Efes Malt, Clare a gin & tonic and Kelly an English Garden cocktail.
On the second round I just had half and everyone else had the same as before. Here’s what we paid for the drinks:

1 litre of water 75.00
330ml draft Efes 75.00
500ml draft Efes 90.00
500ml Efes Malt 90.00
Gin & Tonic 130.00
English Garden cocktail 330.00

Our total bill for 4 of us came to 1,415 lira (£42.24) but the cocktails are probably the same as you’d pay in the UK. Back home, I was back on the cucumber water, while Captain Caveman had a gin and tonic and I made him a mini pizza wrap in the airfryer. While I was happy that Captain Caveman was back, I was sad that Clare and Kelly were leaving tomorrow.

Dalyan – 26th August

At 9am on Saturday 26th August I would ordinarily be thinking of getting to the Saturday market for some fruit and vegetables. They do sell lots of other things there, including bags, shoes, clothes, spices, Turkish delight, as well as being able to buy a cheap gözleme (Turkish pancake). I’d asked Kelly and Clare if they fancied a wander round it later but they weren’t really up for a 15 minute walk (each way) in such hot weather, especially as they didn’t really need anything in particular. I knew I’d mostly be eating out with my friends, rather than cooking at home, so there was no point stocking up either.
We all spent the morning in the treatment rooms of the BC Spa and had mixed massages. I had some reflexology which was fantastic while the lady sorted out Kelly’s back. Clare was in another room getting a full body massage. We were all super relaxed by the time we emerged and we were fit for doing nothing, except for maybe a stroll down the river for some lunch.
I suggested an old favourite to eat at, Yakamoz, so we could sit and admire the river view. It was a hot day so the slight breeze was welcome and we got a couple of glimpses of a turtle swimming nearby. The starters had a theme of cheese; stuffed mushrooms, cheese rolls (sigara böreği in Turkish) and Halloumi all with salad garnish and plenty of fresh bread. For main I ordered the chicken shish, Kelly had chicken casserole and Clare had the mixed casserole. We all had soda water or a soft drink as we needed to keep hydrated. My meal came to 570 lira (£17) which was a bit steep for lunch time and wasn’t the biggest, or best, chicken shish I’ve had in Dalyan. The girls enjoyed their casseroles so I’d probably have that the next time.

We strolled back through town and the girls grabbed dessert at the Dalyano ice-cream shop, 70 lira (£2.09) for 3 scoops.
Next, we popped in to the Dalyan Turkish Delights and More shop on the main shopping street to buy some Turkish delight. It wasn’t as cheap as when I get it in Fethiye but it was very fresh and the lady let us taste quite a few flavours. I bought rose for me and pistachio for Captain Caveman, who would be arriving in Dalyan tomorrow. Our final shopping spot was Aladdin Bags, where we browsed the purses. I have a Hermes purse which I bought a couple of years ago and he was selling them for the same English price as back then which was good. Both Kelly and Clare got themselves a bargain and it meant it was time for a light refreshment.

On weekends it can often be tricky to find a reasonably priced bar which doesn’t have sport on so when I saw that Corner bar was empty and had no TV on, we plumped ourselves down on the comfy seats. I ordered a pint of draft Efes, the girls opted for a cocktail. While the drinks were being prepared a half naked English bloke and his mates came up and asked for the football to be put on and the bar man obliged. Our peace was shattered, Kelly went off for another browse round the shops for souvenirs while Clare and I tried to ignore the football on TV. We left after the one drink and sauntered back to BC Spa. Around the same time, Captain Caveman was boarding his plane from Saigon to Istanbul. We stayed around the girls’ hotel room and had leftover nibbles and wine for the evening. I got home after midnight again – this time knowing that when I woke up tomorrow, Captain Caveman would be on his way from Istanbul to Dalaman.

Photo credit – some by Clare Spindloe

Dalyan – 25th August

I spent the morning of Friday 25th August making sure I had all the paperwork and information that I needed for my residency renewal appointment. Next week we were able to apply for the appointment date as it can be applied for up to 60 days before my existing expiry date.
At 11am, we were all booked in to BC Spa for our spa treatments which consisted of a foam and scrub in the hamam, a face mask and a massage. The classic package cost us £35, lasted 75 minutes and was really good, even better than the last time I had it.
For lunch the 3 of us treated ourselves to a meal at Egehan with a glass of wine. We had complimentary starters of hummus, red pepper and walnut dip and baba ghanoush – all were delicious. For mains we had the following; Clare Sea Bass 370 lira (£11), Kelly meatballs 300 lira (£8.96) with an extra side salad instead of the usual rice and chips, I had mantı, Turkish pasta, 270 lira (£8.06). The food was delicious and it’s a lovely little boutique hotel with dining by the pool. After Egehan, the girls fancied an ice cream so I introduced them to the delights of Cherry Up where they both selected 3 scoops in a tub for 70 lira (£2.09) each. I’m not a huge ice-cream fan so I didn’t have any, I was still full from lunch.
Our next stop was the supermarket as we had decided to stay in at BC Spa tonight.
We chose to take a bit of a buffet/picnic approach where I bought the shopping and the girls bought the wine. Here’s what was in the shopping basket and the prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket

2 plastic bags 0.50
Apples 9.87
Chocolate biscuits 10.00
Turkey ‘ham’ slices 16.90
2 packs of normal sliced turkey 19.50
Cucumber 22.72
Tomatoes 36.25
Hummus 40.75
Plastic plates 49.50
Walnuts 53.50
Crispbreads 72.00
Pastrami slices 79.50
Smoked cheese 104.90
Smoked turkey slices 109.50
White cheese 119.90
Total spent 745.29 lira (£22.25)

Kelly and Clare thought it might make a nice addition to our evening dining to get some takeaway meat from the Kokoreç place. We waited for a fresh portion to be cooked but I wasn’t sure if it would be very nice, especially as I don’t tend to like eating lamb or goat. It cost 180 lira (£5.37) for just 100g so it wasn’t cheap but it is considered a delicacy in Turkey.

I called at home on the way back so that I could get changed and pick up a corkscrew, more wine from the fridge and a few bits and bobs from the fridge/cupboard. We had a feast and plenty of wine, while chatting away. The ofal didn’t end up getting eaten as it looked disgusting when we took off the lid and none of us could bring ourselves to taste the very fatty, now cold, meat. I got home after 1am, a little merry after another great day with my friends.

Dalyan – 24th August

On Thursday 24th August Clare was on her way to Dalyan and would be joining Kelly at the BC Spa Hotel in the afternoon. I had fresh figs, strawberries and quark for breakfast and then popped to the bank to transfer money from my US Dollar account to my Turkish account. I had a feeling it would be a bit more of an expensive week with having my friends here and I needed to have some funds available. At the bank, the resident cat decided she’d quite like a bit of attention and came for a cuddle while I waited for the cashier.
By 1pm I was with Kelly by the pool at BC Spa and we decided to have some lunch there. I had a chicken wrap which came with a few chips and Kelly had a salad. It wasn’t expensive and I really enjoyed the very filling wrap. Clare arrived at the hotel just after 3pm and I was so glad to get a big hug from her, again it had been far too long!
While Clare got settled in, I had an important meeting with Sonuç who I was paying to do my residency renewal stuff for me. We met by the river at BC Spa and I bought us a hot drink while we discussed the requirements and timeline. Unfortunately, Sonuç told me I would not be able to go for a 2 year renewal unless I had £10,000 in my Turkish Bank account which would be a bit tricky!
When I got back to the girls, they were sat in the outdoor dining area of the hotel and had ordered some food; a yoghurt dish, stuffed mushrooms and some breaded chicken pieces. I joined them for a glass of rosé wine which was very nice. The girls and I already had pre-booked the classic spa packages in for tomorrow and they mentioned they might book some more treatments in to.

That evening, we shared a bottle of Angora white wine at Tapa bar on our way in to town for dinner. I’d been keen to eat at River House for a while as I’d not been in a long time. We were given complimentary lavaş (balloon bread) with dips and we ordered main meals to share, Kelly had a salad while Clare and I shared a pide. We had a bottle of white wine and enjoyed a lovely reasonably priced evening, they have also made some improvements to the restaurant toilets since I was last there. I really enjoyed the meal at River House and definitely needed to visit again.
On our way home, we stopped off for a last drink at Bistro Blue and for the girls to say hello to Annie and Selahı. They had a new cocktail called the English garden at 330 lira (£9.85), with cucumber in it. It was a bit out of my budget so I stuck to wine but the girls said it was fantastic, really refreshing. It had been a cracking first full day with my friends and the next 4 days were going to go too fast!

Dalyan – 23rd August

It was Captain Caveman’s last day in Phong Nha on Wednesday 23rd August; his caving season had ended and he would be off to Saigon tomorrow for some fun before he flew to Turkey.
Meanwhile in Dalyan, for some reason, I stopped writing down what I ate as from today which meant I was likely to go off track with my Slimming World Plan. I got weighed at home and had stayed the same as last week. Strangely, my measurements were a bit unusual this week; I’d put 4cm on my bust, lost 2cm from my waist and 4cm from my hips. This was the slimmest my waist had been in ages and was only 2cm away from my target. I still had Fat Club Carol’s scales to face this afternoon so I would see how I did there.
I popped to the bank to withdraw some cash as I was running low and had a leisurely morning. I checked flights to Naples and found that for me they were around £130 one way, via London or Istanbul. For my parents they were only around £25 from Manchester.
I messaged Kelly who was already on her way here, to ask about plans for meeting later. Fikri was already booked for a taxi to pick Kelly up from Dalaman airport when she landed at 9.35pm and take her to BC Spa, where she was staying for 5 nights. We agreed to play it by ear for this evening as she wasn’t certain how late it would be or how tired she might feel and would text me when she got to the hotel.
At Fat Club I had also stayed the same as last week which was a bit disappointing but, not a loss.
On my way home I did a bit of shopping and here’s what I got, with prices in lira.

Migros Supermarket

Green tea 16.90
UHT skimmed milk 20.50
1 can boiled beans 21.50
6 eggs 27.75
2 cans of pink grapefruit drink 30.00
Walnuts 44.50
Fabric Softener 67.50
Total spent 228.65 lira (£6.72)

Şok Supermarket

Plastic bag 0.25
Washing powder 175.25
Total spent 175.50 lira (£5.16)

Again, I’d made the sensible choice not to go to Rehab bar to meet the pool gang and be tempted to drink too much alcohol.
I did eat macaroni cheese balls done in the airfryer for lunch which was a bit naughty and not diet friendly at all. I sat on the balcony and chilled out a bit but the new holiday renters staying in the apartment opposite were very noisy, especially the father of the English family. They spent hours in the pool as it was still hot at 6pm, I couldn’t fault them even though I still hadn’t been in our pool yet.
For dinner I tried something new, airfryer cauliflower steaks and roasted veggies which I had on the balcony with a vodka and grapefruit.

At 11pm, Kelly contacted me from the hotel and was up for meeting up. I walked over to BC Spa and we had a big hug – it had been far too long! Thinking we would just go somewhere nearby, I suggested Okyanus for a drink and a catch up but it might have been the wrong choice. We ordered a bottle of white wine and Kelly had not had dinner so she asked our friendly waiter, Bakı, if she could just have tomatoes and cucumbers as a salad. He was very obliging and I’ve known him for some years now. He took a bit of a shine to Kelly so we couldn’t enjoy much of a private conversation without him joining us – one of the downsides of living in paradise but Kelly didn’t mind. I walked Kelly back the short distance to BC Spa where she had a lovely room and we arranged to meet tomorrow, ready for Clare arriving. I got in just after 1am and was so excited to have seen Kelly again, this next few days was going to be amazing!

Dalyan – 22nd August

As I had another day off on Tuesday 22nd August I’d already booked for the cleaner to come and do the apartment. Kelly and Clare were arriving on Thursday and Friday respectively, then Captain Caveman would arrive on Sunday. I had my overnight oats with quark and frozen berries for breakfast, I’m not a fan but it went down ok. I went to Goodeer Cafe to do some blogging while the cleaner was at our place but they didn’t have the lime slushy or any normal tea (I don’t drink coffee). I decided to try an iced chai tea latte to see how I fared with that and it was nice. At 75 lira (£2.20) for one, they aren’t the cheapest, and I hate that it’s served in a disposable plastic cup, with an attached lid and a straw, even though I’m sitting inside the cafe. It’s not environmentally friendly at all, but I had another iced chai tea latte and decided to ask what was actually in it. The girl couldn’t tell me as she said it comes in a sachet which they mix in to some milk and ice. I googled it and used a similar Starbucks drink to guage how many syns it might be. I think at least 10, maybe as many as 20, so I wouldn’t be coming here again – they weren’t that nice!
As I was getting ready to leave, I had some horrendous pains in my stomach but someone was in the toilet. I waited 10 minutes, feeling very unwell, but the person in there must have been unwell too. Getting slightly panicky, I hurried to Jiks to use their toilet and was very close to collapsing or having an accident in the street. I spent the rest of the cleaner’s time sat in Jiks, either sipping water or sat on the toilet in pain. Iced chai tea lattes were definitely a no go in the future. While I was wasting time at Jiks, I recovered and then got hungry so I ordered a mushroom pizza to take away. When it came, they had misheard and I’d ended up with a Special pizza. I paid 180 lira (£5.29) for the pizza and 40 lira (£1.18) for a litre bottle of water.
Back home, the cleaner was still there and I had a sit on the sofa while the floors dried. At 3pm I spoke to Captain Caveman who was keen to get the Naples part of his trip researched so that we could get flights booked. I said I’d have a look in to it tomorrow as I needed to work out when I would be working too.
I had the rest of the pizza for dinner but still had a bad stomach so I had an early night.

Dalyan and Köyceğiz – 21st August

I took full advantage of not having to work on Monday 21st August. Molly, the cat, was not a fan of joining me for a selfie but she didn’t mind posing for a solo photo. By 9am she was snoozy and I was admiring the view.
Back home I had quark, fruit and black tea which was not alleviating my eczema one bit. For lunch I had more of the chicken and carrot (with chickpeas) curry which I had with egg fried rice.

In the evening I attended a ladies only (plus Jamie) boat trip which Adele and I had organised. Onboard were the following people:
Viv, Nanny Kay, Jamie, Angela & Lynda (from Dalaman), Janice (aka Lily Fish), Ann, Monique, Rach, Adele and, of course, me.
Captain Fuat and his boat were more traditional which is just what we wanted for our moonlight boat trip. It was the first time I’d met him and I was pleased with Adele’s choice. We decided that we would head out in the afternoon to Köyceğiz so that any last minute shopping could be enjoyed. Jamie, Ann and I enjoyed a bottle of wine near the harbour at a bar where they had to call the manager to bring the wine fridge keys.

Back on board the boat, Fuat sailed to a quiet spot so we could have a sunset swim. He had bought us a couple of bottles of nice fizz and had cooked a traditional Turkish dinner for our evening meal. The soup starter was homemade and delicious and the casserole for main was exceptional. Captain Fuat served fruit, including fresh figs from his own garden too. We got back at gone 11pm, having had a lovely evening. I’d spent 1250 lira (£36.72); which included the boat and 5 wines so I was very merry and had thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Photo credit – some by Jamie Sunstone

Dalyan – 19th & 20th August

It was Dalyan market day on Saturday 19th August so I was up early. I sorted out some allergy/meal requirements for an upcoming event then went to check on Molly, the cat.
Unfortunately, she (or another cat) had done a poo on the floor in both the bedroom and the lounge and also on the sofa, where she sleeps! I was a bit shocked as she uses the cat litter but I got to cleaning it straight away. Maybe she was stressed from me leaving her yesterday or maybe she had been worried by another cat, the one Tez mentioned. I gave her some cuddles so that she knew it was ok, then popped on the AC and closed the doors and windows so that, if it was another cat, she could feel safer. I went to the market, taking some photos along the way and I bought the following:

Market stall 1
Red peppers, Cauliflower and a lemon
Spent 40 lira (£1.17)

Market stall 2
Figs
Spent 50 lira (£1.46)

Market stall 3
Potatoes and onions
Spent 40 lira (£1.17)

Market stall 4
Bananas, plums and strawberries
Spent 180 lira (£5.27)

Total spent at the market 310 lira (£9.08). This was a lot for me but I was fully stocked for a healthy week, or more!

A lady who collects clothes and spare items for charities, which include women refuges in Fethiye, called to pick up my donations. We had a chat, she’s a lovely lady who’s doing so much for desperately poor people in the wider Muğla area so I was glad I’d had a bit of a sort out, ready For Captain Caveman coming back.
For breakfast I ate 2 fresh figs with quark, peach and strawberries then went back to see Molly. She was snoozing and was fine – no more accidents.
I decided to make a Slimming World chicken and carrot curry for dinner in the slow cooker, for lunch I had chicken and beetroot salad.
In the afternoon I had a little walk around the block, checked out prices of fizz in the off licence, bought some cat litter for 51 lira (£1.49) and took the money from Rob’s pot. I bought a homemade croissant from La Sorrella, round the corner, and spent time with Molly. She seemed happy and was well behaved.
When I went back home the gate was blocked, by an inconsiderate parker who had been there all day, so I put a note in Turkish on his windscreen, asking them to be more considerate. I had the slow cooker meal which was great and I even had 4 portions left, 2 for fridge and 2 for freezing. I was pleased with myself for keeping my plans to avoid going out, therefore not drinking any alcohol. I was going to try for another alcohol free day tomorrow, too!

On Sunday 20th August I was with Molly before 8am, the views from Rob and Tracy’s were lovely and I could see why they lived there. Molly was happy and no bother, today was my last day with her as a friend was taking over tomorrow.
I had another croissant from La Sorrella, they are 70 lira (£2) but are massive and so good! I also had 2 fresh figs, strawberries and quark washed down with Linden tea.
I met Linda at Lukka bar for a cup of tea, now 25 lira (73p) for Turkish tea, and we discussed the hand over of Molly, the cat, which would happen tomorrow.
I made a mushroom and leek soup in the slow cooker and had beans on wholemeal toast for lunch before checking and feeding Molly. I added more veg and some cooked chicken to the slow cooker soup and had a portion as a snack. For dinner I had more of it with noodles, followed by blue cheese, crackers and figs. Another no booze day under my belt and I was on 169 syns for the week so far, 100 less than this time last week. I stayed up until midnight because I had no work this coming week!

Dalyan – 18th August

I was up and about early on Friday 18th August, ready for a boat trip. It was the first one this month – the last one I went on was 3 weeks ago. I checked on, played with and fed Molly, the cat, and I gave her some extra treats, seeing as I wouldn’t be back at lunch time. Back home, I ate overnight oats with peach and quark for breakfast before getting ready to meet friends, Penny and Phil. They had invited me on a boat trip with them, their family and a friend, so I’d made sure I wasn’t working today.
We were going on Kingfisher boat which was costing 750 lira (£22.22) each and included lunch. The boat was nice, although quite full so I could see why it was slightly cheaper than a usual trip, due to the amount of people joining. We had a biscuit and a cup of tea then sailed towards Ekincik with a few other boats near to us. Today the sea was very choppy and I had to take a sea sickness tablet. I didn’t think that the first stop looked calm enough for swimming so I stayed on the boat but some of the kids were already jumping off the top deck. A couple of the mothers of the children didn’t seem to care or notice until the captain called everyone back in and we moved on. As there were 3 kids in our party I decided not to drink alcohol until later, it was a family trip not a booze up. The lunch was plentiful, although not the best I’ve had on a boat trip but then I’ve been spoiled with the ones we choose. When I did have a wine I decided to have white with soda water. Our last swim stop was very calm and the water was so clear. We all bobbed about chatting and having a good laugh. On our return back to Dalyan I had another white wine and soda, which I sipped, as I was trying to be good. I got rather a shock when I got the bill as the small Harman wines were 120 lira (£3.54) each and the soda water was 40 lira (£1.18)each. 160 lira (£4.72) is the most I’ve paid in Dalyan for a wine and soda water. A small beer was 80 lira (£2.36) which I’d have been better having but I didn’t think. I did query it with the waitress and the captain’s wife but they do charge the same for a soda water as a soft drink.
We were back in Dalyan dead on 5pm too, which was a bit early but it did mean I could be with Molly, the cat, earlier than I anticipated. I fed Molly and spent a bit of time with her, she was pleased to see me but Tez said she’d been galavanting with a boyfriend!
By 7pm I was having an airfryer quesadilla as I was peckish. I even had cheesespread on wholemeal toast before bed. Tomorrow I promised myself a healthy relaxing day and had already decided I would have an alcohol free day.

Dalyan – 17th August

After feeding and playing with Molly for a bit on Thursday 17th August, I did a big shop. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket

1 plastic bag 0.25
Green peppers 4.19
Cucumber 5.10
Cornflour 8.25
Courgettes 9.42
Noodles 14.90
Ginger 17.59
Apples 17.76
Fat free yoghurt 21.50
Cumin 27.90
Peaches 32.47
Broccoli 33.90
Olives 36.50
Spinach 37.90
Garlic powder 39.90
Wraps 41.50
4 X Quark 50.00
Green Beans 54.90
Mozzarella 59.90
Artichokes 63.90
Falafel 64.90
1 jar roasted red peppers 72.90
Mac & Cheese balls 74.90
Spray oil 79.90
Soap 87.66
Turkey slices 89.90
Cherries 100.72
Whikas Cat Food 111.66
1kg chicken 143.72
Frozen blackberries 159.90
Frozen raspberries 249.90

Total spent 1,829.69 lira (£53.62)

This was probably the most that I’ve ever spent in the supermarket this year in one shop and I struggled to carry it home.
I called in to a couple of other shops along the way back where I bought Airfryer liners and bun cases for 95 lira (£2.78), coconut milk for 60 lira (£1.76) and a water refill for 50 lira (£1.47).

I had fruit and quark for breakfast and I was trying hard not to fall off the Slimming World plan. I went back to check on, play with and feed Molly, she was pleased to see I’d got her more food. I took 112 lira out of the pot for the Whiskas too which had 8 pouches in.
For lunch I had some of the airfried chicken in a salad with beetroot and 2 cups of green tea. At 5.30pm I met Ann at Kefal tea gardens for a çay and a chat.
I checked on Molly again and let her know I would only be there twice tomorrow as I had plans. For dinner I made a chicken chow mein with mushrooms and broccoli in and it was delicious. In the evening I had an apple and some cherries but resisted alcohol, this meant my syns for the day were only 10.

Dalyan – 15th & 16th August

Fat Club had been moved to a day earlier due to the women’s football, so I got weighed at home on Tuesday 15th August to find I was 0.5kg lighter than last week. As always, Carol’s scales were what mattered so my real result would be this afternoon. I did my measurements to find I’d lost 1cm from my bust, my hips were the same but I’d put 1cm on my waist. I’d only drank alcohol 3 times in the last week, which was helping keep on track.
I went to Rob and Tracy’s to feed and play with Molly, the cat, and had just cherries for breakfast. On my way back home, I noticed that the gardening company had done a bit of pruning around the complex but it still wasn’t looking great. I popped back to Molly at lunch time and fed her some treats then it was time to get ready for Fat Club. I was disappointed to find I had stayed the same as last week on Carol’s scales.
I was a bit naughty when I went shopping, I got myself some treats. Here’s what I got at the shop and the prices in lira:

Şevikoğlu Supermarket

2 chocolate orange bars 6.50
Black tea 18.90
Greaseproof paper 23.90
Tortilla wraps 29.90
Gherkins 36.90

Total spent 116.10 lira (£3.41)

Seeing as I had no Yorkshire tea left, I’d had to resort to Turkish black tea, which I had with a couple of chocolate orange bars. The tea is meant to be good for eczema, which was not getting any better.
I fed and played with Molly again in the early evening before going home for dinner. I had a tandoori style chicken with a wrap and some quark. Then had another treat of popcorn and crisps while watching Netflix.

Wednesday 16th August was pay day for me and I’d been invited to go up to Rehab bar in the afternoon. I have no interest in watching football, women’s or otherwise, so I decided on a nice relaxing day at home. I had a green tea and some beans on wholemeal toast for breakfast. I made a pizza wrap in the airfryer for lunch then had a healthy feta and beetroot salad for dinner. I also cooked the whole chicken in the airfryer so that I had meat for the rest of the week’s meals.
I took my cat sitting duties seriously and went to look after Molly 3 times, she really was a sweet cat.
That evening, I finished off the bottle of rosé wine at home and watched Netflix.

Dalyan – 14th August

By 8am on Monday 14th August I was in Rob and Tracy’s apartment feeding Molly, the cat. While I was there, I took some photos, played with Molly and spoke to Captain Caveman who was at a party with some porters. We discussed me meeting him in Naples at the beginning of October but the flights went via London which was a bit of a faff and they weren’t particularly cheap. Before work, I had cheese on toast for breakfast, but no Yorkshire tea as I had ran out. I messaged our gardening company, to let them know they needed to tidy the grounds of our complex and they replied to say they would come today – they didn’t.
I went back to check the cat at lunch time and, as the owners had not left enough food or cat litter in for Molly, I located the spare cash as instructed by Rob. I would check the price when I next went to the supermarket as I had no idea how much cat food was, these days. I played with Molly for a bit, she’s a lovely cat but a bit on the chunky side. I took more photos and admired the river view. Back at home, I had mantı (Turkish pasta) for lunch then got back to work.
I went to meet Kate, Mark and Jamie at Sofra bar at 7pm Kate explained she’d been unable to bring me a 2024 diary back from England and she’d forgotten about the Yorkshire tea. I was back to being on a constant look out for a diary as I was getting quite booked up for 2024 already. I messaged Captain Caveman and he said he would try to get me some Yorkshire tea and a diary when he came back from Vietnam in 2 weeks. I finished my drink, kept hold of Teddy, the AWOL dog, until Ghislaine came to collect him again then I went back to feed Molly.
I called at the shops for some provisions and got the following items:

Migros Supermarket

Plastic bag 0.25
Mints 9.50
Popcorn 15.00
Salt & Vinegar crisps 21.00
745g Cherries 89.33
644g chicken thighs 96.28
2kg whole chicken 113.34

Total spent 344.70 lira (£10.17)

Bim Supermarket

Brown sliced loaf 13.75 lira (41p)

It was late by the time I was going home and I’d forgotten to get anything out for dinner. I decided to have a Hatay kebab which tasted great at the time but I’m sure I’d come to regret it at Fat Club on Wednesday.

Dalyan – 11th to 13th August

On Friday 11th August I had to work because I’d moved my days to accommodate Mark and Kate’s cat and house sitting dates. I worked from 9am to 5pm with a break for lunch.
I was also back to eating nice food at home; beans on toast for breakfast, feta and beetroot salad for lunch, then a tandoori style chicken and rice dish for dinner. I even opened a bottle of rosé wine when I finished work and sat on the balcony in my lounge chair.
I thought I was going to have a relaxed early night at home but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Kate messaged to ask if I wanted to meet her and Mark at Tez bar so I said yes. After more wine there, it ended up being a rather messy, drunken evening in Dalyan Lounge and then Sofra.
Kate fell asleep in Dalyan Lounge so Mark and I left with her on the puff truck to make sure she got home. We had a can of beer and a hip flask to come back in to town with to rejoin Jo, Steve, John, Andrea, Jade and her husband who’s birthday it was. We bumped in to Bakı and we had rather a lot more drinks. Obviously, Mark and I were the last 2 standing in Sofra at about 4am – tomorrow was going to hurt!

I had no idea how I was going to get through all my plans on Saturday 12th August! I postponed my meet up at Goodeer Cafe with Jamie and went back to bed. I couldn’t face going to the market so I slept until about 1pm then went to meet Jamie. I had a lime slushy which made my hangover headache even worse. Jamie had also ended up drinking until 4am this morning with his neighbours so we were both in the same pathetic state, still.
Neither of us quite knew how we were going to muster up the oomph to be able to attend Nanny Kay’s birthday celebrations tonight. As I entered the complex back at our apartment I noticed that the garden was overgrown again and was looking a bit dishevelled so I needed to remind the maintenance company to give it a bit of attention.
Jamie, Ann and I met at Sofra bar for a livener before the main birthday event. I took more than 30 minutes to get half a draft lager down me and felt absolutely terrible. We went to Meet Meat restaurant where there was about 20 of us for the birthday meal. The free mushroom and bread starters were amazing and I ordered a steak with rice, chips and salad which was very nice. I made a glass of red wine last all night and I was absolutely begging for mercy. My 200g steak meal came to 448 lira (£13.27), which was very reasonable, the wine was 100 lira (£2.96) for a decent glass and a large water was 30 lira (89p). We’d had a reasonably priced night out with excellent food and service.
Unfortunately, there was an after-party, back at Sofra where it turned in to another one of those nights! Jamie, Ghislaine and I got in at gone 4am after Teddy, the dog, had gone AWOL meaning Ghislaine was forced to come and collect him from us at Sofra Bar.

It wouldn’t take a genius to work out that I had an easy day on Sunday 13th August. On a positive note, staying out until after the Jazz bar had closed meant I was getting better sleep.
I had bread, feta cheese and olives for breakfast, a hot dog for lunch then tandoori chicken with egg fried rice for dinner. I had an early night because tomorrow I had another week of cat sitting.

Dalyan – 9th & 10th August

After I’d fed the cats their breakfast on Wednesday 9th August, Casha went back to bed in the spare room. I met a gecko outside on the meter box too.
I took the puff truck over to our apartment, where I made myself pancakes with fruit for a late breakfast. I got weighed and was hopeful for a good result at Fat Club later as I had lost a bit since last week and my measurements were good; no change to bust or hips but -4cm off my waist!
I noticed that our complex was looking a bit dishevelled and the gardener and pool man hadn’t been in a while.
I worked all morning then went to Fat Club where Carol’s scales said I had lost 1.3kg (almost 3lb). On the way home I went to the supermarket and bought the following;

1 plastic bag 0.25
Fresh bread 7.50
Foil trays 15.15
Black eyed beans 16.90
1 Bounty 19.00
Passata 23.90
2 Quark 35.90
Mushrooms 39.90
Bin liners 55.90
Prawns 89.90
Chicken 129.68

Total spent 381.99 lira (£11.30)

I had beans on toast with hot dog sausage in plus a hot dog before I took the puff truck back to Mark and Kate’s for my cat feeding action. I was in bed by 11pm, having had another alcohol free day. I was pleased it was my last night staying away and I was looking forward to getting home!

Mark and Kate were due back at 8.20pm on Thursday 10th August and I was eager to get back to normal. I fed the cats, watered the plants, stripped the bed and washed all the bedding and towels. I had strawberries for breakfast then packed up all my stuff ready to leave. I had a last swim before a lunch of lentil soup and a turkey salad wrap. I took all my stuff home in the afternoon, it was very hot. I had a hot dog at home before taking the puff truck back to Mark and Kate’s for one last cat feed. I made sure the house was tidy, that I’d taken anything I’d left in the fridge and that the cats were all happy. I put the keys for the puff truck back where they belonged, it still didn’t need charging and I’d not used any of the electric bikes.
I walked home, it had cooled down a little by about 8pm but it was still quite warm. When I got home I had a beer and a Bounty as a bit of a treat. I was so looking forward to my own bed and not having to get up too early to tend to any animals.