Scotland – 18th August

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

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

Sheffield – 15th & 16th August

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

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

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

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

Sheffield – 14th August

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

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

Sheffield – 11th to 13th August

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sheffield – 5th & 6th August

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

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

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

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

Sheffield – 2nd August

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

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

Sheffield – 30th & 31st July

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

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

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

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

Bakewell & Buxton – 26th July

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sheffield – 25th July

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

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

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

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

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

London – 21st to 23rd July

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

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

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

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

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

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

Plovdiv, Sofia & London – 20th July

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

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

Plovdiv – 18th July

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

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

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

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

Sofia – 16th July

After a great night’s sleep and breakfast at Hotel Niky on Thursday 16th July, we were off to explore Sofia. The train from the airport had been just 80 cents (70p) and the local tram just 50 cents (43p) so it was probably the cheapest transport in a capital city that I’d encountered. We did have to pay cash at each ticket machine, though.
Our morning had us walking a lot in sunny Sofia, admiring the buildings and some of the ruins. I loved the town as I tried to keep up the pace with Captain Caveman!
Around 1pm we went for lunch at a place we had researched to try some local Bulgarian food.

Hadjidraganov’s Cellars was a traditional and authentic Bulgarian restaurant where we splashed out on a mixed grill sharing plate, with bread that we didn’t need, and 2 half litre beers for €47.33 (£40.52). It was quite pricey for a lunch stop but it was incredible and massive!
We paid the bill and wandered the city some more until one of us needed the loo and we had a tea and a coffee in a cafe for €3.60 (£3.08).

We walked to the train station by which time my blisters were coming back and we attempted to buy train tickets from Sofia to Plovdiv, in advance of our trip to the Phillgood festival. Unfortunately, neither of us had accounted for the fact that all the trains were sold out already. We tried the automated ticket machine and asked a lady at the counter but got nowhere. We marched off to the nearby bus station but the kiosk we needed was unmanned. We soon found out why when a worker started shouting in English that there were no more buses available to Plovdiv as they were all full. Crikey! What were we going to do?
Captain Caveman loves to solve problems so he strode off back to the train station, determined to find an alternative way. Meanwhile I looked at prices of taxis from Sofia to Plovdiv, £200+ was not going to happen and I really didn’t fancy hitchhiking! We couldn’t miss it as we were going for Captain Caveman’s birthday, so I was getting a bit upset and stressed!

Having been particularly disappointed at not being able to get any transport from Sofia to Plovdiv, Captain Caveman had come up with a cunning plan. We were due to checkout of Hotel Niky at noon tomorrow and get to Plovdiv any time we could in readiness for the Phillgood festival. What we hadn’t considered until now was checking what trains went any time between now and before the first sold out train tomorrow. The idea being, we sacrifice our last night in Sofia and just get to Plovdiv on any train we could. Back to the train station automated ticket machine we trotted and started looking at other options. Low and behold the plan worked and we got 2 seats on a train at 5.30am from Sofia to Plovdiv. We celebrated with more walking but this time to a craft beer bar. We had crisps and 2 beers, then 2 more beers and chatted to the lovely owner who gave Captain Caveman his map, who then took a photo of it and gave it back to give to the next person. We loved it in there and got chatting to a tourist and a guide before heading off to another bar.

The 5 Corners pub was like a tardis and completely surprising from how the outside looked. We had pints of Stout and Hoegaarden beer, chips & cheese and a sausage plate which was fantastic. The price was cheap too, at only €24.40 (£21) but Captain Caveman noticed the bar man had not added his extra beer on so he rounded it up when the guy said it didn’t matter.
We went back to Hotel Niky to pack and let them know we wouldn’t be at breakfast and were checking out before 5am. It was a 24 hour reception so they were fine with that and we got some much needed sleep and set all the alarms – we were still off to Plovdiv!

Gratitude List

1. Lunch at Hadjidraganov’s Cellars

2. Booking 2 train tickets to Plovdiv

3. Having an amazing day in Sofia with Captain Caveman.

London to Bulgaria – 15th July

I’d been away from Dalyan’s Fat Club for so long now that the weigh day on Wednesday 15th July almost felt pointless. Luckily, we Fat Club ladies have a group chat and they are 2 hours ahead in Türkiye so there were already messages – mainly encouraging and humourous. It’s great because it keeps me conscious of trying to maintain some semblance of sensible eating and I do miss the group a lot when I’m not there. So, I got on the scales in Barnes and took my measurements (I always carry my tape measure). I was shocked to find I had lost 1.5kg (3.3lb), lost 2cm from my bust, no change to my hips but had put 2cm on my waist. I was pleased with that but I now still needed to lose quite a bit more to get back to my target weight.
What I didn’t realise is that Captain Caveman had done his work for the week, was now on holiday and was sat playing Bridge on his phone when I came back from the bakery. I’d been to get croissants from Gail’s but there was a massive queue. A cute dog alerted me to a counter at another bakery a few doors down, he was waiting to be served and there were dog biscuits on the counter. I paid £6.20 for a croissant and a pain au chocolat, the dog biscuits were free so my new pal got given one for helping me. There was no sign of an owner but the dog was obviously a local.
After me cramming in some work, we left Barnes at midday. We said farewell to Captain Caveman’s Ma but I only shouted up ‘bye’ to Pa, who I hope had his hearing aid switched on. Captain Caveman’s parents are always so welcoming and accommodating so I was actually sad to be leaving.
We got the bus back to Heathrow airport (again) ready for our 3.25pm BA flight to Sofia. We were off to Bulgaria for the Phillgood festival in Plovdiv and were really looking forward to seeing more bands.
On our way through a precinct in Hammersmith we nipped in Tesco to stock up on meal deals for dinner as we didn’t want to be spending money unnecessarily in the airport or on the plane. We paid £12 for 2 meal deals which included a chicken katsu bento box for me and a sandwich for Captain Caveman. We both had a snack and a smoothie too.

The flight to Sofia went as planned and we landed in to Sofia where we were staying for 2 nights. The navigation of the train/metro from the airport to our hotel was easy and it wasn’t busy at 9pm. We arrived at Hotel Niky which I had booked with Resort Expert’s for an excellent price and it was very comfy and in a great location. Captain Caveman decided we would pop to an ale house for beer and sausages but it was closed. Instead we ended up at a lovely pizza restaurant on the main street. At La Piazzetta we ordered a beer and a red wine and 2 pizzas. The wine serving was massive and so were the pizzas. Captain Caveman had a spicy one and I had a BBQ chicken. They tasted great and it wasn’t expensive – Captain Caveman paid.
Back at the hotel, it was late so we were looking forward to a good sleep and exploring Sofia tomorrow – neither of us had been before.

Gratitude List
1. Losing weight this week
2. Being able to stay in Barnes again
3. Another trip away to somewhere new, with Captain Caveman.

London – 13th & 14th July

I had a busy day at my laptop on Monday 13th July but I wasn’t complaining. I love the old bureau with pull out loper arms and desk flap which is in the spare room at Captain Caveman’s parents. It was sunny but a pleasant cooler change from the heat of Madrid.
I worked on invoices, a couple of private trip enquiries, a last minute hotel enquiry and some PDFs I’d been producing on Canva that might help holiday makers have better holidays.
After a few phonecalls to complain to TFL about my overcharging a couple of weeks ago, they were no use and said I had to write in. They then gave me an incorrect email address which bounced back my email. I scheduled the rest of my July daily posts, knowing that Captain Caveman and I were off for another trip later this week.
After he finished work, Captain Caveman said he was taking me to Richmond as I’d only seen it from the bus last night. We said we would be back for dinner which was going to be a mix and match style dinner that wouldn’t spoil if we were late. We took the bus and had a good walk round what was once Captain Caveman’s home town as a child. I was fascinated and took quite a few photos of the lovely buildings. There was a Holland & Barrett so I called in for some sea sickness ginger sweets. I normally pay about £8 per box but they were on offer at only £3.89. I spotted a car in the shape of a boat, driving down the high street so I went to get a photo. The driver and passenger gave me a smile as they drove past.

Captain Caveman had a genius idea that we should walk to a place that was the perfect picture but I was too busy wondering where there may be a loo and we had to call in to the Princes Head. We sat outside for a drink and I had a pee before the ascent of Richmond Hill. If I’d been glad of the cooler temperatures in the UK, now was the time to fully appreciate it. I was a bit of a hot mess by the time we got to be standing at the point where both JMW Turner and John Constable, among other artists, had painted their famous masterpieces of Richmond Hill and the Thames. It was totally unexpected and very stunning. In need of a little sit down and a beverage, Captain Caveman took me to the Roebuck pub where I had one of the nicest rosé wines I’ve had in a while. We also splashed out on rather expensive peanuts! The pub was beautiful and the staff had a good laugh with us. We called in to the Waitrose on the way home, where we picked up a bottle of rosé wine, some laundry detergent sheets (ideal for travels) and some sausage rolls for £18.65.
Back home the parents had eaten their dinner so we grabbed ours and had a drop of wine while discussing our plans for the rest of the summer.

Gratitude List
1. Getting through a busy day in the office after being away in Madrid
2. Having a wander round Richmond, seeing the sights
3. Being back in Barnes with Captain Caveman and his parents, for a couple of days.

Tuesday 14th July was spent doing all the last minute preparations and repacking for our 6 day trip tomorrow. We were off to another music festival in Europe and had tagged an extra days on to our holiday.
I spent most of the day in the working from home office while Captain Caveman sorted getting the washing dry and then cooking bacon right after the cleaner had been and cleaned the kitchen! Work admin took longer than I thought but I got most of it finished.
We were taking 3 of our favourite travel products with us; the Scrubba to wash clothes, the deodorant crystal and the toothpaste tabs, both non-liquid. I also spent some time researching the venue of the music festival and found a map of the stage layout.
In the evening Captain Caveman’s parents invited us into the garden for wine and nibbles and we had a pre birthday toast which was lovely. They were also off on holiday the day after us and we would all be away for both Captain Caveman’s and his Dad’s birthdays.

Gratitude List
1. Being lucky enough to be going away again
2. Preparations for the next holiday
3. Having birthday toasts in the garden with Captain Caveman and his parents.