Barnes to Sheffield – 28th & 29th December

Captain Caveman was fit for nothing on Sunday 28th December as he was tired. I’d thought he might’ve been cooking a breakfast for everyone but he stayed laying on the bed until gone 11am. His parents were already up and about long before that and I’d logged on to my laptop to do a bit of work. Today was going to be another family day as Captain Caveman’s brother, sister-in-law and 3 nephews were coming to stay for a few days. Originally we had planned to go to Sheffield on this day but had decided to stay to see The Sprouts (called that because they live in Brussels).
It was just before noon when Captain Caveman got in the kitchen to cook us a brunch. Mine was sausages, bacon and mushrooms on a pancake (using the self raising flour batter mixture from yesterday). It was very nice and tasty and of course not Slimming World friendly at all!!!
I worked for the rest of the afternoon, then at 4.30pm I encouraged Captain Caveman to come to the shop with me. We spent about £10 on some chocolates and a gift for a friend. It was so cold out and I was assuming the North tomorrow would be colder.
When we got back in the house I noticed that the table was set much like a Christmas Day – there were crackers! To my surprise, I was actually joining in a belated Christmas celebration as well as us all celebrating Anna’s birthday.
The Sprouts arrived and it was great to see them again, wine was poured and there was even gift exchanges. The hats, earmuffs and Turkish Delight were well received, Captain Caveman was pleased with his boozy gifts and I loved my fancy lip balms (much needed in this winter weather too)!
The dinner was delicious and I felt so grateful to be enjoying it with the family. The ‘icing on the cake’, though, was the home made (by Captain Caveman’s Ma) Christmas cake – the best thing I had all Christmas!!!

Gratitude List
1. An extra day in Barnes with Captain Caveman and his family
2. Laughing
3. Cake.

Monday 29th December was a working day for Captain Caveman and I, so we got up at stupid o’clock to get to Chesterfield before Captain Caveman’s first meeting at 9am. We had a McDonald’s breakfast – my first in years and, for the price, I won’t be in a rush to have another. My sausage (no egg) muffin tasted very salty and the hash brown oozed grease. My cup of tea was decent though. Captain Caveman left me editing some content while he went off to his meeting.
We reconvened, then drove to call in on a friend, who was in recovery from a major operation. I had got my flu jab in Turkey, had brought masks and was trying to minimise passing on any germs by prioritising seeing her before I did the rounds up North!
I was very surprised to see how well my friend and her hubby were doing considering their situation and I almost cried when I saw them. It was just so good to be able to visit and hear all about the very slow and tricky recovery period.
Since I’d last seen them, a new addition to the family had arrived in the form of the cutest little dog. Unfortunately, she was on high alert and in protective mode so we didn’t get any cuddles – maybe next time. She still managed to snaffle some treats from Captain Caveman though, she’s not daft!
We didn’t stay long on account of my friend needing rest and us having to get back to work once we reached our next ‘home’.
My parents had kindly offered to put us up for a couple of days. We both managed the work schedules very laissez-faire in the afternoon and decided to finish at 5pm. I got a photo from my sister who had been bought my new planner for Christmas and she was over the moon with it. She was in Scotland with the dog and was about to start filling it in.
Captain Caveman and I nipped to the shop as we hadn’t had chance to get any wine for dinner. Here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Co-op Supermarket
Radox shower gel 1.05
Pasta bolognese ready meal 3.80
2 curry paste packs 4.00
1 bottle of Pinot Grigio 7.65
1 bottle of Prosecco 9.00
Total spent £25.50

Captain Caveman, my parents and I decided a walk to the local pub, The Alma, a good idea for pints of beer or cider before dinner.
We just had a couple with it being a school night and then Mom cooked us a lovely dinner, which we had wine with! It was cold but didn’t seem any colder than London.

Gratitude List
1. Visiting friends in Chesterfield
2. A post Christmas catch up with Ma & Pa
3. More lovely food and drink in Mosborough.

Barnes – 26th & 27th December

One good thing about not celebrating a traditional Christmas Day was that Boxing Day, Friday 26th December, was not spent recovering from it.
We didn’t have the hotel breakfast in Barking as Captain Caveman wasn’t bothered and we thought we would get back to Barnes.
Instead, he took me to the pub hoping for a pub lunch. The Brown Dog was closed so we ended up in the Red Lion. Captain Caveman spent £45 on our lunch which consisted of 2 pints of beer, a beef and horseradish sandwich for Captain Caveman and a pint of tap water, a glass of white wine and a prawn and crayfish sandwich for me. It was lovely despite the very annoying family of 5 sat round a 2 person table next to us. We ended up moving to an adult only table across from the bar, which was a good move.
Back home we watched TV; Undercover Boss, Gordon’s Kitchen Nightmares and Grand Designs – I’d missed UK TV.
For dinner Captain Caveman prepared some sourdough, bought from Gail’s earlier for a small fortune, with a baked camembert and we finished off the port. It was a very nice, relaxing day and a chance for Captain Caveman to rest after his 12 hour shift yesterday.

Gratitude List
1. Pub grub
2. A relaxing boxing day
3. More cheese.

Captain Caveman’s parents were due back from Spain on Saturday 27th December so Captain Caveman had offered my culinary services to make a welcome back dinner that evening. I was pleased as it had been 5 days since I’d eaten anything I’d cooked myself – most unusual! We popped to the shops and I decided to have a look in the Sue Ryder charity shop. Even though I had new clothes for Christmas I still didn’t have more than 1 top and had been wearing Captain Caveman’s t-shirt yesterday. I also didn’t have anything that wasn’t casual (not that I was due to be going anywhere fancy). The charity shop always has some amazing items in there, mainly good brands which I can never afford. Today, Captain Caveman was there to treat me again and I found a lovely tunic dress for £12 – it was only a size 12 and I didn’t try it on in the shop but it did fit when I got back home.
Next, we popped to one of my favourite shops to get the food for later, here’s what we got with the prices in pounds;

Marks & Spencers
Chicken 7.15
Raspberries 3.90
Blueberries 3.63
Sage & onion stuffing 2.50
Orange Juice 2.50
Peppers 1.50
Carrots 1.25
Green beans 0.80
Parsnips 0.50
Total spent £23.71

We called at the Farmer’s Market on the way back but there were limited stalls out, with it being between Christmas and New Year. We did manage to pick up some sausages and black pudding for Captain Caveman to cook us a breakfast tomorrow. I made some Yorkshire pudding mixture but there was only self raising flour and it didn’t really work.
In the afternoon, we decided to take a walk to see if the Brown Dog was open today and it was. We sat by the Christmas tree with a pint each (mine was cider) for a total of £13.60.
Back home, Captain Caveman’s parents were back and it was lovely to see them. I cracked on with making the dinner and we had a drop of wine to go with the meal.
Afterwards we went upstairs to watch TV and chill out – I even got in to watching Traitors.

Gratitude List
1. A new dress
2. A pint in the Brown Dog
3. A lovely family meal.

London – 11th August

My last day in the UK had arrived and I was sad to be leaving London on Monday 11th August. I could easily have stayed longer if it wasn’t for Nanny Kay’s 80th birthday celebrations tomorrow and the fact that it was so much more expensive being in England than Dalyan. Captain Caveman and I started work early but did break for an early lunch together and to get some shopping for dinner. Here’s what we bought with the cost in pounds;

M&S
White sliced loaf 0.75
6 eggs 1.45
Rice noodles 1.60
Pineapple smoothie 2.10
Nutty salad 2.90
Tabuleh salad 4.50
Pasta, garlic dough balls & pesto deal 7.00
Total spent £20.30

The rice noodles were for me to take back to Turkey, the salads for our lunch, which we ate on Barnes Green. We went to pick a seat near the tree (which Captain Caveman climbed on my previous visit) but were met with a huge disappointment. ‘Our tree’ had been recently cut down and we were both quite perturbed about it. I tucked in to my favourite Marks and Spencer’s salad, the one with nuts and edamame beans in. Captain Caveman was met with more disappointment as he tried to snaffle his salad which smelled and tasted like freshly mowed lawn! He wouldn’t be having that one again.

Back at the house, Captain Caveman found me a water bottle so that I could take it on my journey and we both had calls and meetings to get on with. At 3.15pm I shut down my laptop and decided I had done for today, I packed my hand luggage only but had to leave a few items of clothing and some food weighing scales behind.
I decided to go to the shop to see if I could get some nice travel sweets but I ended up buying myself a bar of chocolate and some Mentos for £2.05 in Tesco. I enjoyed my last walk through Barnes and pondered when I might next come back to England – probably 2026.
My flight wasn’t until 9.45pm and I was meeting Drew at Gatwick to fly back to Dalaman together. My train tickets allowed any-time travel so we decided I needed to leave Barnes station at 6.30pm.
Captain Caveman finished work just after 5pm and came in to the room with quite an urgent sounding question; he asked if I fancied a quick…(Now, at this point I honestly thought he might be about to ask if I fancied a ‘quickie’ but I had unnecessarily thought wrong)….game of Scrabble.
He’d obviously been thinking that he would like to even up the score from yesterday as it was the first time I’d beaten him. We quickly got the Scrabble board out and were up against the clock as we still had to cook and eat dinner. Of course, I let Captain Caveman win at Scrabble just so that we could eat without me missing my train or flight. We had the pasta with dough balls of which Captain Caveman had 9 to my 3!!! Then it was a bit of a rush to get out of the door for the short walk to Barnes Station. I was sad saying goodbye to Captain Caveman but I would see him again in 11 day’s time, when he arrived in Dalyan.

My train arrived in to Gatwick at 7.40pm where I met Drew in the Whetherspoons for a quick drink. I also bought 1 litre of Bombay Sapphire gin for £13.76 in the Duty Free. On the easyJet flight I was in row 2 and Drew in row 3 but there was a bit of jigging around and people in wrong seats so we both ended up in row 3 with our preferred window and aisle seats. I spent a small fortune on pink prosecco, water and pringles while on the plane, had a laugh with Drew, watched some rubbish I downloaded on Netflix and fell asleep. We were due to land at 3.45am tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Being able to have a last lunch in the park with Captain Caveman
2. A quick game of Scrabble before I left
3. Having Drew as my travel partner for the first time.

London – 10th August

We had all the plans to make the most of my last day in London on Sunday 10th August. Captain Caveman had mentioned a walk, perhaps Kew Gardens (which I still hadn’t been to), or a Sunday lunch at the Brown Dog.
Unfortunately, none of that happened and I had to nag Captain Caveman to get up and eat breakfast. I think he had overdone it yesterday so he was in bed just playing Bridge on his phone. I’d like to think it was his way of coping with the fact that he was sad that I was leaving and that he would miss me. That was not the case, though, as he had booked a flight to come to Turkey in less than 2 weeks time and he had his first fortnight off work since he started there.
By 11.30am we were only just having breakfast, and we had got some food in for a BBQ tonight so I suggested we didn’t bother going out for Sunday lunch. The Brown Dog wasn’t doing Sunday lunch today anyway, and I wasn’t bothered about trying the regular menu. I probably shouldn’t have said anything as that then was interpreted by Captain Caveman that we would not be doing anything together at all today.
When it got to 3pm Captain Caveman was still horizontal on the sofa playing Bridge and I had lost my patience. I made myself some lunch, Captain Caveman didn’t want anything. I caught up with some content ideas for my travel planner and updated my blog.

At 4.30pm, Captain Caveman surfaced to put his phone on charge and we decided to go for a walk. We ended up in the White Hart, a pub by the river, which is always rammed packed and today was no different.

I had a pint of cider, Captain Caveman a couple of ales, then we walked back along the Thames for the last time. We passed some lovely houses including one of a famous TV presenter, which is fantastic.
Back home, Captain Caveman still wasn’t hungry and I was a bit worried about him as he’d not eaten since breakfast and all he wanted to do was be on his phone. I was miffed because I had hoped we might make the most of our last full day together but I wasn’t a priority today. It was disappointing after such a great day yesterday but this often happens and he doesn’t want any interaction.

Eventually, Captain Caveman decided he would cook the burgers and sausages in the house but we would sit in the garden to eat. We opened a bottle of wine and the weather had been quite nice – typically the summer was back now it was time for me to leave. We didn’t eat until 8pm by which time it was a bit chilly for me to be outside but I persevered without getting my fleece. Despite Captain Caveman saying he wasn’t hungry, he managed to eat his own burger, a hot dog, salad and coucous plus half of my burger as it was a bit underdone for me.

We went indoors and before Captain Caveman got into a mammoth doom scroll on his phone again, I suggested a quick game of Scrabble. He loves Scrabble so he agreed and although I find it slow and tedious, I managed to win! I was so pleased as I have never won Captain Caveman at Scrabble but this only assured me that he wasn’t his usual self.

Gratitude List
1. My last English breakfast for a while
2. Eating outside in the garden
3. Winning at Scrabble

London – 8th August

Captain Caveman had volunteered for site work on Friday 8th August so he was working all day until 4pm, then having a sleep before doing a night shift! I cracked on with work and book stuff too.
At lunch time, I popped to the shop to get a card for a friend, I also noticed they had personalised Toblerones and she loves them. I generally no longer spend money on cards or gifts but I decided to splash out, seeing as though it was her 80th birthday next week and I was invited to her party. She was also getting a copy of my book, ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ to go with it as she does ride a bike and she might find it useful.

Here’s what I bought at the local gift shop, prices in pounds;

Presents
Birthday card 2.99
Toblerone 4.99
Total spent 7.98

I went back home and worked on various ongoing projects and then finished at 4pm. While Captain Caveman went for a sleep, I went out shopping, here’s what I bought and what I spent;

Marks and Spencer’s
Raspberries 2.50
Blueberries 2.50
Olives 2.66
Tomatoes 2.66
Edamame beans 2.67
Parmesan 3.40
4 mini Cheeses 5.30
Total spent £21.70

Sainsbury’s Supermarket
Garlic 0.55
Rocket 0.89
1 Double Decker 0.95
1 Mars bar 1.15
Cream crackers 1.45
2 Fajita mix 2.00
Options drinking chocolate 5.95
Total spent £12.94

What I didn’t realise until I got back was that the mini cheeses were 5 for £4 but I’d only got 4 and paid £5.30! But now there are no cashier’s, no one points these things out and, even if I went back, there was not anything I could do. I usually avoid self scan supermarkets but it was getting harder to do. Some of the items I got to take with me back to Dalyan, so I put those to one side.
We had a chicken and chorizo pasta for dinner before Captain Caveman went to work in East London for the night.

Gratitude List
1. Being in Barnes with lots of nice shops nearby
2. Stocking up on a few treats to take back to Dalyan
3. Finishing at 4pm on a Friday.

London – 7th August

The weather was a tad warmer in London on Thursday 7th August but I was still feeling cold at 16°C. It was hard to believe it was summer! Captain Caveman was on a course in London and I worked from the dining room at his parents’ home.
I decided I would take myself off to Tesco, for lunch and some shopping, which is the far side of Barnes. I wanted to see if my new Club Card app worked, and it did. Here’s what I bought with the prices in pounds;

Tesco Supermarket
500g Penne pasta 0.69
1 pint skimmed milk 0.85
Wholemeal bread 0.99
Chocolate croissant 1.30
6 eggs 1.75
Peppers 2.00
225g chorizo 2.70
Meal Deal 3.60
400g chicken breast 4.45
Total spent £18.33

I had a saunter back with a heavy bag, while eating the chocolate croissant in the park. Back at the house, I did a mixture of work and laundry. I struggled to tie the washing line and Captain Caveman wasn’t there to help, so I improvised.

In the evening I got the train in to London where I met Captain Caveman and Clare at The Hole in the Wall, a pub very close to Waterloo station – I even found it without getting lost.

Next, we decided to try Vaulty Towers, an unusually decorated pub, which served food. It was very busy and we had to wait a bit for a table but then we had drinks and food. Captain Caveman had tacos, Clare had a fish finger sandwich and I had a chicken burger which was very nice but did cost £16.95 and a large glass of wine was £10. It was a fun pub, though, and they even have a tree house you can sit in to escape the bustle of the bar area.

Clare had to get her train back to Southampton so we walked back, paying tribute to an ex Aviva colleague and friend, Rob Marsh, by singing ‘What’s that coming over the hill?’ as we passed Cafe Del Marsh on Lower Marsh. A quick trip to M&S in Waterloo station where I insisted on train tins, £8.50 for 3. Captain Caveman and Clare got a G&T and I had a Pina Colada (and yes I did sing that song too)!
We were home before 9pm and I fell asleep on the sofa (again)!

Gratitude List
1. Being a fully working Clubcard member at Tesco’s
2. Finding my way to The Hole in the Wall pub
3.Meeting up for another great night with Captain Caveman and Clare.

Pontecarlo and London – 6th August

There were lots of shenanigans for Captain Caveman and I on Wednesday 6th August. It didn’t go unnoticed that it was weigh day, the last one I would be in the UK for, but we didn’t have any bathroom scales in Ponte. I did my measurements to find they weren’t too favourable but that was to be expected with the amount of treats and booze I’d consumed. I’d put 2cm on my bust, waist and hips! I had a chance to see the IKEA products in situ, around Captain Caveman’s house, which was nice and I even had a shower using a fresh new towel and standing on a lovely bath mat – it’s the little things, eh!?
Captain Caveman made us bacon sandwiches for breakfast as Fuck İn was closed for a holiday!! We both had work and meetings to do before we set off for a trip back to London.
Captain Caveman and I both had a full diary so there was no let up, Captain Caveman had work calls on his way south and I attended a Zoom meeting about my Travel Planner with Claire Clarke. I could hear Claire speaking but noone could hear me and I only realised afterwards that it was because my phone had Google maps on. My phone had assumed that I was driving (I wasn’t) so wouldn’t let me participate, I also was super travel sick by the time we arrived in Barnes at 2pm.
I was excited to find a test notebook had arrived from Amazon which I’d been trialling a glossy book cover on, in readiness for my new travel planner. After a bit more work and various calls, it was time for a trip in to the city of London to meet a friend.

I had arranged for Captain Caveman and I to meet Clare after work on Bond Street. Clare had booked a table at a Malaysian restaurant called Med Salleh, which none of us had been to before. Amazingly, they had Saigon Red beer on the menu so Captain Caveman and I ordered one at £4.50 each. The food was amazing and I had a chicken, prawn & tofu noodle soup which was massive and good value at £16. The others also enjoyed their food and I would love to go there again.

The building itself was impressive and I had a good look round when I nipped to the toilet. After our meal, it was still early so we decided to have a couple of drinks in bars nearby, one of which was the Bayswater Arms. It was great to see Clare again and we even decided we could meet again tomorrow, after work, for a final farewell of this trip.

Gratitude List
1. Seeing the bath mat was worth the arguments in IKEA
2. An eventful journey to London
3. A fab evening with Captain Caveman and Clare in London.

Barnes, Southampton & Sevenoaks – 19th July

It was raining in Barnes on the morning of Saturday 19th July when I said goodbye to Fred. He’s the toilet roll holder who I often chatted to while on the loo at Captain Caveman’s parents’ home in Barnes. He was a bit tight with the toilet paper but we had reached an understanding. Today we had lovely plans to be at Clare’s Birthday BBQ Bash in Burlesden, Southampton. It would turn out that the weather was the least of our problems. We said bye to Mike in a usual manner, with me not knowing that it was his birthday on Monday and Captain Caveman didn’t mention it. As it was raining, Gill gave Captain Caveman and I a lift to Barnes Station where we had train tickets booked to go to Southampton. Our other friend Claire, was driving from Sevenoaks to pick us up from Southampton station. The BBQ was planned for a 1pm start and we had timed it well to arrive bang on time.
Unfortunately, Waterloo Station had come to a halt and we didn’t realise there was a signalling issue until it was too late. We were already at Clapham Junction walking quickly between different platforms, me with pretty much all of my belongings on my back, as I would be away for a week. It was very frustrating and I felt better knowing we only had 2 bottles of fizz and a chilli gift set as extras to carry – thankfully no Zebra print footstool!
At Clapham Junction we came to the realisation that the train was not coming and we were going to have to make alternative arrangements. Needless to say we ended up going out of our way, including via Reading and Basingstoke, before arriving 4.5 hours late.

Claire’s Mom, Lesley, picked us up but it did mean we didn’t have an awfully long time at the BBQ. Captain Caveman was in a mood with the railway company as he felt that the incident could have been solved in a much better way, so he was on one. I suggested he send them a strongly worded email complaint and he seemed happy to do that. He headed over to meet Jon at the BBQ where some burgers and sausages were going on for us. Clare greeted us with wine/beer and I popped to get my new dress on. I then said hello to a few people I recognised and all I could think about was food. I’d had a packet of mini cheddars for lunch on the way but I was so hungry. The burgers and hotdogs tasted like the best thing ever and then I could relax a bit. Luckily there was no rain so the BBQ party had gone well.
It was so nice to see Clare, her family and friends – even if we did miss several hours of the fun. Luckily, I did manage to have some birthday cake which was lovely. I only fleetingly got to see Kelly and Nicky, Liz was unable to make it but I was so glad we had carried on our ridiculous journey to get there. I was sad to say bye but we hoped to catch up back in London while I was in the UK.
Claire drove Captain Caveman and I back to her home in Sevenoaks where I was staying for the next week, Captain Caveman was just there for the night and going back to London tomorrow. We had a lovely evening catching up over a couple of drinks and I forgot to take photos.

Gratitude List
1. Finally getting to Clare’s Birthday BBQ Bash
2. Seeing friends and eating delicious food
3. Spending the evening with Claire and her family in Sevenoaks.

Photo Credit – Claire’s photos of the girls.

Barnes – 16th & 17th July

I’d been in the UK less than 5 days on Wednesday 16th July, which was weigh day. I popped on the bathroom scales and had already put on weight since I’d been here. I was 0.9kg (2lb) heavier and wasn’t surprised given the amount of food and drink I had consumed. I did my measurements and found that I had already put 2cm on my bust, 1cm on my waist but my hips remained the same. It was cold and cloudy in Barnes today as I got on with some work. I also did some promoting of my book which I hoped I’d get more sales from. My friends Janet and Ian, in Dalyan, had finally got their copy and were having a good laugh at it, they sent me some funny photos.
At 10am I attended the second Substack webinar with Ade and found it very interesting. I had a Lisa Johnson networking session at 1pm which was really different. There are certainly some very unusual people working in the online space and I got to meet a few of them.
My book had arrived in Phong Nha at last, courtesy of Jamie, and she had passed it to Ben at the Phong Nha Farmstay.
At 4pm I finished work early to go to the post office with my friend’s passports. It was just £8.75 to post them recorded delivery to Edinburgh and the man in the post office said they would arrive tomorrow. I thought that seemed quick but surely he must know. I messaged the lady and let her know my return fare to London had been £10.50 and the postage just £8.50 so she just owed me £19. She replied straight away to say she was transferring the money and I nipped in to Barnes Pantry. It was Captain Caveman’s birthday in a couple of days and I wanted to get him a little something, perhaps a bottle of wine. In the shop the wine was quite pricey so instead I bought something to go with our curry night dinner. Here’s what I bought with the prices in pounds;

Barnes Pantry
1 Cadbury’s Twirl 1.19
Geetas Chutney 2.49
Poppadoms 3.19
Total spent £6.87

I decided I would make my way to M&S where they had cheaper wine available and I set off walking. My phone pinged to say I had received money in to my Wise account. I checked and the Passport lady had transferred me more than she should have. I called her straight away to alert her to the mistake and for me to transfer back the extra amount. I was a bit overwhelmed as she had meant to pay me extra for doing it which I had not expected at all. We talked for quite some time and had a good chat, I came off the call feeling quite emotional and this time I couldn’t blame it on the menopause. What a lovely thing to do and she also told me to enjoy time with Captain Caveman for his birthday. I completely forgot about wine buying and walked back eating the chocolate.
Back home, while Captain Caveman finished off some work, I put some washing on and made a new friend, Motthew the Moth. For dinner, I put the Indian starter items in to the oven and we had them with the chutney and a couple of poppadoms.

Captain Caveman had suffered a hectic day so he was quite shattered but in need of fresh air. It wasn’t raining so we decided to have a break and eat the mains later so we had a walk through Barnes Green, and had a drink in the Sun Inn. Captain Caveman had a beer and I had a red wine for a total of £16. We wanted to sit inside the pub as it was cold but there was a singer giving it full pelt. I was fine with it but Captain Caveman needed quiet so we sat outside, with me shivering. I listened as Captain Caveman offloaded the frustrations of his day and I tried to help where I could.
Back home, neither of us were hungry so we didn’t bother with the rest of our Indian meal and both fell asleep in the lounge.

Gratitude List
1. Good free training on things that were new to me
2. Unexpected payment for doing a friend a favour
3. Spending time after work with Captain Caveman.

Both Captain Caveman and I had very busy days on Thursday 17th July which meant we just cracked on with our mornings. I had a Resort Experts team meeting which I dialed in to, followed by a 121 training session on Quote Away where I was using version 2 to make bespoke holiday quotes. We went for a walk at lunchtime and as we were coming back to the house, we saw Captain Caveman’s parents arriving back from their holiday in Europe. They were unloading the car so Captain Caveman went to help his Dad, who had practically finished. It was good to see Mike and Gill as the last time I’d seen them, I’d not been feeling 100%. I think both Gill and I could smell it at the same time; I thought it was the bin that might have needed emptying but Gill knew it was the bananas that were on the turn. Before we really knew what was going on, we were having a bit of a laugh over my slapdash approach to making a banana loaf. Gill got the scales, bowls and ingredients out as well as leafing through the pages of her Delia Smith recipe book. Obviously, I had one more banana than was needed and I wanted to use less sugar, we didn’t have large eggs so I used 2 small ones. We adjusted the flour but we both agreed we didn’t need walnuts in it and I continued with the large tin when the smaller one may just have sufficed. Of course, Gill offered to get the electric mixer out, however, I’ve never used one so I opted for the special mixing fork and did it by hand. Captain Caveman thought it a bit odd when he came to see what the nice smell was. He was a bit surprised that we’d just rustled up a treat to have with a cup of tea that afternoon. It came out a bit too moist but the bottom was not too soggy. Once cooled a little, I sliced some up and Captain Caveman carried up the tea tray for us all to try it in the living room, some of us with a little butter.
It tasted rather nice but it was a little too wet. Captain Caveman and his Ma did have a little bit more and I wasn’t sure if it was just to be polite or not. Even though it hadn’t turned out as Delia would have expected, I’d actually enjoyed doing this impromptu activity with Gill.
That evening Captain Caveman and I ate the Indian meal we should’ve had last night which was very nice. Tomorrow was Captain Caveman’s birthday so we had plans to all celebrate as a family after work.

Gratitude List
1. Being busy with Resort Experts stuff
2. Baking with Captain Caveman’s Ma
3. Afternoon tea with an over moist banana loaf.

London – 15th July

On Tuesday 15th July I had a mission to do for a lady I hadn’t seen for a while. We used to go to the same Turkish class in Dalyan a few years ago and she lives in Scotland. I’d responded to a request for help on Facebook as she needed her passports picking up from London and I was in London, or certainly a lot nearer than she was. I decided to take the morning off work and head in to the city. I got the train to Tottenham Court Road and then walked towards the British Museum to collect the passports at a small office. I’d got all the relevant paperwork and permission so I picked up the passports in a straightforward manner. I was going to visit the British museum afterwards but it was still closed.

By 10.45am I had wandered down the very empty street to a Burger King where I got myself a cup of tea and a sausage sandwich for just under a fiver. I let my friend know I had her passports and they were safe, I would post them up to Scotland from Barnes tomorrow. I was going to go straight back to Barnes but the weather started to take a bit of a turn, it started to rain and was extremely windy. Luckily, I wanted to buy a strapless bra and some hand luggage/wheelie case so I headed back towards the tube station to Uniqlo and Primark.
Captain Caveman had booked me my flight back to Dalaman and we had chosen to return on the 11th of next month. As the rain came down and it got chilly I wondered if a month in England was wise. I would be on the same flight as Drew and I just had hand luggage so I wanted to get something more useful than what I had now. I browsed for ages but only managed to buy a dress for £20 in Uniqlo and try on far too many bras which didn’t fit! I didn’t manage to find any bras but I did buy some treats instead, here’s the info with prices in pounds;

Primark
1 pack of travel bottles 1.00
Zebra Print Flipflops 1.50
A black backpack 10.00
Total spent £12.50

The backpack had been reduced from £24 and had a separate laptop section which I was pleased with. It came in handy to put all my stuff in as I braved the weather on Oxford Street. By 1.20pm the rain had eased off and the panic buying of umbrellas had subsided. I’d messaged a friend who works in London to see if she was free for lunch. She wasn’t, but could meet around 3.30pm so I decided to find something free to do until then.

Captain Caveman had recommended places nearby that I could do some sightseeing at, which was good. It might not have been the best choice given the weather, but I’d picked the Post Building which has a Roof Terrace worthy of checking out. If you’ve not been, it’s worth a look if you’re in the area and the man on the security desk is very nice and helpful. I did have to show photo ID and put my backpack through a scanner which I guess is the norm in London now.
The rain stopped and although it was quite blowy at the top of the Post Building, the views were amazing. It’s only on the 9th floor but it feels higher, there’s nowhere to sit, it’s just a view point and some pretty plants. There is also a toilet which I, of course, took advantage of. After taking some photos and chatting to a lady from Grantham about Doris Stokes, I made my way back down and out to Oxford Street. It had been a nice way to spend half an hour and it’s free so even better. I’d even learned something about mailbag delivery and chutes!

I decided to make my way back to Waterloo, hoping to catch a quick meet up with my friend when she finished work. I managed to resist a full English breakfast, fish and chips or anything else that wasn’t healthy. When I got to Waterloo I was hungry so I grabbed a late lunch of my favourite Super Nutty Wholefood salad from M&S and a chocolate bar for £4.80.
I ate it in the station while keeping an eye out for pesky pigeons then I wandered up to the pub to meet Liz. I bought a pint of Inchs cider for £7.20 and sat at a table next to the toilets.
When Liz arrived it was so good to see her, even if it was just for an hour before she got her train home. We laughed, chatted, almost cried and made the most of our catch up. I completely forgot to get a photo too, which I regretted as soon as I got on my train back to Barnes.

I messaged Captain Caveman to say I was on my way back and he was just finishing a taxing day at work. When I got back, Captain Caveman looked tired and we decided to go for a walk to the Coach and Horses and the shops. Captain Caveman bought me a glass of red wine and he had a pint of beer which was around £15 for the two. My red wine was really nice and I asked to get a photo of the bottle for future reference.
We decided to buy stuff for tomorrow’s meal too as we had both got very busy work days coming up. Here’s what we bought at Marks and Spencer, prices in pounds;

M&S
Fusilli pasta 0.75
Garlic baguette 1.30
Pilau rice 2.20
Indian starters 4.25
Lamb Rogan josh 4.15
Chicken tikka 4.40
Raspberries and blackcurrants 5.25
4 cans of Guiness 5.75
1 bottle of red wine 6.00
2 bottles of fizz 13.00
Total spent £47.05

Captain Caveman made sausage and veg pasta for dinner which we had with garlic bread. I was conscious to try not to eat so much bread so I only had 3 pieces and Captain Caveman polished off the rest. By 9.15pm we were on the sofa in the lounge, trying not to fall asleep when the heavy rain came. I remembered that Captain Caveman had opened the upstairs bedroom window and went up to check it was closed in case rain could get in. I hadn’t seen rain for a bit so I stood and watched it, feeling quite chilly and wishing I’d brought some socks!

Gratitude List
1. Being able to help save time, money and stress for a friend by picking up her passports
2. Sightseeing and seeing Liz in London
3. Spending time with Captain Caveman after our busy days.

Barnes – 14th July

Monday 14th July was a normal working day for both Captain Caveman and I, as we plonked ourselves at desks in different parts of his parents’ house. I had lots on my To Do list, including booking in more training, attending an online Hotseat session with Lisa Johnson and then catching up on some content ideas with a couple of other Resort Experts. I was meant to be cracking on with a test book for a travel planner I was doing too, but that would have to wait.
Today was meant to be my pay day, but this month I hadn’t earned that much so I’d rolled it over in to next month’s. Next month’s pay day was looking quite good but as I get paid based on when people travel then it’s not always consistent. I was slowly building up a more regular income and word was starting to get out a bit more about me.
At lunch, we had a sandwich and I decided to peel some veg to make a sausage casserole for dinner. I found a very oddly shaped carrot which caused a bit of a giggle before going back to work.
At 5pm I started to look into a company called Intele Travel as someone I follow on social media had started working for them and was encouraging people I knew to join. I’d recently started using my ChatGPT assistant to fact check stuff and asked my ‘JoBot’ about it. It told me to stay clear and gave me a run down of how it was similar to an MLM (Multi Level Marketing) scheme.
I thanked my JoBot and got a really lovely answer. It said that my authentic independent approach suited me much better and mentioned my genuine passion for travel.
Captain Caveman and I had a walk through the park to get some fresh air and call at the shop for ‘essentials’. Here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Marks & Spencers
6 eggs 1.45
Butter 2.00
1 bottle of red wine 6.00
Total spent £9.45

The sausage casserole went down well with roast potatoes and the smooth bottle of red from M&S but, once again, I fell asleep on the sofa before I’d finished my wine.

Gratitude List
1. Having a nice house and space to be able to work from home in
2. Working better with AI following some of the courses and training I was going on to learn more about effective use of it
3. A lovely meal at home, with wine.

London – 13th July

Captain Caveman had arranged a day out on Sunday 13th July and the main event was a surprise – it would turn out to be one of the most memorable days in a long time. All I knew was that we were going out for lunch and that I should wear something nice. I had brought my favourite black dress but it required a strapless bra and I’d yet to go shopping for one, so that was out. I didn’t know what else I could wear as I’d only brought cycling shorts and t-shirts which, apparently, would not be suitable. I also only had Vietnamese porter sandals, one of which had a tear down the back. Captain Caveman said that wouldn’t matter and no one would notice my feet. Even though I was having a day off, I still started the day with checking my Jo Lo – Resort Experts business page on Facebook. I noticed I had finally got my 300th follower and was really happy about that. These days it’s all about growing an audience and it’s something I was still struggling to do, despite having a lot of contacts in real life and 1700 friends on Facebook, it was one of the hardest things to do to get people to follow and like my travel page. I wasn’t sure why, especially when some of my colleagues were in the thousands on theirs.
Captain Caveman made me beans on sourdough toast with bacon and a cup of tea for breakfast. I probably shouldn’t have bothered eating so much but I was unaware of what the surprise was for today, at this point.
I put on my cycling shorts, porter sandals and the only other dress I had with me, over the top – my £8 red Primark one from my last visit. Captain Caveman was wearing his bespoke shirt made in Saigon, with storks on. I had a feeling we were going somewhere nice.
We walked to Barnes station, got the train, all with me asking questions about the surprise. I only knew we were going for lunch and Captain Caveman had booked us in for 1pm. We arrived at a fairly ordinary looking building in Clapham and Captain Caveman said we were here and we were going upstairs. What I didn’t realise at the time was that we were at Trinity, a Michelin star restaurant which has a second restaurant, above it, called Upstairs (I saw what they did there)!

We walked in, were greeted professionally and shown to a table, which were all high tables and stools. I did my best to get seated without flashing my cycling shorts but couldn’t be certain the polite staff hadn’t clocked them. The place was small and pleasantly decorated with an open plan kitchen area. We were given water (choice of still or sparkling for free), and of course we opted for ordinary tap water. A set menu and wine list were popped on the table as the lady attending to us explained that we would be enjoying a 3 course set Sunday lunch which would be served to everyone in the Upstairs restaurant at the same time. I was impressed already and started to peruse the wine menu. When I saw the prices, I passed the menu to Captain Caveman and thought we may be sticking with just water. Of course, I was still used to tight budgeting and living in Dalyan which is super cheap compared to London. Captain Caveman ordered a bottle of the Falanghina Di Majo Norante, an Italian white wine, at £46 per bottle. The place started to fill up and I was obviously the cheapest dressed person in the room, including the staff!

When our first course of chilled Ajo Bianco came, I had no clue what it was so I tried it tentatively at first. It was basically a cold almond soup which, if I’m honest, sounds unpleasant but it was absolutely fantastic. It was served with toasted chunky bread and went well with the wine. I even asked for the recipe, as did fellow diners near to me. They gave me a card with the recipe on which I thought was great.
Our next course was the best Sunday dinner I’ve had in a very long time. Veal with carrots and potatoes which was amazingly tasty, I even had seconds and gravy. We’d polished off the wine, before finishing our second helping so Captain Caveman insisted we have a glass each of the Chateau La Marche Canon red wine. I was so full but I continued to eat every mouthful, completely forgetting we had dessert to follow.
Captain Caveman is not a sweet person but he had eaten his fig leaf panna cotta before I could even ask if he liked it, he then ate the other half of mine that I couldn’t manage.
The whole experience had been fantastic and a total surprise. To be able to see all the dishes being prepped too was great and I was so full I could have had a sleep. Captain Caveman paid the bill, here’s what the prices were;

Upstairs
2 Sunday lunches £90
1 bottle of white wine £46
2 glasses of red wine £24
Service/tip £20
Total spent £180

While I wrestled with the notion that we had just spent on one meal what, only 6 months ago, was more than my monthly budget, Captain Caveman went to the upstairs toilet. I hadn’t realised there was an upstairs toilet so I had been going downstairs each time, through the Trinity restaurant to use that toilet. I felt quite emotional that I had been treated to such an experience, it was also quite difficult not to feel guilty at spending so much. However, the day wasn’t over and we had more to come as Captain Caveman navigated us to our next event.

By 3.30pm, Captain Caveman and I were walking from Upstairs and Trinity, in Clapham, to our next venue. I was quite sluggish, having eaten one of the best Sunday lunches for a while. We passed Joe Public which sold pizza and the smell made me queasy. Captain Caveman has a habit of being close by one minute and then zooming off so when I pointed out the Dubai Bun chocolate stall, it was to another man who stopped and bought one, on my suggestion, when I’d thought it was my other half. We passed a museum and I took photos of buildings I liked but there was no sauntering involved.

We arrived around 5pm to the Physic Garden in Chelsea where we were booked to listen to live music outside. The weather was very pleasant as Captain Caveman got out his picnic blanket and we sat down on the grass. Everyone else arrived and were getting out their picnics, we just sipped water and tried not to fall asleep before it started.
The concert in Physic Garden started at 6.30pm and was absolutely amazing. Hanzhi Zhang on the piano was phenomenal and didn’t really get any recognition as she was just accompanying, but she was top notch. There was a German born opera singer who was very talented and I forget his name. My favourite performer was the Japanese violinist Ryo Koyama who I had already read about and he even did an improvised session with the opera singer. There was a Vietnamese guy who was outstanding at playing the zither while singing and it was great to watch and listen to. The main act of the show was Sarah Small on her Viola da Gamba which she had been cycling around with on tour. She was extremely good too, although how she held her bow really bothered me, and we both enjoyed all of the performers. I was surprised that Captain Caveman was into it as string concerts are more my thing. The cost of the ticket was just £20 each which was a bargain. The concert finished around 9.15pm and we left to go back to Barnes, passing a house where a blue plaque showed that Bob Marley had lived there 48 years ago. Today had been a really special day that I would remember for a very long time – I felt extremely lucky and happy to be in London with Captain Caveman.

Gratitude List
1. Reaching the 300 follower mark on my business page
2. Being surprised with a fabulous meal at Upstairs of Trinity restaurant
3. Enjoying live music in the beautiful Physic Garden.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Barnes -12th July

Saturday 12th July was such a wonderful day which started with me waking up cold at 7am – I was still on Turkish time. I got weighed on the bathroom scales, more as a benchmark to see what I weighed on those scales and to track while I was in the UK. The scales said I was 1.3kg (2.9lb) lighter than I had been on Carol’s scales last Wednesday.
That meant I was only 1.1kg (2.4lb) over target and I knew that I was going to be enjoying quite a few treats that weren’t Slimming World friendly while I was in England. Captain Caveman made me bacon sandwiches for breakfast and I had a cup of tea. Shockingly, it wasn’t Yorkshire tea but I still drank it. We had a trip out to the Farmer’s Market and the supermarket where I got my first glimpse of a couple of things; 1) how expensive things were going to be compared to Dalyan and 2) how much more choice there would be available to me. Here’s what we bought with the prices in pounds;

Farmers Market
1 Black pudding
1 Sausage roll
1 Scotch Egg
1 Pork Belly
Total spent £15

M&S
Milk 0.75
1 bag of salad 1.70
Cream cheese 2.50
Sourdough 2.65
Shropshire blue cheese 2.75
2 Avocados 3.70
Red Leicester cheese 3.80
250g Raspberries 3.90
Total spent £21.75

Today was an important date in the Barnes calendar as it was the day of the Barnes Fair. We’d planned my trip especially so that I could experience it for the first time. Luckily, I had arrived in the heatwave of England as all of my UK friends had been warning me about. I’d only brought summer clothes, sandals and flipflops with high expectations of enjoying the English summer while escaping the heat in Dalyan.
By 1pm we had started to browse the stalls of the fantastic Barnes Fair and I had spotted a Zebra stool that I thought would make a great present for a friend, who’s birthday BBQ we were going to next weekend. We ummed and ahhed about the logistics of taking it on a train and whether it would even fit with their design of the new house and decided to leave it for now.
We wandered round the various stalls which were really good but I was conscious not to buy anything I didn’t need. We did stumble upon a gift that was easier to carry and bought artisan chilli jam products from a lovely lady at Chilli Porter. While Captain Caveman took the stuff back to the house, I perused the list of stalls and took a photo of the map in case I got lost. I spoke to one of the organisers and volunteered Captain Caveman for the hold a plank competition. Upon his return, Captain Caveman was not up for the competition and we went off to the Sun Inn pub for a lunchtime beverage. Here 2 pints were £15 and everything was being served in plastic cups because of the event. We shared a table with a few interesting people and the atmosphere was very nice.
Back home, I posted some photos on the family WhatsApp group as I was so impressed with the fair. It was very warm for London and we had a bite to eat, some water and some raspberries at home. I then fell asleep on the sofa (perhaps from too much excitement)!

At 5pm, Captain Caveman woke me up and we went back to Barnes Fair for another look around. We wanted to find certain stalls on our list and end at the Brown Dog. We didn’t find the Brown Dog stall so settled for the Wimbledon Brewery one. I chose a glass of pink fizz for £8.50 but they didn’t have any left. There was champagne for £11 but I was reluctant to pay that much to drink it from a plastic flute, so I didn’t bother. Captain Caveman ordered a pint of SW19 for £7.50 and had to pay an extra £2 for the plastic cup deposit. I was a bit shocked by this and even more surprised when they couldn’t give the refund at the end as they had no process in place. It was getting a bit busy, lots of families with prams and dogs and it was actually a bit sweaty.

We decided to stroll round to the Coach and Horses for a pint, still £14 for 2, but served with a better service, a friendlier attitude and an apology for their plastic cups. Next, we wandered round to the Brown Dog where it was only £12 for 2 pints, in glasses, and I had a rhubarb beer which was great.
Back home, Captain Caveman made pasta for dinner, which should have been last night’s meal. It was good but I was so tired that as soon as I got on the sofa, I fell asleep.

Gratitude List
1. Barnes Fair
2. Sunny England
3. Having fun with Captain Caveman.

Dalyan to Barnes – 11th July

On Friday 11th July I was off back to England for at least a couple of weeks to celebrate Captain Caveman’s birthday with him and see his new home. I’d not booked my flight back but I knew the absolute latest would be 12th August as I had an event to attend in Dalyan. I was only taking hand luggage but I’d not finished packing yet as I was still doing some last minute bits and bobs for work.
My pick up wasn’t until 2.30pm with Sonuç at Dalyan Airport Transfers so I had time to faff about. I made wraps with what was left of the chicken tikka to take on the plane but started to wonder if they might be a bit too spicy for travelling, as I have a delicate stomach at the best of times.
After a call with a friend in the UK, who I was arranging to meet while there, I finished my packing and then decided to order an airport sandwich from Ela’s Kitchen. I chose a bacon and brown sauce sandwich which cost 350 lira (£6.50) and was delivered by Sev. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it as far as the airport as I snaffled it down before I left and it was very tasty.
The transfer to Dalaman airport was pleasant and the journey cost £30, which is the going rate for transfer or taxi. I didn’t spend any money in Dalaman airport as I refuse to support the extortionate pricing they have. I did get my frozen bottle of water through security though and I swerved the Duty Free, realising it would be cheaper to buy once in the UK.
My flight was on time at 5.30pm and I got to switch my window seat for a middle seat with a lady who was already sat in the middle. The flight was actually full and there were no spare seats in our row.
I tried to watch a film called Havoc but I accidentally deleted it after about 20 minutes.
We landed at Gatwick at 7.50pm and I made my way to the train station where I got the train to Barnes, changing at Clapham Junction. My frozen water was still half frozen and I was quite thirsty now.
Captain Caveman met me at Barnes station, he took my bag and we walked to his parents’ house. They were on holiday so, once in the house Captain Caveman opened a bottle of red wine that he had got for us to have with dinner. I downed 3 glasses of water and we laughed that my frozen water had made it almost door to door, still frozen. I was hungry but Captain Caveman wasn’t so we just had cheese on toast for dinner. Tomorrow we had an exciting day planned.

Gratitude List
1. To be going to see Captain Caveman after only 19 days apart
2. A smooth trip from Dalyan to Barnes in just under 7 hours
3. Cheese on toast & wine for dinner with Captain Caveman.

Barnes & Gatwick – 1st & 2nd June

The medication was starting to do its thing by Sunday 1st June and I was glad as it was my last full day and night in the UK. I was off back to Turkey tomorrow so the plan had been to have a lovely day together, while Captain Caveman had a day off. We’d talked about going to Kew Gardens, as I’d never been, but I wasn’t well enough for an outing. Instead, I checked my stats for my blog to find that I was up 42% on views from the previous month. My top readers were located in the UK, Turkey and USA and I even had some new reader in Botswana. I was hoping for a good month and I even saved a post from my colleague, Helen the Resort Expert in Italy, which was promoting Joyful June – we could all do with a bit of that. Captain Caveman and I were very grateful to his parents for letting us stay, even more so when they potentially unwittingly allowed us to do a load of laundry. At lunch time, Captain Caveman and I decided to have a little walk to the shops in Barnes to eat our lunch in the park, near Barnes Pond. Here’s what we bought, prices in pounds;

Sainsbury’s Supermarket
2 tins of Baked Beans 0.80
1 Double Decker chocolate bar 0.85
Fairy Liquid 1.25
6 packs of Mini cheddars 1.50
Parmesan cheese (for Carol) 3.95
Weetabix (for Vanessa) 4.00
Total spent £12.35

There wasn’t much going on for lunch options in Sainsbury’s, not for the first time, so we went to Marks & Spencer – my favourite! Here’s what we bought, prices in pounds;

1 pack mini sausage rolls 2.10
1 pack raspberries 2.65
1 salad box with edamame and nuts 2.90
1 Feta & sun dried tomato pasta 4.25
Total spent £11.90

My salad was delicious – I wish I’d bought two, and the raspberries were so lovely. We ate them sat on a bench while watching a young family who were attempting to let their young boy climb a tree, rather badly.
Of course, after they had moved and we had eaten, Captain Caveman had to shimmy up the tree to show how easy it was. We also discussed the idea of me flying back to the UK on the 17th of next month to help Captain Caveman celebrate his birthday. The flight was only £53 and we contemplated booking it but decided to wait.
The rest of the afternoon was spent sorting laundry and me packing, then we had a walk to the Brown Dog pub. Captain Caveman had a pint of a new beer that was on while I had a tap water. I was only functioning at 50% and needed to be ok to travel by tomorrow. I still had 2 more days worth of antibiotics but I think they were starting to have a positive effect. That evening, Captain Caveman’s parents had prepared us another tasty home cooked chicken dinner and then we watched a TV programme of Guy Martin in Vietnam. It was a relatively early night for me and I was rather upset that my last few days and not been as good due to being sick.

Gratitude List
1. Progress on the Blog views, it was still being read!
2. Being in Barnes, which is idyllic, to eat our lunch (and climb trees).
3. Captain Caveman’s parents being so easy going.

My flight from Gatwick was not until 8.50pm on Monday 2nd June so we were both working from home in Barnes. I checked in online for my flight and was given an aisle seat near the front. There was still some laundry drying so I did a bit more packing and, at lunchtime, Captain Caveman and I had a walk to the shops. I bought something for lunch and also something for later, here’s what I bought with the prices in pounds;

Tesco Supermarket
1 Sausage Roll 0.73
5 Bananas 1.35
1 Naked Smoothie 1.61
1 Hoisin Duck Wrap 1.66
1 pack Jacob’s Cream Crackers 1.80
1 pack Raspberries 2.10
2 packs Edamame beans 3.50
Total spent £12.75

I ate some of it for lunch and saved the rest for the flight. In the afternoon I got notification that I had been paid from my book royalties and it was my first proper month so I was quite pleased. It wasn’t an amount I could retire on just yet but it was enough to top up my income for the month. I was pleased to see that I had sold more than 1 copy per day on average and I had already started to get some great (5 Star) reviews.
At 5pm, Captain Caveman and I had finished work and were ready to set off to Barnes train station. Captain Caveman came with me as far as Clapham Junction so that he could help with my case. Interestingly, there were announcements saying the lifts weren’t working and I thought I’d struggle with my case, but they were all working fine. Captain Caveman waited with me for my train connection to Gatwick and we said our goodbyes. I was a bit sad because we had enjoyed spending time together so much and had not had one argument, which is an achievement in itself with Captain Caveman and I. The fare from Barnes to Gatwick was £15.60 and took less than an hour at rush hour.
Once at the airport, I had to get in to the queue for the bag drop, and it was a good job I went early as it was rather long. By 6pm I was getting some English money from the cash machine to use for boat trips in Dalyan. I strolled through Duty Free and was unsure what to get, so messaged Captain Caveman to see what he thought was the best value. By 7.10pm I had bought one of my own favourite tipples a Ron Zacapa Rum for £48.19. I saw that there was a Wagamamas, which I love, and decided I just had enough time to eat something there. I ordered a vegan rice dish of pulled shiitake donburi for £13.50 and it was amazing! I boarded the flight and had plenty of Netflix Downloads to keep me busy. I was glad of the aisle seat as I was constantly up and down for the toilet. Although feeling much better, the water infection was still there.
My flight with the 20kg hold luggage had cost just £49.99 which I thought was very reasonable, and I was due to land in Dalaman at 2.55am tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Passive income from ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’
2. Edamame beans – I love them
3. Captain Caveman’s help to Clapham Junction.