Dalyan – 15th May

My first job on Friday 15th May was to check where I was against the weekly budget. This week I had overspent by £85.33 on a budget of £105! This was due to a trip to the Hairdressers, a boat trip, a takeaway, 3 bar visits and a meal out. Only 2 days had been without alcohol and the cost of booze certainly can add up if I’m not carefully tracking it. This next week was about to be an expensive one though as I had meals out and 2 boat trips booked in with the family. I was prepared for this, had upped the budget to £20 per day for the rest of May and planned to drastically reduce how much I spent at the end of the month to compensate!
I worked all day, only for a break when the water delivery man came. I pay just 120 lira (£2) for the 19 litre water containers and they deliver quickly. I broke off work at 5pm, a rare thing for me even on a Friday, as I was meeting the family for an early bar and needed to get ready.
Ma & Pa decided on Efe bar for a pre dinner drink where I just had a soda water for 70 lira (£1.17). The men ordered beers but the ladies were sensible with soda waters and Neil paid for the round. Mom nipped to the stationers which, conveniently, was open at 7.30pm – worth noting if you need a last minute souvenir or print out.
Our meal was booked at Firat’s for 8pm and it’s a firm favourite of my parents’ and mine. It’s a simple family run, small restaurant set in the ‘Turkish Quarter’ and always has excellent food. Mom & Gayle ordered the fish while Dad, Neil and I had kebabs. We also got 2 lavaş (balloon bread) with garlic butter which we love. Dad and Neil also ordered the cold rice pudding (sütlaç) for afters and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a glass of white wine with my chicken shish and paid 1,100 lira (£18.33) including the tip.
After, we decided to call for a nightcap and was going to call in to Dalyan Lounge but settled on Ozzy’s Bar. We didn’t want too much of a lively night as we had a boat trip booked for tomorrow so didn’t want to be hungover. Ozzy’s was rammed full with customers so all 5 of us had to squeeze on to 2 sofa style bench seats. It was also full of too many smokers, which I’m not a fan of. It’s meant to be illegal to smoke in bars now but it doesn’t seem to have been implemented in Dalyan. I ordered a red wine, my parents had Efes Malt, Gayle and Neil decided to try out the cocktails; sangria, long island iced tea and pina colada – all met with Gayle and Neil’s approval.
I paid 200 lira (£3.33) including a small tip for my red wine and we headed off back home. I checked I’d put my out of office on for tomorrow as I had been lucky enough to be invited on Gayle & Neil’s private boat trip and I couldn’t wait!

Gratitude List
1. Tracking spending despite overspending this week
2. Another family outing
3. A fantastic meal at Firat’s.

Dalyan – 14th May

Before breakfast on Thursday 14th May I had took photos of some Slimming World recipes which I liked the look of. I sat on the balcony having tea and toast while the pool and gardening team worked below. The weather was definitely starting to pick up which was great now that my sister and brother-in-law had arrived. I did some writing and then grabbed a quick lunch before a couple of meetings online. The Resort Experts team meeting got cancelled so I cracked on with my to do list until 4pm. I’d not heard from the family about doing anything tonight so I took myself off for a walk along the river at a decent hour.

On my way back, I called to say hello to Katrina at Maizie Moo and ended up having wine from Lukka bar. I met a friend of Katrina’s with a gorgeous looking dog and we got chatting. Katrina and I sat chatting for a while and I had 3 red wines to Katrina’s 1 mint chocolate milkshake, which I tasted and it was fab. I paid my bill which was 800 lira (£13.33) including a tip and went home to a mystery dinner from the freezer.

Gratitude List
1. Having a sit on the balcony for tea and toast
2. Spending time with Katrina
3. A fairly relaxed and easy going day.

Dalyan – 13th May

The day of my sister and her hubby arriving in Dalyan was finally here on Wednesday 13th May. Ma, Pa and I were really looking forward to their arrival tonight and I’d planned to finish work early so that I could join the family meal at Caretta. I’d already told Mom I would see them all in Retro bar at 7pm and had a busy day coming up to make sure I was available.
I’d already turned down a boat trip with friends and I decided I didn’t have the time to spare to attend my zoom call with the CPG team. I did decide I still needed to prioritise Fat Club so that I could at least pretend to keep control over my food and drink intake this week to attempt damage limitations.
I took my measurements to find I’d lost 1cm from each of my bust, waist and hips – I was pleased with that. The home scales said I had lost 0.5kg (1.1lb) which was favourable but I still had to wait until Carol’s scales at 3pm.
When I did get on Carol’s scales I was pleased as they said I had lost 0.7kg (1.5lb)! I was not tempted to buy the amazing cookies at Ren Garden and just had a water for 30 lira (50p) before dashing back to the office.
I worked hard to get everything done and also tidied up incase my family wanted to come over later.
I met Ma, Pa, Gayle and Neil at Retro bar for a pre dinner drink and ordered a wine for 140 lira (£2.33). They had arrived earlier than I’d expected and they were really looking forward to their 12 days in Dalyan, staying with my parents. As we were busy chatting we were late to go for the meal, and Neil paid for the drinks.
At Caretta we were welcomed by the owners and seated at a nice table inside. It wasn’t busy which was surprising but tourism seemed to have unnecessarily taken a bit of a knock, perhaps due to misinformation from the tabloids/news in the UK.
We decided to go for bottles of Angora wine and a bottle of water then straight to mains. We all ordered steaks and we were pleased to get lavaş (balloon bread) and a gluten free bread and dips for Gayle, which was really appreciated. When the steaks came, Gayle had also got a gluten free pepper sauce with hers and the food was excellent. We all enjoyed our 5 steaks and the 3 bottles of wine between the 5 of us. The total bill came to 10,290 lira (£171.50). I paid my share of 2,200 lira (£37) and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The owner was back in the kitchen on chef duty and we were really impressed that he was able to do my sister a pepper sauce which was gluten free and tasted just as good as the ordinary version. We were given a drink on the house too; amaretto, limoncello or baileys and we all left happy. I was home by 9.30pm as I had a busy day planned so it was a very civilised first evening out.

Gratitude List
1. Losing weight this week
2. Gayle & Neil arriving in Dalyan and me being invited for drinks and food with the family
3. A lovely family meal at Caretta restaurant.

Dalyan – 11th & 12th May

Monday 11th May was a busy one with a short break to go to the bank and pick up sourdough bread. I was also glad to not have a hangover despite 4 wine and sodas plus 2 pints of shandy yesterday! I had ordered both an ordinary sourdough and a caraway seed sourdough from Mesude, which cost 500 lira (£8.33) for the 2 loaves. I had some with olives and cheese for my lunch and my favourite is the caraway seed one.
I spent the rest of the day at my laptop until 5.30pm when I had a rest and warmed up a bolognese for dinner. I was meant to meet Jamie and the girls who were going to watch the Hull football match but I decided I wasn’t up for it and needed a night in. Instead, I chilled on the sofa and had a video call with Captain Caveman.

Gratitude List
1. No hangover from yesterday’s boat trip
2. Mesude who bakes my sourdough
3. A quiet night at home.

It was another busy working day on Tuesday 12th May and Dalyan was certainly warming up a bit. The pool looked good but I’d still not been brave enough to get in it.
I had another cruise training webinar, with a different supplier about the launch of a new river cruise in Vietnam for 2027. It looked so good that I wondered if I should dust off my CV and see if they could use a woman of my experience – it did go down the Saigon river which I had skippered a speed boat down a few years ago!
Just after 1pm, I went to let Norman out as Jamie & Drew were on a beach day with Julia and the girls. Norman was fast asleep and didn’t want to go outside but I encouraged him with a peanut paw. I nearly shit my pants when I saw a stuffed cat cushion on the kitchen worktop!
After spending some time with Norman, I popped in to see Ma & Pa. We spent more time than we should’ve trying to decide where to eat tomorrow night for the family of five’s first meal out together. I think we were overly concerned that my sister would be able to get a good gluten free meal and didn’t want to pick somewhere that anyone wouldn’t like. Eventually we decided on Caretta, in the mosque Square and Ma booked us in. I didn’t eat lunch until gone 3.30pm after prioritising other stuff so I decided to use the last of the bolognese to make a pasta bake and ate that as my main meal of the day. I worked until late and had a zero spend and zero alcohol day – it would be the last one for a while as my sister and brother-in-law were arriving tomorrow and we were all looking forward to it.

Gratitude List
1. A nice clean pool and garden
2. Training on a brand new Mekong River Cruise
3. Getting all the errands done so I could get back to work.

Dalyan & Ekincik – 10th May

I’d been invited on another boat trip with Julia, Jamie & Drew on Sunday 10th May. Joining us were Julia’s friends from back home in the Hull area, including Ann & Stuart and her brother and sister-in-law plus Dalyan friends, Victoria and Nicola. The private boat trip which Julia had booked, was with Turgay but he was still awaiting paperwork sign off. Instead of being on Turgay’s new boat, we were with Favourite boat and Hussein. Turgay was still with us, bringing the fun, though.
We left at 9.45am and it was a really great boat trip, although still too cold for me to swim in the sea. It cost £40 for the trip and included a BBQ lunch with mezes, chips and prawns then we had baklava with fruit in the afternoon when we had another stop at Little Dalyan. The food was great and the trip a really good one, despite Turgay being disappointed we couldn’t go on his new boat. I had a great time meeting all the new people as well as getting to spend time with the familiar faces. My bar bill for 4 white wines and soda plus a tip came to 1400 lira (£23.33).
When we got back around 5pm, it was suggested we have a drink or 2 in Sofra so I also joined everyone. I had draft Efes shandies, 340 lira (£5.66) for 2 pints, then left. I’d not got anything out of the freezer for dinner as I didn’t expect to be hungry and I’d ran out of sourdough. I decided to order pizza from Heybe as I really enjoyed them the last couple of times. I paid 450 lira (£7.50) for 2 and they were really tasty, with plenty left for tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Another excellent boat trip with Julia and friends
2. A total spend of £76.50 but £40 was already budgeted for in cash
3. Heybe pizza to finish off a great Sunday.

Photo credit – some photos by Ann

Dalyan – 9th May

It was market day on Saturday 9th May and I was in need of some fruit and veg. I did a couple of hours work and then wandered over to pick up what I needed and get back home before 10.30am. It felt good that I’d ended up having an early night, a shame I’d missed the boys but I was too old to be going out at 10.45pm, these days.
It was good to see the market busy with locals and tourists, too. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Market
Stall 1
Apples, strawberries and courgettes 300 lira (£5)

Stall2
Asparagus 100 lira (£1.67)

Stall 3
2 Aubergines 9 lira (15p)

Stall 4
Peppers 50 lira (83p)

Total spent 459 lira (£7.65)

On the way back, I saw my parents briefly and they had already been to the market.

A new restaurant has opened on the edge of the old market Square so it was another one to add to the list of ones to try. I had a quick work related call and then went to meet friends, Penny & Phil, at Ren Garden for a pot of tea and a sweet treat. I’d not seen them for a while so it was good to catch up. I had a pot of tea and one of Eva’s irresistible chocolate chip cookies for 220 lira (£3.67) and then we decided to go somewhere else. While Penny rode her mobility scooter, fondly named the Madge Mobeel, Phil and I walked round to Retro bar.
We sat in the sun at first and I had a wine and soda but the sun was strong and we had to move to the shade. Retro bar has Smyrna hotel next to it with a lovely pool where I took a call from Captain Caveman. He was on his way up to Gaping Gill for the weekend so he probably wouldn’t have much signal after today. It’s a cave in the Yorkshire Dales with water pouring down the 100m drop and I have had ‘the pleasure’ of having gone down it on their famous wynch days.
The afternoon went well but too fast and I went home before dark, ready for another early night and another boat trip tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Fresh produce from the Saturday market
2. Meeting up with friends for the afternoon
3. Enjoying being out in the sun and fresh air.

Dalyan – 7th & 8th May

Thursday 7th May was all about Resort Experts and I had a busy day at the laptop.
I’d been in the office all day and around 5.30pm I decided to get some fresh air. A friend had invited me to join her and her friend, for dinner but I could only really spare time for a cup of tea. We met at the Kaunos tea gardens and ordered Turkish çay. The ladies had been on a boat trip, had a lovely day and the weather was pleasant enough to sit outside even at 6pm. I had just 2 teas for 50 lira (83p) but my total spend for the first week of May was well over my increased budget of £105. I’d spent £140.20 which was including 2 meals out, 1 takeaway and 4 days that definitely weren’t alcohol free as I helped to celebrate 2 birthdays. I also had plenty of things coming up this weekend which were probably going to take me over budget again.

Gratitude List
1. A busy but focused Thursday
2. Fresh air and a short walk
3. Meeting up with friends for a Turkish tea.

On Friday 8th May I had a usual morning and then left home about 2.15pm to get the bus to Ortaca. The road digging up had now turned into the road filling in and it looked a mess. I’d postponed my hair appointment from a couple of weeks ago so I was off today to let Emrah work his magic. I called at the bank then got the bus which was 120 lira (£2) for the return trip, about 30 minutes away. My appointment was at 3pm so I didn’t have time to call at the market as I’d hoped to.
My hair pampering session was so relaxing and I was so tired that I was almost falling asleep. I had my hair dyed, cut, blow-dried and curled for 2,200 lira (£36.67) including a tip and I was really pleased with it. My hair was finally officially long and even Emrah said it looked good. I was looking forward to a night on the town later with my new hair.
While all that was happening we had an update from Resort Experts owners to say we were now recruiting for more people who are living abroad and used to work as a holiday rep. This was good news as it showed we were a growing new business and the future was looking optimistic.
While waiting at the bus stop, I got a message from a fella called Michael. I’d been following him on Facebook for a number of years when he was homeless and struggled to survive by making paper flowers and selling them on the streets of Leicester. He was therefore called Street Flowers and I was so pleased to finally get an update to say he had got a dog and he was doing well. He sent me photos of the dog from when he first got him to now and it was just a lovely update as he was also off the streets.
I got the bus back as I’d got a Bolognese on the go, for dinner, then I had arranged to meet Jamie, Drew, Nick and Mark for drinks. Unfortunately, the boys were out for dinner and didn’t message to say they were on their way to Sofra bar until gone 10.30pm. I’d got tired of waiting after eating my Bolognese, having a glass of wine and giving myself a pedicure and a face mask. When I got the text from Jamie, I’d already popped my pyjamas on and was in bed falling asleep to something I tried to watch on Netflix.

Gratitude List
1. Getting my hair done by Emrah in Ortaca
2. Hearing from Street Flowers, Michael.
3. Having an unexpected night in.

Dalyan – 6th May

I had a little bit of a fuzzy head on Wednesday 6th May, proving once again I was no longer able to keep up on the school night drinking. I cracked on, though, as I needed to break off for Fat Club and had arranged to go out for a meal with my parents later.
On the home scales I had put on 0.5kg (1.1lb), my measurements were not good either; 1cm on my bust and hips and 2cm on my waist!
It was sunny but not particularly hot and the wind had dropped now. I walked, very carefully, to Fat Club at Ren Garden where the roads were tricky due to the new pipes being put in.
Unfortunately, Carol’s scales were not kind and I had put on a whopping 1.15kg (2.5lb) this week. I was off to the UK this time next month and my aim to be slim again was quickly disappearing. I had a pot of tea (no cookies this week) for 100 lira (£1.67) and had a good chat with the ladies.
Back home I raced through my afternoon tasks so that I could finish at 5.30pm and meet my parents. Ma & Pa love an early bar before eating out so we had decided on Retro bar, another one of my favourites.
I arrived first and decided to take some photos. Having got my new phone in February I was acutely aware all my photos so far were of my food or boats on the river. I rarely go to bars these days so this was the perfect opportunity. I was also hoping to get more family photos when we were all together later this month.
Ma & Pa arrived and ordered their preferred beers, Efes Malt, which were 160 lira (£2.67) while I decided to push the boat out and try a cocktail. I was using the excuse that we might bring my sister here and she loves a cocktail so we needed to check if they were any good. I decided on a margarita at 345 lira (£5.75) and, not only did it have an actual lime in it, it had a very salty rim and passed the test.
It was nice sitting at Retro bar which had been improved since last year. I liked the cushions which all had bears on doing different things and they even had a shuffleboard in there now. We had a second round of drinks and chatted to the bar staff Onurkan and Mustafa (previously from Lukka bar). It’s always interesting at the start of each season which waiters we will see working in which bars as there is often a bit of a change around.
As Ma had paid the bill last week at Ren, I paid our Retro bar bill at 1400 lira (£23.33) which I thought very reasonable for 4 beers and 2 cocktails, while sat in the sun.

For our evening meal we had decided on Lukka bar, which is another one of my favourites. It’s located near the river and metres from where I live so is super handy for me and I enjoy the quality of the food – I really like the music bingo nights there, too!
We looked at the menu and it was still the existing one, which had a lot of choice. I played safe by choosing my favourite meal at Lukka, Beef Çökertme. Mom ordered a chilli chicken dish and Dad the Jack Daniels steak. We were given some fresh flat bread and dips to start and we enjoyed those with a glass of wine. Being frugal, I had worked out that it can often not work out any cheaper to buy a bottle of wine instead of having the same amount but by the glass. Mom prefers white and Dad and I had red so we just had a couple of glasses each at 250 lira (£4.17) for Angora, one of the decent brands. When the meals came, Dad’s had the sauce poured on at the table and it looked really good. We all enjoyed our meals and I really love the beef çökertme which is strips of steak in a tomato based sauce on a bed of chipstick potatoes and a big dollop of yoghurt – delicious!
At the end of the meal, Mehmet sent over a round of drinks on the house which was much appreciated. I’d had a lovely evening and it was nice to get out for a change. Our total bill came to 4,590ira (£76.50) and we decided to split it; including a tip I paid 1700 lira (£28.33).
Of course, my daily budget had gone out of the window today with a total spend of £53.33, but it was worth it and I didn’t have anything to splash out on tomorrow.
It was a real treat and I went home quite merry having had 2 cocktails and 3 red wines.

Gratitude List
1. Fat Club, despite a big weight gain!
2. Drinks with Ma & Pa at Retro bar after work
3. Dinner with Ma & Pa at Lukka bar.

Dalyan – 5th May

I had a busy day in my office on Tuesday 5th May and there was quite a lot of building noise coming from outside. I took a break just before noon and went to the shop. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
2 milk 28.50
Peanuts 35.00
Olives 61.50
Chickpeas 87.95
Cashew nuts 95.00
2 Quark 119.90
Total spent 427.85 lira (£7.13)

BIM Supermarket
Pasta 19.50
2 Basmati rice 159.00
Frozen berries 199.00
Total spent 377.50 lira (£6.29)

Parlak Bakery
Sourdough loaf 75.00 lira (£1.25)

It was a bit of an extravagant spend but I needed to stock up on some healthy treats to prevent me from being tempted to eat cheaper less healthy snacks. I was also out of rice and chickpeas so those were essential.
I found out the noise was due to the road being dug up to put cables in, apparently for internet use, but they were making a real mess. When they dig roads up here they often botch backfill them which results in uneven roads and trip hazards.
Our pool and garden was ready for summer now and the gardeners had even put in a rosemary plant. I was pleased about this as we used to have one but the previous company killed it off.
In the evening Nanny Kay and I had been invited to Jamie and Drew’s for dinner with them and there was a bit of a surprise in store. I arrived 5 minutes late due to having to walk the long way round because of the roads being dug up. I wasn’t planning on drinking with it being Fat Club weigh in tomorrow, but I did. Jamie and Drew made Nanny Kay and I walk away from the house and I thought we were meant to be looking at a bush or some decorating. We were both chuntering away when they said to turn round and look up towards the front balcony. There we saw Nick and Mark waving at us and they had been waiting in the bedroom to surprise us. It was a really great surprise, especially to cheer up Nanny Kay who had suffered a family loss recently. We had cottage pie and plenty of wine and laughs. I got the micky took out of me when I shared my intentions to do a 3 week trip with just an under seat bag. All 4 of the fellas are big packers who don’t travel light so they thought it was impossible and hilarious. It was quite funny to have the banter even though I would not be taking a suitcase to drag around Europe. Drew wasn’t feeling well so he went to bed earlier than us and Jamie had a disaster when he ran out of ice. He ended up putting frozen peas in Nick’s gin and tonic which was not pleasant. Norman, the dog, loved having everyone round and got to have treats, leftovers and cuddles. It was a lovely evening and I knew the scales would not be kind tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. A lunch time shop
2. A surprise appearance from Nick & Mark
3. Dinner, drinks and lots of laughter with friends.

Dalyan – 3rd & 4th May

I had a fairly easy going working day on Sunday 3rd May. I should’ve been hungover as I had a total of 6 white wines and at least a couple of Blow Jobs throughout yesterday, but all was well. I was up at 8am with a cup of tea and had decided to work today instead of yesterday. I was meant to be going to the beach with a friend but she was having a bit of a to do because the power went off, she needed to find somewhere to work and decided to go to Ortaca. I had already charged devices and had popped on my noise cancelling headphones to do a few courses I had embarked on. I had also signed up for a notebook making course with Claire Clarke and decided to get ideas for that started too. Inbetween all that, I did Resort Experts stuff too and got on with content for my next travel tips book.
It actually felt quite good knowing that Dalyan was without power so I couldn’t be disturbed and I got a lot done. I ate cold leftover pizza from Friday night as I only have electric and mine was off still at lunch.
It was a zero spend day but I was already at £69 spent for the week with another trip out tomorrow. Vanessa had asked me to join her for a last goodbye on the yellow boat trip to Köyceğiz market, seeing as I had missed the Dalyan Saturday market I decided it was a good idea.
I had a quesadilla type dinner with more left overs and a video call with Captain Caveman to finish off my weekend. This time next month I would be heading over to see him in Sheffield and was looking forward to it after not seeing him for 3 months!

Gratitude List
1. Still being able to function with a pretty long power cut
2. A zero spend day
3. Planning to see Captain Caveman again next month.

It wasn’t a bank holiday in Türkiye, like it was in the UK, on Monday 4th May and I was in 2 minds if I should be going on a boat trip to Köyceğiz. I was up and about before 7am having been bit on my eyelid by a mosquito during the night and it was itchy and swollen. I also had a dodgy stomach, probably on account of too much sugar and alcohol over the weekend. It was cold and incredibly windy as I went to the pharmacy as soon as they opened to buy seasickness medication for 142.40 lira (£2.37). I took antihistamines but not the seasickness pills and decided to not go on the boat trip. I called Vanessa and apologised but said I would meet them when they returned so I could say bye. After working hard in the morning, I had a chicken wrap for lunch then got a bit tired so ended up going to bed for a nap. I still felt run down and had a dodgy tummy so when I arrived at Ren Garden to join Vanessa, her family and some of their friends, including my parents, I just ordered soda water. I managed to resist the very tempting cake and cookies this time. When Vanessa and family left, I also left the rest of the friends drinking and chatting in the garden room. It was a lovely sunset on the way home and I ate a chicken and spinach curry for dinner.

Gratitude List
1. Getting some seasickness tablets
2. Homemade food
3. Meeting Vanessa and her family for their send off.

Dalyan – 2nd May

On Saturday 2nd May, Vanessa was celebrating her 60th birthday, a few months early with a boat trip and I had been invited to join her, her family and friends. I was also invited to Irenea’s 79th birthday dinner at River House later. I had took the day off and was ready for celebration number 1 on the yellow boat at 10.30am.
In the news the decision to hike up the residency permit fees in Turkey had been revoked so everyone was happy again, it looked like there had been so many complaints. This was good news and it was one less thing to worry about. My next renewal would put me in a position to be able to apply for long term residency too, if I wanted it.
I had brought Vanessa a bottle of Kahlua as she’s quite partial to a cocktail which her daughter was bringing the other spirit to match. Onboard the party boat were; Vanessa & Matt, Alicia, Lucy, Damo, Liv, Ma & Pa, Julie & Gareth, Adam & Kath, Kate & Mark, Hakan (the Captain), Nilüfer (2nd mate) and me.
The boat trip was absolutely fantastic and the best yellow boat trip I’d been on so far. There was lots of delicious food (including steak that melted in the mouth) and lots of swimming for those brave enough to get in the cold water (not me). Some of the guests took the kayaks out and brought back some logs which were impressive. It was also great to see Vanessa surrounded by her friends and being spoiled – this was just the start of her celebrations for her being 60! The booze flowed and there was cake and Vanessa’s favourite shots, Blow Jobs. They started out as Baby Guinness but then we used the cream from the cake to make Blow Jobs. I poured them out and, looking back, it’s probably a bit wrong to ask Dad if he’d like another Blow Job but he didn’t say no. Luckily, we are a family with a good sense of humour which dips it’s row in the gutter every now and then!
There was a lot of laughter and later some dancing and singing – we almost purchased a karaoke machine right then when a Baileys-fuelled Kate got on to Trendyol to find one we could all have shares in! Matt had very kindly paid for the impressive boat trip for everyone so I only had to pay for my 4 white wines which I paid 800 lira (£13.33) for.

We didn’t get back until it was almost dark and I had to rush home to get to my next party while the rest sacked off a wedding in favour of more drinks at Ozzy’s bar.
I got in, got some warmer layers on, picked up more teabags for Ian and hurried to River House where everyone but me was already seated with a drink.
I sat next to Debbie (Darling) who had saved me a seat and while she had a lovely looking prawn cocktail, I ordered a mushroom risotto which was excellent.
After a couple more wines and more birthday singing and cake, I had well and truly done it! I paid 1,350 lira (£25.83) for my food, drinks and a tip and thought the River House meal was very good. I walked Sue to her taxi while some of the party animals continued to Sofra Bar for more celebrations. I was getting old and couldn’t keep up!
Back home I tried to drink 3 pints of water before bed, conscious that I had agreed to go to the beach in the morning and was working all afternoon tomorrow to make up for the day off today. I put all my devices and battery pack on charge as there had been a warning of a planned powercut tomorrow and I didn’t want to get caught out. My road was not on the list I read, but there’s always a chance it could still affect my area.

Gratitude List
1. The residency permit fee increase being scrapped due to complaints
2. Vanessa’s 60th birthday boat trip on the Yellow boat
3. Irenea’s 79th birthday meal at River House.

Photo Credit – some photos by other party goers

Dalyan – 1st May

Friday 1st May started early as I had been fannying about with stuff yesterday which meant I was a bit behind on tasks for this week. I decided to set my May budget at £550, this would be an increase to £15 per day for the first 2 weeks, then an increase to £20 per day for the rest of the month. Now that my parents were here I hoped to invite them over and go out with them more this month so that’s why I increased it from today. I also was looking forward to doing more with the family once my sister and brother-in-law arrived, mid-May. I also still had the envelope of English money from Captain Caveman to cover the boat trips.
I had a chat with a friend who was getting ready for her family holiday away and finished off lots of half started chores before getting on with lots of work admin and phone calls.
Vanessa and Matt had organised a Dalyan pub crawl from 3pm with their daughter and her friends and had invited all the usual Dalyan Dwellers who often go. They had also organised a boat trip for tomorrow which most of us were going on and I was taking the day off, properly! This did mean that I couldn’t make the pub crawl this afternoon and still hadn’t spent the time with Vanessa and her family. Instead of going out, and because our last meeting on Wednesday got unexpectedly cut short, I messaged my parents to see if they were going on the pub crawl. They had decided not to, on account of not having too much to drink before tomorrow’s boat trip and I felt the same. I suggested they come round to mine and we could have a bottle of wine and order some food in or I could cook. They agreed and said they would be over at 7.30pm, plenty of time for me to get finished in the office.

At 6pm I nipped to the off licence to get wine as I no longer keep it in the house regularly. I bought a bottle of white, a bottle of red and a share pack of salt and vinegar crisps. The white was my usual brand Kilitbahir at 300 lira (£5) which I knew Mom would like as we’d had it before, but they had completely sold out of the red version. I decided to go with Tigris as it’s less harsh than some of the cheaper ones they had and would be good for Dad. It was a bit of a treat at 530 lira (£8.33) and the crisps were 60 lira (£1).

Ma & Pa were ready early so messaged to ask to come earlier and that was great because I was starting to get peckish. I only quickly had time to hoover and then I was ready. They arrived with a bottle of red and a bottle of white which was very kind. We all agreed we were taking it steady on the booze tonight, though, as we didn’t want to ruin a birthday boat trip tomorrow. We are all a bit fussy with food so I had decided not to cook and to treat us to a takeaway pizza from Heybe’s. I’d really enjoyed it last time and thought my parents might like to try it. We decided on a pizza each so we could all choose our own toppings; tuna and onion for Ma, a mixed one without pepperoni or mushrooms for Pa and a Hawaiian for me. It took some deciding as the pizza menu at Heybe has lots of choice, plus you can choose a create your own. They also have the 2 for 1 deal on all pizzas so it made sense to throw in a margherita for us to share. I paid just 900 lira (£15) including a small tip and the guy who delivered it was the man who served me in Yaman Büfe 2 earlier, which caught us both off guard a bit. The pizzas now come in a Heybe branded bag with a QR code on which gives you the menu and phone number – great idea.

When the pizzas came, I topped up the wine and got the scissors out. My parents thought I was a bit odd as they wondered why I was using scissors! The pizza wasn’t fully cut and if I used a knife the box would get cut and I didn’t own a pizza cutter wheelie utensil. I’ve used scissors on pizzas for a while now and it’s so much easier (does anyone else do this – tell me it’s not just me being weird?).

We had a lovely night and it wasn’t too late when my parents went home, taking some leftover pizza home – the rest went in my fridge.
Today I had gone over the new £15 per day budget by almost double but we had a very nice evening and I still had wine in, because of my parents bringing some which meant we had it for the next time.

Gratitude List

1. Looking forward to a busy month with some time spent with my family

2. Wine and pizza night with Ma & Pa

3. Leftover pizza and wine!!! (Gosh, it’s a thing!)