The home scales on Wednesday 4th February showed I’d put on 0.6kg (1.3lb) which wasn’t good. My measurements also were not great as my hips and waist had remained the same but I’d put 2cm on my bust! I had tea and toast then got on with work before it was time to go to Fat Club. I should really have had another no spend day yesterday and used today for the shopping day, as I knew I was going to be having a drink at Fat Club today. We’d changed venues to try Ren Garden, given that the prices of drinks at the Caria Hotel had increased. I got weighed to find Carol’s scales were not kind and I’d actually put on 0.65kg (1.4lb). Ironically, I then decided I would have a glass of red wine for 140 lira (£2.37) and I couldn’t resist taking a cookie home which cost 100 lira (£1.69). Thus spending more than I would have at the old Fat Club venue. I got back and took Norman out for a walk without it raining, which was nice and then he had his dinner with extra pasta in, as I had a veggie pasta dish and that amazing chocolate chip cookie. I did more work in the evening. I spoke to Captain Caveman around 9.30pm and we were on countdown to his arrival in 16 days. Norman snored for the rest of the evening, comfortably on the sofa.
Gratitude List 1. Treats at the new Fat Club venue 2. Speaking to Captain Caveman 3. Norman.
On Thursday 5th February Norman had taken to finding and licking or eating cat shit in the garden. The water levels had gone down after a dry day, exposing quite a bit of cat shit in the gravel and Norman was like a kid in a sweet shop! After tea and toast, I popped back to get the washing in I’d hung out yesterday, while it wasn’t raining. Today the skies were grey again and rain was forecast to start this afternoon until Tuesday, when Jamie & Drew were due back to Dalyan. I worked all day, stopping off for a lunch break where I warmed up some leftover curry and read a lovely review from a customer. At 4.30pm the rain looked imminent so Norman and I rushed out for a walk – it was quite blustery and Norman wasn’t that happy about it! For dinner, I made teriyaki chicken with noodles which was very tasty. I worked in the evening and today was another zero spend day, which I was pleased about and I’d planned to stay in and work all weekend.
Gratitude List 1. Good food 2. Resort Experts review 3. Norman.
Amazingly, the sun came out on Tuesday 3rd February so Norman and I were both really pleased about that. I’d been doing well with the Frugal February so far and I had just 1 week left until Jamie & Drew came back. After a few hours of work, tea and toast for breakfast, my pen ran out just as I came to the end of my notepad – which was weird! I decided to go for a walk and call at the shops for new ones. Here’s what I spent, prices in lira, still keeping the budget in mind;
I could have bought just 1 of each but decided I would have spares for next time, even though I could’ve saved spending £2.54.
Migros Supermarket
Wholemeal bread 99.50 2 Quark 111.90 Fabric Softener 116.95 900g chicken breast 193.99 4 tins tomatoes 199.80 Total 722.14 lira (£12.24)
I decided to pop in to the supermarket as I wanted a sliced wholemeal loaf and some chicken. While there, I spotted they had fabric softener on offer for the 1440ml, large size (which I had run out of) and they had restocked the tins of tomatoes. Tinned tomatoes are like rocking horse shit here, in the winter, so I grabbed 4 – again, not an essential but I like to get them when I see them. I dropped the tomatoes and softener off at home and took the rest of the stuff back with me to Jamie’s. Norman was loving being back outside too but there seemed to be a lot of cats around, which he wasn’t keen on. We had a lovely walk, with no rain too. I worked until 9.30pm, including some stuff for my next book, and had a chicken, chickpea and spinach curry for dinner.
Gratitude List 1. Shopping for non essentials but still being within my budget 2. A walk in the sun 3. Norman.
I decided to have a no spend day on Monday 2nd February, I didn’t need to buy anything or go anywhere as I had a big to do list. I had not had much sleep as the storm during the night had kept me awake and there had been hail as big as marbles! Norman put in another complaint about the weather but he cheered up once he’d had a corner of toast, despite being rather damp. It was also very cold as I worked all morning with Norman in his bed beside me. I broke off at 2pm for lunch and had warmed up leftover sausage casserole. At 5pm Norman and I went for a soggy walkies through lots of puddles. In the evening I did some more work, sponsored a friend for a marathon she was running and had some messages from Captain Caveman who was getting prepared for a sponsored cycling (300km) event in Vietnam next month. He was paying for his own flights, fees and everything for the trip but anyone who sponsored him would have all of their money going directly to benefit children in Vietnam with Saigon Children’s Charity. They’ve already built over 200 schools, including one in the village where Captain Caveman used to work. You can read more about them here: https://share.google/FOjpUky4K5Ep3T3s2 It did make me think I should do something for charity in the future, as I didn’t really have the time or money right now but that was another goal for later in the year and definitely for 2027. I certainly couldn’t run a marathon or cycle 300km but maybe a 5km walk would be a start. At 9pm I had a call with a couple of friends who were one of my favourite customers and had booked their third holiday with me. They were off to Morocco on my recommendation and we had a great catch up of things to do/see, what to avoid etc, to help them get the most out of their anniversary break to Marrakech. Before bed I asked ChatGPT to do me a caricature picture or 2 of me that showed what I did for work and it was quite good. At this point I was unaware of the trend of using your actual face to do this.
Gratitude List 1. Norman 2. Leftover sausage casserole 3. A call with friends to chat about Marrakech.
It was the first day of my Frugal February on Sunday 1st February and I’d also planned to take the day off. I had given myself a mission to spend less than £91 (5,369 lira) in 3 weeks. The exchange rate throughout February would get nearer to 60 lira to the pound – the highest I’d known it. I’d already pretty much cut out non-essential purchases from my lifestyle for most of the last year or more, but now I was really going to test myself (hopefully). Captain Caveman would arrive for the last week of February and we would spend normally then – and have a bit of a treat or two. I had another 10 days left with Norman and he was doing well despite the wettest winter I’d had in Dalyan. The forecast didn’t look much better for the next week and I could guarantee it would probably fine up, the day that Jamie returned! After tea and toast with Norman, who promptly fell asleep after his corner of toast, I checked my blog stats. January had 24% more views than December and the top 3 views were from the UK, Türkiye and the USA, then followed by The Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Germany, Sweden, Vietnam and Ireland. I was pleased to see Vietnam in the top 10 for the start of 2026. It stopped raining but the skies were grey and another downpour was imminent. I met a friend at the tea gardens and we had a catch up and a cup of tea – I splashed out and had 2 large teas for 40 lira (68p) and we were there for a while. We left just as it was starting to rain again but I managed to get back home in time to check on the leaks. Our pool on the complex had overflowed so it was a good job I had my wellies on. By the time I was walking past my parents’ and to Jamie’s, the sun was out and I hurried back to take Norman out for a walk. I found him laying on the kitchen rug, basking in the sunshine. On the walk, the skies got gloomier and by the end of it, little Norman had quite a spurt on to get home before he got wet. We got in just before another downpour and I had sausage casserole with veggies and potatoes for my dinner – it was delicious. I ended up doing a bit of work in the evening and decided to follow another one of those prompt sheets I often do but only get halfway through! Norman came for snuggles on the sofa while I got excited over a Facebook recognition badge (sad, I know) and a video call with Captain Caveman who was in London.
Gratitude List 1. Tea with a friend on my day off 2. Norman 3. A video call with Captain Caveman.
Friday 30th January was a busy day but I took a couple of hours off in the afternoon and I decided to take Sunday off this week. Pay day weekends, which mainly fall at the end of the month are usually my busiest times, so I was working tonight and all day tomorrow. It was still a bit damp out there and I was on day 11 of my 22 days of dog sitting Norman – half way through. Jamie and Drew were having a lovely time on their cruise and we got some photos and updates from Jamie in the WhatsApp group, making us all jealous of the amazing weather he was enjoying. I continued to work as hard as I could at building my travel business and promoting my books. I even got an update from Facebook on my author’s page to say ‘Congrats! You’ve completed our ads academy’. This was more impressive in that I didn’t know I was trying to complete it. I still found it hard to grow an audience and, with how Facebook works with followers, it was frustrating. I had invited people to follow, which means they can see my posts on preview without actually clicking the follow button but then people just stay in the limbo position and I can’t count them as a follower (because they aren’t) to get the extra benefits from Facebook for having more followers. Meanwhile, I also can’t remove and re invite them either. At 2.30pm I downed tools and headed over to speak to a friend of a friend, who needed a cat sitter. A mutual friend had suggested me and we’d arranged for me to visit them today. The cats were sweet and quite playful, the owners I knew from seeing them about town. I was there an hour and a half but then had to get back to walk Norman, I called at the shop on the way back and here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Migros Plastic bag 1.00 Mints 23.45 Popcorn 34.95 Grapefruit drink 38.90 Olives 46.12 Dark chocolate 69.95 Feta cheese 149.90 Tofu 162.95 Total spent 527.22 lira (£9.25)
Unfortunately, there was no chicken left and I’d planned to cook a teriyaki chicken for dinner – I bought tofu as a replacement but wasn’t confident about that. Norman was reluctant to set off for a walk but I made him, it was not raining when we left. When we returned home we were both absolutely soaked and had got caught in the downpour. Norman actually fell out with me and wouldn’t participate in a video to Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew. He then demanded he should get a treat for enduring such a wet walk! By 7pm he was on the sofa snoring away as I shelved the idea of tofu for tea and had a make do dinner of cheese and biscuits with olives so I could carry on working.
Gratitude List 1. Working hard 2. Norman 3. Cheese.
I was a bit out of sync on Saturday 31st January, so much so that I completely forgot it was market day. It rained all day and I had lots of stuff to get on with so I was busy at my laptop and I made a soup in the slow cooker. At 11.30am, Norman started begging for a snack and he’d already had breakfast, 2 corners of toast and 1 gravy bone snack. He was not snoozy in the slightest and it was pouring with rain outside so he couldn’t go for a walk. I had a couple of calls booked in with friends and one of them was to discuss more travel arrangements for the end of the year. I didn’t have my lunch, of halloumi pasta, until gone 3pm and after work, at 7.30pm, I decided to tot up my January income v expenditure and how the monthly budget had gone. For the first time in a while, I’d managed to survive without too much hassle, but I had been looked after by Captain Caveman for the first 16 days of the month in Morocco and the UK. I added the holiday and Sheffield trip up separately to Türkiye which showed I’d spent a total of £668 (£600 of which had been paid for by Captain Caveman giving me the money). Once back in Turkey I’d spent another £178 in total (including bills) and had a whopping £91 to carry over in to February. I was pleased with that but I was starting Frugal February tomorrow in an attempt to build up an emergency fund. I wanted to get to the stage where I had spare money so, although I was going to have some treats, I had decided I needed to prioritise. Captain Caveman was due to visit me on the 21st of next month so I set myself a goal to see if I could get by on not spending more than that £91, carried over from January, in the next 3 weeks. If I could, it would mean I’d effectively managed a no spend 3 weeks! It was going to be tough and I actually thought it might not be achievable but I was going to do my absolute best. What do you think, could I do it? Could you live off £30 per week in Türkiye for 3 weeks, if you tried to?
Gratitude List 1. Norman 2. Holiday planning 3. Surviving and having an impressively good January.
It looked like it might stop raining a bit on Wednesday 28th January, which was good as I had to go to Fat Club and had arranged to meet friends. My measurements showed I’d put 2cm on both my waist and bust and had no change to my hips. Disappointingly, despite home cooking and less wine than previous weeks, the scales said I’d stayed the same – I hoped Carol’s scales were more favourable. I was up early and working away on my Resort Experts content for social media. When I checked how things were doing on my analytics, my ‘Top Tips for anyone visiting Vietnam’ post recently, had got lots more views and was ranked at 1 out of 10 – this was a good sign. My book sales for January were still a bit sporadic but at least I was going to get a payment in March. I’d set myself a goal to be able to survive without any money from Captain Caveman this year but I had struggled already. Even though I’d only spent £140 since getting back to Türkiye, I’d had to ask him for £30 to be able to cover the electric bill and the rest of my credit card, as I was slightly short. When I checked why I was short against my budget, I’d not accounted for the £27 internet cost as I’d paid cash and not added it to my spreadsheet – I usually track every penny/lira, too, so it was my mistake. Captain Caveman sent me £50 so I had a little extra and he didn’t mind at all. I did part 3 of the Race for Recurring Revenue and then rushed to get ready to face Carol’s scales. Fat Club was full of surprises as I had in fact lost 1.2kg (2.6lb) which I was pleased about. When we came to pay the bill, there was an issue. Turkish Tea had gone up to 95 lira (£1.67) and a small water was now 60 lira (£1.05) at Caria Luxury hotel. That in itself wasn’t an issue but it was more the fact that 3 ladies had already left and the 2 members of staff couldn’t seem to work out the prices either. It was a right old palava and none of us now had the right amount. I met a friend with Norman and we had a walk and a talk before dropping Norman back off at home. We then decided to try a new(ish) cafe in the Gülpınar area of Dalyan. Joy Cafe was very nice and we ordered water, tea and a lentil soup each. The prices were really good at 150 lira (£2.63) for all of that each and I’d definitely go back there again. I had to be back for 7pm as I had a client call booked in and then another session as part of the RRR, on Mindset.
Gratitude List 1. Losing weight 2. Norman and a walk with a friend 3. Joy Cafe.
Thursday 29th January was another wet and miserable day, we managed to get out but it was mainly work, the last session of RRR and making sure Norman was ok. I did manage to get Norman out for a walk but he was not thrilled and we both came back very moist. I worked on more plans for my own trips in my lunch hour and attempting to promote my book, ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ to more people. I had no budget for ads or to pay a professional, to do my marketing so it was quite time consuming to do my own. I was learning lots and I was even starting to think about new areas that I had experience in which I could perhaps branch out in to. I was also starting to feel quite tired, and not being warm enough in the evenings. I missed Captain Caveman more than I thought I would, too. That night, the storms got worse, power went off but luckily that was after I had eaten a chicken and pepper wrap and was only for a short time. Norman, being deaf, was not phased and slept through it once he’d been towel dried.
Gratitude List 1. Norman 2. The handy Travel Planner 3. Planning more trips in 2026
It looked like the forecast bad weather on Monday 26th January may have been a mistake when I got up at 7am. I decided to run a few errands before my first Race to Recurring Revenue (RRR) challenge session. Another few enquiries had come in for holidays and my book sales were starting to slowly take off – but I needed more buyers. I also really wanted to get my books on actual bookshelves and in to airports and train stations. This was why I was doing the RRR stuff so I could continue to learn more ways to make passive income. I got on with work and then let Norman out for a wee – it was so blustery, it nearly blew him away and we had to get back inside. I’d not had time for lunch so made a sweet and sour chicken for an early dinner just as the weather became pretty bad. In the bedroom I noticed a puddle of water coming in under the door, so I went to check the other rooms and windows. That’s when I noticed that Norman’s other bed and I brought it downstairs. Norman was so excited that he got in it straight away and was fast asleep by 9.30pm.
Gratitude List 1. A busy day 2. Norman 3. Less than a week of January left to go.
Tuesday 27th January was a wet and windy day where I worked from 8am to 7pm with a few breaks in between to attend the 2nd session of the Race to Recurring Revenue in my lunch break. I had calls booked in with friends who were either already booked in for holidays with me, or were looking to in the near future. Norman didn’t get a walk and had to go outside for pees and poos because the weather was so bad. On the plus side, it did mean I couldn’t go out either so any Sabotage Tuesday treats could not be had. Before bed, I did a quick list for one of the Fat Club ladies for ideas on where to go in Vietnam during and after Tet holiday.
Gratitude List 1. Norman, who mainly slept all day 2. A busy but productive day 3. Speaking to 2 of my friends about travel.
My first task on Sunday 25th January was to encourage Norman, who was very snoozy, to go outside. He was quite sleepy most of the day but he did have a corner or 2 of toast before napping. I got on with work and it was going to be a long day as I’d signed up for a free course which started late tonight. I had a lunch break at 3.30pm and decided to go to the shops to stock up for the rest of the week. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
I made a chicken and leek pasta bake for dinner which was amazing and had a few portions left for fridge/freezer. Norman put in another complaint when he thought his dinner was late as we had been back from a walk for over 30 minutes. In the evening we watched some TV and I fell asleep on the sofa until my alarm went off for a Facebook Live session I’d agreed to join. Tomorrow was the start of a challenge called the Race to Recurring Revenue with business strategist Lisa Johnson, so I joined an 11pm welcome party on my laptop.
Gratitude List 1. Norman 2. Food shopping 3. A tasty dinner.
It was quite a busy day on Saturday 24th January and I was glad to get to the weekly market for the first time in 2026. On my way there, I checked my messages/Facebook and noticed some kind comments about The Handy Travel Planner, which was encouraging.
The market was busier than I’d expected but I guess folks were getting out in between the pockets of rain, as more bad weather was likely. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
It was a big spend this week but I’d not got any fresh produce in since my return from the UK, so it was needed. I’d also decided that splashing out on the mushroom and cheese gözleme was a great idea and would save me cooking any lunch. I even sat at the stall and ate it in the market, like a local. I made it back to the corner of Jamie’s road when the rain came again so Norman wasn’t too pleased that his walk would be delayed. Tonight I had plans to go to a friend’s for a curry night, which I was looking forward to. Unfortunately, one of the attendees was ill and couldn’t make it so it was cancelled. I decided to take Norman for a walk and the rain eased off so we went right along the river. On my way back round, my friends were in Corner Bar so Norman and I joined them. I had a soda water and 2 red wines which came to 400 lira (£7) and this time I made sure I paid on card to be able to keep track easier. Norman got a chance to clean the floor of any scraps but, unfortunately, as we got halfway home, the rain came again and we got a bit wet. Norman put in a complaint about wet paws and late dinner so we had to do a video for Jamie. The night was finished off with me eating pasta for dinner and watching Death in Paradise on TV until I fell asleep on the sofa.
Gratitude List 1. Dalyan market 2. Norman 3. Drinks with friends.
There was an almighty bang at 4am on Thursday 22nd January, following a blustery night’s storm. I got out of bed, put my clothes on over the top of my pyjamas and grabbed my house keys and phone. My first thought was that there was someone breaking in to the house and I had to get to little Norman to make sure he was safe. I put the upstairs stair light on and spread my keys between my fingers, making a fist! I got downstairs to the main door which was still locked and I could see no issue there. Norman was snoring away, undisturbed, I checked each door and all was still secure so I didn’t know what it was. I turned back to check if there was anyone/anything upstairs which could have made such a noise and that’s when I stood on the culprit! A picture had fallen from above the door and was on the hall floor, surprisingly still in one piece. I picked it up, it was made of heavy wood and had been stuck to the wall with what looked like a flimsy bit of velcro. I was almost annoyed there hadn’t been an intruder as I shoved it in a drawer and went back to bed. When I got back up, just 3 hours later, the day was all about Norman. It was very windy and grey outdoors but Norman had an official complaint not related to weather. He usually has a corner of my toast and he’d not had any this morning so he was huffing about it. We did a video for Jamie so that the complaint was logged and I decided to walk to the shop. Norman wouldn’t even venture outside so I decided the nearest shop would do. Here’s what I bought, with prices in lira;
I did some work and started to think about a trip to somewhere else in Türkiye for a girls trip. Anex Tour UK offer me discount on my own bookings and are also really good for client bookings too. I mulled ideas over while I ate a simit with Red Leicester cheese. Norman came up on the sofa next to me and had afternoon snoozes as it started to rain heavily. At 2pm I dialled in to the Resort Experts team meeting and, although Jamie couldn’t attend, he did send a photo to the group WhatsApp to give his reasons – he was sipping champagne on a business class flight. Norman snored throughout the meeting as a storm came in, then I got a couple of messages from Captain Caveman. He had booked me 2 flights and was sending the confirmation; one to go back to the UK at the beginning of July, the other for a return trip to Madrid a few days later. We were off to the Mad Cool Festival for a few days – I’d never been to Madrid before so I was excited. Captain Caveman had already got us Metallica tickets in London, just before that too. When it came to dog walking time, Norman took one look outside and knew he had to go in the garden as the rain was very heavy. He was quick but came back soaked and had to get dried off with a towel. It was gone 8.30pm when I ate my dinner of chicken with some mystery defrosted food. I watched a bit of TV and almost fell asleep on the sofa.
Gratitude List 1. Not having an intruder in the house 2. Norman 3. Not getting soaked in the rain.
I woke up at 7am on Friday 23rd January and let Norman out, it was still rainy and he wasn’t keen. After his breakfast, I cheered him up with a corner or 2 of toast and he went back to bed while I cracked on with my morning. I had decided to throw caution to the wind and join a weekend trip to the Costa Del Sol in the summer with a group of friends. It had been quite a while since I’d been on a girl’s weekend so I jumped at the chance and I got us a good deal on the accomodation. At 5.30pm it stopped raining so I whisked Norman out for a walk. I also checked around for any rain or storm damage as our main bathroom had quite a bit of water come in the sky light and the wall had gone damp. I put the AC on dehumidifier mode and went to the bank to get cash for the market tomorrow and to the shop to buy provisions. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket Pasta 15.25 Haribo jellies 29.95 1 tin of tomatoes 49.95 Chickpeas 69.95 Halloumi 96.50 3 Quark 149.85 Total spent 411.45 lira (£7.22)
I had sofa snuggles with Norman and then spoke to Captain Caveman as he was driving to/from work. It was gone 9.30pm when I started cooking a meal, I decided to have spaghetti carbonara as it would be quick and I was hungry. It turned out well and I really enjoyed it. Tomorrow I had allowed time off for a market trip if the weather stayed fine.
Gratitude List 1. Norman 2. More holiday plans 3. Carbonara.
Monday 19th January was a busy day for me, not only unpacking, doing laundry and working but also getting ready for my next lot of shenanigans. I had flown back when I had, so that I could look after Norman, the dog, for 22 days starting tomorrow. I managed to have a quick morning walk to the bank to get out some cash as the sun was shining. I also paid the internet for 2 months at Captainnet – they wouldn’t let me pay for longer as more price increases were due. On my way back, I called at the shop to stock up on a few essentials, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket
Milk 10.90 1 Quark 49.95 Pesto sauce 144.95 4 tins tomatoes 199.80 Frozen berries 229.95 Total spent 635.55 lira (£11.15)
I took time out of my busy schedule for helping a Facebook friend on a budget who was in Vietnam and needed somewhere to stay at Tet holiday. I put Chung, one of my best friend’s in Phong Nha, in touch and she offered their home at a bargain price and included the new year dinner because it was a friend of mine – how lovely of her. Next, I started looking at flights to Spain, from Turkey, which weren’t ideal so I thought about my next trip back to to the UK. I’d probably tie in a week with Captain Caveman and then join a friend’s trip to Spain. It was all very exciting and it felt good to know I’d be having a few trips in 2026. I didn’t finish work until 9.30pm by which time it was too late for a proper dinner so I just had cheese and biscuits.
Gratitude List 1. A walk around sunny Dalyan 2. Helping a visitor to Phong Nha out 3. Planning trips for myself and friends.
Tuesday 20th January turned out to be a bit unusual. I worked from home in the morning at mine and Jamie picked me up just after lunch. When I got to his place, Norman and I had been left in charge of a painter who was just there for the rest of the day. This was going to be the longest I’d looked after Norman and he was almost 15 years old so when Jamie said bye to Norman, he told him he had to live until he got back. I also hoped he would survive and all looked promising as he could still walk quite well and had a great appetite. The painter and I did our best to make sure Norman didn’t end up with a dark green mustache and it was so cold in Jamie’s with all the doors and windows open – I struggled to type! Norman was not impressed either as it looked like the weather forecast was showing rain over the next week or two. After doing a dog walk as far as my house, Norman decided he’d had enough and didn’t want to walk by the river. In the evening, I went to meet Penny and Phil at Corner Bar. It had now become the popular bar for Dalyan Dwellers so they were in there with Lady C, the dog. I ended up having 3 wines which were 170 lira (£3) each so prices, although cheaper than the UK, had gone up a little. The wine was Harman which is ok but not as good as the UK stuff I’d got used to. I ended up paying cash of 600 lira (£10.53) as the change didn’t come back as expected. For dinner, I had a warmed up, previously batch cooked freezer meal then had a video call with Captain Caveman. I ended up sleeping on the sofa, to keep my eye on Norman who was already snoring away!
Gratitude List 1. Norman 2. Getting rid of the painter so we could shut the doors again 3. Drinks with Penny & Phil.
I was awake very early on Wednesday 21st January after an uncomfortable night on the sofa. I made a cup of tea and realised I’d not got enough bread for toast so had to make do. I worked all morning, including helping a colleague know what information to get from a new client looking for holiday quotes – my new book, The Handy Travel Planner, came in handy and I sent her a photo of the pages I use to collate this type of information. I did a video of Norman for Jamie & Drew as an update for them to see how he was doing. My phone was still playing up but was doing videos while deleting any photos I took – I was saving up for a new one. Today was weigh day, my measurements showed that I’d put on centimetres on my bust and hips but lost on my waist. I’d not been to Fat Club since before Christmas so it wasn’t going to be a good result. I had put on 2.7kg (6lb) in 5 weeks!!! That was going to take some shifting but I would try my best to lose it in the 5 weeks I had until Captain Caveman arrived. I now needed to lose almost 8kg (1st 3lb) to get back down to my target weight. We have the Fat Club group meeting at Caria Luxury hotel, which is very nice but there was a bit of a to-do when a cup of Turkish tea had increased to 80 lira (£1.40), which I also thought was steep! The group decided we might look for another venue for future weeks. After a dog walk and feeding, I just had pasta for dinner as I had a couple of holiday enquiries I was working on until 10pm. Tonight, I was looking forward to a better night’s sleep.
Gratitude List 1. Norman 2. Seeing the ladies at Fat Club again 3. Being warmer today.
I landed at Dalaman airport at 12.30am on Sunday 18th January and waited quite a while for my suit case, in fact I was one of the last out of the airport. I hadn’t managed to drink the prosecco on the plane so I had some to bring home, I didn’t bother with anything at Duty Free as I was going to try to cut down on alcohol. Unfortunately, while going through the nothing to declare exit, I got stopped. The staff member there opened my suitcase and, because of the last minute cramming in of produce, it was in a bit of disarray with food all over the place. The man asked me what it was and pointed at the food. I replied it was food as I was cooking dinner for my family and friends tonight. He smiled, said ok and let me go! I was so relieved because I really hadn’t want it to be confiscated. My usual taxi man, Sonuç was on his way to the UK with his family so he had sent Engin. He took my case and we travelled back fairly quickly to Dalyan where he dropped me at the gate to the apartment complex and the fare was £30. The taxi rank at the airport is only £25 but I prefer to have a driver I know when arriving in the night/early hours and they don’t always drop you at your home when coming from Dalaman. I went in, put the electric back on and decided to unpack so that I could get the food in the fridge and freezer. Despite having to leave some back in the UK, I still had loads of lovely stuff which is either expensive or unavailable in Turkey. I went to bed and although it was quite cold in Dalyan, it was still a bit warmer than London. I didn’t set an alarm as I didn’t have to be anywhere until later in the day. I didn’t have the internet with it being a Sunday so it was a nice quiet day. I did manage a bit of a walk round the town and to the bank. I got an update from 2 of my customers who were on a sleeper train, heading to Dong Hoi and were going to be staying in Phong Nha, Vietnam. They seemed to be enjoying themselves so far and I was looking forward to finding out how they would like Phong Nha. At 5.30pm I popped my new Christmas and birthday clothes on and I met Jamie at Ela’s Kitchen for a Sunday dinner. I’d been a bit reluctant when he asked to book it in as I thought I’d have had enough English food but I decided to go for the Sunday dinner. It was a relatively new thing at Ela’s, with soup for starter, beef for main and cake for afters. They offer choice of chicken or nut roast at 850 lira (£15), beef at 950 lira (£17) or lamb at 1,100 lira (£19) which included the 3 courses. The food was really good and I was super stuffed, I also had a glass of red wine to wash it down with. When we went to get the bill, Jamie insisted on paying for it as a birthday treat, which was really lovely.
Gratitude List 1. Getting back to Dalyan with a suitcase full of treats 2. Having a good sleep 3. Sunday dinner birthday celebrations with Jamie.
My flight from Gatwick to Dalaman was scheduled for 5.15pm on Saturday 17th January. It was my last day in Barnes and we had great plans for my last morning. My friend, Claire and her daughter were on the way over to join us for breakfast. Even though I’d been in England for 18 days (plus 8 in Morocco), it had been quite tricky to meet up with friends. I appreciated most had family or Christmas and New Year commitments so it had only been possible in the last week, but I’d already planned to be back at work and celebrating birthdays with my sister. I really understood that not all friends could put themselves out for me being back in town but I really appreciated the ones who did. Claire drove from Kent to Barnes where Captain Caveman had cooked a superb breakfast for us all – even popping to Barnes Farmer’s Market for fresh produce. Of course, I had decided to repack my case in the garden room and was mid pack when my friend arrived. They helped me try to get my massive case with all the food in, to under 15kg. Gill brought down the scales and we weighed them several times until we were sure they were under the weight limit. After catching up and planning to see each other more in 2026, it was time to get to the airport. Captain Caveman isn’t one for airport farewells so I knew he was hoping I’d leave him in Barnes so he could get on with playing some Bridge. I decided he should come with us so at least if my suitcase weighed heavy he could take some stuff back home. Being the practical sort, he agreed and brought my empty rucksack which we had already decided wouldn’t fit in my case.
We had a nice drive to Gatwick airport from Barnes and I was grateful to spend a bit more time with Claire who had very kindly offered to take me to the airport. It costs £10 now to drop someone off at Gatwick which was a bit extreme and Claire ended up paying that. We said our farewells and we had a plan to get together in the summer which I was very excited about. Captain Caveman came in to the airport and to the bag drop where things didn’t go to plan. My case weighed 17.8kg on the easyJet scales and I had to remove items. Captain Caveman was on it and took out some of my clothes, the frozen crumpets, tomato paste and curry pastes which I had multiple of. He took out some other products and when we weighed at just over 15kg the member of staff said that was ok. As they got distracted with another member of staff asking about my hand luggage, Captain Caveman slipped a few items back in to the case. Those scales were very biased so we were a bit annoyed and I was glad Captain Caveman was there. The goodbye wasn’t too bad as Captain Caveman had already planned to come out to see me in 5 week’s time, but I still got upset. We had spent almost a month together and I had felt very lucky at all the treats and experiences I’d had with him – even spending Christmas Day in Barking had been fun.
Once through security at Gatwick airport, where I didn’t need to take anything out of my bag and more than 100ml liquids were allowed, I decided I would have a look for some new headphones. The ones I had been borrowing from Captain Caveman had fell apart so I had left them with him. I decided I would use the rest of my birthday money to get myself a good pair, they did cost £49.99 but were noise cancelling, which I wanted. At the gate, my hand luggage underseat bag got checked and the man behind me had to pay extra for being a few centimetres over as easyJet were being really strict – he tried to argue as he works for easyJet but they were having none of it and charged him £34. On the flight, I was sat in 14D which was an aisle seat behind the exit row and had a couple sat next to me and 2 young women in the seats across the aisle from me. When the flight attendant came round she asked if the 3 of us in our row were together, I said not and she asked me and the 2 women across the aisle to move forward a seat, to the exit row. The man on my row wasn’t too happy about that as he wanted to move but the staff member said no to him, without a reason. Ironically, my underseat case which now had the wheels off to fit the specification, had to go in the overhead locker and I could put the wheels back on.
During the flight, I decided to celebrate the end of my fabulous 26 day holiday with the 2 for 1 prosecco and a chicken teriyaki with jasmine rice. It cost me £23.95 which was expensive but I really enjoyed it. I watched something on Netflix and filled in more of my copy of The Handy Travel Planner with all the new travel plans I had for 2026; Madrid, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Brussels, more Turkey and a couple of unknowns yet. I ended up spending another £12.50 on more Prosecco and I opened the midget gems which I’d stuffed in my coat pocket. I fell asleep before midnight and was due to land by 12.30am.
Gratitude List 1. A delicious Barnes breakfast with everyone 2. Getting to see Claire and her daughter 3. Having had such a great 26 days away that I was sad to be leaving.
Friday 16th January was a busy day as Captain Caveman and I started work early in our respective working from home offices. We had train tickets booked to London later so had planned for a 4pm finish. I had a video sent from Dagne in Majorca who had taken time to have a proper look at her new copy of The Handy Travel Planner and she loved it. I was pleased as she was the first non-UK person to get her hands on a copy. It was great feedback that the planner also worked in other countries and for foreigners who spoke English.
By 4pm Captain Caveman and I had logged off and were ready to leave Pontecarlo. For me, it would be the last time I’d be in this house as Captain Caveman was moving out in March. He’d decided to move to Sheffield and I was pleased he would be moving to somewhere he would probably be happier and have more of a social life. The taxi came and we got to the train station to see a few trains were delayed. Ours came and it was full, with kids sitting in our seats. Captain Caveman turfed them out and we sat down, cracked open a train tin and started to relax. I went to the cafe carriage to get us more light refreshments (gin & tonic for him, wine for me), plus a snack and the journey seemed to go very quickly. The train journey price was £19.80 each from Ponte to London King’s Cross, then £4.20 each to Barnes which I thought was quite reasonable.
When we arrived in Barnes, at Captain Caveman’s parents’ home, it was gone 8.30pm. As we said our hellos I could smell a roast dinner cooking (nothing gets past me). Captain Caveman had failed to mention that his parents were doing a full on roast pork dinner for my last dinner in the UK – I almost cried. In the living room with a glass of wine, more excitement came as I opened a delayed Christmas gift from a friend – a thoughtful bottle of Argentinian Malbec and some caramel cheesecake macarons. We decided to have these with dinner and for afters we ate cheese and biscuits then the macarons. It was such a lovely last evening in the UK and I knew that this time I was going to miss it more than usual.
Gratitude List 1. Dagne’s video with The Handy Travel Planner 2. A belated Christmas gift 3. A lovely family meal in Barnes.
On Thursday 15th January both Captain Caveman and I worked from his home in Pontecarlo – he in his upstairs office and me in the living/dining room. There was much excitement as my colleague and friend in Majorca received The Handy Travel Planner – the first one to get to Spain and it had took 3 weeks! Dagne was so pleased and she sent me photos from Majorca and would send me a video tomorrow as she was on her way to work now.
I finished work at 12 to go meet Louisa, who had very kindly driven from Sheffield to come to meet me at The Carleton pub for lunch. As we’d picked a dog friendly pub, she had brought Bodhi too. We had a good catch up and decided to order some starters to share as our main meal so that we would have room for their fab jam roly poly and custard. I was glad I’d got to see Louisa and have cuddles with Bodhi, who was very well behaved in the pub, as I’d not had enough time to catch up with her when I was in Sheffield. It was also good to chat about potential holiday plans together for later this year. Louisa very kindly treated me to my lovely lunch for my birthday and unfortunately I had to get back to my desk.
After a few more hours on some admin and quotes, I finished for the day. As tonight was my last in Pontecarlo, Captain Caveman decided he wanted to take me out for a last birthday celebration and we could choose between Indian or Thai. We had a walk to the Grocer’s Arms pub. The music was great and they served proper beers and ciders at reasonable prices. The man serving was friendly and the punters all seemed interesting – a local walking group was in when we were there.
Next, we went to Mumbai of Pontefract where we ordered the shared starter with fish, samosa, pakora, chicken tikka and onion bhaji. We ordered the non-alcoholic wine which the waiter said was £4 for a bottle but was actually £4 a glass. It tasted better than I thought it would be and they didn’t sell alcohol in there. For main, Captain Caveman had a spicy dish and I had a chicken tikka (no sauce), we shared all the accompaniments and the food was ok. It was not the best Indian we had been to and just 5 minutes after finishing eating I was in the toilet with a really bad stomach! It cost just under £50 which Captain Caveman paid for and we were both a bit disappointed that I was ill. The reason we had chosen the Indian was I didn’t want to be unwell for the train down to London tomorrow, too – so maybe we should have gone for Thai. We walked home, with me feeling rubbish and only just made it home to the bathroom. I had to go straight to bed to rest too.
Gratitude List 1. Seeing Louisa and Bodhi for birthday celebrations at lunch 2. A visit to the Grocer’s Arms 3. Spending the evening with Captain Caveman for more birthday celebrations.
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