Dalyan – 1st & 2nd March

Before I left home on Friday 1st March I had 0.5 litre of water, and a banana. I was meeting fellow Sunday walker, Debbie, for an impromptu Friday walk, just on our own. I was early to meet at Migros so I bought and ate a croissant. It was 21.95 lira (55p), a bit too many syns but delicious. The walk was very nice and Debbie had kindly downloaded an old walk of Captain Caveman’s so we could just follow something and not get lost. We walked for about 3 hours and later Debbie confirmed it was about 15,000 steps and 10km. It was our farewell walk as she was off to the UK and I was off to Vietnam very soon.
At home I had another 0.5 litre of water and a cup of Yorkshire tea. My lunch was potato and broccoli soup with a bit of cheese in it. I needed something to line my stomach late afternoon as I was off to a soirée. I had more of the leftover chicken stir-fry with egg rice, more water and a rose tea. I was only on 27 syns so far this week so I was ready to treat myself at the first 3G night but first, I managed to fit in a video call with Vanessa. She was recovering from surgery on her hand so it was good to catch up and see she was making great progress.

I arrived at Jamie’s with a bag full of bottles, instead of the requested gin. Even though it was 3G (Gin, Girls and Gays) night, I’d checked it was ok to bring drinks I already had in the house, to get them finished before I left in just over a week. I arrived a little late for the first Gin night feeling quite warm and with a loaded bag. I simultaneously said hello to people and dogs while emptying my rucksack of the tonic, bitter lemon, coke, pink grapefruit, vodka and rum. I was poured a vodka and coke which must have been extra strong as I could definitely taste the vodka. I had a lovely evening with our newly formed 3G attendees; Jamie, Drew, Nanny Kay and Ghislaine (and the dogs of course). For dinner we had a gammon joint with carrots, broccoli and dauphinoise potatoes which was amazing! Lots of drinks were had and I don’t remember putting the dogs to bed with the nice soft blanket. I don’t even recall the end of the night after Ghislaine called a taxi.

Saturday 2nd March was a struggle as I woke up not even knowing where I was. I’d slept over in Jamie’s spare room as Drew had thought it safer for me not to walk home drunk. It was only when I got up for a pee that I realised I couldn’t find the bathroom in the place I thought it was. The first Jamie knew I had stayed was when Drew told him to put clothes on if going out of the bedroom because I was still in the house. I left there about 10.30am and headed back to mine to sort myself out a bit before meeting Jan. I had arranged to meet her at Lukka bar to buy some sunbed cushions and I hoped I didn’t stink of booze. I got home and got ready, making sure I was on time. Jan was already there with a coffee and she kindly bought me an orange juice. Luckily, she seemed not to notice I may still have been drunk and we had a good chat. At noon I had to leave as I needed to get to the market. I bought the 2 cerise pink cushions for 700 lira (£17.63) and they were like new so I was pleased with them.
As I walked to the weekly Dalyan market, I knew I’d not be making the Zumba party tonight at Ozzy’s bar as I was feeling quite delicate. At the market I couldn’t focus on buying what I needed so I just bought the following (prices in lira);

Bananas 35
Strawberries 100
Gözleme 75
Total spent 210 lira (£5.29)

On the way home, I saw the stork for the first time this year. Back home I’d only just made it in time from a storm that was brewing.
For dinner I still wasn’t feeling too good so I cooked some sausages to make a casserole. I ate one with a wrap and then had a really bad stomach straight away. Needless to say, I didn’t make it to the Zumba party that night, but Nanny Kay did – what a legend! I had an early night as I had a mega busy day tomorrow.

Dalyan – 28th & 29th February

Wednesday 28th February was weigh-in and Fat Club day, we also had a taster session arranged at the group meeting today. I got weighed and took my measurements at home, to find I had stayed the same weight, my waist and hips measured the same as last week but my bust had increased by 1cm. I was convinced now that I just wasn’t going to lose that final bit of weight before I went to Vietnam. I had 2 bananas and a linden tea for breakfast, then a rehydration tablet in water.
Jamie popped round with Norman and Edna and my remaining bags and I was astounded at Norman running up the stairs to my door – he was like a new dog. We had cups of tea/coffee, the dogs had some water and a sit on the sofa while we chatted and waited for Drew to come from the barbers.
I ate broccoli and potato soup for lunch while attending the 3rd day of Lisa’s challenge. Today’s training was focusing more on content and it was a little easier to do the homework. My next task was to do some shopping, where I caused a bit of a furore at the check out counter. I bought a bottle of drink which was on offer but there was only one left and it didn’t have the right price on. The cashier had to get help while I bumped in to and chatted with Sioned, then a couple of women who were new to the area and then Nuri so the queues all got bunched up and it was quite the social gathering. Here’s what I ended up buying and the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket

1 Quark 24.95
Pink Grapefruit drink 26.25
6 eggs 39.90
Hummus 46.25
Toilet rolls 89.90

Total spent 227.24 lira (£5.75)

At Fat Club we all placed our wares on the table and then eagerly got weighed, it was great to see the progress of everyone in the group. Unfortunately I was not as lucky on Carol’s scales as at home, I’d actually put on 0.6kg (1.3lb) and I was gutted! This meant I had to still lose 2.4kg (5.3lb) to hit target and I was not going to do that within a week. I troughed lots of delicious food at the taster session. There were cheese pasties, quiches, chestnuts, bhajis, fruit skewers and my offering of rainbow veggie bulgur wheat. This meant I didn’t need to eat my dinner that night until later than planned and I resisted any alcohol on treat day.

On Thursday 29th February I had overnight oats and a cup of tea, before getting on with laundry and some other chores. I had an apple before Zumba and then rushed back for a lunch of soup while joining Lisa Johnson on the final day of the Race Recurring Revenue challenge. This session was all about getting things launched and covered various aspects which made me realise that I needed to create a brand, think of a business name and even design a logo. I felt a bit nervous and out of my depth but I would mull it over this weekend and see what I could come up with.
I got peckish in the afternoon so I had a chicken and onion wrap, then an orange. Dinner was more of the chicken stir-fry, served with steamed rice and chopped omelette in. No alcohol was consumed and I was doing well. I added up my spending for the week, and then the month to see how that £10 per day budget had fared. It had been really difficult to keep saying no to invites where it would cost more than my budget but I was determined to survive, especially as I’d not yet found more online work. This week I’d only spent a total of 1,253.72 lira (£31.93) thus proving that you can definitely live very cheaply in Dalyan, especially if you limit the booze. Overall, my self imposed February budget of £290, which did not include accommodation or bills, had been achieved. I was actually £47.47 under so I was very pleased with myself. I wondered what my friends and family had as a daily, weekly or monthly budget and how February had gone for them. I intended to give the ball a bit of a kick this weekend as a bit of a reward for my dedication, especially as this would be my last week in Dalyan before I flew to Vietnam for 3 months.

Dalyan – 26th & 27th February

Monday 26th February was another busy day in my Dalyan world, the last day of looking after Norman and Edna who I was going to miss. They had been a great tonic for me while I did my best to stick to a tough budget and my healthier lifestyle. I was certainly feeling the benefits of being over a stone lighter too.
In the morning I had my cup of Yorkshire tea in bed and the dogs came back to bobos for one last time. They snored away until almost 11am when I got up for a fruit salad while I started to make a list for my course preparation, which started at 1pm (Turkish time). I had pasta Bolognese for lunch and got myself ready to hear what Lisa Johnson had to teach me about Recurring Revenue. It was only for about an hour but it was really interesting and insightful. I took lots of notes and we even had some homework to do. I had some gold bear jellies while I pondered over my answers but managed to complete the first task of the challenge. At 4pm I joined another live session which focused on Mindset and seemed to be quite obvious at first. Renée, the speaker made a lot of sense and it really peaked my interest even further.
After the dog walk, I took some stuff back to my place and called at the shops, here’s what I bought (prices in lira);

Migros Supermarket

Biscuits 9.50
Jelly teeth 15.50
Wet wipes 72.47
Total 98.47 lira (£2.49)

For dinner I had another Slimming World style pizza made from a wrap, a couple of glasses of wine to finish the bottle off and some chestnuts.
There was a recap session from Lisa at 7.30pm which was useful for us to check we were on the right track and I was already feeling inspired. Meanwhile, Jamie and Drew were leaving Thailand to return back home. It was hard breaking the news to the dogs but I thought I’d better prepare them for being less spoiled.

Much to Norman and Edna’s disgust, we were all up early on Tuesday 27th February. I did the usual stuff of stripping the bed but didn’t put a wash on as it had been raining yesterday and I wasn’t sure if it was going to stay fine enough to dry it. After an almost 2 week holiday I also thought Jamie and Drew would need to wash their clothes and they were due back before 10am. Nanny Kay was picking them up so we had to assume she wouldn’t sleep in! After feeding the dogs their breakfast I decided to video them both as I let them know Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew were on their way and would be home soon. Edna was a good listener and was in the armchair looking out, Norman didn’t give a toss. After my cuppa and overnight oats, I packed my belongings up, leaving some things I couldn’t carry, behind. I had a ginger tea and half a litre of water before saying bye to little Norman and Edna, perhaps for the last time.
At home I unpacked and then went to Zumba, which was good. I rushed back to log on to the second day of the Race to Recurring Challenge with Lisa Johnson where we took our knowledge lists from yesterday and started to look at how we could share that knowledge with others. It was really interesting to me and I cracked on with the homework straight after, feeling motivated.
At 4pm I joined another mindset session with Renée who was definitely good at helping build my confidence. For my lunch I treated myself to chicken nuggets and chips as I was rather peckish. At dinner time I cooked a healthy veggie stir-fry with bulgur wheat and had strawberries with kaymak for a pudding. At 7.30pm I was back on a live summary call with Lisa and things were starting to come together nicely. It was also good to be back home in my own bed, even if it was just for 9 more nights!

Video of Edna being told Jamie and Drew are on their way home

Video of Norman’s response to being told the same news

Dalyan – 24th & 25th February

Unfortunately, there was a full power outage, from 7am, in Dalyan on Saturday 24th February but Jamie had sent me a warning about it. This gave me a good excuse that I would have to have breakfast from the market today. I got up and sorted out Norman and Edna, then made a cup of Yorkshire tea with Jamie’s whistling kettle on the gas hob! It seemed a bit cold so I got on the sofa with the dogs and a blanket while I drank my tea and caught up with a few online chores. I went to the weekly market and here’s what I bought (prices in lira);

Mushrooms 15
Potatoes 18
Bananas 55
Strawberries 100
Apples and Chestnuts 125
1 cheese and mushroom gözleme 75
Total spent 388 lira (£9.95)

I’d got talking to Cath and Keith while I was picking bananas out and unfortunately instead of the 5 I wanted to buy going in to my bag, I got a whole bunch of them. The gözleme had increased in price a bit more too, but I didn’t think 75 lira (£1.92) for breakfast was unreasonable. The walk home was sweaty and my bag was heavy. I had cucumber water and rose tea, some strawberries and the gözleme when I got back to Jamie’s. For lunch I just had a red apple and a litre of cucumber water. I sunbathed outside for a bit and even had to pop on some suncream as it was warm. By 4pm we were all back indoors cooling down and I was going to have a shower before the dog walk. I got in the shower but the water was cold and it turned out that, because of the power outage earlier, the boiler was off. I messaged Jamie so he could get the plumber out. I could’ve gone over to our apartment for a shower but I didn’t bother. We did the dog walk, avoided the pub or any alcohol and I had a sweet and sour chicken with rice for dinner.
On the sofa I caught up with The Apprentice on TV and even Edna couldn’t believe how stupid some of the candidates were.

There was a bit of activity on Sunday 25th February; I was joining the Sunday walk which Carol (from Fat Club) had organised, the plumber was coming to fix the boiler and I was joining an online launch party with Lisa Johnson later.
I didn’t have a cup of tea this morning as I needed to get Norman and Edna sorted and fed before I left for the Sunday walk. Norman knew it was a Sunday and was stood at the bottom of the stairs trying to get me to take him back to bobos. I nearly didn’t go on the walk because the plumber was coming at 1pm and I wasn’t sure we’d be back in time, given we were walking to the Sultaniye mud baths. Carol had confirmed we should be back in time so I’d agreed to meet at the Denizkızı ferry. I met Tina (from Fat Club) and her hubby, Paddy, at Tez bar at 9.30am and we walked the 20 minutes to the meeting point together. It was quite a turn out and I said hello to a few of the walkers as we got on the ferry to cross the river. The ferry was just 10 lira (26p) each way for a foot passenger which was a bargain for the short trip. Ghislaine loaned me the use of Honey, her 13 year old spaniel, who could certainly motor but did like to pee a lot. It was quite a hard walk for me and unfortunately we didn’t get to the mud baths until gone 11.30am. This meant that, because I had insisted that I be back by 1pm, the group couldn’t enjoy any time at the mudbaths. We all had a quick pee, I was the only woman to brave the squat toilet, as I was in practice for my travels next month.

The walk back was hard and we stopped off for a drink at Pirates and Skulls, a nice little cafe. I just had an orange juice and tried to get the correct information on the times of the ferries. I had a panic on as I possibly wouldn’t be back in time for the plumber or to let the dogs out after them being alone after almost 4 hours. I messaged Jamie to see if he could delay the plumber, paid the 70 lira (£1.79) for my orange juice and decided to go for the ferry anyway. Ausaf, Lyn, Debbie and Christine came too, leaving some of the group having a few bevvies. The ferry turned out to go back and forth without a timetable so we were in luck, as well as Christine coming to the rescue with her hubby, Jez, picking us up at the other side and dropping me at Jamie’s.
I was more concerned with being late to let the dogs out but they were fine and snoozing away. I’d just let them out on the back garden when the plumber turned up and he fixed the boiler really quickly. Norman and Edna knew him so, of course, Edna had to get some male attention from the nice man!
For lunch I had a chicken pasta dish while Norman wanted to know why I’d been on a walk with another dog! I felt a bit guilty and even worse when I had to do only a short dog walk with them because I could hardly walk myself.
For dinner I had miso soup with egg noodles and lots of fruit salad. At 11pm I joined the launch party Facebook live with Lisa Johnson and a massive number of other people. It was really motivating and encouraged me to get on and start taking some action. I was really excited for next week’s free course and was glad my friend, Heather, had prompted me to get involved. Finding a job with my unique requirements and talents was going to prove difficult, but setting up in business might just suit me better. By bedtime I was still hungry and had to have a buttered crumpet with cheese and olives. This meant I was already on 174 syns for the week. I’d had a great day and had only spent 90 lira (£2.31) but tomorrow was my last full day with Norman and Edna.

Dalyan – 22nd & 23rd February

I had updated my CV and spent the morning applying for jobs on Thursday 22nd February. I needed to earn the equivalent of around £700 per month to keep my Turkish residency and so I was looking for part time work that I could do from any of the countries I was likely to be in.
I had bread, 2 bananas and a cup of Yorkshire tea for my breakfast before popping over to our apartment to take back a few things and grab some more stuff. I was meant to be on a mission to eat healthy and I did drink a rose tea, a green tea and some cucumber water before lunch. When I returned to Jamie’s, Edna had taken my slipper on to the sofa again and Norman was in his bed, snoring away. I had a Slimming World friendly chicken dish with rice for my lunch and I was really enjoying having a surprise freezer meal when I couldn’t work out what was in my batch cooking. As Nanny Kay had missed out on her fruit scone yesterday, I couldn’t help snaffle it today – this time with jam instead of strawberries! I washed it down with 2 litres of water and chilled out in the sun on the patio with the pooches. I snacked on chickpea biscuits and tried to make similar using grated, and squeezed, courgette. It didn’t turn out well and I ended up with a courgette omelette and decided I could chop it up to put in rice. On the dog walk, Edna got a seed stuck in her paw and I had to get it out, she tried to get a sympathy pub visit for Skippy to kiss it better but I wasn’t swayed. Back home, I roasted a load of vegetables and had them with some Turkish pasta for dinner. My treats were an apple and just 1 glass of wine that evening.

A friend had recommended Lisa Johnson’s Race to Recurring Revenue, which started next week. On Friday 23rd February I signed up for the free challenge and was looking forward to getting involved in seeing how it might help me run my own business or make passive/semi-passive income. I knew I needed to do something while ever I wanted to remain being abroad and ideally I wanted to do something I was passionate about, so this would be ideal. I’d started to do it a year ago but, because I started the job I’d been doing for the last year, I never followed it through.
Nanny Kay popped round at 12pm and we sat in the garden with the dogs. We were both so proud of how well Norman was doing. He wanted to play fetch or football with Nanny Kay and he was even pushing Edna out of the way as I drank my green tea. For lunch I ate more of the Slimming World friendly ‘surprise’ chicken dish with rice and then had a fruit salad with yoghurt for afters.
At about 4.30pm Edna persuaded me to do the dog walk to the Waterfall pub and we all forgot that Skippy doesn’t go there on a Friday. I just had the 1 red wine, while the dogs got a couple of sausages from Mehmet and made friends with everyone in the bar. Edna got over her Skippy disappointment by trying to get in with a bloke playing darts.
Back home, we all got fed but I didn’t wolf my dinner down nearly as fast as Norman. I made a Slimming World friendly pizza from a wrap, which was really nice, and finished off the chickpea biscuits.

Dalyan – 20th & 21st February

I had another healthy and relaxed day on Tuesday 20th February, just keeping out of any drama and trying not to stress about being out of work. I’d started to think about what I could do to start my own business and I’d brought my laptop over to Jamie’s so that I could update my CV. I intended to apply for some jobs which could be done in Vietnam or Turkey. I had a breakfast of champions; a crumpet with butter, Yorkshire tea, overnight oats with berries and a green tea. My back and neck were still hurting and aspirin was not taking the pain off. I was meant to be going to Zumba but I couldn’t manage it. I had some rose tea just before lunch and then warmed up the rest of the pasta dish from yesterday.
In the afternoon I went to buy a replacement water which was still only 50 lira (£1.29) at the shop Jamie uses (compared to 85 lira at my local shop). By the time I’d got home, it had already been delivered too so was great service. I went to the vets to pick up medicine for Norman and Edna, which they had ran out of. It cost 2,320 lira (£59.49) for 2 lots which Jamie transferred to me, immediately. I had leftover pasta bake for lunch, managed a dog walk without a pub visit and ate leftover curry for dinner. I made chickpea biscuits as a snack and had them with low fat yoghurt, onion, cucumber and tomato. I kept some to eat over the next couple of days in a tupperware to try to prevent unhealthy snacking. I’d done well this week with only consuming 195 syns, only 12 of which were on alcohol and I felt I was bound to have lost weight when I got on the scales tomorrow.

When I got up on Wednesday 21st February I weighed myself on Jamie’s scales. They showed I’d lost 0.8kg (1.8lb) and I’d had a good week, having not drunk any alcohol since Thursday. I was very pleased with myself and hoping for good results at Fat Club later today. I did my measurements but they weren’t as favourable;
Bust -1cm,
Waist +2cm,
Hips +2cm.
This meant my waist was now back over the goal I had set by 1cm. After feeding the dogs, I decided to try an app called Three Sixty Me where it takes a scan of your whole body to determine your measurements. It was worse than with the tape measure so I wasn’t convinced it was ideal. I had overnight oats and a Yorkshire tea for breakfast then as a snack before fat club I had 2 ginger teas and 3 of the chickpea biscuits.
When I got to Fat Club, it wasn’t great news as I had only lost 0.1kg (0.2lb) which was negligible. Of course I was disappointed as I only had 2 more Fat Club weigh-in weeks to go until I left Turkey.
After drinking 1.5 litres of water at the meeting, I popped to the shop on the way home. Here’s what I bought and prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket

Haribo Gold bears 10.50
Turkish pasta (mantı) 23.50
2 Quark 39.50
Kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) 40.95
Nuts 44.90
Falafel 62.17
Total spent 221.52 lira (£5.65)

Back at Jamie’s, Norman and Edna cheered me up with a bit of advice for keeping the weight off. Norman instigated a game of fetch with his sister while Edna soon suggested we open the wine. Nanny Kay was meant to be coming over but she didn’t. So I had to have afternoon tea by myself; Yorkshire tea, a buttered fruit scone with fresh strawberries and kaymak, seeing as it was treat day.
After walking the dogs, I warmed up leftover chicken, pumpkin, chickpea and spinach curry for dinner, had 2 glasses of wine and some Haribo jellies. I’d not gone out on treat day but I’d certainly eaten (and drank) well, using 56 syns in one day.
Before bed, I totted up the weekly spend which I’d really tried my hardest to get back on budget with. I’d spent just 731.52 lira (£18.76) this week and I was so chuffed with myself. In total for the month so far I had spent the equivalent of £210.60 making me only 60p over budget – proof I could do it when I really tried.

Dalyan – 17th to 19th February

On Saturday 17th February Norman and Edna ate breakfast and then had extra cuddles on the sofa while I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and a buttered crumpet.
I left the dogs at home while I walked to the Saturday market where I bought the following (prices in lira);

Bananas & apples 40
Strawberries 100
Peppers and courgettes 55
Total spent 195 lira (£5.01)

I ate some strawberries on my way back and the sun was getting warmer. Back at Jamie’s I had more tomato and lentil soup for lunch. We had a dog walk in the afternoon where we avoided going to the pub. I had a bad neck and shoulder so I had to take some aspirin.
I spoke to my parents who were still in Sheffield and Captain Caveman who was in Phong Nha. My evening meal was more sweet and sour chicken with egg rice and I watched some TV while eating chestnuts and oranges later on.

I was meant to be joining the Sunday walk on Sunday 18th February but I woke up with a very sore shoulder and neck and decided not to go. I fed the dogs and then Norman insisted on coming back to bobos with me and Edna. I had to carry him up the stairs and he was very patient. After extra sleeps and a cup of tea in bed we all got up and decided to get a sun lounger out on the patio, as the sun was out. I made a nice fruit salad for breakfast and had it with low fat yoghurt and a litre of water. Jamie messaged to say his brother, Barney, had booked flights to come to visit him in Dalyan next month so he asked me to let the dogs know. The reactions in both dogs were amusing.
For lunch I had beef stew and Yorkshire puddings then a small slither of fruit cake with another litre of water. I spoke to Captain Caveman again and we looked at plans for when I’m in Vietnam. For dinner I made a lovely veggie pasta dish which was so tasty.
I’d managed a whole weekend of not going out or having any alcohol, my total syns for the week was 182 which was good compared to other weeks and I just needed to keep it up for a couple more days.

I had a really easy going day on Monday 19th February and the second day in a row of not spending any money. I had fruit salad, yoghurt and Yorkshire tea for breakfast then got peckish late morning and had 2 slices of wholemeal toast with cheese triangles and an apple when I nipped back home. I wasn’t gone long but when I got back, Edna had taken my slipper up on to the sofa to snuggle with – cute.
For lunch I had chicken curry with pumpkin, spinach and chickpeas and plain rice, which was delicious.
I tried something a bit different for dinner by adding the tomato and lentil soup to cooked pasta and adding cheese to make a kind of pasta bake. It tasted really nice and, because I hadn’t had my syns for today, I had a few olives and some strawberries in the evening. It was also the 4th day in a row of no alcohol so I was hoping for a good result at Fat Club this week.

Dalyan – 15th & 16th February

I spent most of the morning on Thursday 15th February getting ready for my 13 days at Jamie’s while they jetted off to Thailand. I did Zumba at noon in my new Zumba trainers and felt quite light on my feet this week.
For lunch I had a veggie fried rice then I packed all of my batch cooking so that Jamie could collect it in his car. I didn’t need to be over there until the evening but then I had to have chicken nuggets and chips for dinner as I’d sent everything else over that was in the fridge. Norman and Edna had been briefed that I was coming but they were both snoozy by the time Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew said their goodbyes. Jamie had bought me 2 bottles of wine from Edna, as she loves a party. I finished off some wine then chilled with a blanket and the dogs on the sofa.

Norman and Edna weren’t too thrilled by the early get up on Friday 16th February and were already on the sofa snoozing by 8.30am. I was no longer working on Fridays (or any other day) so I had the day to spend as I pleased. I had my Yorkshire tea and then got ready for a morning walk with Adele. The dogs weren’t bothered about going out on the garden but I had to insist as I wouldn’t be back until lunch time. Norman was much more mobile but grumpy about being woken up for a pee. He still needed to be wiped down after, as he got it on his front legs, but he was much more capable of going to the toilet by himself. He still waited for me to do the wet wipes and pick him up at the back step, although he frowned at being called Little Lavender Legs. Edna was still getting a bit jealous of all the attention Norman was getting too.
My walk with Adele was lovely, it started off cold but we were down to our t-shirts when we stopped for breakfast at the Kefal tea gardens. I had a toasty and a couple of çay which was very nice and only cost a total of 75 lira (£1.93). Back ‘home’ I had another cup of Yorkshire tea and some water while catching up with Norman and Edna, who had been sleeping all morning.
My lunch was soup and I started watching The Apprentice as Jamie has UK TV.
I booked my flight from Dalaman to Istanbul for when I go to Vietnam which only cost £34, including food and seat choice. Jamie had very kindly said he would take me to the airport that day.
After walking and feeding the dogs, I made myself some roasted veg which I had with a chicken casserole. The evening was spent snuggled up under a blanket on the sofa with more snuggles and snoozes from the dogs.

Dalyan – 13th & 14th February

On Tuesday 13th February Vanessa popped round to collect her glassware and have a final hug goodbye. Vanessa is such a good friend to me and I was going to miss her. I’d actually took her pots out yesterday, they had made quite a night of it. They ended up being carried from Tez, to Ozzy’s, back to Tez and then back to mine as Vanessa forgot them at each step of the way.
Today was the day before weigh day and I needed to have started damage limitations with another speed day. I had 3 cucumber waters, a banana and a tea for breakfast.
I went to Zumba at midday and had an impromptu shop on the way home. Here’s what I bought and the price in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 plastic bag 0.25
Tomato purée 13.90
1 tin of tomatoes 29.90
Chicken nuggets 29.92
1 tub frozen berries 71.90
3 Quark 74.85
Total spent 220.72 lira (£5.69)

When I got back home I had a load more water with cucumber in. I took some bolognese out of the freezer and added pasta and cheese to make a nice lunch. I then decided to make a list about my current work situation, trying to look at some solutions to getting paid regularly. I had a a text conversation about this with my boss, as we tried to work out a plan. Unfortunately, due to my circumstances of needing regular payments in to my Turkish account I had to become temporarily unemployed.
For dinner I had leftover chicken dinner and later some chestnuts. I’d eaten potatoes so I had not managed a speed day but I had done a zero syns day. I’d consumed 23 more syns than last week though, so maybe I wouldn’t lose any weight at Fat Club tomorrow. As I went to bed, I expected that I would feel really stressed at no longer having any work at all but I didn’t. Instead, lots of thoughts were going through my head on what my Plan B would be. These next few weeks were going to be tight moneywise as my last pay was due tomorrow.

It was Valentine’s day on Wednesday 14th February so I’d arranged to spend the evening with Nanny Kay. We booked in for a quiet meal at Nil Lounge at 7.30pm tonight.
First thing in the morning, I did my measurements and got weighed at home to find that I had lost 0.85kg (1.9lb), stayed the same on my bust but lost 1cm from my waist and 2cm from my hips. I was now 1cm under my goal on bust and waist and 2cm under my hip goal. Great news came from Jamie that Drew had brought me 80 Yorkshire tea bags and that made my day. I had overnight oats and some orange juice for breakfast.
I had a bit of a walk in the morning and then met a lady in Jiks who was selling some Zumba trainers. I managed to get some almost new ones for 1,100 lira (£28.35) which retail around the £150 mark! She was a lovely woman and she even bought me a soda water and we had a chat.
Fat Club at 3pm was not as exciting a result as the home scales as I’d only lost 0.3kg (0.6lb) on Carol’s scales.
Captain Caveman was in Son Doong and we don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day anyway so I was looking forward to my evening out. Ghislaine, Jamie and Drew were going to join us after Nanny Kay and I had eaten as there was a band on.
The meal wasn’t the best I’ve had but it was certainly adequate; I had chicken shish and Nanny Kay had chicken curry. We both limited ourselves to just 2 glasses of red wine. Nanny Kay was cycling and I was trying not to turn it in to a Wine Wednesday.
The music from the live band was good and there was a Turkish engagement party on. The groom-to-be insisted we help ourselves to some treats so we had chocolate covered strawberries and we could definitely feel the love! Jamie came up with the 3G Club idea. Our first get together would be in a couple of weeks.
It had been a lovely evening but I was glad to have stuck to just 2 wines with Nanny Kay. My syns were still 48 for today so tomorrow I was determined to do better. Jamie and Drew were off to Thailand so I had to rely on Norman and Edna not to lead me astray for the next couple of weeks.

Dalyan – 11th & 12th February

There was another walk planned on Sunday 11th February which I was looking forward to. I hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday but I was starting to feel better. I had a couple of bananas to give me some energy but didn’t bother with any tea. Luckily, I was walking with Christine who has a bad knee so she goes at a similar pace to me. She and I only managed 2 hours, there was a bit of rain and we were struggling to keep up with the others. Very kindly, Christine gave me a Slimming World skinny bar which I had when I got home with my cup of tea.
Vanessa and Matt were coming round for Sunday lunch which had kind of happened by accident. Initially I had invited Kaan over, thinking we would be able to have a video call with Captain Caveman and Caroline who were celebrating Tet together. When I’d realised the etiquette of not having a single Turkish man in the house with just me, I’d roped in Vanessa. She had not only agreed but had also said she would cook the chicken and bring it over with some Yorkshire puddings. When I let Kaan know, he cancelled as he had some business he needed to attend to in Fethiye. I did the carrots, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkin, brussel sprouts and stuffing. I’d got some gravy but when Vanessa and Matt arrived she had brought some homemade gravy too. What a treat, I poured us some fizz to start, then we went on the white wine with our very delicious meal. Vanessa and Matt left so that she could have her family chat but, by this time, Jamie and Geoff had stopped by for a bevvie. Not being one to miss a party, Vanessa promised to come back after the chat.
Jamie and I had wine, Geoff had his own beers and we caught up on what the two of them had been up to. Vanessa came back and the 4 of us had a great night, drinking until about 11pm. At midnight I was in bed when Captain Caveman sent me a photo of him and Caroline and I told him Kaan cancelled on us.

I was getting quite used to not working on a Monday but on Monday 12th February I had some decisions to make about work. I had a bigger breakfast than usual with 2 slices of wholemeal toast, 2 cheese triangles, a banana and I used the last Yorkshire tea tea bag! It was a tough day but I put on my big girls pants and got on with it. I went to the bank to ask about various ways of getting Euros cash in to my Turkish bank and they were very helpful. My local bank can take Western Union payments, which I know they have a branch of in Rhodes Town.
I decided to go for a little walk around Dalyan before lunch time. Lunch was more of the tomato and lentil soup with pasta in and lots of water. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was off to his briefing and would be in the cave again tomorrow.
At 4pm I went to meet Vanessa and Matt at Tez bar for their farewell drinks. They were off back to the UK tomorrow and I might not see them until the summer.
I had a soda water at Tez bar which was only 20 lira (52p), some bars were now charging 3 times that. Wolfie and Rey were there, who I’d not seen in a while as they’d been back in the UK.
At 6pm we went to Ozzy’s where I treated myself to a chicken pizza and 2 wines. The pizza was amazing so my well intended plan of eating half and taking the rest home, went out of the window. We had a good night in Ozzy’s, even Jamie and Geoff (with Norman and Edna) popped to say bye to Vanessa and Matt which was really nice. My bill including a tip and just 2 wines came to 600 lira (£15.46) which I thought was reasonable. Back home, I had a ginger tea and watched some Netflix before bed and a huge storm.

Dalyan – 9th & 10th February

Captain Caveman knew I was working all day on Friday 9th February so he sent photos of my flight details before 7.30am. I would be flying from Istanbul to Saigon via Bangkok on the 8th March at 4.30pm. He’d booked me reserved seats and both flights included food. It had cost £426 but they were good flights and I was very happy. I added it to my diary that I would be leaving in 4 weeks. I would book the flight from Dalaman to Istanbul when I got paid next week. I’d book the flight back from Vietnam once I had enough money to be able to afford to come back, but my 90 day visa ended on 5th June.
Before starting work, I had a buttered crumpet for breakfast then I messaged my boss to double check I was to carry on what I was doing. He said he needed to have a phone call later to update me on the outcome of a meeting with his accountant. I worked all day with it at the back of my mind that I might not be working at all this time next week and I wondered if this uncertainty for such few hours pay was worth the stress. In my lunch break I had beefburger patty, pumpkin and pickled red cabbage and then some tomato and lentil soup.
When my boss video called later in the afternoon it wasn’t great news and looked like I wouldn’t be able to carry on working in the same way due to how I’d be able to get paid. I was told I might not get paid on Wednesday too, but I was relying on that money. I decided to think it over, I needed to think about what I was going to do longer term so I finished work and closed the laptop feeling a bit concerned. I decided not to go out tonight as I wasn’t in the mood and I didn’t have the money. Instead, I made Slimming World pizza topped baked potatoes for dinner and opened a bottle of Rituel red wine, I only had the one glass and popped the cork back in.

On Saturday 10th February I had a green tea with a slice of wholemeal toast and cheese spread before heading to the market. I didn’t concentrate and my head was in a bit of a spin worrying about money and work. Here’s what I bought on my shopping spree and the prices in lira;

Stall 1
Pumpkin, carrots, mange-tout & sprouts 165

Stall 2
Potatoes & onions 40

Stall 3
Bananas, apples and chestnuts 205

Migros Supermarket
2 tins of tomatoes 59.80 lira

Total spent 469.8 lira (£12.14)

I quickly dropped off my shopping at home as I had arranged to meet Adele and Vanessa for a last get together before Vanessa returned to the UK. Adele, Vanessa and I walked from the Waterfall bar to Günlüklu restaurant, via the back road, and it was a very pleasant walk. We stopped for lunch at Günlüklu restaurant which was absolutely lovely. The glasses of wine were 180 lira (£4.65) but a bottle was only 450 lira (£11.63). It doesn’t take a genius to work out what we chose! Our presumption was that they preferred to sell a whole bottle as it wasn’t a popular venue for glasses of wine which might mean the bottle goes off quickly once opened. Vanessa ordered a chicken curry, Adele a spaghetti Bolognese and I opted for the chicken casserole. The food was lovely and I ate it all, which took me a while, hoping the oil and the cheese would not make me poorly. My meal was 190 lira (£4.91) which was totally worth it. We walked home and said our goodbyes and I had a green tea when I got in at about 4.30pm. After another green tea, a litre of water and a banana I became unwell. I spoke to Captain Caveman around 7pm but then was in bed asleep, without any dinner. I hoped I’d be better tomorrow as I intended on going on the Sunday walk and I had guests coming round for Sunday lunch.

Dalyan – 7th & 8th February

It was weigh day on Wednesday 7th February and I was not feeling confident as I got on the home scales. I was 0.15kg (0.3lb) lighter which was hardly anything. My measurements for my bust and waist remained the same as last week but my hips had reduced by 1cm. I had finally reached all the target measurements I had set for myself, but still with 2.5kg (5.5lb) to lose. In total I had lost 5cm from my bust, 12cm from my waist and 6cm from my hips so I was really pleased. I was no longer a size 16 and size 14 was baggy on me – I think I’d gone down 2 dress sizes in about 15 months!
I had tea and 1 slice of wholemeal toast with a cheese triangle for breakfast. I had a video call with Captain Caveman and we discussed flights, money and banking stuff. I’d found a one-way flight with Thai Airways from Istanbul for £419 which would be better than most of the other options. Captain Caveman said he would book it for me and pay for it, so I sent him the info. He was in Hoi An, ready for the Tet holiday, looking after a friend’s dog, Rocco. He was also going to be meeting up with Caroline and was having a few days off.
Before Fat Club, I’d drank a litre of water and had the tomato and lentil soup for lunch. The new road improvements near Çağrı were looking good as I walked to see my fellow Slimming World friends. When I stepped on Carol’s scales I was relieved to find I’d lost 0.2kg (0.4lb). It would do but I needed to make more effort if I wanted to get to the next milestone within the next month. I drank another 1.5 litres of water at Fat Club and we got to do some positive sharing of what we’ve all been trying, to keep fitter and healthier.
On the way home, I didn’t even go for a drink and decided that today’s treat day was not going to be rewarded with a Wine Wednesday, as it so often is. Instead, I popped to the shop and bought the following (prices in lira);

Migros Supermarket
Plastic bag 0.25
Apples 24.74
Chickpeas 29.90
620g chicken 104.78
Total spent 159.67 lira (£4.14)

Bakery
Bread 10.00
Simit 7.00
Total spent 17.00 lira (44p)

Today’s weigh day treat was bread based with a couple of slices of fresh bread and a simit, an apple, 6 olives and some cheese. I never used to eat apples or chickpeas but I was getting much less fussy as I was getting healthier.
Dinner was a Fakeaway chicken stir-fry which I added a teaspoon of black bean sauce to and added chopped omelette in to the steamed rice. Another litre of water was forced down and some rose tea as I totted up my first week of February spending. My budget of the £10 per day equivalent had certainly been tight and I really wasn’t sure I could keep this up longer term. This week I’d spent 3,693.07 lira (£95.76) even though I’d had 2 zero spend days. I was over by £25.76 and I wasn’t sure I could recoup it next week but I wasn’t defeated just yet.

On Thursday 8th February I was still on a mission to not drink any alcohol and perhaps wait until after work on Friday. I think Captain Caveman was either getting bored of my ultra tight budget updates or felt sorry for me, as he called me to ask how much money I needed to make the residency minimum. I told him the figure, less what I was due to get paid next week. Captain Caveman was able to transfer money to me almost instantly, even from Vietnam, and I was very grateful. He was also a bit out of sorts as he’d been on the Thai Airways website to book that flight and it wouldn’t let him use his Vietnamese bank card. After the call, I googled if there were system issues and there had been several reports, he would try again tomorrow.
At 12 noon I did Zumba and enjoyed it, more soup was had for lunch with bread and butter (which I synned). Before dinner time, I’d had 2 litres of water, a tangerine, an apple and some chestnuts, all on plan. I had another Fakeaway for dinner, this time with sweet and sour sauce. I added extra red and white cabbage to my egg rice to get more speed in to the meal.
I managed a bit of Christmas cake and another litre of water before an early night. I’d had 26 syns today but was doing ok compared to previous weeks.

Dalyan – 5th & 6th February

Now that I had Mondays off work, I was living the dream again on Monday 5th February. We were off on the boat to Köyceğiz and word must have got out as it was a very full trip. Vanessa and I were there with Adele, Mark and Kate, plus a fair few Dalyan Dwellers, there were also a few Turkish people and we were on yet a different boat. The yellow boat still was not ready and the boat we were on had a toilet but it wasn’t in use. We’d all gone togged up in warm clothing so we weren’t cold and Vanessa was on a shopping research mission. We got off the boat and after all the women had a walk to the shopping centre, Vanessa and I went in search of the plant pot shop where she checked out the merchandise and bought some dangly garden ornaments. I bought 2 bodies, the t-shirts with poppers at the gusset were back in fashion here and were on 2 for 1 offer and only 250 lira (£6.53) for both. We decided to go to Avangart again for lunch, a few others from the boat stopped by to check on the price of wine and were put off. Vanessa and I had a salad, bread, an orange juice and a big water. I paid 300 lira (£7.83) for my lunch and it was so lovely, the others went to Tuana but quite a few were disappointed with the service. The journey back was more prompt, as there were no takers for the mud baths this week. By 5pm we were having a cheeky one in Tez bar and Vanessa treated me to a glass of wine, which was half the price of Avangart at 90 lira (£2.35). Back home, I made a chicken pasta dish for dinner and was in my dressing gown by 9pm, it’s hard work enjoying yourself too much! I’d spent just over £30 and I’d caught the sun.

I decided to do a Slimming World Speed day on Tuesday 6th February. This is where you eat ‘speed’ fruit and veg, as well as protein, the Healthy A & B options, the daily syn allowance and any ‘free’ food. Rice, potatoes and pasta are not included in any meals. It sounds easy but it takes a bit of planning ahead so that you don’t get hungry. I started with my usual cup of Yorkshire tea, then had 1 slice of wholemeal toast (half of the B option) with baked beans (free) and butter (syns) for breakfast before Zumba. I also put the tomatoes from yesterday’s walk and the ones from the market in the slow cooker with onion and lentils to make a speed soup. After Zumba, I had an apple (speed) then a rather unusual lunch. I had 2 beef patties (syns) with roasted pumpkin (speed), raw red and white cabbage and carrot (all speed) with balsamic vinegar.
When I got peckish in the afternoon, I had a tiny bit of cheese (A option) and a big gherkin (speed).
At dinner time I really enjoyed the tomato and lentil soup (speed) with the other half of my wholemeal bread allowance but no butter. In the evening I still had some syns and A option left so I had cheese, olives and some strawberries. My total syns for the day was 10, making the weekly amount 303. I’m not sure that would be good enough for a loss at Fat Club tomorrow, but we would see.

Dalyan – 3rd & 4th February

It was Dalyan’s weekly market on Saturday 3rd February and I did need a few provisions. I walked the long way round, calling at the bank for some cash and noticing that the pavement repairs were coming on near Çağrı.
Here’s what I bought at the market (prices in lira);

Onions 12.50
Peppers 42.50
Mushrooms and tomatoes 65
Eggs and pumpkin 75
Strawberries 100
Total spent 295 lira (£7.66)

Next, I called in to Şok supermarket where I bought some containers and a cheap birthday gift for a total of 109.40 lira (£2.84) for a party later. At Bim supermarket I bought more for the birthday gift, bread and chocolate milk for a total of 89.00 lira (£2.31).
Back home, I had more of the soup with veggie pasta in and a mini falafel taco with veggies and tahini.

That evening I got my gladrags on as we were off out for Aimee’s birthday, she’s Jamie’s best friend from the UK. At Bistro Blue there were Aimee, Scott, Jamie, me, Sioned, Ünal, their 2 kids, Katrina, Mehmet and Ann. I gave Aimee her small present which was a selection of my favourite Turkish chocolate bars for her to try. Jamie, Aimee, Ann and I all ordered the surf and turf which was very nice. I decided to stick to ordering a glass of wine so that I didn’t get sharing a bottle as I was pacing myself. I had just 2 red wines and the main course which came to a total of 1,160 lira (£30.13) including a tip. I thought that was a reasonable price although it wasn’t a huge portion.
I thought we were all going home after the food we went to Ozzy’s where the drinks flowed. I stuck to just 2 more wines, 220 lira (£5.71) but realised it might be time to leave when Jamie brought up a story about a broken fire extinguisher toy. I, sensibly, chose to skedaddle about 1am with the excuse that I had the Sunday walk to get up for in the morning.

I was awake before 9am on Sunday 4th February as I was getting ready for the Sunday walk. This time Carol (from Fat Club) was organising it so we had to meet at 10am at the Jandarma roundabout, out of town. This was a 20 minute walk from me so I was already quite warmed up by the time I met the others. I didn’t really feel like going after a late night but I thought I’d make the effort. I’d had strawberries and a lemon and green tea for my breakfast so I was ready for some exercise.
The walk was good but, crikey, it was the most I’ve ever done in one go – 4 hours 15 minutes I was walking for and I was done in by the time I got home.

I squeezed in beans on toast, strawberries, quark and honey for my lunch and a little sit down before my next lot of excitement, 15 minutes later.
Vanessa popped round for a cup of tea and she remembered I was getting short on Yorkshire tea bags and brought some. We had a few cups of tea and a good old natter, putting the world to rights! She left just before 4.30pm for her family WhatsApp chat and I had a video call with a freshly shaven Captain Caveman. He was in a hotel and was off for a few days over the Tet holiday (Vietnamese new year).
We discussed flights and we both were thinking the return flights were a bit expensive for my budget, I’d perhaps wait for at least another payday before booking anything.
After the call, I went to the shops. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Ginger 16.09
Cream cheese 34.00
Onion powder 46.90
672g chicken 117.53
Total spent 214.52 lira (£5.60)

I’d found a new recipe I wanted to try out and it turned out really well, the chicken and mushroom pasta could be a new favourite. I had some fruit cake and cheese as an evening snack which meant I was now on 202 syns so far this week, but I’d only had 10 today. I’d have to be very careful on tomorrow’s outing.

Dalyan – 1st & 2nd February

Thursday 1st February was a busy day; the Aussies were leaving Dalyan early the next day and heading to Rhodes. They wanted to have a Turkish breakfast before they left and so it had already been booked in that I would join them, Mark and Kate at Melekanne, a restaurant by the river. I’d only been a couple of times before but had been disappointed, so had not been back for well over a year. Lots of people had recommended it so I decided to give it another go, however we agreed for us to meet there after my Zumba class, rather than before.
Zumba class was good and I mentioned I was rushing off to go for breakfast at Melekanne to a few of the ladies. It was too late to change our minds but I got told the prices were shocking for what you get and that the breakfast isn’t that good. I tend not to react well to Turkish breakfast as it’s either food I don’t like or food that doesn’t like me. As I’d been doing Slimming World I’d started to get better with my intolerances so I decided I’d go for it. It was the Aussies last meal in Dalyan and worth a little celebration.
The Melekanne breakfast was 300 lira (£7.73) each which is more expensive than some other places but we did have nice views and were sat in the sun. Amanda, Greg and I ordered the Turkish breakfast, Mark ordered a hamburger and Kate ordered an omelette. There were plenty of chips (with and without yoghurt), cheese rolls, cheese, tomato, cucumber, marmalade, jam, chilli dip, fried eggs, olives, bread and lots of tea. In other places a Turkish breakfast can be hard to finish but the portion size here was not too big. Mark’s burger was all sauce and very messy, Kate didn’t rate her omelette which came with a tiny amount of chips so she had to have some from our breakfast. Mark and Kate’s bill was 590 lira (£15.21) which included 2 coffees and a juice. Quite unexpectedly, I had no bad reaction whatsoever to what I ate. Admittedly I only had bread, cheese, a cheese roll, olives and chips but I was pleased I wasn’t ill. Mark and Kate left to go run some errands but the Aussies wanted to try the new coffee shop in town. Mono & More is owned by Ercan, aka Mario, from Spice Garden and people were talking about how good the coffee was. I don’t drink coffee or frequent coffee shops but thought it would be good to have a look. The place has been decorated really well and it looked nice. We met Jill, their neighbour, there and while the others had some fancy coffee, she and I had a hot chocolate. It was very nice and probably full of sugar and syns, but only 60 lira (£1.55).
Our next stop was Ozzy’s, where they had started doing food. There had been a post on Facebook, from Ozzy, to let everyone know and he’d put a photo of some chips for attention. They were crinkle cut and it got a lot of comments that they were or weren’t frozen. Ozzy had said they weren’t frozen, I believed him, but we had to go and give them a test. Mark and Kate joined us and Kate helped us test the chips too. I had a couple of the chips, they weren’t frozen, and they were good. They also do a beer plate, which I took a photo of but didn’t eat, which was popular with customers.
I had a couple of wines in Ozzy’s which came to 220 lira (£5.67) and was home by 8pm, having said bye to Amanda and Greg. I had a burger for dinner at home then an early night as I had work in the morning.

For breakfast on Friday 2nd February I had dried figs, an apple and a cup of Yorkshire tea. Then I got on with work for the morning, not noticing that I had got a missed call and a text from Greg. They had taken a taxi to Fethiye for a ferry they had booked with Sky Marine, only to find that there was no Sky Marine ferry. They were calling me for help as to what to do, unfortunately when I’m working I put my phone on do not disturb. There was another ferry company and they got that one but I later noticed they had put some angry posts on Facebook about it. I looked at Sky Marine ferries website and the ferries were not running in February so I’m not sure how that had happened. For lunch I had veggie pasta and a quick call from Captain Caveman. He’d just got out of Son Doong with Martin Garrix (a famous Dutch DJ) and Lando Norris (a famous F1 racing driver). We had a quick catch up and he said he would try to call me later.
I carried on with work with the waft of a homemade soup in the slow cooker, I was trying cauliflower, leek and courgette.
I had another break from work in the late afternoon when Captain Caveman video called me with Martin, Lando and their fellow cave trip members on the call. I got to ask what they thought of the tour, they said it was beyond amazing and the best week of their life!!! I didn’t get to ask my other 10 questions in person but Captain Caveman said that they would send the replies later. I was so pleased that they had called however, it meant I had to work until 8pm because of the time for the phonecalls. I had chocolate and some jellies to keep me going until I logged off the laptop.
For dinner I tried the soup with some potato wedges, it wasn’t my favourite meal.
Later, I got the answered questions I’d sent to Lando and I was so pleased, it had made my day. I’d also spent zero money today, in an attempt to get back on track with the budget. I went to bed in a good mood and looking forward to the weekend.