Sheffield – 27th & 28th August

It was raining, cold and miserable on Thursday 27th August – it was still quite dark at 10am and I wasn’t used to that. Typically the weekend was the bank holiday in the UK so that made sense that the weather had changed.
Around 3pm Vanessa popped round to collect something and address any last minute preparations for their holiday which they had booked through me at Resort Experts. Her and Matt were off on a cruise and stay holiday in the USA and Canada to celebrate her 60th birthday and they were really looking forward to it. We had a cup of tea and some bacon sandwiches while chatting and then we popped out for a quick drive as Vanessa had errands to run and I needed to tighten up my new glasses.
It was another busy day, not finishing work until late. Captain Caveman and I had a walk round the block when it stopped raining and resisted the pub, before having another dinner at home. I cooked fish fingers and wedges and managed to make a mess of getting the fish fingers off the tray but they tasted fine.

Gratitude List
1. Knowing we were going away this weekend to escape the rain
2. Seeing Vanessa before her trip
3. Going outside for the first time since Sunday.

It was another hectic day for me on Friday 28th August and, instead of looking forward to going away, I’d started to get a bit stressed. I don’t have the luxury at the moment of being able to not work and weekends and evenings do tend to be my most demanding times of the week – especially bank holidays. I think it was at the back of my mind that I was still going to have to fit in working at least a few hours per day over the next few weeks. I ploughed through the to do list in the morning, then broke off to sort laundry so I had my stuff for taking on holiday. We had soup and a bacon sandwich for brunch at about 1pm and then we had a lot of travel related tasks to do; getting my travel insurance sorted, booking trains to and from Manchester airport, booking the airport hotel for when we got back from Belgium next month and checking we were ready to depart to Poland tomorrow. Disappointingly, the most important thing on my to do list was to have completed the internal pages of The Handy Travel Diary 2027, which I had hit a bit of a delay on.
At 4.30pm we had another flat viewing in the area and, although it had 2 bedrooms but only 1 bathroom it did come with a parking space right outside. It didn’t have any outside space or an ensuite though – which we liked on the first flat we viewed. It was £20,000 cheaper but I’m not sure we both ranked it as high as the other one.
We also were able to view a first floor flat which was a bargain but had only 1 bathroom and no allocated parking space. It did come fully furnished and was amazing inside, although no outdoor space or balcony. I still thought it was a strong contender and Captain Caveman said he wouldn’t rule it out.
I made slimming world style pizzas for dinner, using Captain Caveman’s pasta sauce and wraps. We also opened a bottle of red wine to mark the end of a frugal and sober week. We watched a cycling event go past and Captain Caveman was a bit jealous as he still was suffering with gout so couldn’t have joined.

We decided to have a wander to the pub with it being Friday night and we had been very frugal for the last 4 days. Today was pay day for Captain Caveman which was a good job as I had completely run out of money. Captain Caveman treated us both to a drink in the Kelham Wine Bar and then we decided to pop over to the Alder for a second drink. We spent most of the night discussing the possibility of Captain Caveman buying a flat in the near future and what our future looked like after that. I went to bed that night with a lot to think about and also with a bit of worry about how on earth I was going to manage 3 holidays on a budget with people who earned so much more money than me (including Captain Caveman) – it was going to be tough.

Gratitude List
1. Getting a load of things done to help make it easier to work while abroad
2. Captain Caveman looking to buy a flat in Kelham Island, Sheffield
3. Going to the pub with Captain Caveman.

Sheffield – 24th to 26th August

Monday 24th August was a full on working day where I was researching and compiling multiple customer quotes. It felt good to be back in the UK and connecting with more friends plus referred people who wanted me to look at their holidays for 2027 and 2028. I even had a 2029 enquiry for a special trip too. People were definitely planning ahead even more than I was.
I broke off from the laptop for lunch of fish fingers, wedges and beans only to find we were out of beans. We made do without and had a discussion that we would try to get to the end of the week without spending much or buying any non-essentials. We had just 5 days until our holiday so needed to be sensible.
In the evening we made do with leftovers and I said I would make a veggie curry tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Getting some more potential customers and bookings
2. Fish fingers
3. Being able to look forward to more holidays.

It was another busy day for both of us spent working hard on Tuesday 25th August. I’d got in to the habit of posting a Top Tip every Tuesday and this week my post got over 400% more views, over 300% of which were from people who didn’t know me already. I was trying to grow my following on Facebook so that I could earn money from my original content but it was still proving tricky as I was short of the 500 followers needed to get started. I persisted in trying to increase this and write useful, genuine posts to get this increased but it wasn’t easy.
I made a slow cooker chickpea, lentil and spinach curry for dinner and we had it with some warmed up wraps. It’s really cheap to make, we had all the ingredients in the cupboard already and it is healthy and tasty. I should’ve made more but we did have leftovers for tomorrow.
That evening I caught up on my blogging a bit before bed, as I was getting behind.

Gratitude List
1. My Top Tip Tuesday posts becoming more popular
2. A homemade veggie curry
3. A no spend, zero alcohol day.

I found myself missing the ladies of Fat Club on Wednesday 26th August. The group chat was busy with positive vibe messages and encouragement for all those who may have succumbed to Sabotage Tuesday yesterday. In the absence of any scales I took my measurements to find I had lost 1cm from my bust, 2cm from my waist but stayed the same on my hips – that wasn’t bad considering the amount of food and drink I’d had this weekend!
It was another busy day in the office but I did break off to have leftover curry for lunch with Captain Caveman. In the evening Captain Caveman went to Bridge and I did more writing.
For dinner Captain Caveman made sausage pasta with the sausages we had bought for breakfast at the weekend but not used, plus his home made tomato pasta sauce from the freezer.
It was day 3 of no spending and zero alcohol in readiness for our forthcoming holiday this weekend.

Gratitude List
1. Still keeping in touch with the Fat Club ladies
2. Good home made food
3. Another no spend and zero alcohol day.

Sheffield – 23rd August

It was Clare’s last day in Sheffield on Sunday 23rd August and I was sad that the weekend was coming to an end. My body was craving a rest after drinking too much, eating far too much and walking the 5 Weirs Walk when I’m unfit. Incidentally, when I checked the length of the walk it wasn’t more than 8km (5 miles) and I’d thought it was further.
We had bought all the items to make a breakfast at home but got up a bit late and decided not to bother. Instead we treated ourselves to one last meal out before Clare had to get her train back to Southampton. We had a really good Sunday dinner at Kelham Wine Bar and Kitchen, our closest bar. Captain Caveman and I chose the pork, Clare ordered the beef. All came with all the trimmings and loads of gravy on the side. Clare and I chose to drink a mimosa while Captain Caveman had a beer and we had one final cheers to round off an excellent weekend. It had made me realise how much I miss friends in the UK and was so grateful that Clare could come to visit us. For the dinner and a drink we paid just under £25 each and we all really enjoyed it.
As the tram had the replacement bus arrangement on, we advised Clare not to bother with public transport in case she missed the train. I had tears in my eyes as we waved bye to her in the taxi while stood on Ball Street bridge – I blamed the menopause for being over emotional.
Back home, all good intentions of doing work, laundry, blogging and even meeting Louisa (as she was also in the area with family) went out of the window. I went back to bed for a rest while Captain Caveman fell asleep on the beanbag in the living room.
It was almost 8pm when Captain Caveman and I ate halloumi pesto pasta for dinner and I remembered to take my Lactase pills at the right time and in the right way. They were actually working and my stomach was back to normal!

Gratitude List
1. Sunday lunch with Captain Caveman and Clare at Kelham Wine Bar & Kitchen
2. A great weekend with friends
3. Having a Sunday afternoon rest.

Sheffield – 22nd August

I regretted drinking so much last night when I woke up on Saturday 22nd August. I’d definitely overdone it on the wine of which I’d had 6 plus a cocktail – way over my acceptable limit. This also meant that just my drinks and food had cost us almost £50, but it had been a great night round Kelham Island. It didn’t help that we didn’t eat a proper meal all day either so I was happy with today’s plans, even if my stomach and head weren’t. I decided I wasn’t drinking alcohol today and might not tomorrow either.
Captain Caveman had suggested we do the Sheffield 5 Weirs Walk so that we could show Clare more of the area and he knows she loves a walk. Of course, he had hoped to set off before 10am so that we could go for breakfast at one of his favourite cafes. My stomach and head told us we were going later even though Clare and I were booked in for something special after breakfast.
It was gone 10.30am when we set off and I’d had to take an imodium as it was going to take us a couple of hours and there were no facilities anywhere on the route. Captain Caveman and Clare were up for it and weren’t hungover so I trailed a good few paces behind them for most of the walk. I did take water with me but didn’t drink much until I knew we were nearly there.

We finished the walk about 12.40pm and walked a little further to the Rag & Bone Cafe. We’d last visited when they had a private function on and were so disappointed to have walked all the way and not been able to go in. This time I had called ahead and I had brought my Lactase pills so that I could have milk in my Yorkshire tea without the worry of more stomach issues. Usually they serve breakfast until 11am but today they were serving it all day. We all ordered the large full English breakfast with tea and toast at about £16.50 each. I didn’t ask for mine without eggs, tomatoes and black pudding as Captain Caveman was having those in addition to his own breakfast.
The food was delicious, the lactase tablets didn’t fully work and I had to go to the loo a few times before we said bye to Captain Caveman. He was going to Meadowhall to get the tram back home, while Clare and I were going to Louisa’s for a Japanese facial each.

We arrived later than planned but we got a taxi which cost less than £10 and Clare paid. Once inside, I rested downstairs on the sofa, begging for mercy and with a belly ache, while Clare went first. Louisa had set up her spare room to be a lovely and very relaxing therapy room and was now taking clients for this amazing Japanese Kobido facial/massage. Clare and I both loved it and it was very relaxing – I definitely drifted off a little and my hangover had gone by the end of the treatment, which was a bonus. Louisa was really good and I definitely would recommend booking in with her to try it.

[Sheffield friends reading this, check out the private Facebook group to find out more and book in – the prices are very reasonable and you will love it! https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1FqUbkadBX/
Louisa is also available on Instagram for those who want to find out more or book in: https://www.instagram.com/ethical_attitude_louisa?exln=aWZob3J0ZTlsZHBo%5D

Louisa had got a lovely dress that instead of sending back when it wasn’t suitable for her had thought it would suit me – it did and it would be ideal for my holidays. She also got me a funky pair of sunglasses straps, perfect for boat trips in Dalyan to make sure my new sunglasses were safe, and a neck fan! It was so kind of her and I was very grateful especially with our holidays coming up very soon.
My stomach was still bad and I felt like I needed a nap when we left. The taxi back to Kelham Island was about £14 which Clare paid for on her app. We had no time for napping as we were having dinner at our place followed by a cheese board. Luckily, Captain Caveman could tell I was in no fit state to be cooking the Moroccan chicken we had planned for tonight as I kept having to go to the bathroom, so he took over.
Louisa arrived around 6pm and she had brought some spiced rum and diet coke for her to drink, Captain Caveman and Clare were on the wine but I held off. The Moroccan chicken dinner was very tasty, I forgot to take photos on account of me doing my best to just get through the meal without any more tummy troubles, which I did.
Our cheese for dessert was slightly problematic on account of Louisa not liking uncooked cheese so she unfortunately didn’t get to eat that much as we scoffed lots of really nice cheeses. I’d taken my Lactase pills and wasn’t expecting them to work as we had at least 3 cheeses, membrillo, pickled onions, gherkins, salami and various crackers. The speciality cheese, called Minger, went down really well too and I had to have a drop of red wine to compliment the cheese, obviously. At last the lactase pills kicked in and they worked.
Captain Caveman was the first to retire to bed as he was yawning away and flagging. Clare did her best but was also tiring after 2 nights of being sociable. I drank a lot of water before bed while Louisa finished off her spiced rum and I walked her out to her taxi at gone midnight. We’d had a lovely evening at home with the 4 of us sitting on whatever make do furniture; 2 plastic dining chairs, an office chair and a canvas camping chair. I was starting to miss having a soft sofa to sit on, though.
In bed, Captain Caveman was snoring away but I did get to sleep eventually.

Gratitude List
1. Surviving the 5 Weirs Walk and breakfast with a hangover
2. An amazing Japanese Kobido facial with Louisa
3. Spending more time with Clare, Louisa and Captain Caveman in Sheffield.

Sheffield – 21st August

There was some excitement on Friday 21st August as our friend, Clare, was coming to Sheffield for the weekend. I’d already been in touch with our other mutual friends, Kerrie and Louisa, who were also keen to meet up.
After cramming in lots of work and I also managed to do the hoovering and clean up a bit, I walked to the train station to meet Clare. I’d not seen her since we went for drinks and steak in London so it was great to catch up again. Clare had just a small backpack and it was a lovely day so we decided to walk it back to Kelham Island from the train station. According to Captain Caveman it should take 15 minutes but I’d say it was more like 20.
Back home, Clare was shown around the flat and she was allocated the spare room/office which I turfed Captain Caveman out of. He was able to finish work a little earlier on a Friday and was able to nip to the shops for provisions. He also bought me some Lactase enzyme supplements because he was convinced I was intolerant to lactose. I’d not realised that both Kerrie and Louisa had been ready to meet up earlier in the day than we could be ready for. We rushed to get ready and I messaged them to say we were heading to the pub. As it turned out, they were both running late now so we had time to show Clare the area, have a quick pint in the Alder, then another drink in the Neepsend Social Club, where I went on to wine. We waited in the Gardener’s Rest for our friends to join us with a third drink while sharing the last of the pork pies and food as none of us had eaten. I was very impressed with the pork to pastry ratio in the pork pie too.

At 5pm Louisa, Kerrie and her son, Jack, arrived at the Gardener’s Rest and more drinks were ordered – I was already quite merry by this point!
Kerrie and Jack made me laugh, especially Jack who was telling us all about his football and they couldn’t stay long as they had to get up early for football tomorrow.

After the Gardener’s Rest, Louisa, Clare, Captain Caveman and I walked to the next pub, The Workshop. Here the girls went on to cocktails, I stuck to wine and Captain Caveman beer but I had already overdone it and was hungry. We ended up having chips and gravy which I knew I was drunk by this time as I’m not fond of gravy but I ate it and enjoyed it!

We really should have gone home after that as I had definitely had too much wine but we went for a last drink at the Church, where, apparently, I had a margarita and Captain Caveman fell asleep. Louisa’s husband came to pick her up and I think we kept him waiting a bit too long while she drank up and said her farewells. We organised to see her again tomorrow for something new that Clare and I were really looking forward to.

Gratitude List
1. Clare coming to stay with us for the weekend in Sheffield
2. Drinks at Kelham Island with our friends
3. That pork pie in the Gardener’s Rest.

Scotland to Sheffield – 20th August

As it was National Hungary day on Thursday 20th August, I scheduled a post about Budapest on my business page before we had our last breakfast. It was time to leave The Tudor hotel and Scotland today. I was a bit disappointed to not have taken the opportunity to be at the Edinburgh Literary Festival but I had done a lot of work and managed to design my own diary book cover, so I settled for that.
Captain Caveman went off to the office and I had a team meeting and check-out at the same time. I got packed and ready only to find the team meeting was cancelled anyway. I plonked myself down at an empty table in the busy cafe bar area and ordered the hot drink and cake special. The waitress in there was so friendly and allowed me to set up my laptop. I ordered a pot of tea with a jam and cream scone for £5.95. It was lovely and I got a lot more work done.

Captain Caveman arrived to pick me up a bit later in the day than I’d expected at 4pm. By which time I’d had a walk to the nearest shop to get some sweets for the journey back. It was still raining and I felt the cold so was back sat in the foyer within 10 minutes.
We drove back, calling at Tebay services on the way. I’ve never been to such posh services and Captain Caveman stocked up on salami and (more) cheese ready for the weekend when we had a friend coming to stay.

Our next stop was for a curry with friends in Kirby Stephen which was really good. It was also good to see Captain Caveman’s friends, one of which I’d not seen for years. We had a good laugh and the curry at Mango Tree was great, the weather wasn’t much better there either. We spent around £50 for the 2 of us and I really enjoyed the evening.

When we got back to Captain Caveman’s flat in Sheffield, I’d had a delivery. I’d ordered a couple of proof copies of 2 of the 4 notebooks I’d published on Amazon KDP. They are just blank inside for writing notes in and the covers have eye-catching designs and titles. I’d got the templates from Claire Clarke who was helping me get my books in to Waterstones and it had been good practice for the main books and diary. I checked the week’s budget v spend and I had spent less than the previous 2 weeks at £111.41 but I still needed to be very careful until the end of the month. It was almost midnight when we got to bed, both of us were very tired.

Gratitude List

1. A tea and scone for brunch
2. Curry with Captain Caveman and his mates
3. New JoLo style notebooks (available on Amazon).

Scotland – 19th August

If I’d been in Dalyan on Wednesday 19th August I would most certainly have been joining the ladies at Fat Club. Instead, I had to make do without any scales and just my trusty tape measure. To my surprise I had no changes at all on any of my measurements.
I joined Captain Caveman for breakfast and enjoyed it with a lot of tea before he went off to the office and I went back to the room to do some work. I had once again intended to go in to Edinburgh on the train but it was rainy and cold again so I didn’t go anywhere. I was also aware that I had 3 holidays coming up and decided not to spend the money unnecessarily. I finished the cover of my 2027 diary and the next stage was to get the internal pages from Claire Clarke and work on that part of the diary.
In the evening, Captain Caveman was back fairly late so we decided we would try the Tipsy Cow for dinner. It was pouring with rain and pretty cold so I had to borrow clothes and a coat from Captain Caveman – there was definitely no heatwave here!
I ordered a glass of Merlot which was a whopping £9 and I didn’t even check the price first, Captain Caveman had 2 pints of Neck Oil for £10.60. I ordered the katsu chicken curry for £14.95 and Captain Caveman chose the steak pie for £15.95. I’d not had any lunch and was peckish so we ordered a side order of fries for £3.95. The meal was really good and I ate every mouthful, the wine was pretty decent too – although spending £54.45 for the both of us seemed pricey to me, Captain Caveman assured me it was reasonable. I’d been away from Turkey for 7 weeks now and I still found it tricky to not compare prices of things.
Back at the hotel we put another film on and again Captain Caveman was snoring quicker and louder than yesterday. Tomorrow he had a full day of work plus the drive back down to Sheffield so another long day was planned.

Gratitude List
1. Getting the 2027 diary cover sorted.
2. Not having gained any centimetres this week
3. A delicious meal with Captain Caveman at the Tipsy Cow.

Scotland – 18th August

The alarm went off before 7am on Tuesday 18th August after a good sleep in The Tudor hotel in Airdrie, Scotland. The bed was so much comfier than the futon at Captain Caveman’s flat and I didn’t want to get out of bed.
We had breakfast at the hotel where I asked for mine without egg or tomato and Captain Caveman was disappointed as he would have had my extra things I don’t eat. It came with a potato cake type item which I loved and a lovely pot of tea. The Colpermin seemed to have eased my bloating a little but I still had a belly ache after eating.
Captain Caveman went off to the office and I ended up staying in the hotel room working all day. It was cold and wet out so I didn’t bother getting a bus/train to Edinburgh as planned. In my lunch hour I started working on the cover for my next publication which was a 2027 diary. I had decided I was going to do a travel themed one, with some hints/tips and typical JoLo style advice on each month and I wanted the front and back cover to compliment my handy travel planner. I decided the background should look like a swimming pool and I would use some of the elements used on the last book to carry on the theme. I am getting better at Canva but it still wasn’t easy and I got very frustrated with it.
When Captain Caveman got back from the office we decided to have dinner in the hotel as they did an early bird pre theatre menu which was 2 courses for £16.95 each. For starters Captain Caveman ordered the Haggis bon bons and I had the Mumbai mushrooms which were really tasty. For mains Captain Caveman had Hunters Chicken and I had a Butter Chicken pie. My dinner was delicious and it was very filling. We also had a pint of cider for me and Captain Caveman had 2 pints of Cobra. The total bill came to £49.35 and was definitely worth the price. We went back to the room stuffed and watched a film. It had been on less than half an hour when Captain Caveman fell fast asleep and his snoring was so loud that it didn’t look likely that I would get much sleep.

Gratitude List
1. Hotel breakfast
2. Starting to design my 2027 diary cover
3. Hotel dinner.

Sheffield to Scotland – 17th August

On Monday 17th August I woke up with a very swelled up stomach and I felt like I might explode. I decided to have a walk round the block to see if I could ease it a bit before a long car journey. Captain Caveman and I were off to Scotland today and would be staying in a place called Airdrie, not far from Edinburgh.
When we set off I was still unwell so we called in to the supermarket to see if the pharmacist had anything. She didn’t and just recommended I buy some Colpermin off the shelf. I did and they were £9 in the big Tesco.

We drove north and the temperature was getting cooler and it looked like rain.
We stopped at some services in Richmond where I experienced a first time experience; watching camels run around in the field next to the services! They seemed very happy and even smiled at cars going past them.
In the shop Captain Caveman decided he was going to buy a sausage roll for lunch and, of course, I wanted one but couldn’t eat it for fear of an upset stomach. We still bought 2 for a whopping £7 and I got a packet of 95p sweets for the rest of the journey.
Nearer to our destination, Captain Caveman got a coffee from Macdonald’s and we watched as crows tried to bully other birds and scavenged the bins outside.

Back on the road it was raining and much cooler for the rest of the way and I started to wonder if I’d brought enough suitable clothing.
We arrived at The Tudor Hotel and had to hurry in as it was now raining quite hard. The hotel was nice and we decided, instead of eating in the hotel restaurant, that we would pop to a shop and get something from there. Here’s what we bought with the prices in pounds;

Morrisons Supermarket
Ribena drink 0.70
Ziplock bags 1.00
Monster munch 1.20
Blueberries 1.29
Cherry tomatoes 1.35
Raspberries 1.79
Grazing platter 2.00
Cocktail sausages 2.60
Green salad 3.00
Chicken noodle salad 3.50
1 bottle of red wine 5.12
2 pairs of black leggings 10.00
Total spent £33.55

As I didn’t have any other warm clothes except for the jeans I had on, we bought a 2 pack of leggings. My stomach was still iffy, as I’d eaten the sausage roll once I got to the hotel, but I’d taken the Colpermin and was hoping that would help. It was an early night as we both had long days tomorrow but we were happy to have a comfy bed with a duvet on as it was pretty chilly in Scotland.

Gratitude List
1. Colpermin tablets
2. New leggings
3. A comfy, warm bed.

Sheffield – 15th & 16th August

I wasn’t feeling too great on Saturday 15th August and had regretted drinking Hugo spritzes and a cherry beer or two last night. Captain Caveman was off to play Bridge in the afternoon while I did my best to function. I was also off to Scotland tomorrow so I needed to pack. The weather forecast didn’t look like it would be very warm and I didn’t have any suitable clothing, or a coat.
My new glasses were ready for collection so I walked in to town to get them. They weren’t that dissimilar to my previous pair but this time I could actually see – really well! I also had a lovely pair of prescription sunglasses.
Captain Caveman was meant to be going to the Sheffield United match tonight and we had also said we would meet friends for a curry but I was acutely aware of not having any spare cash and I felt rubbish. At 7.30pm I was peckish, having not eaten much all day so we decided to have a chicken fajita pasta dish which I made but it wasn’t that good. When our friends let us know they were finished at a beer festival and were on their way for a curry, we decided not to go. I hate not going to stuff, especially for an Indian in one of our favourite places with lovely people, but I couldn’t afford it and needed the money for our holidays (starting in 2 weeks).

Gratitude List
1. New glasses
2. Being able to see so much better
3. Deciding to save money and eat at home.

I was meant to be going to Scotland with Captain Caveman on Sunday 16th August as he had a few days of working from the Livingstone office this coming week. I had a bright idea that I would go to the Edinburgh Book Festival to promote my books. I did a bit of research and found that I may have left it a bit late, plus I didn’t have any copies of my books here in Sheffield – and it was too late to order them too. I did think it was good experience to go anyway just as an observer to see what it was like.
While Captain Caveman spent the morning volunteering for the calvert walk, I made myself a chicken pho, now that I had rice noodles. It was only using the pho stock cubes but it was so nice as I do miss Vietnamese breakfasts.
When Captain Caveman returned, he decided to put off Scotland until tomorrow and we had a late lunch of the leftover chicken fajita pasta which tasted better than yesterday after I added cheese.
Unfortunately, I ended up with a belly ache after eating it and was in the bathroom a lot! So much so, that I almost missed the Drum & Base bicycle ride as it went past Kelham Island. This had been marked down as an activity which Captain Caveman had fancied joining in but his gout was flaring up again and he was in pain.
Captain Caveman wanted to go out for a pint but I was mindful of not spending any money. We went to The Church, Temple of Fun just for 1 drink each. It’s quite an usual local pub but I liked the decor. I had a peach radler to drink which was definitely an acquired taste but refreshing.
Back home, I still had a bad stomach so I went to bed early.

Gratitude List
1. Pho for breakfast
2. Plans to go to Scotland with Captain Caveman
3. A trip to the pub.

Sheffield – 14th August

Captain Caveman was working on site again of Friday 14th August, so it looked like he might be late for the night out that he had set the date for. Ages ago, we had arranged we would catch up with some of the Berlin 10 and tonight was in the diary for drinks in Kelham Island. More recently I’d invited the friends who had needed to cancel last month as well as Louisa and Linda. I worked all day and Captain Caveman made it back by 6pm, which was good. We decided to get our going out clothes on and see if we could find somewhere to get food too. Captain Caveman had bought me a dress from Uniqlo so I wore that with my Vietnamese porter sandals and loved it. We had a quick drink in the Kelham Wine Bar, where it was £17.68 for a couple of cocktails. Captain Caveman guzzled his down in about 2 minutes and then decided we would get snacks at Salt. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the kitchen open so we had pork scratchings for dinner with my Hugo Spritz (classy!) at a total of £15.60. The drink was very nice and I had another round as others joined. Caz & Tim arrived and they were on a bit of a curfew as they had to be back by 9.30pm for their son. Caz had invited the rest of the gang on the WhatsApp group but no one else could make it. Natalie & Paul came too, and I was glad that they could make it. Unfortunately, Louisa decided she wasn’t coming as she had got busy with dog walking and decluttering. Linda arrived and was the life and soul of the party when she mulled over 2 for 1 on the cocktails or jagermeister shots – she might have been the oldest there but she was certainly the most lively out of us all. Luan, Paul, Drexy & Jeff (of the Berlin 10) arrived next and we had a very good evening. It was broken up by a series of emergency alarms that there were wild fires nearby and that we were to remain in doors. Everyone ignored the alarms but they kept coming and we could see on social media that some areas of Sheffield did have spreading wildfires. We were fine where we were and continued in the beer garden. Our last pub was the Kelham Island Tavern, another favourite, and we had a couple of drinks in there before Caz and Tim had to get back to relieve their babysitter. They kindly dropped Linda off at home even though it was a little early to be going but Captain Caveman’s gout was still giving him issues and it would have been quite far for him to walk her home.
It was a while since I’d been drinking with these friends so it was great to laugh and reminisce. We had a great time and I spent a total of £47 and Captain Caveman probably spent more.
As we said our farewells to half the Berlin 10, Captain Caveman made arrangements to meet up again tomorrow and go for a curry at Butlers.

Gratitude List
1. Captain Caveman making it back to Sheffield in good time for our night out
2. My new Uniqlo dress
3. A night out in Kelham Island with lovely friends.

Sheffield – 11th to 13th August

My new whiteboard was a game changer on Tuesday 11th August and I had popped it on the spare room windowsill. Captain Caveman was working on site today and tomorrow so it meant I could borrow his work desk. It was great to have more space and I had started to really get through my tasks today. At lunch time I met Vanessa who had popped over to see me. I’d had the great idea to go to The Grind cafe but it was a bit much for Vanessa’s stomach and she just had toast and I had a Greek salad. We both had a cuppa and, as the weather was nice, we sat outside. One of Vanessa’s favourite places at Kelham Island is the Fat Cat so we went there next and had just a quick drink. We chatted on about how good the 60th birthday 80s night had been and Vanessa still had some more celebrations to do next month.
Back home it was a busy admin afternoon/evening and I forgot to have any dinner.

Gratitude List
1. My improved productivity from having a new whiteboard
2. Using Captain Caveman’s desk
3. Meeting Vanessa for lunch.

Ordinarily, if I’d been in Dalyan, Wednesday 12th August would be weigh day and I’d be going to Fat Club. It had now been 7 weeks since I had last been to the group and got weighed. I knew I had put weight on, even without any weighing scales, because I could tell on photos of my face!
I decided to still take my measurements which I last did a month ago and it wasn’t quite as shocking as I’d expected. I’d lost 1cm from my bust, put 4cm on my waist (that will be the bread) and my hips had stayed the same. I decided I would walk in to town for some exercise and also I wanted to see if I could order The Handy Travel Planner at Waterstones yet. It turned out I could and they said they would order it in for me and call me when it arrived, which could take 2 weeks. I nipped in to Barclays to ask if it was ok for Captain Caveman to bring his bicycle in when he came for the mortgage appointment and while I was there I met the mortgage advisor and asked some generic questions. The mortgage advisor was very helpful and the branch had been done up very nicely. Next, I popped in to TK Maxx where I noticed a men’s manicure kit for £3 so I bought it for Captain Caveman ready for his forthcoming holidays. In Holland & Barrett I picked up some Gin Gins, tea for a bad stomach and some healthy snacks, spending a total of £9.32. I took photos of the cherry supplements for Captain Caveman so he could decide if he wanted any to help with his gout symptoms.
I had also arranged to meet my parents in town and then we were going to be doing another pub crawl in Kelham Island. Captain Caveman was working so he couldn’t be there. Ma & Pa met me outside Boots and we got on the tram and went to the Wellington for a pint. Mom got the round in and it was very reasonably priced in there and is one of our favourites. It was warm enough for a sit out in the beer garden too. Our next stop was the Alder for a quick pint each at a total of £12.46 and then we decided to try the Neepsend Social Club which is very nice and had ice cold Aircon on. We decided to order some halloumi fries and chips with our drinks and I decided to go on to wine. The round worked out slightly cheaper at £12.19 and we were the only ones in there. We also did a video message to Nanny Kay who was in the UK celebrating her birthday this year.
By this time we were peckish again but Ma & Pa didn’t fancy the main meals in the Neepsend Social Club so we decided to go for pizza at B’Reyt Dough, just round the corner. I had a pepperoni pizza and a large glass of red wine, Dad had Margherita pizza and a large red wine and Mom had a calzone and a smaller white wine. Dad ended up having a laugh with the waiter and we completely missed the eclipse. The total bill came to £62.25 for the 3 of us which my parents paid and I ended up with some leftover pizza to take home. I walked them back to the tram stop as we were all a bit merry, having had a really good time. It was also a farewell drink as all of us were going to be away on our holidays soon.

Gratitude List
1. A successful trip to town
2. Another Kelham Island pub crawl with Ma & Pa
3. Pizza and wine.

On Thursday 13th August it was more holiday planning for both me and friends. As we would be joined by Briony in Vegas she had sent her flight details through and we were lucky to be landing within 10 minutes of each other.
There was a Resort Experts Team Meeting where updates of the eagerly awaited websites were spoken of and were looking likely for next month.
In the afternoon I met with a friend who had booked to holiday in Dalyan while I was there so we had a walk to Tescos. I finally found some rice noodles and we carried on to her house for a late lunch and a glass of wine while we sorted out boat trips and taxi pick ups. I had a Greek salad pitta pocket while my fellow diner had tuna and cucumber in hers. It was a nice afternoon and we planned to meet up for drinks again very soon.
As Captain Caveman was not back until late, I got to occupy the beanbag at home but I did have trouble getting back off it.
I totted up the 2nd week of the month’s spending and it was much better than last week at £131.69, so less than £19 per day, but still too much and I needed to be more frugal next week, even though I had plans which required spending money.

Gratitude List
1. Knowing the Las Vegas arrival times were lining up nicely.
2. Rice noodles
3. Catching up with a client and friend for more holiday planning.

Sheffield – 9th & 10th August

Sunday 9th August turned out to be a bit of a disappointment and a lot of wasted time on our day off. Captain Caveman and I decided we would go to watch some of the events at the Transplant Games, to support our friends, Becca & Steve. Unfortunately the Sheffield (not so) Super Tram had other ideas.
We popped to the tram stop and noted the sign which said there was a bus replacement service from the Cathedral, as the tracks at the delta area (between Fitzallen Square and the train station) were being repaired. We bought a £10 day ticket for both of us and went from Shalesmoor to the Cathedral with no bother at all. The notice had told us to go to a bus stop outside Lidl so we walked down to there and waited in a big queue which also had bus drivers and Super Tram staff in it. There seemed to be a huge amount of disorganisation and chaos as the bus drivers didn’t seem to know that they needed to set off every 10-15 minutes. Instead, they waited until the bus was full. Captain Caveman was in agony with his foot and could hardly walk, otherwise we would have attempted to walk to wherever the next working tram stop on the way to Meadowhall was. Captain Caveman had not brought any painkillers so I quickly nipped in to Boots to buy more, 2 packets were £1.68 and we had a pack each as I now had a headache! After sitting on a replacement bus that was very hot and busy we set off, driving past the many bus stops closer to the tram stop, which would have been better used by disabled/old people – or us with someone with a bad foot!
It was lucky we hadn’t tried to walk to the next tram stop because it turned out that there were several closed in this track repair work and the next stop was quite a way off. When the bus pulled in we had to wait a bit more for a tram and by this time we were commited to continuing on, rather than abandoning the trip altogether. Captain Caveman was not impressed and we both could see it would be absolute chaos for Monday morning workers trying to get anywhere tomorrow. We timed the delay and it was 57 minutes – totally unacceptable as it was meant to have been 13 minutes maximum. I suggested Captain Caveman send a strongly worded complaint email and ask for a refund, knowing of course that he would not bother. The petanque games were only on until 3pm so I was concerned we were now later than we had wanted to be and, when we arrived, we had missed our friends who had already gone home.
The sun was out and it was hot as we watched some of the other games, mainly as we couldn’t deal with the bus replacement fiasco for the return journey just yet. Captain Caveman had wandered off to sit on a rock as he was in agony.
We were back in town by 2pm, even more annoyed with the whole Super Tram business. I’d learned that the heaters on buses can’t be turned off by a bus driver and that an engineer needs to be booked to do this when I asked why the bus was so hot and, again, we waited until it was packed full to set off. It was a joke and we decided we would not use the tram or replacement bus service again during the repair period which was not due to end until 31st August.
Between the bus replacement arriving on High Street and the tram leaving from the cathedral I had time to call in to Sainsbury’s for a loaf of bread (£1.35!) while Captain Caveman limped to the tram stop.
We got back home and I was of course upset that I hadn’t been able to get to the games to support Becca and Steve so I was in a mood. Captain Caveman went for a lay down as he was in pain and sick of my complaining so I decided to do a bit of work. Today on my Facebook business page I had posted 2 different cruises; the very high end luxurious 4 day Danube one, which I had been on with Riverside Luxury Cruises going in November and another which I’d quoted for a client who wanted a no fly, no frills cruise in France next spring, with Ambassador.
I was cheered up by a post of the litter clean up organisers who had also sent me a thank you email and photos from yesterday’s helping out.

Gratitude List

1. Paracetamol
2. A rock for Captain Caveman to rest on
3. Promoting great cruise breaks.

In addition to a full day at my laptop on Monday 10th August I also managed to do some more holiday research. I made notes in my copy of The Handy Travel Planner (available on Amazon if you’ve not already bought one) about what I might like to see, do and eat while in Poland, Belgium and America. My £25 voucher came from one of my suppliers and I had chosen Waitrose vouchers so I could give them to Captain Caveman to get a nice bottle of gin or wine perhaps. I’d not got him anything for his birthday so this was a bit of a treat instead.
For lunch Captain Caveman made us a pasta dish which was very tasty and after we both finished work we went to Aldi. I was a lot more excited about this shopping trip than Captain Caveman was, as I hadn’t been to an Aldi for quite some years but Captain Caveman was adamant that it was and in and out quick trip, not a browsing of the middle aisle type of shop. I bet you can guess what happened!
Here’s what we bought, with prices in pounds;

Aldi Supermarket
Radishes 0.39
Tomato puree 0.59
Spring onions 0.65
Rocket 0.69
White sliced loaf 0.74
2 tins chickpeas 0.82
Ginger 0.85
Garlic 0.85
Soft cheese 0.89
2 tins lentils 0.90
Greek yoghurt 0.95
Crackers 0.95
Bananas 0.96
1 kg dried pasta 1.19
4 red peppers 1.38
Tomatoes 1.49
Onions 1.49
Hummus 1.59
Spinach 1.59
3 packs of salted peanuts 1.77
Pastrami 1.89
Raspberries 1.89
2 packs of wraps 1.98
Sliced chicken 1.99
Cheese slices 1.99
6 Energy drinks 2.19
Peas 2.25
Beef 2.25
Toilet roll 2.79
12 eggs 2.89
Mini Cheddars 3.19
3 packs of chocolate bars 4.35
1 Whiteboard with pens 4.99
Crispy Duck ready meal 6.49
1.8kg Chicken thighs £10.78
Total spent £72.64

Some of this was for Captain Caveman’s work breaks when he was working on site and I was shocked to see he had bought energy drinks which I never knew he consumed. I have a bit of a phobia of them as the smell of them makes me feel sick. In the middle aisle I had spotted a whiteboard that was just perfect for me to keep track of my entire life admin and to do lists so we got it! I’d tried to get one in Dalyan but they weren’t as good as this one so I was very pleased with my purchase. I had also wanted rice noodles but had not been able to find them. The crispy duck ready meal was for our dinner that night, instead of getting a takeaway (which we rarely do) or eating out. We had it with the little pancakes, Hoi Sin sauce, cucumber and spring onion – it was delicious! I forgot to take a photo.

Gratitude List
1. Holiday research and planning
2. A trip to Aldi and a good find in the middle aisle
3. Crispy duck pancakes for dinner.

Sheffield – 8th August

Saturday 8th August was a very busy day for me. I was at the laptop in the morning and then Captain Caveman and I had the viewing of the nearby flat that we both liked the look of. Captain Caveman had put both of us down to help with a neighbourhood litter picking mission at 10am but he was unable to go because of a gout flare up. Instead, I went and I met some new people and had quite a good time. It was hot and sweaty by the time we finished and I had to have a shower before our next appointment at noon. The property was a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom flat with a decent sized hall way and kitchen/living space and even an outdoor area with views of the River Don and a parking space. We both liked it and decided that Captain Caveman was going to look into getting a mortgage appointment so that he could perhaps put in an offer. The mortgage appointment was made but the next available one with Captain Caveman’s preferred provider wasn’t until the second week of September.

Our next mission was for me to return to the opticians, with Captain Caveman so he could help me choose my glasses and pay for them. Vision Express do an eye care plan where you pay a monthly direct debit over 2 years (interest free) and it works out 20% cheaper than paying for the glasses. It also includes a free eye test, accidental breakage and loss protection as well as free adjustments and servicing. Captain Caveman was very helpful at the opticians but we did make the lady serving us laugh at his bluntness. When we were choosing the colour of the prescription sunglasses and my transitional lenses in the normal glasses – he made some comment about not getting the colour that made me look like a sex offender!

I ordered my 2 pairs which apparently was a good deal and came to a total of £436, after discount, despite me picking the lowest priced frames and that included 50% off the second pair. I paid the first £19 to set up the plan but Captain Caveman had to put the direct debit in his name starting from September. I was so happy and they would be ready in less than 2 week’s time.

I was ready to get back home as I had a headache but Captain Caveman fancied a pint in the Fargate pub. It had opened earlier this year and we’d not been in yet. It was £8.44 for a pint and a half and, although the pub was nicely done out, I wasn’t a fan of it. It was dark inside and a somewhat depressing feel to it. The clientele was a bit to be desired too and it reminded me of a flat roofed boozer on a rough estate. Captain Caveman had started to have a flare up of gout so I’d questioned him drinking beer (a trigger for gout) but he insisted beer or wine doesn’t affect it, just prawns or mushrooms which I’d not seen him have in over a year! We had to go to Boots to buy paracetamol and ibuprofen for £1.74 so that he could relieve the pain a bit.

In the evening I had been invited to one of Vanessa’s 60th birthday celebrations, which we had planned in the diary for quite some time. It was an 80s night at OEC in Hillsborough, next door to the dog track.
I met Vanessa and her gang of celebrators in the foyer at 6.30pm and most people, especially Vanessa, had made an effort to dress up in the appropriate 80s gear. Luckily, Vanessa had brought some extra props too so I could borrow some to jazz up my outfit.

The cost of the ticket which included the meal, a band, singers and the DJ was £35 and it was definitely worth it. The food was excellent, the music was brilliant and we all had a lot of fun – with lots of dancing. Vanessa had a plan to avoid drinking too much or spending loads on wine which was a genius move too. She bought a bottle of wine and some soda water (which came with an ice bucket) for about £24 and lasted her all night. I didn’t do this as wasn’t sure if I’d drink a full bottle but still spent £15.53 on 2 glasses so Vanessa’s idea was a good one. There were 10 of us in total and I’d already met 2 of Vanessa’s entourage which was nice but it was great to meet the others. I managed to insult Vanessa’s best mate by commenting on her wig which turned out to be her real hair! One of the youngest in the group had to get the Rennie’s out as the meal was fantastic and the puddings very rich! The food was delicious and plenty of it too, I had the chicken with lots of roast potatoes and vegetables. The chocolate brownie was super sickly but fabulous and I managed to eat most of it.

By 11pm some of us were already flagging a little and couldn’t see us going the full distance to the 1am finish! The less mobile of the group got a second wind at some point and was giving it what for on the dancefloor, having ditched her walking stick! It was such a fun night and we all really enjoyed it. Taxis and lifts were sorted and we were on our way home before midnight. Vanessa’s son dropped me off so I didn’t have to get a taxi alone or walk home which was very kind and Captain Caveman was already in bed when I got back. He’d been out to support friends at the Transplant Games in Sheffield and his foot was really hurting him.

Gratitude List

1. Flat viewing and finding a potential new home for Captain Caveman
2. New Glasses with help from Captain Caveman
3. A fab night out for Vanessa’s 60th birthday.

Sheffield – 7th August

I was finally getting my eyes tested on the afternoon of Friday 7th August and had booked an appointment at Vision Express for 4pm.
Before work I used my own copy of The Handy Travel Planner to make a note of some of the research I’d done for my trip to Las Vegas next month, of the things I might like to see, do and eat while there.
Just after lunch time I set off walking in to town to the opticians and I was a little bit early so I popped in to Primark where I bought 5 pairs of socks for £3.50 and a travel bottle set for £1.
I noticed a new hotel on Pinstone Street and went in to have a look around. The Radisson Blu had a lovely roof top bar with fabulous views over the Sheffield city centre where there was a fair on this weekend. I took a couple of photos and noticed a nice roof terrace and quite a pricey drinks menu. I didn’t stay as I had to get to my appointment, where the optician was somewhat confused.

My transitional varifocals from 2 years ago and my non-transitional varifocals from 5 years ago (both purchased in Danang) were not even close to the correct prescription for me and the optician had to ask if I’d taken the sight test using the Vietnamese alphabet as she was very confused how I’d managed to find my way in today. She was also surprised I didn’t have any headaches. I chose 3 sets of glasses but time was against me and I decided I would come back tomorrow for a proper look and to narrow down my choice. I also needed to check with Captain Caveman as the glasses weren’t going to be cheap and I didn’t have the money for them. I’d actually thought my eyesight had improved a bit and that I’d be able to use my existing frames to save money but it wasn’t possible. I walked back home through town, splashing out on a snack and a bottle of water for £2.78 even though I probably shouldn’t have.
Captain Caveman made us a chicken salad for dinner and I went online to research travel insurance for my forthcoming 2 Europe plus 1 USA trips. The post office was coming up as the cheapest but was still over £100 for the 3 weeks when an annual policy was only £120. Unfortunately, I didn’t meet the criteria for an annual policy so decided I needed to shop around. I checked who Louisa was covered with but Coverwise were no longer taking on new customers.
Before bed I totted up the spending for this week and I’d spent £703.39 already (including just over half of that on flights). This was not great and Captain Caveman had to tell me he would pay for my new glasses as it was important that I get them and could see properly.

Gratitude List
1. Planning lots of free/cheap things to do in Vegas
2. Nice food at home
3. Captain Caveman helping me out with my new glasses.