Pontecarlo – 1st August

My first job on Friday 1st August was to check how I did against my budget in July. I felt sure I had gone wildly over the £1,000 budget I’d set and I perhaps had if I included all the money Captain Caveman spent. I was lucky to have spent just £971 which included in Turkey and in the UK. I was still going to be in England for another 11 days, which wouldn’t be cheap and a holiday for Captain Caveman in Turkey was coming up at the end of August. I still left August’s budget at £1,000, optimistically.
While Captain Caveman made me tea, I made toast (on the grill, as there was no toaster). I checked July’s blog traffic to see a 13% increase in views on the previous month. The top 3 viewing countries were the UK, Turkey and Spain, followed by USA, Australia, France, Sweden and then Vietnam in 8th – back in the top 10!
We both worked hard all day but I decided I would try to finish at 4pm with it being the weekend. As luck would have it, I made a couple of last minute bookings, one for a friend and another for someone I didn’t know. It was cold out and looked like rain but at least we were warm inside. At lunch time we had salad and I messed about with my new case which was really easy to remove the detachable wheels of.
At 4pm there was an impromptu clearing up and reorganising of the bedroom wardrobe so that I could have space for my clothes. Captain Caveman found a load more crap that he didn’t want, including Christmas decorations, a tree and some dressing up clothes. There was a woman’s top with tags still on but a size 10 – I tried it on and it fitted so we washed and kept it. Captain Caveman also kept a couple of pairs of shoes and a polo top. He was getting excited as the bin man had been today which meant 2 of his bins were emptied and he could refill them. We had also hoped to see the Virgin internet man but he never came! We had thought we might go back to Sheffield after work but Virgin assured us that the man was definitely coming tomorrow before 6pm!

By 6.30pm Captain Caveman and I were off for a walk and to find a pub or 2 for a Friday beverage. I was a bit chilly in the summery clothes I had so I had to wear a fleece with shorts and sandals to try to keep warm. Captain Caveman had jeans, jumper and walking boots on so he was fine. We walked passed a diabetes clinic, the hospital, a quaker burial site and a big posh house before heading towards the church and castle. It was a good way to acknowledge Yorkshire day, sightseeing in Pontecarlo. Our first stop off was the Hope & Anchor pub which was very loud and busy. I tried the blood orange cider (it was too sweet for me) and we went outside to the beer garden. I was too cold so we had to come back indoors but Captain Caveman wasn’t too impressed with the acoustics. We decided to continue on a wander and head in to town, perhaps have a couple more drinks then go for a meal.

Captain Caveman and I were ‘out out’ in Pontecarlo. We wandered via Pontefract Castle, the Elizabeth Love Museum, Castle Chain House and plenty of old buildings. We decided to call for a drink in the Irish pub, Galway Girl, where there was live music. Captain Caveman had a Guinness and I had a medium sized glass of wine for around £12. The music was good, the pub was busy and we had a couple of rounds in there. Captain Caveman suggested we try the fine dining restaurant next door, called Erubi. I was conscious of money and said we should go somewhere cheaper, we both fancied trying the Indian restaurant along the street.

Tulsi doesn’t have an alcohol license so, while I waited for a table (it was busy), Captain Caveman popped to the off licence for beers. He bought Belgian Blue for him and a couple of cherry beers for me – perfect.
We shared onion bhajis, poppadoms, a pickle tray for starter, had 2 main dishes and shared rice and garlic naan bread. It wasn’t cheap at £44.80 without drinks but it was absolutely fantastic and we ate all of it. We didn’t manage all of the beers though so took them home. We finished our meal about 10.30pm and walked back ‘home’, it was really nice for Captain Caveman to be living so close to town.

Gratitude List
1. Getting organised at the house in Pontecarlo
2. Out out and live music in Pontecarlo
3. A tasty Indian meal with Captain Caveman.

Sheffield to Pontefract – 29th July

$Sheffield to Pontefract – 29th July$

Tuesday 29th July was full of excitement as I was leaving Mosborough and Sheffield to go visit Captain Caveman at his new home in Pontefract. A place I’d not been to for quite some years. I worked in the morning then had a tea break where my Mom offered to give Captain Caveman her big slow cooker and I said he’d have it – ideal for batch cooking! I also tried some fab chocolate cookies from Aldi. My sister came to say bye and I gave her a copy of my book as she had still not managed to order one to read. She’s the funny one of the family so it would be interesting to see what she thought of it.

I said my farewells and rushed for the 3.35pm bus from Mosborough to Sheffield train station. The train wasn’t until 4.44pm so I had a browse round M&S and the Whistlestop before going to the platform. My first train was on time to Wakefield Kirkgate where I had to wait 11 mins for the next train to Pontefract. I arrived at Pontefract Tanshelf station at 6.02pm and Captain Caveman was there to meet me. It was very cold and looked like rain as we walked to the big Tesco to get something for dinner. It was obvious that if we had a club card we would save quite a lot, so I asked the very helpful security guard where we could get a club card. We had to get it online although he did offer to let us use his this time. We decided we would leave the big shop until tomorrow, apply for the club card and go check out a pub in town.

We arrived at the Malt Shovel, where I had an overwhelming sense of deja vu. We ordered drinks which were cheap but the barmaid insisted I had a taster of the pale ale with it being expensive at £4.60 a pint!! I applied for the Tesco club card and then had to go outside to have a look around, I felt sure I’d been here before. When I saw the alley next to the pub I realised it was the building where I sometimes had worked on Saturdays as a mortgage advisor at the Alliance and Leicester. I recognised the back upstairs rooms as well as the place now being made in to a strange bar called Society. I worked out it was probably over 30 years ago since I’d been there.

Next, we walked towards where Captain Caveman lived and called at another pub, the Robin Hood. This was a much more cosy place which happened to have a quiz on Tuesdays. We got chatting to some locals but we didn’t stay for the quiz as we needed to get home and eat.

It was about a 10 minute walk up a hill and Captain Caveman was living on a quiet road near to a Chinese takeaway, a sandwich shop and a newsagents/off licence shop. The Chinese was closed for a holiday so Captain Caveman bought us a bottle of red wine from the shop and we decided to order a pizza from nearby Papa John’s. While we waited for the delivery, I got a tour of the house. It was mostly unfurnished but did have a double bed with wardrobes in one bedroom. The kitchen was nice and modern but with very little crockery and the downstairs bathroom had a bath with a shower over it but no bathmat and only the one towel! There was no internet because Captain Caveman was waiting for Virgin to install the cable. All of the outside dustbins were rammed full from when the previous tenants had moved out and they had also left quite a few items. Luckily there was a washer, a tumble dryer, an oven/grill, a fridge and a freezer so all was good. Overall, I liked the house and could see Captain Caveman being happy there, for at least the next 6 months.
The pizza arrived and it was lovely, washed down with the wine while sat on camping chairs at the folding table/desk!

Gratitude List
1. Spending time with family
2. A trip to Pontefract to see Captain Caveman’s new home
3. Pizza and wine with Captain Caveman.

Sheffield – 26th July

Saturday 26th July didn’t quite turn out as I’d imagined. Quite a few of our friends had said they would be at Tramlines festival over this weekend so we could meet up with them and I was looking forward to listening to live music. We hadn’t bothered getting tickets for the main events but we would just wander round the free stuff.
Mom excelled herself by doing a cooked breakfast for everyone in the morning. I had beans on toast with bacon, while the others had eggs and tomatoes with their’s. Ma & Pa weren’t up to coming in to town for Tramlines so they were going to stay home. My sister had said she might join us but then didn’t as they had overdone it last night. A few of the people who went to see Pulp last night had also overdone it so weren’t up for today.
We had arranged to meet Natalie and Paul in town and had chosen a pub on the edge of town, the Rutland Arms. It’s a cracking little pub with a great selection of beers and ciders, good staff and excellent music. We got the 1.30pm bus from Mosborough for £2.60 each and went straight to stock up on essential medication, here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Superdrug
Ibuprofen 0.39
Imodium 3.39
Fexofendine 8.99
2 packs of cystitis tablets 12.28
Total spent £25.05

Our next stop off was rather ill thought out and neither of us had realised it might have been a silly thing to do. As Captain Caveman had moved in to his new home without any crockery or cutlery he needed to buy a sharp knife. In fact he got 2 that were lovely and sharp with pink handles.

Nisbets
2 knives £12.71

With hindsight, walking round a town centre with entertainment on and an increased reputation for stabbings of late, carrying knives may have been a bit daft!
We met Natalie and Paul at the Rutland and had a couple of beers and a good chat. It had been quite a while since we’d all met up and, although we’d spoke on the phone, it was just great to meet in person. The chat flowed and we decided to walk in to town, nearer to where the action was. We wanted to meet up with Caz and the gang and also see Vanessa & Matt who were out with their friends too. Along the way we bumped in to a familiar face, another ex-Aviva colleague, Devon Francis, who was playing on stage later and we hoped to catch him. I messaged a few more friends to arrange where to meet and, although a few had sacked it off or were away, we had a plan to meet on Devonshire Green around 4.30pm.
I’m not entirely sure what happened but as we got to the entrance to the Devonshire Green music event, we noticed a queue and bags being searched – Captain Caveman was wary his new knives would be an issue, or be confiscated. We decided an impromptu beer in The Bath (another old pub) would be wise. They had some music on inside but we sat outside as the sun was shining. Here we met up with ex-Aviva colleague and friend, Sara (Killer), and her fella, Mark. We had another round while we were all introduced or reacquainted and by this time, Louisa was on her way to join us so we waited at The Bath. Captain Caveman was buying our rounds so I wasn’t really taking note of the prices, they were certainly cheaper than London.
We had such a laugh and Captain Caveman was on good form, enjoying being with old friends and meeting new ones. We even had a second Natalie join us when we sat at her table. Her friends had gone and she was on her own so we kind of got chatting.

By the time we were meant to be at the Devonshire Green we were already a bit merry and we decided we had better get a snack before we met the others. We tried to go to a pizza place but it was busy, Louisa had the idea to go to Cambridge Street Collective which is a food court style place with many different types of food. At first visit it can be a bit overwhelming as to what to choose but there is every type of food which makes it easier to please a group. Captain Caveman got on the app and ordered our food. I got the wrong end of the stick and thought he and I were sharing a pizza but he ordered Mexican for him and got me a slice of pizza from the top floor.
I finally put my hand in my pocket and went to the bar, here’s what I bought with the prices in pounds;

Cambridge Street Collective (bar)
1 rum and coke 6.25
1 pint of Guinness 6.70
2 pints of Abbeydale Heathen 11.50
2 pints of Aspall’s cider 12.00
Total spent £36.45

When my buzzer rang for me to collect the pizza I don’t mind saying I was pretty disappointed with it. It was a deep pan pepperoni (normally fine) slice but it was dripping in honey. I ate it but I wouldn’t have it again and Captain Caveman thought his burrito was nice. After that, I wondered if my stomach would tolerate the bus ride home and if buying only 1 pack of imodium earlier was a little optimistic. I was now drunk, tired, cold and bloated and needed my bed!
Unfortunately, we then had to say bye and go back to Mosborough but not before a cheeky visit to Sheffield train station for a toilet visit and some train tins. Here’s what we bought and prices in pounds;

M&S
1 porn star martini, 1 G&T, 1 limoncello spritzer (train tin deal) 8.50
2 large sausage rolls 1.20
Total spent £9.70

Our bus came at 9.50pm and it cost another £2.60 each to get home by which time we’d snaffled our sausage rolls but saved the train tins for home – we aren’t that wild!
When my parents asked how we’d enjoyed the bands and we replied that we hadn’t even seen one band, we did feel a bit foolish. We’d gone all that way for Tramlines, not even entered the Devonshire Green area and missed seeing bands and some of our friends!

Gratitude List
1. Breakfast by Mom
2. Meeting up with (some) friends in Sheffield
3. Sunshine and nice pubs.

Sevenoaks to Sheffield – 25th July

Captain Caveman had booked my train ticket from Otford on Friday 25th July at 10.59am which would go via London Blackfriars and St Pancras stations. I was due to arrive in to Sheffield at 2.42pm where Captain Caveman would already be working from a nearby cafe. Claire came with me to the train station and we said our farewells, hoping to see each other in Turkey in about 6 weeks’ time. I was still a bit teary at having to say goodbye, though, and always have such fun when I’m back with Claire.
My train was full and the couple sat next to me were mildly irritating by taking up all the table room which could’ve gone on the rack above them. Then sloshing tea and cake about and finally moving seats when we got to Leicester.
Captain Caveman met me in the Sheffield Tap and I used the facilities and logged in to finish some work emails before getting the bus. My parents had very kindly invited both Captain Caveman and I to stay with them for a few days and we were really looking forward to it. We got the 3.36pm Sheffield to Mosborough bus which cost £2.60 each for just one way – things had definitely gone up since my last visit! It was great to see my parents were doing well after both having some health issues; Dad was recovering well from a knee op and my Mom was doing well after eye surgery. It seemed only appropriate that we would celebrate with a quick trip to the pub. We were sipping pints int he The Alma by 4.30pm and, by 7pm, my sister and brother-in-law had joined us. We were going to have fish and chips at Tony’s but my sister is coeliac so it was a better option to go for an Indian. By 7.30pm we were all in The Vine Indian restaurant having a real feast with more drinks. We’d had a great afternoon and evening with the family, where a round of 4 drinks was less than £20 and starters, mains and drinks for 2 in the Indian came to £60. I even took half of my butter chicken and someone’s left over rice home for tomorrow.
Back home we had more drinks and celebrated being back in Mosborough some more.

Gratitude List
1. Travelling back to Sheffield
2. Seeing family again
3. Drinks and Indian in Mosborough

Barnes, Southampton & Sevenoaks – 19th July

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

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

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

Photo Credit – Claire’s photos of the girls.

Dalyan – 18th July

To celebrate Captain Caveman’s birthday on Friday 18th July I decided to get him out for a coffee and a croissant before work. We went to a local coffee shop called Hermanos, where I had a pain au chocolat with an earl grey tea and Captain Caveman had a plain croissant with a double espresso. I enjoyed mine but Captain Caveman wasn’t impressed. He popped to the shop while I drank my pot of tea and he bought a Hovis wholemeal loaf for £1.39 from Sainsbury’s.

We were back home and working before 9am and Captain Caveman had a very busy day ahead so we would celebrate his birthday tonight. I had a sandwich for lunch around 1pm and we finally finished work about 6pm. Captain Caveman’s Ma had been to get a cake so we all gathered in the garden. Captain Caveman’s Pa was in charge of beverages and opened a bottle of fizz to mark the occasion. I was surprised to find out that singing Happy Birthday wasn’t required. I was having none of that and we sang, even though Captain Caveman isn’t one for celebrating birthdays particularly. The carrot cake was delicious and the bubbles was such a lovely thing to do, sat in a sunny spot in the garden. I’d even popped on a dress to wear as Mike and Gill had booked us in at Omm, a Lebanese restaurant, for dinner.

We had a nice stroll to the restaurant, Barnes is such a lovely area of London. It was my first time visiting Omm and I was very impressed. The place was stylish, there was lots of staff and we had a nice table. We decided to share lots of sharing plates and some rather pleasant Lebanese rosé wine. The food was absolutely delicious and we all had a great time. At the end of the meal, Mike and I got chatting to the owner who was really friendly. It was another one of my new favourite places to eat now. Captain Caveman fancied a nightcap in the pub on the way home so we persuaded Ma & Pa to join us. It was gone 10pm when we got to the Coach & Horses where the men ordered pints, I had my usual red wine and Gill had already had sufficient so decided it was time to call it a night.
Despite it being a normal working day for Captain Caveman and I, his birthday and turned out to be rather lovely – thanks to his parents. Tonight was my last night with Captain Caveman for a week, as we were going to be spending time apart, after a rather eventful Saturday!

Gratitude List
1. Getting to spend Captain Caveman’s birthday with him
2. Cake, candles and celebrations with the family
3. An excellent birthday meal at Omm.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman & Gill

Barnes – 16th & 17th July

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

London – 15th July

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Barnes -12th July

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 28th June

I had arranged to see friends on Saturday 28th June, before they flew to the UK. Their dog, Lady C, was going to be in my care while they were gone. I had beans on toast for breakfast and Captain Caveman sent me over an itinerary for our holiday at the end of August – it looked quite busy with 11 European towns in 2 weeks! My concern was that there might be too much moving about in a heat wave. I worked all morning until 2pm then I wandered over to Ozzy’s bar to meet Penny & Phil! Penny was on the phone when I arrived, so I ordered a shandy, at 120 lira (£2.26) a pint it went down very well and I had to order water and another pint. Penny came off the phone and the plan was we would go over to their’s to see Lady C and chill out before they left. I threw caution to the wind and ordered one of the Ozzy’s pizzas which was loaded with toppings and tasted really good. I paid my bill, then the staff gave the 3 of us a shot to drink. We thought it was an alcoholic one but it was a watermelon smoothie, of which they gave us a bottle to take home, too.
Here’s what I spent, prices in lira;

Ozzy’s Bar
1 small water 40
1 Efes shandy 120
1 Efes draft 120
1 Chicken pizza 410
Total spent 690 lira (£13.02)

While Penny whizzed back on the ‘Madge-mobeel’ (her orange mobility scooter), Phil and I sauntered back and bumped in to Kaan (from Tequila boat) at his new villa. It was looking really good now that it was finished and he’d done a good job. Lady C was pleased to see me but was rather warm so she chilled out in front of the cooler in the sun room. By 6.15pm I was enjoying a cold drink and had my feet in the pool while Penny and Phil finished last minute getting ready and packing. I still didn’t know exactly what time they were flying but I had ascertained that it was late tonight.

A plan was formed to go out for dinner at Olivia’s, which used to be Yolo, and I was invited to join. They had a deal on any pasta dish with a glass of wine for 300 lira (£5.66) which is great value for money.
It was my first time at Olivia’s and it might just become my new favourite place! They served Altıntepe and Isabey wine (currently 120 lira per glass) which I like. The place is cool in the heat with lots of seating indoor and outdoor and great staff – one I recognised but couldn’t place. I had the Four Cheese Tagliatelle (perfect for cheese lovers), Penny had the shrimp spaghetti and Phil ordered chicken and mushroom tagliatelle. The portion sizes were good and we got a free appetiser of warm bread with olives and oil – a nice touch.
The shrimp spaghetti had a rather generous amount of capers in and Penny doesn’t like them. Even though it did say it on the menu in the small description, our waiter and chef changed the dish to redo it without issue when he noticed Penny picking them out. Phil didn’t realise his tagliatelle had chicken in so he picked it all out to give to the dog later. We were almost done eating our mains when Karen and Andy arrived and sat next to us. Andy ordered a non-pasta dish and Karen ordered the same shrimp spaghetti which Penny had but with capers in (you couldn’t make it up)!

We met the dessert chef and it would have been rude not to try the desserts which looked amazing!
My friends had a roulade type cake which got devoured and I had a Dubai Chocolate Brownie which was out of this world!!!! The desserts were a work of art and also tasted fantastic.
Here’s what our bill came to, prices in lira;

Olivia’s
3 pasta & wine deals 900
3 wines 360
1 roulade dessert 200
1 Dubai brownie 250
Total spent 1,710 lira (£32.26)

I’d ended up with 3 wines and a pasta that I wasn’t expecting to be paid for so I put 250 lira (£4.72) in as a tip. It equated to 14% but given that Penny had her dish replaced after the capers debacle, I thought it a good idea if ever we wanted to go again.
Meanwhile, Captain Caveman and Vinnie were having a great time at the Iron Maiden gig in London, where some of my Sheffield friends were also in attendance, but separately.

Gratitude List
1. Great food at Ozzy’s and Olivia’s
2. The amazing dessert at Olivia’s
3. Having a lovely afternoon and evening with Penny & Phil.

Dalyan & Ekincik – 21st June

It was Captain Caveman’s last day in Dalyan on Saturday 21st June and he’d not been feeling 100% the last few days. He was so busy at work and I don’t think he’d enjoyed working from home in Turkey as much as he’d hoped he might. The internet on our Turkcell hotspot had been fine for him but with staff shortages it meant he couldn’t step in and do nights in London to help out. He did book himself on to jobs to do that as soon as he got back to England, though.
To start the day, Captain Caveman wanted to eat breakfast at La Sorella again and this time he chose the avocado croissant which came with scrambled egg and cheese in it. I didn’t eat as I didn’t want to have a bad reaction for our day trip. Here’s what we paid for breakfast, with prices in lira;

La Sorella
1 Turkish tea 30
1 Double Espresso 120
1 Avocado croissant 390
Total spent 540 lira (£10.19)

Our next bit of excitement for the day was on the Princess of Ekincik boat trip and I really hoped Captain Caveman would enjoy it. When we arrived at the boat, our Captain said that, due to rough seas, he was thinking of changing the destination from Bacardi Bay to Ekincik. I knew Captain Caveman would be disappointed as he prefers Bacardi Bay. Ismail explained to everyone that the sea had been particularly choppy over at Bacardi Bay yesterday and he didn’t want it to ruin people’s day trip. I was glad I’d took one of my trusted Avimone sickness pills and everyone agreed that the Captain would know best about our destination. The group of people on the boat were fantastic and I even knew Rachel, and her family, from Turkish class. It was really great to see that everyone was polite and there was lots of room for everyone to get comfy as we set off towards Ekincik for the day. We tucked in to the homemade biscuits with our hot drinks, of which there was an impressive tea selection.

The Princess of Ekincik boat trip turned out to be the best we had been on so far. The boat was roomy and comfortable, the 2 children onboard were well behaved, the adults were too and even the one smoker was considerate and hardly noticeable which made the trip more pleasant. The food was also of the best I’ve had on a boat trip with great choice of drinks and food. The swim spots were fabulous with not many other boats and our captain and his second mate were wonderful. The boat steps were very similar to those on Duran Duran boat and meant they were really good for anyone with mobility issues. I loved being in the water in the quiet coves – it was nice to enjoy drinks after a swim while sat on a comfy bean bag. There was fruit and cake in the afternoon which is always a nice touch too.
We paid £35 for the boat trip and we did go a bit mad with the drinks, spending about 1,800 (£34) between the 2 of us. I was a bit tiddly and ended up kicking the side of the boat when I was walking to the bar. It hurt a bit at the time but I thought nothing of it, until I got off and put my shoes on. We’d got dropped off near the end of bar street and had thought we might go for a drink. It was so hot out of the breeze of the boat that we just went home, with me limping, to shower and change. I took photos of the bus station notice boards on our way, for all the day trips they do.

It was apparent that I had probably broken my little toe when I hobbled out of the shower. Captain Caveman and I were due to go out for a last meal together and then be ready for his pick up tomorrow at 4am. To celebrate his working from home break of 12 days in Dalyan, we decided to venture back out. We had a drink in Heybe’s and a quick chat with Donny before deciding we would no longer go in to the Turkish Quarter for dinner. I said I would be able to hobble over to wherever Captain Caveman fancied but he decided he would like our farewell date night to be at Lukka bar. I love Lukka and the owners and staff there are considered good friends, however I’d not been able to go out much of late and hadn’t been for such a long time. I was also a bit reluctant to spend a lot of money on a night out when I still had so many things on my essentials to buy list. Captain Caveman said not to worry and we were going there.
We were welcomed in and given a table in a good location and we looked at the menu. It was the first time I’d eaten there since the new chef so I wasn’t sure whether to go for an old favourite or try something new. Captain Caveman ordered wine and water, then suggested a mixed meze plate. He ordered lamb and I stuck to the sweet and sour chicken.
All the food was great and I really enjoyed our last night together. Here’s what we paid, prices in lira;

Lukka bar
1 large water 110
Mixed meze plate 430
Sweet & Sour chicken 770
Lamb Shish 875
1 bottle Angora white wine 950
Tip 200
Total paid 3,335 lira (£63)

Captain Caveman thought it was very reasonable and we were both impressed with the food and service. After a lovely meal we popped next door to pick up a Citronella candle too which smells amazing.

Maizie Moo
1 Citronella candle 400 lira (£7.55)

Today had been the most money I had spent this year, in just one day, so I was still feeling a bit like I needed to get back on track when Captain Caveman left. We set the alarm and Captain Caveman finalised his packing before bed to try and get 6 hours sleep.

Gratitude List
1. Princess of Ekincik boat trip
2. Meal out at Lukka bar
3. Splashing out on treats for our last day together.

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 19th & 20th June

I was so busy on Thursday 19th June that I’m not sure I had time to eat breakfast or lunch. Captain Caveman had a few meetings and the weather outside was very hot. We eventually went to the shops about 6.40pm and here’s what we bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
3 Didos 56.95
2 Quark 58.00
Cherry juice 79.95
Wholemeal bread 84.95
2 Dubai chocolate bars 89.90
1kg chicken 245.23
Total 614.88 lira (£11.60)

We also tried to get another kitchen sink plug but failed. I managed to get up to Module 3 on a course I’m doing for publishing a planner.

Gratitude List
1. Both being able to work from home
2. Shopping
3. Dubai chocolate.

I’d tried to organise some after work drinks for Friday 20th June, given that the Friday Bar crawl didn’t seem to be happening. Captain Caveman had said he would finish work at 4pm so I would try to do that too. Usually weekends and evenings are when I get the most enquiries/bookings for holidays so I was finding it hard to change my working pattern. Our first treat of the day, though, was a quick trip to nearby La Sorella so that Captain Caveman could have a proper coffee and a croissant. He ordered a plain one but I ordered the chocolate one with banana and fruit – it was immense and I was so stuffed. The prices for what we had were as follows;

La Sorella
1 Green tea 60
1 Double Espresso 120
1 croissant 130
1 chocolate croissant with fruit 290
Total 600 lira (£11.32) but we got 50 lira (94p) off.

I’d never have spent that if Captain Caveman wasn’t here but it was a really lovely treat.
I called at the bank before work and sent messages to friends asking if anyone fancied meeting us later. Most people responded to say they couldn’t make it apart from one friend who was up for tonight. I was pleased in a way that it looked like Captain Caveman and I could spend some time together, but was also a bit disappointed that we weren’t going to be out with friends for him to see them before he left for the UK. We had bacon sandwiches for lunch and we both had lots to do in the afternoon. Captain Caveman and I worked until 6pm (which was only 4pm UK time) before getting ready to go out. We decided to go to Okyanus for a drink where a friend came over to meet us. We saw Üstün, the waiter who was previously working at Tapa and who me and my parents like, and we got chatting and taking photos. We had 2 white wines and 3 beers for 900 lira (£16.98) and then decided to say bye to our friend and have a wander in to town. Captain Caveman chose Cafe Ivy to go to and we sat down to briefly say hello to Lou and the kids. We found some sunglasses which didn’t seem to be anyone’s and Captain Caveman said he would borrow them and then hand them in.
While at Cafe Ivy, we got a message from Debbie to say she was going to pop to join us for one and Ghislaine went past with some friends and her dogs, so came to join us after all.
Here’s what Captain Caveman and I had with prices in lira;

Cafe Ivy
2 Efes Malt 280
2 Glasses of white wine 300
1 chicken strips 300
Lots of free popcorn
Total 880 lira + 100 lira tip = 980 lira (£18.50)

After our night out, we went home and warmed up a curry for our dinner.

Gratitude List
1. Breakfast at La Sorella
2. Nice food
3. A night out.

Dalyan & Bacardi Bay – 15th June

Sunday 15th June was a real treat as we had booked to go on a boat trip with Captain Boris. It cost £45 each which isn’t the cheapest boat trip in Dalyan but they pride themselves on making sure they give great service and food. On all the previous trips I’ve been on with them, they’ve definitely been particularly memorable. I was so excited to be going with Captain Caveman and enjoying our day off doing something really lovely. We were off out to sea for the whole day and later going over to a party at Mark and Kate’s. Our first stop off was to the corner shop for some beers to take for the party later. 4 cans of Efes was 340 lira (£6.42) and we put them in the rucksack for later. I’d already given Vanessa a bottle of Prosecco to take for me to save it going warm.
The boat trip was rather an eclectic mix of people and there was a bit of confusion at the start as 2 people were late and Colin didn’t turn up at all! Quite early doors on the trip, it became apparent that we had a lot of smokers on, which Captain Caveman and I aren’t fans of. It’s obviously better if you can afford, or have enough friends for, a private trip, but we didn’t so we had to put up with it. Captain Caveman also got ‘trapped’ at the front of the boat with some older chatty women which weren’t his cup of tea and all smoked too much. Luckily, there was a nice couple on board who I ended up talking to a bit. We went to Bacardi Bay which was beautiful and we had a swim. Captain Caveman had beer which were 150 lira (£2.83) each and I had wine at 180 lira (£3.40) per glass – still good prices compared to the UK. The BBQ and food was really nice – I particularly enjoyed the prawns which were delicious. Captain Caveman can’t eat prawns or mushrooms so I had extra prawns and a bit more chicken and mushroom casserole. I did enjoy it, there was plenty for us to get more food if we wanted to. I think we had 3 drinks each as we paid 1,000 lira (£19) in total for drinks. It was a lovely day and I had to let my head not feel bad for spending £109 for the 2 of us as it was ! After several swim stops, cake and fruit, we headed back to Dalyan before 5pm ready to go to our next event. We got dropped off at Portakal ferry and walked to Mark and Kate’s where we joined their party. Vanessa and Matt were getting ready to leave when we got there, as they had errands to run before they left Dalyan tomorrow. Vanessa had arranged to meet me and another friend tomorrow to say farewell as they were driving back to the UK and had decided to go a few days earlier than planned. There was quite a crowd at Mark and Kate’s, some familiar faces as well as some new people. We also had chip butties to eat and later Mark and Vinnie got the port and cheese out. Mark’s son was over visiting so it was nice to meet and I enjoyed talking about yachts with him. We didn’t stay late as Captain Caveman and I had work tomorrow and I was really tired.

Gratitude List
1. Being lucky enough to be going on a boat trip
2. Amazing food, including prawns
3. Having a good time at Mark and Kate’s party.

Dalyan – 13th June

At 1am on Friday 13th June, I got a message from Jamie to say that he wanted to tell me in person, but couldn’t speak right now because he was absolutely heartbroken.
Edna, his youngest dog, had passed away!
I called Jamie straight back, both of us trying to stop the tears, and he let me know what had happened; he had been at the vets with her when he rang me but the signal had been rubbish. He’d had to drive to the Köyceğiz vet as the local one was closed, they had given Edna medicine for her existing heart murmur but, unfortunately, she died in his arms shortly afterwards. Luckily It had been quick, very sudden in fact, but pain free – I was also in bits. Captain Caveman came back down from bed to console me, he was also upset. I messaged Drew, who had flown back to the UK that morning, and of course he was heartbroken too. Edna was such a great dog and we all loved her, in fact I know a lot of people who read my blog will be upset too. We went to bed, knowing that we would all miss Edna, a lot, but with the comfort that she would now be reunited with Graeme, her Big Daddy.

After not much sleep, I had to get up and go on a Birthday boat trip, which I was no longer in the mood for, if I’m honest. We were about to have a full-on day aboard Captain Fuat’s Adıl boat at £30 (or 1,560 lira) for the trip. We set sail and were off out to sea so I had taken a travel sickness tablet, Avimone, which makes me really drowsy but works.

While Captain Caveman worked from home for the day, it meant that I was without a working phone, as I’d left home the hot spot. Vanessa had invited Captain Caveman on the Friday Bar crawl and she was going to message him with where they were so he could join them at 7pm (5pm UK time), when he finished work.
The first stop of the boat trip was to the caves on the way to Ekincik where you can swim through the cave, around and back to the boat. It’s quite challenging for a general swimmer and is very often on the choppy side. I’ve swam it a couple of times but I’ve also seen people get in to difficulties there. Today, was particularly choppy and the few other boats that were there, had already gone by the time some of our group had got in. Only the brave had swam through the caves and the others had gone out in to the open sea. I stayed on the boat which was swaying a lot and I had to stare at the horizon to not be sick. Some people did find it rather arduous swimming back to the boat against the current. Captain Fuat had to help get some people back in and I was glad I’d decided to not go in. Our next stop was decided with a slight change to the route – back towards hole island where it was calmer. I had a little swim but I was still feeling a bit seasick – one of the ladies onboard gave a couple of us a ginger sweet, which worked.
We had a lovely BBQ lunch in a secluded bay and another swim stop later, where people didn’t really get off for a swim. I had a pomegranate juice which was so lovely. Mark & Kate got dropped off at the jetty to their house saying they weren’t going back out, and I went back in to town to walk home so I could get WiFi again.

When I got in, Captain Caveman was still working but he had not heard from Vanessa or any other bar crawl participants yet. We decided to meet back up with my friend to celebrate it being her birthday. Captain Caveman and I walked to Caria Hotel for 7.30pm. It’s the new place which has replaced the Tezcan hotel, where they have a lovely riverside bar. We ordered a bottle of Turkish rosé wine for 900 lira (£17). Turgay our waiter, brought us a cheese and fruit plate over, which was really lovely, great views and the menu had a good choice. I paid the bill and then we got a message from Vanessa saying they were in Ozzy’s. Our friend went home and Captain Caveman and I went to join the bar crawl, or who was left of it. When we got there, Vanessa and Matt (who had been out since 2pm but had forgot to message until now) were on their last drink and were leaving as we arrived. Kate had already left Mark who was there with Tracey and Vinnie so we joined them for a drink. We only stayed out for a couple as Mark, Vinnie and Tracey were being sensible and going home before they got too drunk. We had a group photo with Ozzy and one of the bar men before walking home to get our dinner.

Gratitude List
1. An entertaining birthday boat trip with Captain Fuat on Adıl Boat
2. Drinks at the new Caria Hotel
3. Joining the tail end of the bar crawl with Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 12th June

I had a busy day planned on Thursday 12th June; I had agreed to an impromptu doggy day care for a cute little puppy. I’d met Sassy before but I’d not looked after her. I left Captain Caveman working from home, in possession of our hot spot phone and walked over to Mel’s, not really knowing which was her house.
After walking round the house a few times and waiting outside, I ventured up some stairs and found the right place. Sassy was very cute and a little bit cheeky. Mel had the AC on and fans so the house was nice and cool. She made me a cup of tea and we ran through the requirements for the doggy day care.
My first meeting of the day was a free mini course on Visibility with Lisa Johnson (a first of 3 parts for just 30 minutes). It was really interesting and I got a lot out of it. I was meant to have lunch at 12 noon, but I was too busy trying to make sure the puppy was not getting in to any bother. After giving attention to Sassy for a while I got back on to the laptop and dialled in to our Resort Experts Team Meeting.
The meeting went well, and we followed it with another meeting of just me, Dagne (Majorca) and Helen (Italy) to talk about more work related plans and to help each other. I finally ate the salad I brought at about 3.45pm and little Sassy was keen to get a piece of chicken out of me, which of course she did.
I finished work around 5pm and took the dog for a walk. She was hilarious and wanted to be petted by everyone she saw. We also got as far as the Little Migros roundabout when she decided she had walked far enough and sat down. I walked her back home and then she was done for – even snoring a little.
I checked the house for wees to clean up. Mel had informed me she would go on the puppy pads. The only guaranteed dry bits were the puppy pads and she had done a big poo in Mel’s office. Sassy watched as I picked it up and put it down the toilet, then cleaned the floor. Around 8pm, I left her, as Mel was due back – she had been a bit cheeky but so cute and she loved playing fetch with Mel’s slippers.

I walked back along the river as the sun was setting and went home to see if Captain Caveman had finished his working day.
We decided to go for a drink at Retro Bar, where Captain Caveman had an Efes Malt and I had a red wine. It was 90 lira (£1.70) per drink and I paid 200 lira (£3.77) with a tip – a bargain!

We decided to eat out, as I’d not had time today to prepare anything. As Captain Caveman is rarely in Dalyan in the summer, it was his choice of where to go. He’d never been to Firat’s before and wanted to try it, as lots of us rate it as one of our favourites.
We decided to have a bottle of Angora red wine, a large water, courgette fritters, beetroot, green beans in tomato sauce, garlic yoghurt, a chicken shish with rice, salad and chips plus complimentary lavaş (balloon bread). We shared it all, it was delicious and we both really enjoyed it. The bill came to 2,140 lira (£40.38) of which 800 lira (£15) was for the wine. We also left a 200 lira (£3.77) tip which they were very happy with. Captain Caveman was thrilled at how we were both stuffed and had shared a bottle of wine for less than £45 for the 2 of us – he would struggle to find that back home. Firat’s was also now on his favourite restaurants, in Dalyan, list. We were getting ready to leave when I got a call from Jamie. I answered it but there was no one there. I assumed he had called me by mistake as it was quite late and almost 11pm. I tried to call back but couldn’t get through. I sent a message but no reply, so we walked over to Ozzy’s bar for a night cap.

Captain Caveman went on to beer and I had red wine, we chatted to Ozzy and admired his new beer mats. Our drinks with tip came to 300 lira (£5.66) which was still reasonable. It was midnight by the time we got home, having had a lovely evening. I was still worried about Jamie, though, and was not prepared for what I would hear when I did get to speak to him.

Gratitude List
1. Looking after a puppy who was super cute
2. Great Resort Experts colleagues and meetings
3. Having a wonderful evening out with Captain Caveman.