Mallorca – 16th June

There were so many things that we could have done on Tuesday 16th June but I was aware that with only one day and another night, the best thing to do was live like a local in Santa Ponsa. My host, the Mallorca Resort Expert, had asked if I’d wanted to do a boat trip, go to the pirate show or see any of the sights while I was there – I preferred to spend time with her. I did have some work to do but we kept it to a minimum as well as working on content ideas for our social media work pages.
My friend had took the liberty of guessing what I might like for breakfast and had served it up on the balcony, overlooking the beach and sea. Our meal was a feast of yoghurt with fruit, cheese and ham on bread with garlic dip, olives, tomatoes, more bread and a hot drink. It was so good and we ate while people watching the goings on at the beach below.
We decided that’s where we would spend some time today, on the beach! We donned our swimmers, put on the suncream, grabbed our beach towels (my new one was super light) and a parasol before tackling those steps down to the beach. The sand was soft and hot but there was a lovely breeze as we sat down with a small bag of picnic type items. We had to keep an eye on the cheeky gulls who were well practiced in stealing any treats they fancied from people’s bags while they were in the sea. It was my first time this year, just lazing on the beach. Despite being so near to it in Dalyan, I rarely have a day off for beach going and thought perhaps I should do more of it.

Around 4pm we decided to head back ‘home’, after a walk along the seafront path and calling at the shop. I noticed my face was pretty pink and decided it might be a good idea to treat us to a face mask to prevent my skin looking like a typical Brit abroad, later! Here’s what we bought, with prices in Euros;

Santa Ponsa Supermarket
1.5l bottled water 0.31
Apple juice 1.00
500ml Fanta Lemon 2.00
1 can Mixed fruit cider 2.35
2 Aloe Vera face masks 3.00
Total spent €8.66 (£7.36)

I did a bit of work then we popped on the face masks and had a 10 minute lay down which turned into a cheeky cat nap but my face felt and looked loads better after it.
Back on that fantastic sea view balcony, we ate a really lovely meal of mozzarella, tomato, avocado and basil served with fresh bread, olives, rice crackers and a peach. I chatted on about how Fanta lemon in Spain is different to that in the UK. We also managed to have a croissant which we hadn’t eaten earlier. I was stuffed and feeling relaxed and happy, but not looking forward to leaving at 4am tomorrow morning. The visit had gone too quickly but I was still glad to have had some time in Santa Ponsa, which was so beautiful.

The evening plan was to simply watch the sunset at Il Chiringo, in Costa De La Calma. It was a place the Mallorca Resort Expert had been to many times before and she wanted me to see it for myself. After dinner we walked to the venue, bumping into a man with his dog on the way, who invited us to go to his house. We didn’t go but it struck me that the locals were friendly, and his dog was cute.
When we arrived we had timed it perfectly and were sat amongst the other locals who were all coming in from a swim to have a sunset drink or bite to eat. It was beautiful and I felt so lucky to get to see it, I perhaps wouldn’t have found out about this hidden gem if I wasn’t staying with my friend.
I wasn’t sure what to order to drink so I tried my first shandy made with lemon Fanta (commonly called Clara) for €4 (£3.40) and my fellow sunset watcher had an alcohol free beer which was slightly more at €4.50 (£3.83). I thought this was very reasonable given the location – the Fanta shandy was an absolute game changer.
We walked back, taking those steps for the last time where a cat watched us. He was nicknamed The Manager as he was in charge of the place. I packed my stuff in to Pauline, my petite pink under seat case, I had a full neck pillow too but this time I was flying with easyJet so there was no need for booking the exit row seat. We both set alarms on both phones so that we could make sure I didn’t miss my flight.

Gratitude List
1. Spending time, both for work and personally, with the Mallorca Resort Expert
2. An afternoon at the beach
3. Sunset at Il Chiringo

Costa Del Sol to Mallorca – 15th June

I had no idea when I woke up on Monday 15th June that today would be such a great day. We saw our last sunrise and sea view before I needed to pack up Pauline, my petite pink under seat case, for destination number 4 in 3 weeks. Due to me winning a luxury cruise Fam trip, I had needed to rearrange my Spanish section of my trip and I was now going to Mallorca to visit my friend, the Mallorcan Resort Expert, for only 1.5 days!!! I’d managed to get bargain priced flights from Malaga and then to Budapest and my friend was very kindly putting me up in her apartment.
It was the last buffet breakfast at the Ramada by Wyndham and I certainly made the most of it. I’d really enjoyed this hotel although, on checking the rooms the others had, I did think their rooms could’ve done with a better layout and their bedrooms were on the small side. I’m glad 3 of us were sharing and had a bigger room, despite sleeping on the pull-out sofa bed which was very comfy. I made a note for future customers, I would recommend the better rooms.
Everyone made it to breakfast for our last one and I even made a cheese and ham sandwich, plus took an extra breadroll for the last of the pork – I often take an airport sandwich if I can.
It had been such a lovely weekend and I genuinely was sad it was ending. Our taxi to the airport was booked through the hotel reception while Jamie had booked an Uber with Charlotte and Kerrie as their Bournemouth flight was slightly later than the Gatwick flight.
After saying bye to Carol, who was staying on to meet a friend, we said farewell to Jamie, Charlotte and Kerrie even though we would probably see them at the airport. The Gatwick lot plus me got in the taxi to the airport. Reports of queues at Malaga airport were not what we found and everything was straight forward. We saw the Bournemouth gang who were a tad early and they were heading for a bar/lounge. I said bye to Claire, Dawn and Spawn at the international terminal and popped over to domestic one to find that my flight had been delayed due to a storm. It was disappointing as now my Mallorca trip was even shorter. My flight should have been at 1.55pm but it turned out that we were only just taking off at 3pm. At Malaga airport I learned that the water dispenser was much colder in the domestic terminal than the international. It was also much quieter with lots of seating areas for me to snaffle my sandwiches and have a browse round the souvenir shops.
My flight with Vueling was booked with an under seat bag where the permitted measurements with this airline was 5cm shorter than that of easyJet. I’d checked this before I flew and noted that Vueling is the same as Ryanair. Pauline, my petite pink under seat case, wouldn’t adhere to that despite having detachable wheels and being under on width and depth. I couldn’t acquire a new case so I did a bit of research to work out how I could take Pauline, plus my neck pillow stuffed with clothes and not have to pay up to £70 in charges at the gate. To add on a larger carry on bag it would cost up to £50 if adding in advance. However, I noticed that if I added on a seat selection for an exit row at online check-in, it would be less than half the price and my case would have to go in the overhead locker anyway. I did that, confident that Pauline would not have to be put in the hold and I wouldn’t get a hefty fine for the sake of 5cm. The flight was good, I had a row to myself and all went well with the travel hack to get Pauline through as hand luggage. I was really looking forward to meeting my colleague in Mallorca on what would be very much a flying visit.

I landed at Palma airport at 4.30pm and made my way to the arrivals area where the Mallorca Resort Expert was waiting for me. I was delayed, she stood there patiently and I was able to sneak up on her. It was the first time we had met in person and had so far only met online so I was really looking forward to meeting her. We hugged and it felt good to finally get together even though we had a very tight schedule.
Rather than wait for the airport bus, we jumped into a taxi straight to Palma city centre. My host had organised for us to eat at a tapas restaurant which not many tourists know about and had booked us a table for when it opened at 6.30pm. This meant we had a bit of time for her to show me around some of her favourite shops in Palma. I was also glad that I had only taken Pauline, my petite pink under seat case, as we needed to walk through the busy streets of the capital and it was sunny. We stopped to listen to a street musician who was playing a Stevie Wonder song, we visited two of Dagne’s favourite shops; Georg’s which sold Salamis, herbs, olive oil, honey, and balsamic vinegar. The shop was so lovely, the owner very attentive and she let us try everything before I got a couple of souvenirs, mostly for myself. Puzzles was a really cute shop where they sell original puzzles that you can try out while at the counter and if you get frustrated and can’t complete them, the owners will lend you a hammer as a solution. It was such good fun and we had a good laugh before heading off to Bodega. For those not in the know, like the Mallorca Resort Expert, you would be forgiven for ending up at a different one. Ours was not the fancier, pricier La Bodega – more the traditional tapas place where locals queue as soon as it’s opened to get a seat.

Bodega was small but cosy and Pauline sat neatly under the counter/bar which we sat at on high stools. My fellow diner had a zero alcohol beer and I had a glass of red wine while we perused the excellent menu. We ordered a selection of tapas; croquettes, tortilla, brie, burrata on bruschetta, and patatas bravas which were all amazing – we both agreed on which were the best dishes. We had another drink each and, even though we were full, we chose 2 more of the pinchos to have with our drinks. The food and wine was so good that I would definitely put it in one of my top places to eat. When the bill came, I was expecting it to be so much more expensive so I was pleased when it came to just €25 (£21.25) each.

Next, we got the bus to Santa Ponsa, where Pauline and I were met with quite a few steps to climb that certainly weren’t in the brochure! Once inside I got a lovely welcome from my host who had bought me some gifts and even put some balloons out with ‘Welcome Jo Lo’ written on them. I felt like a celebrity or something as she had got both copies of my books out, ready for me to sign.
After an admiration of the amazing sea view balcony and a drink of water, it was time for a quick shower and change. My friend had arranged for us to visit a roof top bar and hotel where we enjoyed a glass of champagne while admiring the view. A kind guest took our photos at the H10 Casa Del Mar hotel and did a pretty thorough job. It was lovely for someone I work with to be so thoughtful and I had definitely found a good friend here. The rooftop bar was really cool and we relaxed by the pool with our fizz, laughing and getting to know each other more. Even when we were back home, the hospitality and kindness shone as my host tried to insist I take her bed and she have the couch – I was having none of it as I was not about to take someone’s bed, I was more than happy on the couch.

Gratitude List
1. Having the last morning in Spain with the Costa Del Sol gang
2. Meeting the Mallorca Resort Expert in real life
3. Fantastic local tapas and rooftop bar drinks together.

Photo Credit – some photos by the Mallorca Resort Expert

Sevenoaks – 11th June

Typical of a last day before a holiday, I was busy on Thursday 11th June and had an early start. Claire and I also made sure I booked the airport transfer to our hotel tomorrow which, as a Resort Expert, worked out cheaper for me to book with Suntransfers. I attended an online workshop about copy content with Georgina and then checked in for my flight tomorrow. Although I only planned on taking Pauline, my petite pink under seat bag, I was cheating a bit by sharing toiletries with Claire which would go in her checked in bag. I wasn’t taking my own shampoo, conditioner or shower gel, but I was taking a deodorant stick and toothy tabs. I was also taking Captain Caveman’s ‘Scrubba’ a portable washing contraption in case I wouldn’t have the use of a washing machine over the next 10 days in various destinations.
At midday it was the Resort Experts team meeting where we were told that we would be getting our own new websites built for us, next month and that was exciting.
One of my customers who is also one of my best friends was on her way to the airport so I kept particular attention to see how she got on as we would be on holiday at the same time but in different countries. Unfortunately, her flight was delayed due to a problem with the plane.
I stopped work mid afternoon and joined Claire on a quick trip to Sainsbury’s – I decided I needed to buy more knickers as well as pick up some Euros, ready for my 10 days in Europe. Here’s what I bought with prices in pounds;

Sainsbury’s
3 seam free knickers 9.00
3 pizzas 11.55
1 bottle of red wine 9.50
Razors 1.00
Glacier Fruits 1.50
Crisps 2.20
2 garlic & herb dips 3.70
Nectar card discounts – 10.17
Total spent £32.13

We dashed off for the school pick up of Claire’s daughter and then realised I had forgotten to get some Euros, so we all went back. I managed to get rid of some Scottish £20 notes but it did take a while, being so far south. This was also a good excuse for a cafe visit where Claire treated me to an earl grey tea, her daughter had chicken tenders and chips which looked fab and Claire dialled in to a meeting. I also was in touch with my friend who was still stuck at the airport with plane issues.
Claire and I attended Otford Primary school’s summer concert in the evening while leaving the men to do tasks like walk Reg, put the pizzas in the oven and attempt (and fail) to fit a sofa bed in a van. Claire’s daughter was playing piano so we went along to support – it was actually a lot better than I had anticipated. Having been a young musician myself, it brought back lots of good memories and we all got a chance to sing a Beatles song where I gave it a bit of welly – who doesn’t love singing along to Yellow Submarine?!
We got back home to pizzas and wine and I realised that I’d been so slack on taking photos that I insisted we have a family one where Claire displayed her unusual sense of humour.
The out of office was on but I was still waiting to hear from my friend who was on the flight and was due to arrive in her destination after midnight. She had let me know they were taking off and I asked her to message once she was safely at the hotel so that I didn’t have to worry. I set an early alarm so I could check that they had arrived safely at her hotel.

Gratitude List
1. New knickers
2. Being invited to Otford Primary summer concert
3. A last family dinner with Claire, her family and Captain Caveman.

Sevenoaks & London – 10th June

There was more excitement on Wednesday 10th June as I had arranged to meet up with more friends in London after work. Captain Caveman had gone off to see a job somewhere not too far from Sevenoaks, Claire and I were working from home and Claire had a busy schedule so couldn’t join me in London.
I worked all morning, but not before a quick photoshoot with Reggie, the dog. I had a private session with Holly to get shit done, as no one else in our Neon Nook group had turned up – so I was lucky.
Captain Caveman got back early from his work so we both got the train together.

We met Clare and Liz at the Rose & Crown pub not far from Black Friars and it was pretty muggy by the time we arrived. Staff were friendly, there was free tap water on the bar, which I necked a few of, and I had a large glass of red wine for a whopping £11!!! The beer garden was off limits as it had been soaked by a downpour earlier in the day.
I had a Giffgaff SIM card which struggled to work in London but all was fine as everyone turned up. We had a couple of drinks, a good laugh and some suggestions to meet up again on my next visit. One of the staff even took photos for us and did a cheeky selfie!

Unfortunately, Liz had a prior arrangement and had to leave us but Clare, Captain Caveman and I decided to go on for food. Captain Caveman chose one of our favourite places to eat steak and I was a little hesitant that we should be splashing out as it’s definitely not in my budget. The train had already cost £8.40 each way so when we arrived at Flat Iron I chose the cheapest steak, whereas Clare and Captain Caveman went for a Wagyu Sirloin and Wagyu skirt. We all shared wine and ordered some sides. Flat Iron is just so good, no matter which cut or quality of steak you choose. Here’s what the 3 of us had with prices in pounds;

Flat Iron
1 bottle of Red wine 25.00
1 normal steak 15.10
1 Wagyu Sirloin steak 27.10
1 Wagyu skirt steak 24.10
1 chips 4.50
1 spinach 4.50
1 bone marrow mash 5.00
1 Mac and cheese 5.00
2 peppercorn sauce 3.00
1 wild mushroom sauce 1.50
Service charge 14.38
Total spent £129.68

My share came to just under £30 which was actually very reasonable for what I had and I loved it. This did include the free ice-cream which is so good too. Captain Caveman and I said our farewells to Clare and got the train back to Claire’s in Otford, where everyone was already in bed by the time we got in.

Gratitude List
1. Reggie, the dog
2. Seeing more of my favourite southern friends
3. Steak at Flat Iron was a real treat.

Sheffield & Sevenoaks – 8th & 9th June

On Monday 8th June, while having my tea and toast I tried to work out how much I had spent in the first week of this month. Just in the UK from my bank account I had spent £70, Captain Caveman had paid for stuff whenever I was with him, which I didn’t have receipts for, plus I had spent £100 in cash. I was supposed to be on a budget of £25 per day, just for me. I’d hope this week wouldn’t have been as expensive but it had been. I needed to keep a bit of a lid on it this next week because I was off to Spain with the girls in 4 day’s time and that would probably exceed the weekly budget.
Today, I got paid and unfortunately it wasn’t as much as I had planned for because how we got paid had changed. I was a little disappointed about the situation, despite a bit of notice, because I was lined up to be having my best pay day this year in July, which was Captain Caveman’s birthday month and we had loads planned that I had earmarked my cash for. It seemed that as soon as I had got straight and was starting to have saved enough for an emergency fund, there would be something crop up again to knock me back. After the summer holidays I promised I needed to rectify the situation. I had lots of ideas and some projects already started that I needed to get on with but there just didn’t seem to be enough hours in a day.
After work, Captain Caveman and I were off to stay with our friends near Sevenoaks and I was super excited to be seeing Claire and her family again, before our long weekend on the Costa Del Sol.
Pauline, my petite pink under seat case, was all set for her 2nd destination of her 3 week trip but this time she had been repacked with all my new clothes from Uniqlo – I just hoped it would be a bit warmer down south!
We arrived fairly late to a warm welcome from our hosts and my first drink was of course a nice pint of tap water – also a good one in the village of Otford!
Claire, Mark, Captain Caveman and I had a couple of welcome drinks and caught up on who was doing what and when during our stay. It was so good to see everyone again and I was looking forward to the next few days.

Gratitude List
1. Managing to personally spend within the allocated budget
2. Getting a full day’s work done
3. Seeing Claire and her family again.

It was a quiet day with minimum photos on Tuesday 9th June as I was busy getting stuff done before my next destination at the weekend. Everyone was out of the house when I got up at Claire’s so I had a cup of tea and some dog snogs from Reggie! He’s very affectionate and still a youngster so he needed belly rubs and attention. He also needed to make sure I knew where the snacks were kept – I did!
Everyone was working today and it was cold and rainy outside. We all came together for a family dinner, prepared by our hosts, in the evening. The weather wasn’t good enough for a BBQ outside so there was improvisation and we had it indoors. It was so lovely to be around the big table with everyone and such great food. We started before Captain Caveman because he had a late one but he soon caught up with us all.

Gratitude List

1. Reg, the dog
2. Getting through a good chunk of the to do list
3. Spending time with Claire and her family.

Sheffield – 7th June

Sunday 7th June was another day off for Captain Caveman and we were meant to be heading south before my trip to Spain. We decided to have a day to ourselves and get more exercise. My legs were still aching from yesterday but by 10am I was in the warmest clothes I had clean (cycling shorts, a hoodie and a t-shirt) and on a walk with Captain Caveman. I’d had Yorkshire tea and toast for breakfast and Captain Caveman wanted to take me to a nice little cafe he had found while doing the 5 Weirs Walk. It was a pleasant walk until I realised it was quite lengthy and we passed nowhere with any facilities. Obviously, I was super desperate for a pee and had to nip in to a grave yard, which I don’t like doing – it’s just not respectful.

When we finally got to the cafe, it was closed for a private function even though Captain Caveman had checked on their Facebook page that it was open. Rag N Bone was meant to be open until 4pm on a Sunday and I could see how Captain Caveman was disappointed that we couldn’t go in. We decided to walk to Meadowhall, which was extremely busy, and we got something to eat from Marks and Spencer. Captain Caveman got little sausages and samosas, I got my favourite super nutty salad. We shared his while stood at the tram stop.

We got the tram back home for a rest and to eat my salad. We were meant to be travelling south today but decided to delay to tomorrow. I did a little bit of work because a new Mekong River Cruise went on sale with Riviera and it was ideal for 2027 and 2028 bookings. I also had a good look at some of the new Wendy Wu tours in South East Asia, ideal for first time travellers to that part of the world, or solo travellers who wanted to be part of a small group.

We had a quick walk to the Gardeners Rest pub for a pre dinner drink then went home for Captain Caveman to prepare us a feast! We started with a cheese selection and crackers then a steak with vegetables. It had been a really lovely day spent with Captain Caveman and we were both looking forward to our trip tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. The 5 Weirs Walk with Captain Caveman
2. Good food
3. Spending our first day together in 5 days, just us!

Sheffield – 6th June

It was another busy day for Captain Caveman and I on Saturday 6th June. Although I had changed my flight to come over a week earlier to see Captain Caveman, it appeared that I had managed to treat his days off as an opportunity to drag him along to catch ups with my friends – I don’t think he minded as we got to have lots of laughter along the way! I was already loving being back in Sheffield and I was so chuffed that Captain Caveman had moved in to Kelham Island, where I almost bought a flat about 20 years ago.
Today’s starting event was to the hovercraft racing at Rother Valley where we had arranged to meet Natalie, Paul and their 2 kids as well as tentative arrangements with other friends who might come depending on the weather. It was pretty cold and rainy so a few of those friends decided not to bother. Despite having no coat, I did have a pair of pumps at Captain Caveman’s, he lent me a coat and off we went. A tram from Kelham Island to Halfway and then a bit of a walk through the houses to Rother Valley Country park. We actually thought we would arrive later but were early and it had stopped raining by the time Natalie and her family arrived. It was good to see everyone and even though we were warned the kids wouldn’t speak much, we had a lovely walk round both lakes with lots of chatter on pretty much any subject. We had a stop for a break and Captain Caveman had a toasted teacake – I was tempted but decided not to. It was just nice to have a walk and talk with some of my oldest friends. We managed to get back and say farewells without any more rain and we were quite warm from the walk by the time we managed to get to a bus stop.

Luckily for my tired feet, Amanda & Chris picked us up and we were off to our next meet up with friends. It just happened to be convenient to be in a pub as we all needed to eat lunch/dinner. It was at this point that Vanessa, who had cancelled because of the rain, had text to say she was there at the Hovercraft race, so we had missed each other.
Captain Caveman and I both had a pie and chips at the British Oak, which was excellent and I had lashings of Hendos on mine. Another lovely afternoon with 2 more of my favourite people and then it was time for Amanda to dash to a Barry White tribute night (as you do).
We were so busy chatting and stuffing our faces that I forgot to take photos – this was becoming a habit, this visit! On the bus I messaged Amanda and asked for a selfie of her and Chris and then took one of us at the train station. The intention was to merge them to make it a photo of the 4 of us but I never got round to it.

We walked from town to Kelham Island and that’s when it started to rain again. We had to take shelter in another pub where I was tempted in to a Cherry Chouffe beer but not the pickled eggs or pork pie.
We checked out the music events for the rest of this month and next at the Gardener’s Rest too, especially as I would be back in Sheffield for the Tramlines festival.

Back home, while Captain Caveman knocked up a pasta carbonara, I did a bit of work when I noticed a 7 day Danube River cruise, similar to the one I was going to be on in less than 2 weeks, but with a different company.
Dinner was lovely and we drank wine out of mugs as we still hadn’t bought any glasses. Tomorrow, Captain Caveman had suggested a more relaxed day for the 2 of us but I wasn’t convinced his version of ‘relaxed’, matched mine.

Gratitude List
1. A walk at Rother Valley Country Park with friends
2. Pub pies while chatting with more friends
3. Spending time with Captain Caveman.

Sheffield – 5th June

I didn’t get much work done on Friday 5th June because I was too busy getting on with other stuff before meeting up with more friends later on. My first mission of the day was to get the bus to the top of Ecclesall Road to Wax Inc. I used to go to the one in town but it had closed so I had to trek all the way across town. The bus took about 35 minutes from only a 5 minute walk away from Captain Caveman’s flat.
My waxing cost me another £30 plus the £8.50 deposit I had to pay when I booked and Ruby was very good. I arrived earlier than planned and she still fitted me in.
Next, I got a key cut for £7 at a shop further up the hill and called in to Sainsbury’s to get bread and some cream crackers for £2.85.
I decided to get the bus in to town because I needed to call in to Marks and Spencer to buy a bra. They had a sale on so this is what I bought there, prices in pounds:

M&S
1 orange bikini top £11.50
1 red bra £5.00
1 box of peppermint tea £2.70
Edamame beans £2.00
Total spent £18.80

I got the tram back to Kelham Island and didn’t realise until it was too late that today’s buses and trams had cost me £11.60 when a day saver would have been cheaper. It also wasted quite a bit of time being sat on public transport so I had no time to do any work other than to check my emails. Captain Caveman cooked us a breakfast for our lunch because time was cracking on and neither of us had eaten yet.
In the evening, Captain Caveman was off to Peak Cavern to see The Orb in concert, that wasn’t for me so I arranged to meet friends instead. Louisa was having trouble finding a bus to get to Kelham Island that didn’t take an hour so she ended up getting a taxi and we met in Salt. We had a couple of drinks in there before heading to 5 Tara for food where Kerrie was able to come and join us. The food was amazing and I had the butter chicken with rice and we shared a couple of different breads. The tap water came in a tin jug which was fantastic and cold – the people of Sheffield don’t know how lucky they are with their tap water!
After a delicious meal and lots to catch up on, we had a drink in The Ship. It had been done up since I was last there and seemed a decent place to drink in now. Kerrie had to get back for an early start tomorrow and Louisa was working really early tomorrow too so I said bye to them both and headed back to Salt where I met Luan and Paul for a couple more drinks. We made more plans for the summer to catch up with the rest of the gang. It was great to see so many friends while I was in Sheffield and there was still more to fit in this weekend. Captain Caveman got back from his gig around midnight and I was already asleep.

Gratitude List
1. Waxing
2. New bra and bikini top
3. Seeing Louisa, Kerrie, Luan and Paul.

Sheffield – 4th June

It was cold and raining in Sheffield on Thursday 4th June, looking like the heatwave had finished. I wandered round to Baker’s Yard to buy something for breakfast while Captain Caveman got ready for his morning meeting. I was starting to find that the more modern places in Sheffield didn’t readily accept cash and I’d brought almost £300 in 20 pound notes, back with me. At the cafe I ordered a croissant and a pain au chocolat and the guy serving let me pay with cash but didn’t have a till as such, more of a tub to keep some change in. I paid almost £8 in total which was probably double the price I would pay in Dalyan. When I got them home, they were very good and I had mine with a Yorkshire tea, obviously. Work was not so busy today but we did have the Resort Experts team meeting at 11am. For lunch Captain Caveman warmed up a baguette and sliced up a selection of cheeses which was lovely.
I managed to get an appointment for Friday for a bit of waxing, knowing I’d be putting my swimmers on in less than 10 days – on a girls holiday.
I was loving being able to drink the tap water and was getting down it like it was going out of fashion. After work, Captain Captain Caveman made another lovely meal of chicken and vegetables. We rushed a little because I had arranged to meet friends tonight. Louisa and Linda were meeting us in the Gardeners Rest, a local pub to Captain Caveman now and one of his favourites. I decided to try the non-alcoholic ginger beer which was nice, Captain Caveman had a pint of beer. It was good to see our friends and Louisa had bought me a travel adaptor plug for using in most countries. We had a brief catch up before walking to the nearby Cutlery Works to meet more friends. I’d chosen this place, even though I’d not been in for some years, based on the reviews saying it was good for kids and one of the moms was bringing the boys. Joining us there were Lucy, Caz, Nel and Liv, but Rach was under the weather and wasn’t up to it. It had been a while since our last catch up so it was great to see everyone again.
I wasn’t a fan of the Cutlery Works as the staff member had a face like a smacked arse and the place stunk of fried food. Lucy’s kids didn’t want to come in the end either, so I could have chosen better. It didn’t matter though as it was a school night so we only had until 9pm before the taxi and I forgot to take any photos. Louisa and Linda did order food and said it was tasty, I just had a couple of white wines. We all mentioned catching up again properly in August, which would be lovely and might have more time. We said our farewells and then Adam and I called in to the Alder, the nearest bar to Captain Caveman’s home, on the way back.

Gratitude List

1. Croissants for breakfast

2. Good food made by Captain Caveman

3. Meeting up with several friends at once.

Sheffield – 3rd June

I was very tired on Wednesday 3rd June which didn’t help with the mix up I had made in my diary. Of course, it was a normal working day for me, however, I had given the impression to friends & family that I was meeting them during the day. I think this was also made worse because I had set up an event on Facebook to say catch up this week that started this afternoon. I ended up apologising because I had to work but I did manage to open my parcel from Uniqlo. This was the order of clothes which Captain Caveman had bought for me, ready for my holidays. I decided to have a fashion show while I had my morning cup of Yorkshire tea and asked Captain Caveman to take a photo of each outfit I tried on so that I could see what it looked like – there were no mirrors in the house. Every item fitted so I was pleased about that and I’d specifically chosen items that were mostly practical and lightweight in readiness for travelling light. Captain Caveman was not thrilled at having to be photographer so the photos were definitely not flattering but I’m posting them so you can see my new clobber.

Captain Caveman was looking forward to us spending time together, until I told him we were meeting up with lots of friends, not realising how much I had tried to cram in, each evening. He had already been food shopping and had got a nice dinner planned for tonight, as well as a few other good meals this week. Today was weigh day and I was missing Fat Club, I did send a message on the group chat but I didn’t get weighed (no scales) and didn’t take my measurements either (not unpacked the tape measure yet).
After quite a bit of work and looking at my own flights, I finished before 5pm! Captain Caveman was still in meetings so he carried on while I got some fresh air.

Becca & Steve were walking their dog, Little Vera, in the Sheffield area so they came to meet me in the Kelham Island Tavern. After going through a kidney transplant fairly recently, it was good to catch up and see them both doing well, despite a slow recovery for Becca. Little Vera knew she had to be protective and did her job well, making sure she was top dog in the room. Captain Caveman joined us after he had finished his work for the day and Little Vera kept her eye on him too – she is so cute!
Back home, after a short pub visit and a walk to get my bearings, Captain Caveman cooked us a lovely chicken and vegetable dinner. I also discovered that Aldi do a version of Monster Munch called Monster Claws and I was hooked on their pickled onion flavour ones, after just one bag.

Gratitude List
1. New Uniqlo clothes from Captain Caveman, which all fitted!
2. Getting to see Becca, Steve and Little Vera for an impromptu catch up
3. Dinner with Captain Caveman at his new home in Sheffield.

Dalyan – 1st June

It was all go on Monday 1st June, my last full day in Dalyan for 3 weeks. I was up early with Norman but made him wait until 7am for breakfast, by which time he was chomping at the bit! I gave him his usual, but with egg, and did a video to send to Little Daddy, aka Jamie. Next, I completed as much banking as I could for today and then went to meet a friend for a walk from 8am. As I walked to Kaunos tea gardens the sun was shining and it was definitely summer now.

By 11am I was back with Norman, cleaning and getting ready for Drew’s return, later tonight.
At noon I went to meet Janet & Ian in Ren Garden, for a cup of tea and to arrange to catch up again when I got back from my holiday.

I worked for the rest of the day, while Norman mainly snoozed away. By 6.30pm, I was going back to Ren Garden to meet my parents. We had arranged to go for a last meal before I left and had chosen Duble, another firm favourite of ours. Drew had got delayed but I had kept hold of the key in case I needed to pop back to check on Norman.
I paid for the drinks at Ren Garden which only came to 620 lira (£10.33) for all 3 of us. At Duble the food was excellent and I was so pleased that I had decided to have the soup to start, then 2 more hot starters as a main; prawns and liver. We all had the chicken soup, one of the best in town, with extra bread. Ma ordered lamb chops which looked fab and Pa had a chicken casserole which came with rice and chips – one of the best meals out, for definite. We also had water and wine to go with our food and, when the bill came, Mom insisted on paying.
Once we had eaten, all 3 of us went to Jamie & Drew’s to check on Norman as Drew’s flight was delayed quite a bit and I had been gone for over 3 hours. Little Norman was pleased to see us all but seemed confused that there was no sign of Step Daddy Drew or any wine as he’d expected. We left and went back to my parents for a nightcap and arranged to say goodbye tomorrow morning.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Seeing friends and my parents
3. An excellent meal at Duble.

Dalyan – 29th & 30th May

It was another quiet day of dog sitting with Norman on Friday 29th May. He’d been doing so well and, as I was getting up at 6am each day, he’d not once had a pee or poo in the house. I priced up a guided cycle tour in Vietnam for a customer before learning that Wendy Wu had offers on for business class upgrades on Japan holidays with Turkish Airlines for £199.
In the afternoon Norman wanted to help me work so I put him on the round chair where I could keep an eye on him. At 5.30pm I took Norman for a walk, he was so slow but we managed it. For dinner I had a mystery freezer meal which I think was a chicken casserole and I added a chopped courgette, as you do!
I checked the weather forecast for Sheffield for the next week and it looked a bit cold and wet! Typical, as I planned to just take an under seat bag for my 3 week holiday.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Excellent holiday offers
3. A mystery meal and a night in.

I didn’t bother with the Dalyan weekly market on Saturday 30th May because I was leaving for England in 2 days. Instead I worked more on my content plan for June and wrote at least one social media post per day for the whole month. I’d noticed loads of other travel agents using AI to write their posts and I didn’t want to do that, I wanted my posts to be authentic and actually from me. My existing customers trusted me and liked the real me so I wanted that to come across to the rest of my followers who were still to book a holiday with me or buy one of my books. I worked hard and then had a video call with a friend in the UK.
In the evening I agreed to meet Ma & Pa for a drink at Retro bar. It was warming up a bit so, after walking and feeding Norman, I had to find some summer clothes to wear. I wore one of my new tops with jeans and washed my hair, only to realise my hairbrush was still at Jamie’s. I had to use a comb which wasn’t ideal.
At Retro bar, Ma & Pa had beers and I had wine and we got chatting about last weekend’s incident. Ma & Pa didn’t remember what had caused the to-do or know why I had left Lukka abruptly but they made it clear they didn’t want to get involved. I explained how I felt and I said I’d not put up with anyone treating me badly. They said it was up to me and the other person and it wasn’t anything to do with them, I disagreed but understood their position so that was the end of that!
It was a shame but it wasn’t the first time and I felt that by pretending all was fine or ignoring bad behaviour, it would just set me up for a repeat performance in the future. I also think going through the menopause has meant I’m less likely to walk on eggshells or modify my actions to please someone, no matter who they are or what they’ve said. It’s interesting, as I know if it had been a male spouse who had acted that way towards me, the outcome and reactions would certainly have been very different. In my humble opinion, it shouldn’t be. We left around midnight and paid cash for the bill, forgetting exactly how much the total was but a wine was 140 lira (£2.33).

Gratitude List – I completely forgot to write one.

Dalyan – 22nd May

The weekend started well on Friday 22nd May, unfortunately it didn’t end that way. I’d booked a table at Lukka for music bingo that evening with the family plus a couple of friends. We were all looking forward to it and I’d agreed I would meet everyone after work at Retro bar for a pre dinner drink.
I worked all day and was knackered but as family were here I made the effort and got ready to have a good time. My budget was blown but we’d been having such a good time that I didn’t begrudge it. After this weekend I would be back to being very frugal. When I got to Retro bar Ma, Pa, Gayle, Neil, Julie & Gareth were already at a table for 8 and were having drinks. I pulled up a chair and joined on the end, ordering a rosé wine for 140 lira (£2.33). I barely had time to finish the wine and we were rushing off to Lukka, eager to eat and join in the fun.
I ordered the beef çökertme, which I love and a glass of red wine. Mehmet brought everyone bread and dips but they didn’t offer a gluten free option, which was disappointing for my sister. Gayle had also fancied a chicken satay but she couldn’t have that as it contained gluten and she had to choose something else. I decided I didn’t want to peak too early so would have wine by the glass. Neil and Dad shared a bottle and then I ended up sharing some so I bought a bottle too. Despite the lack of gluten free options, the night seemed to be going well from my point of view but something was afoot.
The music bingo started around 10pm and there were 2 rounds. Mehmet was funny and I thought everyone was having a good night. At the end my sister, mom, Julie and I even got up to dance and I danced with a friend who had popped in for a drink. Julie and Gareth left around 1am and most of the other customers had started to drift off too. My sister found an unattended microphone and made use of that until Mehmet took it off her. Unfortunately, things went bad and I ended up leaving. I paid for my meal, a glass of wine and a bottle of wine at a total of 2,300 lira (£38.33), apologised to the staff and went home.

Gratitude List
I didn’t write one that night.

Dalyan – 21st May

There was excitement in store for the afternoon of Thursday 21st May as I was booked on the Captain Boris cheese and wine boat trip with my parents and Gayle from 3pm. Neil was still away but was returning later tonight. I got up early and worked so that I could finish at 2.30pm. Having consumed 4 cocktails and about half a bottle of red wine plus one for the road, last night, I was definitely feeling it this morning. My stomach was in turmoil and I needed to run some errands. I waited until 10am to call at the bank and then to Captainnet. I paid 750 lira (£12.50) for a month’s worth of home internet.
At noon I had a call booked in and then the Resort Experts team meeting. Once finished, I was off to meet the family on the boat to enjoy 4 hours of indulgence for £60 (all the food and wine included in that price).

Once on the boat, I decided to pay my £60 upfront so that it was done and we could relax, the others did the same and I noticed Ma & Pa were not as eager to get on the wine as perhaps they usually might be. I took one for the team and started us off with a nice rosé. By 3.10pm all 4 of us had a wine, my dodgy stomach had been treated with imodium and we were tucking in to crisps and dips already.
It was a full boat and we had certainly been spoiled by doing private trips previously as I had forgotten the inconvenience of having smokers onboard. Just 40 minutes in to the trip, we were anchored up and most people were in the sea, including Mom. I hadn’t even brought my swimmers on account of paying £60 to include the wine and wanted to get my money’s worth!!
I also wanted to catch up with Becky and enjoy the boat. I got a call from our friend Martha who had happened to bump in to Captain Caveman back in the UK and they were having a catch up somewhere near Kendal. I did a quick video for them and sent a couple of photos from the boat.

By 5pm we were presented with Boris’s superb spread of cheese, meats, fruits, olives, nuts, bread, crackers – all presented so well. I made friends with Monique, a Dutch lady and spoke about my friendship of over 40 years with Ingrid, also from Holland. She was surprised she had not yet come to visit me. Gayle made some new friends at the front of the boat and I recognised the accent as they turned out to be from Rotherham. We had a lovely time and it’s another one of my favourite trips. I’d love to do a private cheese trip later in the year.

It was 7.20pm by the time we got back and a suggestion to head to Boris’s new bar, Dalyan Lounge was made. Several people agreed so Gayle and I said we would see them in there. My parents were not up for staying out and went home on the pretence they were going to come back out but Ma had already tipped me the wink that it probably wouldn’t happen.
At Dalyan Lounge only Monique came from the boat, everyone else had peaked too early and gone home. Gayle and I had drinks of water, realising we took should probably have taken the example set by my parents but we don’t get together often and thought sod it. We’d been getting on really well and there was even talk of what it would be like to enter Race Across the World together. Of course it wouldn’t be much use either of us entering with our propensity to need a toilet, get lost and be far from fast on our feet. I’d not watched the last 3 series so I needed to catch up but it was a nice sentiment that we’d gone from hardly seeing each other to thinking we could spend 40 days together. I paid the bill for our waters, rosé wine for me and Bacardi and coke for Gayle which came to just 800 lira (£13.33) in total. As we were leaving, Boris gave us a bottle of rosé wine as a gift which was really good of him.
The intention was to go home so that Gayle could meet Neil once he got back from Scotland but she’d done a quick change in the loos and was out out!
We saw that Bistro Blue had some outdoor tables and plonked ourselves down. I tried to be sensible and ordered us a large bottle of water but Gayle was a bad influence and had already ordered a Pina Colada. I had a wine to be sociable and Neil arrived just as Gayle had started on the next cocktail made from Sorrel. To me it tasted like privet but she seemed to like it and Neil had a beer. When Neil was on his 2nd beer but about to order a 3rd, Gayle decided the Sorrel cocktail might be a bit strong and was recommended a Moscow Mule by the waitress. That was better but I still think the Pina Colada was the best, I stuck to the wine and ordered a second one with more water. Neil was hungry so we tried to order pizza from Pizza 48 but it was closed as it was gone 10.30pm. Our waiter at Bistro Blue made him pizza and chips and I just had to indulge as it was really good.
When we got the bill, Neil tried to pay it all but I insisted on paying 1,000 lira (£16.67) for my 2 wines and some towards the pizza and chips I shared. The rest came to another 3,000 lira (£50) and it was another midnight finish.
This week’s budget had well and truly been blown but I’d had an amazing time with the family. This week I had allowed myself a budget of £270, including the cash I had put by for the boat trips. I had spent £102.49 today alone, making it a total of £314.15 for the week, which included 2 boat trips, 2 meals out, all with alcohol but still 3 zero alcohol and zero spend days. I was already looking forward to June’s pay day!

Gratitude List

1. An amazing cheese and wine trip with Captain Boris and Rebecca

2. More time spent with Gayle, having a laugh at Dalyan Lounge

3. Getting in at midnight after Neil joined us for more drinks at Bistro Blue.

Dalyan – 20th May

I’d not seen the family since Saturday so I’d arranged to introduce Gayle to a better class of cocktail on Wednesday 20th May. She’d tried some elsewhere but they didn’t seem strong enough and I’d asked if she fancied Luz after Fat Club. Neil was temporarily back in the UK for work so she had been left alone and I didn’t think my parents would want to come. Luz is quite pricey and is a little bit different compared to the usual haunts but their margaritas are ace. It is generally a place out of my budget but I did try it with Captain Caveman when he was here and we really enjoyed the strong cocktails and nibbles, which had some gluten free options. Hence why I’d suggested it for Gayle to experience it as a treat. I also asked Gayle if they all fancied coming round for a home cooked curry for dinner after Luz and she said she’d get back to me as I needed to know who likes chickpeas, courgettes and aubergines before I popped it in the slow cooker.
I took my measurements to find I’d put 1cm on my hips, 2cm on my waist but stayed the same on my bust. The home scales said I’d put on 0.45kg (1lb) but I hoped Carol’s scales would be more favourable.
I cracked on with work and then, just before lunch it rained unexpectedly, hopefully it would stop by 4.15pm.
Mom messaged to say they didn’t fancy coming for curry tonight but they would come to see what these fancy cocktails were all about. Instead, she suggested we go out for a family meal and that I save the curry for another night. At noon I had a tech session on automated email set ups on Mailerlite, despite not having Mailerlite.
I set off early for Fat Club as I was in charge, Carol had her family here and couldn’t attend today. A few of us decided to have wine and I also had a water as I was thirsty. I paid 200 lira (£3.33) for both and found I had still put on 0.5kg (1lb) which wasn’t surprising at all. The scales were actually on the blink as one lady lost more than 50kg and she’s the smallest lady there. Luckily, we planned a whip round to get a new set as a surprise for Carol next week.
I popped home to drop bags off and then met the family for a walk to Luz. I wasn’t sure if Dad might be a bit out of sorts as he wasn’t too chatty and when we got to Luz it didn’t suit him at all – I think it was the price of an Efes Malt being 280 lira (£4.67) which caught him off guard! I explained it wasn’t really a place to drink beer and we should have a cocktail or wine. Dad looked like he was in pergatory, while Mom tried to coax him in to trying something nice to drink. Gayle and I ordered margaritas which were 660 lira (£11) each and were bloody lovely. Ma & Pa eventually settled on sangria at 430 lira (£7.17) each but Dad didn’t like that it had a tiny paper straw. I necked my glass of water so he could put his unwanted garnish and his straw in. This meant I no longer had a glass to partake in the free water and was likely to be drunk easier. I suggested food as they had cheese fondu and gluten free nachos but no one fancied that. Gayle and I thought our cocktails were excellent and ordered another, Dad still looked like we had dragged him to the gallows but Mom assured us the sangria was nice and ordered 2 more. Our bill for the 8 drinks and 2 jugs of water came to 4,360 lira (£72.67) which Gayle thought was reasonable. I appreciated the value despite it costing my usual weekly budget and I don’t think Ma & Pa were in a rush to return in the future. Gayle ended up paying the bill and we paid 200 lira (£3.33) each for the tip. We decided it would be a good idea for Dad to choose where we ate, considering his reaction to my choice of Luz. He decided Bistro Blue, an old family favourite of ours which we’d not been to since Annie left.

On the way, we decided to call in to Dalyan Lounge for a drink and to say hello to Captain Boris, whose boat trip we were on tomorrow. Once at Dalyan Lounge, Dad was back on good form and on the Efes Malt while the rest of us sampled various cocktails. We had 2 beers and 6 cocktails which came to a total of 2,600 lira (£43.33) and I paid that bill to even it up a bit.

At Bistro Blue we had a warm welcome and sat at a nice table near to the kitchen. I was a bit concerned about how much the meal might cost, but Gayle and Mom had said they wanted to pay for my meal – I think they felt guilty for turning down my offer of a delicious gluten free curry night. At Bistro Blue we got a good deal on the Angora wine, while Gayle had surf and turf, I had steak with pepper sauce, our parents had liver and onions. Dad had cheered right up and had picked well for the evening meal so we even splashed out on 2 baklava and ice-cream between the 3 of us, while Gayle had a brandy coffee. I was pleasantly surprised that the prices at Bistro Blue were reasonable and the food was excellent, we even got a discount for paying cash. Here’s what we had with the prices in lira so you can see for yourself:

Bistro Blue
1 litre water 110
Brandy Coffee 420
Liver & onions with mash 990
2 Baklava & ice-cream 1,000
Liver, onions, bacon with chips 1,090
Fillet steak 200g 1,250
Surf n Turf 1,850
2 bottles of Angora wine 2,000
Total 8,710 lira (£145.17)
Discount for cash – 910 lira (£15.17)
Tip 1,000 lira (£16.67)
Total paid 8,800 lira (£146.67)

Ma and Gayle paid 4,000 lira (£66.67) each and I paid just 800 lira (£13.33) towards the tip. We all really enjoyed the meal and ended up having another drink in the bar side before going home quite late. Today I had spent a total of £63.32 despite others paying for my meal and tomorrow we had another expensive day coming up.

Gratitude List

1. The rain not lasting long

2. Chaos being in charge at Fat Club

3. Time spent with the family.