Sheffield – 5th & 6th August

On Wednesday 5th August, Captain Caveman and I had decided to support a good friend by attending her mother’s funeral. It was at Hutcliffe Wood, where I’d not visited since my grandparents’ funerals some years ago. I didn’t have an appropriate outfit to wear so I wore a bright coral dress with a zip up black hoodie. Captain Caveman, for once, had the appropriate garments. We arrived early and wandered round the neat gardens, with me trying to see if I could see Bill & Marion, my grandparents.
I’d remembered my friend telling me a story that her mum had worried she wouldn’t have many people at her funeral as she outlived many of her friends and family. That had stuck with me so I thought it would be nice to make sure she had a good send off and obviously it was good to support our friend who is always there to help everyone else. The service was so nicely done with many music references and I did have tears in my eyes.
We joined the rest of the friends and family at the Phoenix pub afterwards and it was so lovely to see so many people there. Of course, it didn’t occur to any of us to take photos but we did say afterwards that we thought my friend’s mother would have been impressed with her send off and perhaps we should’ve taken a few photos of the attendees. The food put on at the Phoenix was lovely and I ended up having a rather tasty sausage roll which I probably shouldn’t have.
We had planned to go back home but Captain Caveman had a surprise booked for me at 7pm. We got the bus into town and stopped off at the Rutland Arms for a pint and a wine before walking to a new pizza place, called Forbici. We shared a salad and a pizza with a half carafe of wine and then made our way to the Show Room cinema. I wasn’t allowed to look at the tickets or the sign for what was on so it was a total surprise when David Byrne’s American Utopia came on. The film was amazing and it had a very uplifting end to an emotional day.

Gratitude List
1. Being able to show support for our friend at her mother’s funeral
2. Dinner at Forbici with Captain Caveman
3. Seeing David Byrne’s American Utopia at Show Room cinema.

It was a busy day at my desk (Captain Caveman’s kitchen table) on Thursday 6th August. I did manage to eat healthier with a sandwich for lunch and a chicken salad for dinner. I bought sourdough from the bakery for £4.16 and I applied for my ESTA for visiting the USA, which cost £30.86. I found some nice European breaks that didn’t involve flying for a potential client who was scared of planes.
I also managed to get out of the flat for 2 walks, one for the sourdough and one on the evening with Captain Caveman – and we weren’t tempted to nip to the pub. The weather was finally warm again in Sheffield.
We popped to Tesco so that I could buy some contraceptive pills which were £19.75 for 3 month’s worth.

Gratitude List
1. Enjoying being outside twice in one day
2. Good homemade food
3. Staying in Kelham Island with interesting buildings around.

Sheffield – 3rd & 4th August

I was lucky to not have a hangover on Monday 3rd August, after a mammoth Kelham Island pub crawl with Captain Caveman and the parents yesterday. I had morning training sessions with Travel Gossip where I got right in to their Costa Rica webinars. I learned loads of insights which put this year round destination firmly on my bucket list for when I could afford to splash out on this type of holiday. I got confirmation from the Estate Agent that they were going to arrange a viewing for the nearby flat and I checked out the floor plan to see if there was enough room for Captain Caveman and I to both work from home when I came back to Sheffield, usually during the summer.
Captain Caveman made us a late lunch of beans on toast (one of my favourites) with a slice of bacon.
We both were so busy at our desks (me at the kitchen table) that we had to stop in time for the Kelham Mills Residents Meeting. It was the first one that Captain Caveman had been invited to and he had said I could come as long as I didn’t stick my nose in and talk too much. I was glad he was going to it so that he could raise issues about the post being left in the wrong buildings, the car parking permits and anything else. It was held in the Kelham Wine Bar which is attached to the building where Captain Caveman lives. I got chatting to the owner, Sarah, who was very nice and holidays in Türkiye. We had a couple of drinks each for a total of £22.29 while we were there and met Josh, the organiser, and a few other nice local residents. I was pleased we had attended as Captain Caveman’s issues were raised and getting sorted, plus he was added to the group Whatsapp. It made me think that him buying a place here was a good move as it felt really welcoming. Back home, Captain Caveman made us beef brisket with potatoes and veg then I did us a cheese plate using some of the new cheeses. It was amazing but I ended up with a bad stomach which made Captain Caveman question if it was dairy I was intolerant to!
At bedtime I used my new lamp, balanced on a cardboard box, as my bedside light. Captain Caveman had given it me and I loved that it was in the shape of the moon.

Gratitude List
1. Training webinar on Costa Rica
2. The Residents meeting
3. Good food at home.

As Captain Caveman had plenty of beef brisket left over, I decided to treat us to a sourdough loaf on Tuesday 4th August. I also got a croissant for Captain Caveman and a pain au chocolat for me. It cost £8.26 and was very fresh from Depot Bakery, nearby. I had a little walk around to stretch my legs and the weather looked like it might be nice again.
I had more training webinars on Costa Rica to attend in the morning, all of which were very interesting.

Captain Caveman was working from the Stoke office today so I had arranged to meet Louisa during my lunch hour. We ended up at the Fat Cat and I spent £12.50 on snacks and drinks. We were getting excited as Captain Caveman had invited Louisa to join our holidays to Poland and Belgium at the end of August and in to September. Then Louisa, plus 2 more friends and I had plans to be together in Las Vegas. It was exciting but, as per usual, I was concerned about the cost of it all and would need to be frugal on all 3 holidays. In the afternoon I was pretty busy until Captain Caveman arrived home. He’d called at Aldi on his way and done a big shop. Here’s what he bought with prices in pounds;

Aldi Supermarket
Garlic 0.45
4 baking potatoes 0.79
1 bunch of bananas 0.80
1 red cabbage 0.89
1 pack of rocket 0.89
Cucumber 0.99
1kg dried pasta 1.19
2 packs of English muffins 1.30
Leeks 1.37
2 packs of tortilla wraps 1.98
6 Red peppers 2.07
Gruyère cheese 2.99
Manchego cheese 2.99
2 packs Fish fingers 3.30
4 packs of tortellini 3.96
2 packs frozen berries 3.98
2 packs of butter 3.98
1 bottle of red wine 4.99
900g chicken thighs 5.39
1 bottle of rosé wine 8.99
Total spent £53.29

Captain Caveman had also gone mad and bought an air fryer and a hand held blender, both for under £35!
We rounded the evening off with brisket and cheese on sourdough for dinner and then had a relaxing evening.

Gratitude List
1. More free Costa Rica training with Travel Gossip
2. Meeting Louisa in my lunch break to discuss forthcoming holidays
3. Captain Caveman’s big shop, including new kitchen gadgets.

Sheffield – 2nd August

While Captain Caveman was leading a group of people through the underground canals of Sheffield, on Sunday 2nd August, I was booking the return airport bus tickets for my September holiday. A saving of almost £70, plus the cost of petrol, was definitely worth it for me even if we did have to select the bus that got us to the airport 6 hours before the flight, and left at 3am! I would have taken the bus that got in 2 hours before the international flight but my travel buddy had a case to drop off and wanted to stick to being there 3 hours before, which was probably the right thing to do. I find that travelling with just hand luggage means you can arrive a bit later as you don’t need to stand in the check-in or bag drop queue. I was fine going early, though, even if it meant leaving the house at 2.15am for a 2.30pm flight, as it was saving me money and was just £27.30 each, including picking the row 2 seats. I had a bacon muffin for breakfast, sausages and beans for lunch and the Slimming World healthy eating had definitely gone on a back burner.
I did a bit of blogging and some admin before popping in to town to meet Ma & Pa. They were coming over to Kelham Island for the first time and it was a bit of a treat as they don’t normally venture this far, or in to town. I bought a weekly tram pass for £20 and met them off the bus in Pond Street at 1.45pm.
We walked to the train station to get the tram, calling at the toilets on the way. We got off the tram at Shalesmoor and Captain Caveman was cycling home from the Twisted Burger Company so he could drop his bicycle off and then meet us in the Wellington pub. I got the first drinks in for the 3 of us at £19.38 for 1 pale ale, 1 cider and 1 stout. We sat in the beer garden as the weather was quite nice, for a change.
When Captain Caveman arrived we had another round before heading off to the next bar. On the way, Mom’s shoe broke so the 3 of them managed to get to the Gardener’s Rest while I went home to get a pair of my Vietnamese porter sandals for her to wear. When I got back there was another pint waiting for me and we mentioned to Ma & Pa about the flat Captain Caveman was interested in buying. They agreed it looked a good deal so I went online and requested a viewing.
We were getting peckish so decided to go to Heist, a place I’d not been to before. I paid £26.95 for the round of drinks as Captain Caveman’s choice was a pricey IPA. This time Ma and I only had halves but Captain Caveman and Dad stuck to pints. We also ordered a Firepit meat tray which Mom paid for at £30 plus another round of drinks. We also added sweet potato fries as an extra for another £5. I decided to go on to wine with Dad as it was only £7 for a large Merlot.
The food was good and included chicken, brisket, pork, burnt ends, sausage, fried pickles, gravy, fries and slaw.
We finished off the Kelham Island pub crawl at the Alder where I introduced Mom to my new favourite beer, Schöfferhofer Grapefruit, which is also low alcohol and tastes so good. The round in our last pub was the cheapest yet at only £18 for 4 pints. I also really like the staff in the Alder as they are nice and friendly.
We had a great time and my parents left around 8.45pm so that they could get their bus back to Mosborough. They seemed to really enjoy Kelham Island and said they would visit again.

Gratitude List
1. Saving money on Flix buses to the airport
2. Ma & Pa joining Captain Caveman and I in Kelham Island
3. Good food and drink in our local boozers.

Sheffield – 1st August

I was so pleased to sleep in until 8am on Saturday 1st August and it felt so good. I had tea and toast before tackling the planning and budgeting for August.
It was tricky to set a budget for August as I knew I would be booking flights back to Türkiye, booking more train/bus tickets and having a few other bigger purchases coming up. Captain Caveman and I were also off on another couple of holidays at the end of August. I decided that, as I’d managed to just about survive a very busy July on £28 per day that I would set it at £25 per day for August, making the overall budget £775 for the month. This was easily twice the amount of what I would have allowed for staying in Dalyan and felt doable. I did a bit of blog editing before work, noting I was getting a bit behind on the updates due to being so busy with other stuff. The Top 3 countries reading my blog in July were UK, USA and Türkiye, followed by France, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Belgium, Australia and Vietnam (in 10th place). I had also seen a little bit of a drop in the amount of readers (6%) which often happens in the summer months as people are busy with their family and holidays. It was also due to me not having posted a blog every single day, which I needed to plan better.
After working all day, I booked a one way flight to Dalaman for me and return flights for Captain Caveman. They were with Sun Express from Manchester and, because they needed to be after work hours for Captain Caveman, they weren’t cheap. I paid £353.09 for all 3 flights (without any luggage)! I also booked a train ticket for £17 and looked at Flixbus for a cheaper alternative to airport parking for a holiday in September. My friend who I was travelling with had got it down to £124 to park outside of Heathrow airport and shuttle in (plus the cost of petrol, of course). I could not justify that price and suggested a bus for £27.30 return each! We decided to think about it and sort it when we met up, but in my mind I would much rather get the bus. I had a tidy up around the flat, put some washing on and then went back to work. I’d started to work on some quotes for the Christmas markets later this year.
Captain Caveman arrived home about 9pm as he was volunteering for the culvert walk early tomorrow morning.
He’d had a good trip and I was sad to have missed seeing Watto & Chrissy, our fellow cave/Vietnam friends who we had shared a house with in Phong Nha. He’d also called at The Courtyard Dairy near Settle, his new favourite cheese shop. He’d spent almost £35 on 4 cheeses and some membrillo and we were looking forward to having a few cheese and wine evenings. They also gave us a voucher of £10 off our next online order.

Gratitude List
1. A lay in until 8am, while Captain Caveman was away
2. Getting our flights booked to go back to Dalyan
3. Cheese.

Sheffield – 30th & 31st July

Thursday 30th July was another busy day of working from home, while Captain Caveman had meetings in Bristol and then the drive back to Sheffield. I attended a Resort Expert’s team meeting where we were told of more developments which had been delayed, including our own individual new websites.
Captain Caveman got back early evening and we decided to have a walk to the Gardeners Rest as it wasn’t raining. He was meant to be going to a caving group meet up but he didn’t go. He had a stout and I had a red wine while sat in the conservatory as it wasn’t that warm. Tomorrow was the last day of the month and would also be the day of checking the July finances, which I wasn’t looking forward to this month.

Gratitude List
1. Captain Caveman taking me to the pub
2. Spending July having some fun trips
3. Surviving the cold weather.

Captain Caveman was up very early (again) on Friday 31st July as he had some site visits near Clitheroe. He was then staying at the Bradford Pothole Club for the weekend. I had been invited but after being scarred for life on my last visit, I politely declined. I was looking forward to a weekend of getting up to date with a few projects I’d started. What I’d not realised is that he was visiting friends, Watto and Chrissy, which I then ended up missing out on.
I was having tea and toast when the postman knocked and had a delivery for me. Gold Medal Travel had sent me a Pure Luxury prize of a home diffuser set, a spa candle set and some hair and skin products. It was really lovely and went well with the travel towel they had already sent me. The suncream to go with it had gone missing so I asked the postman if he’d seen it and there was no sign.
After finishing work late, I totted up the July spending and it wasn’t quite as bad as I’d expected, given I had been on 2 holidays in Europe and was staying in the UK. Unfortunately, I had spent £861 which equated to just under £28 per day as an average. I was meant to get paid from Resort Experts this month but due to a change in the way we get paid, it meant I had not received a pay day. Captain Caveman had given me £400 but I was about to start August in a deficit of almost £500. This was not good and I started to think about more ways to make an extra income. I needed to make more time to get on with my books so I could sell more of those. I also needed to cut the spending a lot more.
I decided I would stay in tonight and tomorrow and try to save from spending any money – there was food in the house so I didn’t need to buy anything.
I had pasta for dinner and an early night. August was going to be a busy month too as Captain Caveman and I had more plans for spending the month together.

Gratitude List
1. Being disciplined and saying no to going out/spending
2. Managing to get through July with no pay day, due to Captain Caveman’s help
3. Pasta for dinner.

Buxton and Sheffield – 28th & 29th July

It was time to say farewell to Claire on Tuesday 28th July as she was off back to Kent and I was going back to Sheffield. We both had a busy rest of the week work-wise and were sad to be leaving Buxton. Claire was lucky to be going back to hot weather as the heatwave was still on in the south of England. It had been pretty cold and grey in Buxton but we had still had a great time. We had a leisurely hotel breakfast, then a walk round the park in Buxton and a look at the old cars on display.

Back in the hotel, we packed, checked out and I did some work on a couple of bookings. I was getting enquiries for 2028 holidays coming through, which was good. We said our goodbyes and I walked to the bus stop. The bus didn’t come as expected and right next to the bus stop a couple of workmen had an accident with some paint when one of them picked it up by the lid that was not on properly. The owner of the building had to come out and deter people from walking through a pile of spilled paint while the workmen went off to change and, presumably, get more paint. The bus eventually arrived late and was just £3 from Buxton to Sheffield. It took 2 hours on a very hot bus, where the heating was belting out, unnecessarily. I felt so travel sick when I got off on Paternoster Row and walked to the train station to get the tram back to Kelham Island.

Captain Caveman was in his office working from home when I arrived so I set up in the kitchen to do my work. Unfortunately, I felt unwell from the bus journey and had to have a lay down. I’d managed to bring the leftover afternoon tea items back and they were a bit warm so had to go straight in the fridge.
While I’d been away, Captain Caveman had been busy and he’d found space in the cupboard for the new wine glasses I’d bought last week, made a pasta Bolognese for dinner and seen a flat for sale. It was next to the river and had a small outdoor space so we decided we would go and view it together to see if he liked it.
The Bolognese was tasty and we even had garlic bread with it, but no wine as it was a school night and I’d had enough recently.

Gratitude List
1. Another hotel breakfast in Buxton with Claire
2. Surviving the hot bus journey back to Sheffield
3. A tasty dinner with Captain Caveman.

I was very busy on Wednesday 29th July and barely stopped to look up. Captain Caveman left at 6.30am to go to Bristol for work and was due back about 4pm tomorrow.
I had training on our Resort Experts internal system with one of the owners of the business and it was looking good. More improvements were promised for the summer to make the marketing part of our jobs easier. I still wanted to get more followers on my business page as it was less than 500 and once over that, Facebook would pay me for my content. If you still haven’t clicked the follow button on my page, please do so – here’s the link:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1EdhDS4uom/

In the afternoon I learned that Wendy Wu would be sending me a £25 voucher for booking a client’s holiday with them, which was nice. I was meant to make a curry for dinner but I forgot and ended up having just toast as I was too busy. With Captain Caveman being away it did mean I had the bed to myself and I wouldn’t be woken up tomorrow with his 6am alarm.

Gratitude List
1. Being busy and not having any time spare
2. Being told I will get a £25 voucher from a supplier
3. A relaxing evening at Captain Caveman’s home.

Bakewell & Buxton – 27th July

Claire and I were both up early on Monday 27th July as we were continuing our staycation while doing some work at the Buxton Palace Hotel & Spa. The breakfast was a self-service one which had pretty much anything you fancied and we had the cooked English breakfast with a hot chocolate and juice.

Inbetween working remotely, we also managed to do some lengths in the pool, where I used the sauna and steam room. We found out that we could have had free parking at the spa side of the building and that the roof had recently had a leak in the ladies changing room. It was certainly old fashioned and could’ve benefited from some loungers but it was good enough to relax and have a quick dip in before getting back to the laptops. We didn’t have lunch at the hotel as we had something exciting planned. We had a wander in to the park for a bit of exercise and bird spotting before checking out the shops for souvenirs (for Claire) and old fashioned sweets (for me). There was a car show just setting up round the back of the opera house too so we thought we might come back to look at that later on.

Claire and I absolutely love an afternoon tea and were booked in at 6 The Square Tea Rooms for a veritable feast. I can honestly say it was one of the best afternoon teas I’ve had (and I’ve had a few), where the cherry scones were the absolute dog’s doodahs. I imagine anyone listening to us making ‘sex’ noises over the food wouldn’t have believed we were simply eating quiche, finger sandwiches and a selection of sweet treats. The staff were lovely and not shy with the tea, either! I absolutely loved the whole thing and it was a real bargain at £58.00 for the 2 of us – especially as we took a considerable amount away with us and had to have a lay on the bed back at the hotel, to recover!

We obviously didn’t need any dinner as we were so stuffed but that evening we ventured to the bar where we had about 3 rounds of wine at £15/£16 per round. We played games again and had a great night in the lounge area of the hotel.

Gratitude List
1. A hotel breakfast
2. Swimming
3. Afternoon tea in Buxton with Claire.

Bakewell & Buxton – 26th July

The weather looked promising at 7am on Sunday 26th July and I was optimistic for our next trip. Claire and I were booked in for 2 nights in Buxton but first we were off to Bakewell, with Captain Caveman, for lunch. By the time we arrived at the Woodyard it was cold and raining and we all had to put rain coats on. For lunch we shared a cheesy garlic bread starter, I had mushroom risotto, Captain Caveman had a lamb tagine and Claire a chicken dish. We had drinks with plenty of tap water and our bill came to £95 before the tip.

After the meal, it started raining a bit more so Captain Caveman went to get the bus back to Sheffield, Claire and I had a quick wander round Bakewell before we drove on to Buxton.

We checked in to the rather lovely Palace Hotel & Spa which Claire had booked directly with the hotel. They had a good deal on their executive twin room with a desk and a bath in it and included breakfast. It was really lovely – I do love an old fashioned hotel. They did charge separately for the car park (£10) and the use of the spa depending on what you wanted to do.

We had a little walk round the centre of Buxton but, as it was raining, we ended up in the nearest pub. We had a bottle of cheap white wine in the Railway, which wasn’t great but was cheaper for the bottle than buying 2 glasses so we were persuaded easily.

Back at the hotel, we made use of the bar with a couple of nicer white wines for £15 and a game or 2 of Scrabble – we know how to have a good time! It was a great day and evening despite the cold, wet weather and it was nice to spend more time with Claire.

Gratitude List
1. Lunch at the Woodyard in Bakewell with Captain Caveman and Claire
2. A staycation at the Buxton Palace Hotel & Spa with Claire
3. Playing Scrabble in the bar with Claire.

Sheffield – 25th July

This weekend in Sheffield was the popular Tramlines festival so, on Saturday 25th July, I had arranged to check out the fringe part of it in the centre of town. After breakfast, Claire and I found ourselves in The Bed Shop at Kelham Island, where she bought a new pillow for £12 reduced from £40 so that she would have a comfier night’s sleep! The guy holding the fort in the bed shop was really nice and we liked the shop which had lamps, mirrors, furniture and a lot of beds.
Next, we walked in to town, getting a bit lost along the way and I bought a hand held fan from the tat shop. We also saw some of the lions as part of a charity initiative set up in Sheffield.

Our next mission was to meet Captain Caveman at The Twisted Burger Company at 1pm. He had been taking a group of walkers through the Sheffield Calverts, as a volunteer. He was late, we were early and we had a cup of Yorkshire tea each while we waited. We were meant to be meeting several friends, 2 of whom had to cancel due to childcare issues and hangovers so it meant we just needed to see Vanessa who was still celebrating her 60th birthday.
That didn’t work out well as we missed lunch to go meet her at a pub in the town centre. When we arrived, she wasn’t there but had text to say she was now at another pub, we went there and she was already at the next pub. It was getting a bit silly trying to catch up with Vanessa and her entourage as they were clearly drinking fast and we hadn’t even bought a drink in any of the 3 venues we had tried to find them in. Plus we had missed lunch and Captain Caveman had his bicycle with him. We decided to head to the Dog & Partridge and get a drink there, Claire and I shared a quick sandwich as we walked, not realising Captain Caveman would not have eaten.

The Dog & Partridge was good, had live music on and we got some crisps with our drinks. I was in the toilet and when I came out, I had a surprise. My friend, Becca, had decided to surprise me by turning up to say hello. It made me jump but it was fab and Steve was in the bar with Captain Caveman and Claire.
We had some drinks and Vanessa messaged to say she was now at the Dog & Partridge so we met her and her family and friends for a very quick drink.

Later, we headed back to Kelham Island and we decided to go for a meal at Domo. It was my first visit and I really enjoyed it. We paid £88.38, including a 10% tip, for the 3 of us. We had 2 glasses of wine, a jug of tap water, veggies, caprese salad, aubergine, a spicy pizza and a calzone – all excellent. It was busy but the service was good and it was a real treat.

Gratitude List
1. Spending time with friends in Sheffield
2. Finally buying a handheld fan
3. Great food at Domo.

London to Sheffield – 24th July

I had been looking forward to Friday 24th July for a while, and not just because Captain Caveman and I would be going to Sheffield. I’d planned in the diary to spend the weekend with Captain Caveman and our friend, Claire. I’d not seen her since Spain in June, so we were excited. I left Barnes around 9.30am so that I could use my train ticket from St Pancras and I worked on the train. I managed to go from Barnes via Vauxhall and didn’t get lost. I arrived in to Sheffield at 1pm and made my way to Captain Caveman’s flat. It was quite cool compared to London and I hoped the Sheffield summer wasn’t over. Captain Caveman worked all day in London and was getting back very late so I planned a girls night in. I tidied the flat up and made up a bed with an airbed in the spare room. The flat doesn’t have much in the way of furniture on account of Captain Caveman wanting to buy a place so not really wanting to buy stuff he needs to move up to the 2nd floor, only to have to take it out again when he moves out.
Claire arrived around 5pm, after she had finished her working day near Manchester.
We had a wander round the Kelham Island area and then called in to one of my favourite local pubs. The beer garden at the Gardener’s Rest was very nice with a pint of cider, scampi fries and bacon fries. We had a good laugh with a lady on a 3 wheeler mobility scooter who was manoeuvreing between the tables and benches.
Back home, Claire and I were in our pyjamas while it was still daylight, drinking red wine and eating snacks with cheese. We shared a beanbag on account of not having a sofa and laughed a lot. We also put a plan together for a bit of a staycation early next week.
Captain Caveman got back late and we made plans for more fun tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Getting back to Sheffield after being away for over 8 weeks
2. Spending time with Claire
3. Having a night in with cheese and wine.

London – 21st to 23rd July

After a few more days of galavanting and travel I was back at the temporary desk in Barnes early on Tuesday 21st July. I didn’t even have tea and toast until far too late. At 5pm Captain Caveman and I both finished work as we had quite a bit of excitement planned for the evening. A friend from Dalyan was also in London and had invited us to the Victory Services Club for dinner. It meant wearing smart clothing so I wore a dress with my Vietnamese porter sandals while Captain Caveman had to borrow something as he only had casual/shorts.
We met our friend in the bar, where we had already bought a drink each. We ordered water and wine with dinner, Captain Caveman ordered the schnitzel while my friend and I had a curry special that was on. It was delicious. All 3 of us had a cheese board for dessert which was lovely and we went through to the bar for a last drink of wine/coffee. It was a really lovely evening with lots of chatter and laughter plus some organising of plans in Dalyan for when we were all going to be there.
We got the train back and it was quite late when we got back to Barnes with more plans to meet again tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. A busy and productive day
2. Meeting a Dalyan friend in London
3. Being wined and dined at the Victory Services Club.

It was another busy morning at the office for both Captain Caveman and I on Wednesday 22nd July. I nipped in to town at lunch time to meet one of the owners of Resort Experts. It was my first time meeting Paul, who’s based near London, and it was a good job I had got there early as I was in the middle of a last minute cruise booking and was taking payment when he arrived.
We met at the Beer House in Waterloo Station, which I’d suggested knowing that Paul could only spare an hour before he went to meet his walking buddies. It was good to meet in person, share ideas and have a drink together before each going to our next appointments.
I was meeting Clare and Captain Caveman at the King’s Arms pub and our friend from last night also popped along with a former colleague of her’s too. It was a good night and quite boozy. For dinner I had pork scratchings with my white wine. It was a lovely evening catching up with and introducing friends. When we got back to Barnes we had a ready meal and some stuffed potato skins. I expected to be hungover in the morning.

Gratitude List
1. Meeting Paul from Resort Experts at Waterloo
2. Meeting up with friends for drinks in the King’s Arms
3. Being too busy enjoying myself to take many photos.

Captain Caveman had booked tickets for us to see Faithless on Thursday 23rd July, in Reading with cousin Anna. We had train tickets booked from London to Reading and then up to Sheffield the next day as Anna had kindly agreed for us to stay at hers. Unfortunately, the Faithless gig had been cancelled but, as we had already got the train tickets, we decided to still meet Anna in Reading but just for lunch. This meant that we could still see Anna and use the train tickets in a slightly practical way so as not to completely waste all the train tickets. Due to a slight misunderstanding on the communication, I didn’t realise that Captain Caveman had took the day off and we were getting the 9.20am train to Reading. I had to work on the train, in a cafe and on a platform for my work from home schedule as I had not planned ahead.
I’d not seen Anna since a family wedding last year so it was really lovely that we managed to cram in a walk by the river and lunch at a cute little cafe where Anna treated us to delicious sandwiches and a cuppa. It was great to catch up and talk about future plans and how the rest of that side of Captain Caveman’s family were.
As we said our farewells and got ready to go back to the train station, I got a bit of a rumble in my tummy. By the time we were at the platform I was desperate for the loo again and sweating profusely. We got back to London with me being thankful for working train toilets. The train cost £22 for the one way ticket. I worked in the Richmond library for a couple of hours while Captain Caveman went to a Bridge game.
Our next engagement involved a trip to the Roebuck pub in Richmond to meet some friends for a drink. We were late as I needed to stop off for another toilet stop and therefore had to buy a beverage in a pub and some crisps to put me on.
At the Roebuck, we had 2 bottles of the very nice rosé wine at £34 per bottle between 4 of us. We had lots of laughs and got back to Barnes late for beans on toast.
Tomorrow we would use the rest of the train tickets to head to Sheffield where we had more excitement planned.

Gratitude List
1. A lovely lunch meet up with cousin Anna
2. Toilets on trains
3. Drinks with friends in Richmond.

Plovdiv, Sofia & London – 20th July

Our flight from Bulgaria to the UK wasn’t until 8pm on Monday 20th July. We planned to get the train at midday from Plovdiv back to Sofia, arriving around 2.45pm. The train was hot and sweaty, no AC and had 8 of us per compartment. I couldn’t do any work until I got to Sofia so we decided to go back to the 5 Corners bar for a late lunch. Captain Caveman ordered the meatballs and I had pork schnitzel, both of which were really good. Our bill came to a total of €32.60 (£28) including drinks.
At 5.15pm we headed off to Sofia airport by Metro and I reset up my office there too. It’s very convenient being able to work anywhere but it is getting more difficult to take a full day off now.
On the flight home, I had an aisle seat and Captain Caveman had a window seat – the middle seat was empty! The flight landed in Heathrow at 9.20pm and we got the bus back, following a quick stop at M&S for some snacks.
We were back ‘home’ in Barnes before midnight and quickly scoffed the snacks before bed. It had been a brilliant trip to Bulgaria and it was firmly on our list to return. The fun wasn’t about to stop just yet though as we had more plans for the summer.

Gratitude List
1. Surviving a hot and busy train from Plovdiv to Sofia
2. 5 Corners bar in Sofia
3. Back safely in Barnes with some M&S snacks, after a wonderful trip.

Plovdiv – 19th July

It was another great day in Plovdiv on Sunday 19th July and it was the last day of the Phillgood Festival. We ate breakfast at the hotel, which was nice. For lunch we decided to go to La Casa, a pizza place not far from our hotel. The pizza was huge and very tasty which I couldn’t finish all of mine. We also had a carafe of white wine to go with it and the obligatory litre of water too. Our bill came to €33.10 (£28.44) which wasn’t bad considering I had leftovers for the hotel room fridge.

For dinner we went to a local Bulgarian cafe where Captain Caveman tried the cucumber soup then pork and chips, I just had chicken skewers and corn. All the dishes actually tasted better than they looked and we also had more wine. The bill came to €49.40 (£42.45) which I thought was a little expensive but not extortionate. On our way to the last day of the music festival we bought 2 bottles of water at €1.60 (£1.37) to take in with us as there was no running tap water. Generally in Bulgaria though the tap water is safe to drink and is really good.

We got to the last day of Phillgood a little later than previous days, as I really wanted to see Suede at 9pm. Captain Caveman was more up for Moby who wasn’t on until 10.45pm and the rest of the bands we hadn’t heard of. I’d always been a fan of Suede but they were absolutely incredible. It was hot and sweaty but it did not stop Brett throwing himself around the stage and in to the crowd like he’d not aged a bit! I was so impressed.
By the time Moby came on, I was so tired and Captain Caveman needed a sit down too, so we ended up watching from the back, having a sit on an uncomfortable wall like a couple of old codgers. I’ve never been a fan of Moby’s music but I like what he tries to do. Captain Caveman enjoyed that set more than I did but it was still a good experience to share. My top 3 favourite acts of the whole 3 days had been Suede, The Cure and Kneecap – all incredibly impressive and very different to each other. We walked back to the hotel for the last time and I was so shattered, I was desperately in need of a lay in tomorrow. We polished off the leftover pizza before falling asleep.

Gratitude List
1. More lovely food out in Plovdiv
2. Seeing more amazing live music
3. Spending even more time with Captain Caveman.

Plovdiv – 18th July

We were celebrating Captain Caveman’s birthday on Saturday 18th July and it started with the hotel’s buffet breakfast. After eating, we took a walk up the cobbled hills to the ancient amphitheatre and got some photos. It was hot but not quite Madrid heat so we were coping fine.
We called at the pharmacy for talc and insect repellent at a cost of €9.91 (£8.50) then walked back to the cafe we went to yesterday, this time for birthday ice-cream. Captain Caveman wanted to try their pistachio flavour, I don’t like ice-cream that much so I had a pomegranate frozen yogurt and a raspberry sorbet. It cost €7 (£6) for both of us but, unfortunately, I got belly ache right after eating mine.
We did some more walking around Plovdiv which is a lovely place and decided on an early birthday dinner before day 2 of the Phillgood festival.

Captain Caveman had already researched a place near to our hotel and we had to queue at Shevitsa as it was full. We ordered pints of Hoegaarden and some food. I chose a cheese salad for the starter, Captain Caveman ordered chicken liver. For main I had chicken and sweetcorn while Captain Caveman chose meatballs with potatoes and gherkins. The food was lovely and Captain Caveman ordered a 2nd beer, which again didn’t end up on the bill. Our meal came to a total of €54 (£46.27).

At the Phillgood festival we watched all 4 mainstage acts, starting with Los Bitchos who were better than I expected. Sleaford Mods were not to my taste on account of him being pretty crude and his act seemed somewhat dated but I could see why the Bulgarian men thought he was good. They were definitely not for the easily offended, that’s for sure. We were also more prepared for the mosquitos as we had very strong repellent which we had to put on lots of times – they were rife!
The highlight for me on day 2 was Kneecap who were absolutely fantastic. Gorillaz finished the night off but I was a bit disappointed with them. The crowd was massive though but I did take myself off for a toilet break and a sangria for €7 (£6) half way through.
The walk back to our hotel was long and tiring after being stood up for so long and I was very happy to get in bed at the end of the night. It had definitely been a good way to spend Captain Caveman’s birthday.

Gratitude List
1. Spending Captain Caveman’s birthday with him
2. Day 2 of the Phillgood Festival
3. Great food.

Sofia to Plovdiv – 17th July

It was a long and exciting day on Friday 17th July. I also made 2 errors with friends where I wished one a happy birthday 2 days early and the other I was meant to have a call at 8.30am UK time but I was travelling by train from Sofia to Plovdiv and had no WiFi. I’m usually on the ball with that sort of thing so I felt a bit disorganised – trying to work, do holidays and keep up with friends was taking its toll a bit.
The early morning train was good, on time and no issues. We arrived in Plovdiv and went straight for breakfast as we were starving. I ordered cheese and ham pancakes and a tea while Captain Caveman had quesadillas and a fried egg with coffee. We paid €18.50 (£15.87) which probably wasn’t the cheapest place in town but it was good.

We walked it to the hotel with our backpacks and mine was heavier than Captain Caveman’s because I had all my work stuff with me. It was getting warm and it was quite a walk. When we got to the area near to where we were staying, the roads were all cobbles and quite steep. I found it a struggle but Captain Caveman marched on ahead, as usual. Eventually, he waited at a particularly tricky bit when he realised I wasn’t behind him, then he took my bag. I’d booked the Old Legends hotel because it was a bit quirky and had a roll top bath. It was very old fashioned but amazing and we had one of the best rooms in this 5 star Bulgarian treasure of a place.

At 4pm we got ready to make our way to the Phillgood festival venue and called in to a local cafe for some food. We both ordered the potatoes with cheese and bacon with a soft drink for €11.60 (£9.95). It was so tasty but very filling – probably too stodgy to have just before a gig!

We got the bus but it didn’t go right to the venue and we had to get off and walk. The start time was 5pm but we ended up missing the start of Just Mustard. We had a couple of drinks for €12 (£10.30) where the barman knocked a whole bottle of gin off the bar and I caught it. The Subways did a great set and really worked the crowd, the lead singer tried a bit of crowd surfing but it looked like the Bulgarian audience weren’t that familiar with that. We nipped over to one of the other stages to see Bulgarian Cartrader who was quite good and did a bit of rapping and singing – I liked him. Wolf Alice was on the main stage next and I still wasn’t a massive fan but the Bulgarians were going mad for her. Our favourite act of the night by far, though, was The Cure – Robert Smith was phenomenal. At the end of the gig we walked it back to the hotel and it was a fair distance. I’d been a bit disappointed that water wasn’t free at the venue and the toilets were not as good as in Madrid but the venue was pretty good to say it was built over a canal full of mosquitos. We were both bit quite badly and had to take antihistamines before bed – so rock and roll!

Gratitude List
1. Making it from Sofia to Plovdiv, despite an early start
2. Staying at Old Legends hotel
3. Day 1 of the Phillgood Festival and getting to experience live music again.