Dalyan – 13th December

Friday 13th December was one of those unusual days and it really cheered both Captain Caveman and I up, I had 2 cups of tea to start my day and a grapefruit. I had a bit of a shift in attitude and decided I needed to be a bit more positive and grateful for the things I did have. Our first mission of the day was a first for me – taking Norman and Edna to the vets. They had their appointment for some routine medication so Captain Caveman and I walked them along to Kaunos vets. They both seemed fairly happy to be in the vets and Edna even jumped on the scales and tried to choose herself some treats for being good – this was before we got in to the vet’s room. Once inside, Norman knew exactly what was going on and was already moving back towards the door. Each dog was to be given 2 tablets and one was pretty big for a small dog. First up was Edna and I told her the tablets were treats! I barely saw both of hers get swallowed but I did see her try to eat Norman’s too. Norman was very crafty and he pretended to swallow the first smaller tablet, I actually saw him swallow, so the vet gave him the larger one and held his mouth shut. He waited and then spat both out!! The second and third attempts were more successful. On the way out Norman had to be lifted on the scales but Edna jumped on and waited for her result. They had both lost weight and Edna was pleased to be doing so well on her weight loss journey.
We called at the shops, where Captain Caveman and the dogs waited outside. Here’s what we bought and the prices in lira;

Şevikoğlu Supermarket
1 tomato puree 19.90
1 tin of tomatoes 23.90
880g chicken breast 140.71
Total spent 184.51 lira (£4.19)

Yaman Büfe 2
1 bottle of red Idol wine 215.000 lira (£4.89)

Migros Supermarket
2 Dido chocolate bars 28.50
1 packet Tutku biscuits 35.50
Mozzarella cheese 89.90
420g Feta style cheese 278.30
Total spent 268.80 lira (£6.11)

Back home we had the obligatory soup, with bread and a Dido chocolate bar each. Edna had decided she liked the sunny sofa arm and I did a quick video for Jamie and I finished work early, with it being a Friday. Captain Caveman and I shared making fajitas for dinner.
We arrived at our friend’s villa on time and armed with 2 bottles of wine and some chocolate biscuits. Joining us were 2 ladies who had only met briefly before but had quite a lot in common. We all knew each other from the Sunday walks, which was nice. The night was so lovely, with perfect hosts; there were pastries, mince pies, chocolate cake, pickled onions (which I love) and plenty of mulled and normal wine! I didn’t take any photos on account of the company who prefer not to have photos taken so I didn’t want to be rude and I was too busy enjoying myself to get my phone out anyway. It was just what we needed!
I got rather tipsy with 3 mulled wines and 3 red wines before we staggered home. I had one of those drunken epiphanies that one sometimes gets after reading too many words of wisdom on social media!

Dalyan – 25th November

Captain Caveman went Dogging on the morning of Monday 25th November but I had arranged to meet him at the Fenerbahçe villa at 1pm for something a bit different on a Monday afternoon. While I was having my second cup of tea of the day and my cornflakes for a late breakfast, I read ‘Lily’s Not so Secret Diary of Dalyan Doings’. It’s a Facebook blog written by a friend and ex Dalyan Dweller and I found it very interesting to read, especially as she had promised to share all about her recent departure from Dalyan to go back to the UK to live. It wasn’t nearly as ‘name and shame’ as I thought it might get but she did mention about being palled out by her so-called friends and that it had upset her. It left me thinking I was not the only one this had happened to recently but at least it hadn’t upset me as much as it had her. It was a good read of why, after 5 years of living in Dalyan, that her and her husband had decided to move back to England. Here’s the link if you want to have a read of her Facebook post;
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AmTNPUaaR/

I worked in the morning and then got a bit lost on my way to meet Captain Caveman. Our friend Debbie (walking group, not Fat Club Debbie or my parents’ neighbour Debbie) had kindly offered to drive the 3 of us to the Sultaniye mud baths after I had mentioned how much Captain Caveman and I liked going there and she had not yet been.
We drove to the Denizkizi ferry and paid to cross which was 100 lira (£2.30) and quite a bargain for 3 people and a car, I would say. It’s then a short drive to the Sultaniye mudbaths once you get past Pirates & Skulls and Mavi Yasemin café at the other side of the river. When we got parked it was good to see we had certainly chosen a quiet time to visit and I paid the 30 lira (69p) each entrance fee, which incidentally has no time limit on it. This allows you access to the mud pool, a sulphur hot bath and 2 separate hot pools which are usually inside a dome structure but they were being repaired and currently in use as an open air hot pool. The lake was also there to swim in, there was a hose pipe type of shower, changing rooms, toilets, a café and a bar. If you’ve not been before it is advisable to remove silver jewellery as the sulphur will tarnish it and I’d recommend taking old swimmers as they will get smelly. It was so lovely to get in the red hot sulphur pool which only had Turkish customers there today. We stayed in a while then went in to the open air hot pool, Captain Caveman had a lake swim along the way but that was too cold and choppy for me to indulge in without my glasses on! At the café Captain Caveman fancied a snack and a beer so I ordered in Turkish a mixed toastie, a beer and a tea. The woman told me to take a beer from the fridge, that the toastie would be brought to our table and that I had to wait for the tea to brew. I ended up asking for the tea again and she said she was still waiting for the machine but we saw others drinking and I never got mine. I wasn’t about to ask for a 20 lira (46p) refund as I paid on card but I never got my hot tea. Debbie, Captain Caveman and I loved the Sultaniye mud baths experience and it is easily the cheapest spa/pamper afternoon I’ve had. It’s a shame it is just a bit too far to walk and a taxi would cost more than the visit. Here’s a breakdown of what we spent there, in lira;

Sultaniye mud baths
3 x entrance fee 90.00 lira (£2.07)

Café
1 Turkish tea 20.00 (not received)
1 mixed toastie 100.00
1 Efes Malt 120.00
Total spent 240.00 lira (£5.52)

Car ferry 100.00 lira (£2.30)

Total spent 430.00 lira (£9.89)

We got the ferry back and decided it would be nice to have a walk along the river, rather than going to Debbie’s and walking back home from there. As the sun was going in, it had turned quite cold and we were all togged up in our winter coats. It was just before 5pm when we got home so, after hot showers and getting all our sulphur smelling clothes in the wash, it was time to make the Yorkshire puddings I had promised. We had a roast chicken with cabbage, carrots, onion, garlic and potatoes with the Yorkshire puddings and of course I just had to have 4!!! It wasn’t looking good for a weight loss this week.

Dalyan – 14th November

There was some excitement on Thursday 14th November as my parents and I had arranged for the 4 of us to meet up and go out for a bit of a treat. I had Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) for breakfast and a cup of green tea. Captain Caveman was Bumming and would be rushing to get back in time for the taxi. I went to the bank and noticed that our neighbour in A Block and her painter team were hard at the painting, even Aslı herself was getting handy with a paintbrush. I decided to wear a red dress and my fancy jelly shoes, the ones Khanh Linh, in Phong Nha, had bought me as a gift and they looked a bit more respectable than my porter sandals. It was great that it was the middle of November but still warm enough in the day to have bare legs.

My parents had arranged for Fikri to pick them up and we were meant to be at theirs in time but as we dashed over there, we met the taxi. We drove over to Yalıcapkanı restaurant, which translates to Kingfisher, and has had a recent refurb. I’ve not been there for a while and they only had certain things left on the lunch menu as they were changing the menu as of that evening. We were lucky to be the only customers in the restaurant because we had gone for a late lunch.

For starters we each chose something and shared it all; mezes including a chickpea and red pepper dip, artichoke, atom with chillies and liver with red onion. We were given warm bread, oil and cheese to go with it and it all tasted amazing. Captain Caveman drank beer while the rest of us ordered a glass each of wine, which was very nice and cost 220 lira (£5) per glass. For mains we had a limited choice because each of our first choices weren’t available. Dad had wanted lasagne but plumped for the chicken with mash, my mom chose seafood linguine, while Captain Caveman and I both had the meatballs. The waiter and other staff were very nice, even told my Dad he had ordered the best dishes, and took a photo of us all.

It was so sunny in the light and airy, newly decorated restaurant and we also had a walk around the grounds after our food. We perused the dessert menu and all ended up choosing either Goat’s milk ice cream (Captain Caveman and Mom) or a cheese cake. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch, including the pomegranate cheesecake, and was glad that our last meal out with my parents had been so good. The waiter had been right about my dad’s choice as the chicken was excellent. The cost for 4 of us with a drink, starters, mains and desserts came to 5,000 lira (£114.42) so just under £30 per person, not bad for a 3 course lunch out at a beautiful place.

We waited for the taxi while watching some turtles have an orgy, which is always nice! Back at home the painting of the outside of the complex was making the place look much better.
Captain Caveman had been away from his Bridge for too long so he spent the rest of the day doing that. We didn’t bother with any dinner that evening, as we were full. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day as we had visitors coming.

Photo credit – some photos taken by Mom and

Dalyan – 10th November

Captain Caveman’s alarm went off at 7.30am on Sunday 10th November and he was up out of bed prompt. I looked at the weather forecast and it looked a bit cooler and like it might rain. When I checked outside it was dry and, as I was awake so early, I decided I would join Captain Caveman and my parents on the Sunday Walk today. I borrowed one of Captain Caveman’s jackets in case it did rain and we left the house just after 8.30am. As I got down the stairs the rain started and I put the orange coat on, but Captain Caveman reassured me that it wouldn’t be heavy rain.
There were still a fair few attendees for the Sunday Walk and we waited under the shelter of the Kaunos Tea Gardens for any last minute arrivals. Even though Captain Caveman posts the event on the Dalyan in Winter Facebook group, he rarely knows who, if anyone, is definitely coming so he only waits for people past 9am if he knows a person is coming. In my experience most people who turn up don’t say they are coming, in case they decide not to on the day.

Today was also the anniversary of Ataturk’s death so at 9.05am the sirens sounded and all the Turks stood still and silent. We also honoured this observation before setting off on the walk, mainly out of respect and because of a short downpour. The walk went better and quicker than I thought it would, with a bit of intermittent rain. It was actually nice to walk without being hot and sweaty. Back at the tea gardens, Captain Caveman and I shared a cheese and onion toastie and we both had a tea. When I looked over to my parents, Dad was on the Efes Malt and it was only 11.30am on a Sunday – he had not realised it was still morning!

Back home we had more lunch, soup yet again (I was determined to hit that weight target by the end of the year). I worked all afternoon and then sorted us out with some curry and steamed rice for dinner. Tomorrow there was notification of a planned power cut in the morning, so I was glad that I had worked on a Sunday until gone 11pm and could have a rare lay in.

Photo credit – some of the Sunday Walk taken by Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 9th November

On Saturday 9th November, things got a little bit unpredictable; Captain Caveman did not get up before me, nor did he make me a cup of tea in bed. We had said last night that we would get up early to go to the market but it looked like Captain Caveman had changed his mind.
I made my own tea and had some buttered toast and a banana for breakfast, while I waited for Captain Caveman to get up, as he said he would do shortly. I chopped all the veg to make a large amount of leek and potato soup and put it all in the slow cooker with some vegetable stock. It would be ready around 1pm, in time for lunch and with some leftover to batch up for the freezer. I got impatient waiting for Captain Caveman to come downstairs and went to check on him. He still hadn’t got out of bed and was on his phone, scrolling at a load of what I would describe as ‘crap’. I needed to go to the bank and I was also meeting a lady as I had some clothes for sale, which she was interested in buying an item from me. I was now down to a size 12 so I had lots of clothes that were far too big for me and were taking up space in the wardrobes and cupboards. Captain Caveman said he would be up and ready for the market after I had been to my parents, the bank and met with the potential clothes buyer.
The lady bought the item and we had a lovely chat. My parents were well and were also off to the market and I could have gone with them but I hadn’t brought the shopping bags or list and I was waiting for Captain Caveman so that he could help carry all the items I had on the list. I didn’t want to be too long as I still needed to do some work and some writing and the weekends are the busiest times for enquiries so I wanted to make sure I was available. I also needed to be back to turn off the slow cooker with the soup in.
Having been in and out of the house twice already, it was 11.30am as I walked back in glorious sunshine to get Captain Caveman, who had assured me he would be ready to go to the market. He wasn’t, he was still laying on the bed scrolling through his phone. I got told he didn’t fancy going to the market today as he was going to have a lazy day. I was fuming, as I could have already been and done the market shopping ages ago. I would also have loved a lazy day myself but I didn’t have that choice of such a luxury. It really felt like I was trying to fight a losing battle and that Captain Caveman, who was ordinarily more of an action person, was becoming even more of an argumentative, lazy, phone addicted teenager. I wouldn’t have minded as much if he had said hours ago that he had no intention of doing what he had suggested yesterday. I was at a loss as to how to handle the situation as Captain Caveman is not someone who will do anything he doesn’t want to. I decided that all I could do is do things as if he wasn’t going to join in or be of help and then quickly adapt when he decided he would be. I asked the internet for answers but that was a lot more worrying than real life.
Finally, at gone 12.30pm, I hurried to the market and here is what I bought at each stall, prices in lira;

Stall 1
A massive white cabbage & leeks 100

Stall 2
Plums 30

Stall 3
Bazlama bread, spring onions, lettuce 140

Stall 4
Potatoes 40

Stall 5
Pumpkin & garlic 90

Total spent 400 lira (£9)

With hindsight, I should not have bothered going and maybe managed without going to the market this week. Even my favourite stall holder tried to rip me off but she had picked the wrong time and I was having none of it, right now. She’s an old lady and it could’ve been an honest mistake but I asked (in Turkish) how much the pumpkin and garlic came to, she replied 90 lira and I gave her the only note I could, a 200 lira. She then gave me 10 lira back and was about to go on with her day. I asked her where my 100 lira was and she told me I gave her 100 lira, the 200 note was still in her hand with the open bumbag and her friend was listening to me to see what I was going to do next. I again, speaking in Turkish, told her I gave her 200, that she had a 200 right there and that I had 10 lira but wanted another 100. She was about to weigh the pumpkin and garlic again but I stood firm and then got my 100 lira – we all had a laugh and I made out like she made a mistake but I was unsure if she hadn’t done it on purpose. My bag was so heavy that I had to not bother getting any more fruit or peppers as I really struggled to carry the bag.
When I put it all away at home, we had some of my homemade leek and potato soup with some of the nice bread from the market for lunch. It was gone 2.30pm when I managed to start any work and I had to be finished by 4.30pm to go to meet a friend, who was over from England but leaving to go home tomorrow. I mentioned to Captain Caveman that his laziness and lack of communication this morning had meant I was behind by a lot and he suggested we cancel going for a tea at the tea gardens with my friend. Obviously, this was because he had been playing Bridge and didn’t want to stop. I said he had to come and I had invited my parents as well. At the tea gardens we both drank fresh sage and lemon tea, which is amazing and one of my favourite teas there. My parents had a beer and we watched the sunset after my friend had arrived from her boat trip.
By 6.30pm, Captain Caveman was feeling the cold, my friend was still in her shorts so we decided to walk back home. At home, Captain Caveman tried to redeem himself by making a pasta with peppers, olives and sucuk for our dinner. I decided I had too much to catch up on tomorrow that I wouldn’t go on the Sunday Walk, despite probably needing the exercise and it being the last one my parents would be going on this year.

Dalyan – 4th November

On the morning of Monday 4th November, we realised we were out of eggs so I popped to Şok Supermarket and bought 15 for 72.50 lira (£1.63) and then went back home for pancakes for breakfast. I’d got some Yorkshire pudding mixture left over from yesterday so it was silly not to eat it up.
There was a bit of excitement for a Monday, and I had decided to take myself off on location. My boss and the sales manager at Resort Experts had been advocating it in the last discussions I had had with them, so I asked if a few people fancied meeting me there, my new office for the day. I had decided that I was going to join Captain Caveman, Ian, Janet and Patricia (from the walking crew) and get a lift to the nearest beach. Captain Caveman had been in touch with the İçmeler walking group and they were doing a walk over the hills close to Iztuzu beach so he, Ian and Patricia had decided to join. Janet and I had already said it was beyond our capabilities but we could use our time wisely while waiting for them, at the beach. I don’t often get to work from the beach and I thought it would be really lovely – a bit different to my usual Mondays. My parents were up for it and said they would get the bus down, a couple of friends said they would pop down too, perhaps for lunch at the cafe. After a hot beverage and saying bye to the walking lot, there was initially just Janet and I. We took some photos and chatted and then my parents arrived. Dad went straight in to the sea and was pleasantly surprised that the temperature was still swimmable and fine once you got in. My friends were next to arrive. After a lunch of a chicken sandwich for a bargain 150 lira (£3.37), and it was rather substantial, I decided it was time for a swim in the sea. Dad was right – it was lovely.
The time flew by and, before we knew it, my parents had to get the last bus back to Dalyan, my friends had to get back as the dogs weren’t being made too welcome on the beach and had to be left in the car (with a window open).
When Captain Caveman and his walking friends returned it was certainly cracking on, timewise. Ian & Janet gave Patricia, Captain Caveman and I a lift back to Dalyan and we all got dropped off near the Waterfall bar.

I had a soda water and Captain Caveman had an Efes while I fought with my wet swimmers in the loo. I didn’t have any wifi but I was due to pop over to Vanessa’s to say bye once I got home. As we were sat there, at the bar at Waterfall, Vanessa and Matt pulled up in a car and by chance we got to say bye. They had been to ours already and left us some goodies on the stairs. Even though they were planning on spending their last evening in Dalyan at home, they had been invited to a BBQ so were off there instead.
Captain Caveman was quite tired when he got in so he lolled on the sofa playing Bridge on his phone while I made a chicken and vegetable stir fry with steamed rice for dinner. We were still peckish a bit later so we had bread and olives and some Turkish Delight while watching something on Netflix. I’d loved ‘working’ from the beach today and I felt refreshed.

Dalyan – 3rd November

It was Captain Caveman’s Sunday walk on Sunday 3rd November and this week there was a bit of excitement as we were crossing the river. I wore a red Vietnam t-shirt, cycling shorts and plastic porter sandals. I remembered to take a banana and some water as this week was a bit more hilly than usual. My parents had decided not to come as my mom had some issue with her toes and she wasn’t sure my Dad’s knees would manage it. There was quite a crowd of us and the walk turned out to be a bit too much for me, especially when I had eaten my banana early doors, then drank all of my water. We took the Portakal ferry over to the other side of the river, which cost 15 lira (34p) each, and coming back cost 25 lira (56p) each on the rowing boat. In between, there was walking on quite a tricky ‘path’ which I found too steep and the group kept having to wait for me.

When we reached the top there were some amazing views, admittedly, but I wasn’t convinced that it was worth the pain I would be in tomorrow. A few of the ladies on the walk were encouraging and one lady in particular helped me when I couldn’t even see a path to follow. When we got to the white building, which I had often seen from afar while on boat trips, I was told there was a water tap, and got excited. However, one of the ladies mentioned it had been off a couple of days ago. Captain Caveman went on ahead to check as he, another walker and me were out of water – the tap worked and he left it on. I, concerned it would run out, ran to the tap to fill up my bottle. The others laughed at me as a few minutes previously, I had been struggling to keep up with the walking pace, and running was not expected from my audience. By the time we had walked along the Kaunos city walls and were on the downhill stretch, the group were much faster and I couldn’t even see them.

When we eventually got back to the rowing boat, we went in 2 boats and even got a small discount, with their being so many of us at once. Quite a few of us were in need of a beverage at the tea gardens when we got back and I had a lemon soda while Captain Caveman had a beer, totalling 165 lira (£3.72). Even a double Turkish tea is only 15 lira (34p) there. It had been a great crowd and we were all grateful to Captain Caveman for his leading of it, I for one was way out of my depth but was thankful to have made it back.

I could hardly walk home as my legs and feet were so sore after the Sunday Walk. My parents would be pleased they had not attempted it and one lady had been glad that she had turned back at a sensible spot. For lunch, Captain Caveman put on more of the pumpkin and vegetable soup and we had it with fresh bread. I could easily have eaten it twice, even with the orzo added to make it extra filling.
There was no rest to be had, though, as I needed to get on with preparation for this evening, as I had invited my parents round for dinner. I made a beef mince and lentil ‘shepherd’s’ or ‘cottage’ pie but more like a hot pot as I used sliced normal and sweet potatoes on the top as Mom and I don’t like mash. We had red cabbage and leeks and I also did Yorkshire puddings to go with it. I had hoped to make a chocolate orange sponge for dessert but I couldn’t find any ready mix chocolate cake. My parents arrived around 7pm, Mom stuck to white wine while the rest of us drank red and we dished up the dinner. I thought it was rather tasty but Captain Caveman said he would have preferred it without the lentils in. Everyone ate it, though, and had seconds so it wasn’t that bad. It was nice to have my parents round and I think they were glad of the rest as they had been out and about with their Dalyan friends quite a bit lately. They only had 13 days left until they went back to Sheffield so they were certainly planning on making the most of Dalyan while they could – and who could blame them while the weather was still so lovely.

Photo credit – Some photos taken by others, including Captain Caveman, on the the Sunday Walk

Dalyan – 27th October

The alarm went off early and Captain Caveman went to make me a cup of tea on the morning of Sunday 27th October. The Sunday Walk was planned and the weather looked good. This time, Captain Caveman had made the walk so that it had a deliberate short cut in it for the slowies like me, Ma & Pa. I put in all the ingredients for a Chicken Provençal in the slow cooker and had a banana before I set off, this time. This week we had quite a few people join the walk and it was a good one going to Gunlüklü restaurant and back in a loop. For me, 10km is about my limit and my legs ached. At the end, there were just the 3 of us, me & my parents, but even they were off to the Kefal Tea Gardens via their house so left me just after the market road.
I called at the bakery for bread, then went home to prepare our lunch which was leek and potato soup.

In the afternoon, while Captain Caveman did the laundry and played Bridge on his phone, I did some work. I had a couple of friends who had mentioned Bali to me this week so I was doing a bit of research on the best places to go and what itineraries looked good.
For dinner we had some of the Chicken Provençal which Captain Caveman cooked the potato wedges with, while I was absorbed in Bali. The meal was really nice but we had no time to waste as we were due to go out.
My parents had invited us over for drinks, which was really nice of them. At my parents’ we had some wine, my Mom drank just a couple of beers as she was taking it steady and didn’t want to drink too much. Captain Caveman and Dad made up for it. Mom also had nibbles with cheese and biscuits which were very nice and terribly moreish. I had to remind Captain Caveman to stop shovelling it in like he’d never been fed. Mom even had to get out more cheese and crackers! We had taken wine round but Dad also opened some really nice wine from Cappadocia which was great. It was good to spend time with my parents as they were leaving in 3 weeks and I had no idea when I would see them after that.

Dalyan – 19th October

We were lucky enough to be on another boat trip, on Saturday 19th October, but I was a bit hung over. I felt bad that we had to kick our friend out as we were on a 9.30am start. We quickly had a cup of tea before we walked her to the bus and said our goodbyes. Hopefully, Steff would be able to come over again and we pencilled in for the day of the Dalyan Winter Fayre.
On board the boat today were a lovely mix of friends as well as Captain Caveman and my parents. We were once again with Captain Fuat and The Photographer on Adil boat and this time we were on a route set by the Captain, especially for us.
We had tea and coffee and some birdwatching on the way. We usually see Kingfishers which are popular in Dalyan but we also saw some lesser spotted species that I’d not encountered before.

**Photo credit – photos by friends on the boat, including Paul**

There were courgette fritters handed round by the Captain after we had a visit to a couple of islands. Dad and I swam round one of them with a friend and it was quite far. The water was a little on the cold side but still ok for us Brits – it was fine once you were in. It took quite some effort to swim round the island but we made it and then Dad and I were a bit weak after. While in the water, each of us saw snakes but did not point them out to one another. We saw that there were wild fires towards Dalaman and water planes kept filling up near us in the lake. It turned out no one else had a swim as it was too cold for them, so we decided to warm up at the mud baths.

**Photo credit – some taken by friends on the boat, including Paul**

When we got to Sultaniye, Captain Caveman and I went in with a couple of the others. Ma & Pa went to the pools that normally have domes on but they were being repaired so were open air, the others didn’t want to go in and saved themselves 30 lira (67p) each. Captain Caveman and I really enjoyed the hot pool and he was impressed, as he saw that beers were only 120 lira (£2.70) and they served food. It was now on his list of places to come in the winter. We had a lovely BBQ in a quiet spot and there were lots of different dishes.

Back home, Captain Caveman and I had Slimming World wraps made in to pizza for dinner which I made without realising we didn’t have any melty cheese in the house so we made do. It had been a lovely day out and I was very sleepy as we set our alarms for 7.30am tomorrow.

Dalyan – 18th October

Captain Caveman was at Bridge Club on the morning of Friday 18th October while I worked some more on my book. I’d had more positive feedback about all of my titles and I started to think I could perhaps put out a series of 3 (or more). I also signed my new contract and had now committed fully to being a Travel Advisor for Resort Experts. I started some lists so that I was getting organised for my new role and wrote down ideas and training requirements.
A friend who lives in Hisaranou, Steff, was also on her way to Dalyan and had messaged to say she was leaving Fethiye bus station. I’d got a Book Blueprint Masterclass with Abigail Horne, owner of Authors & Co, at 2pm so we didn’t have long until I needed to go back home for that. Captain Caveman had agreed to entertain Steff and I had drafted in my parents to help out. The idea was that they would go to the beach, I would have my one hour of online course, and then get the next bus down to join them at the beach. We all went to Kaunos tea gardens where I had just a large tea. I rushed back home and the one hour course was very good. I learned about the importance of a blueprint, talked about the difference between expository and narrative non-fiction and I realised my book(s) was going to be a mixture of both styles. I found out about the 10 step structure which was invaluable to me, and I’d already written my introduction, 13 chapter titles and had ideas for my afterward before the masterclass had ended.

On finishing the course, I messaged Steff to check she was ok and if they had got the 3pm bus to the beach, which I would miss but I could get the next one. She replied that they were still at the tea gardens and so I said I would come to them. Captain Caveman told Steff to say to stay where I was and they would come home but it was a lovely sunny day and I didn’t want to be stuck inside. Here’s what we had with prices in lira:
1 Turkish tea 15
1 coffee 50
1 cheese gözleme 150
3 Efes Malt beers at 435
2 white wine & orange juice 450
1 white wine 225
Total spent 1,325 lira (£29.64)

Instead of going to the beach, we said farewell to my parents and the 3 of us decided to go to Retro bar for some wine and cheese. We saw Nusret and Gonca while we were there and it turned out that Steff and her husband knew the new bar man there. The drinks were much more reasonably priced here and we had the following;
4 glasses of wine (with cheese) 400.00
1 Efes Malt 90.00
Total spent 490.00 lira (£10.96)

Conveniently, Captain Caveman had gone home to start making our dinner so I paid the bill then we walked round, feeling a bit chilly. Back home, Captain Caveman was making the 3 of us some pasta with meatballs and we had some drinks in the fridge.
After dinner, and a cheeky Malibu and diet coke, Steff and I went to the shop. Captain Caveman also thought it was probably unwise for her to get the bus all the way back late at night and said she could stay over. At the shop, Steff not only bought a bottle of white wine, but she got some extra snacks/crisps.
Captain Caveman polished off the snacks and fell asleep while Steff and I were chatting so I sent him to bed before us. I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d needed before Steff arrived, but we had laughed so much that the time had flown by and I’d realised I’d missed this! Because Steff and I had both been on health kicks as well as concentrating on our own careers, we were lightweights now but it was good to let our hair down. It was definitely gone midnight when we retired and I knew I would regret it in the morning.

Photo credit – some taken by Steff and Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 17th October

Thursday 17th October was set aside for book writing and I got stuck in to that straight after my cup of tea and a Slimming World pancake. I had now perfected the odd pancake which uses egg, mushed banana and oats to make a healthy pancake, topped with a sliced banana and a drizzle of honey. It tasted lovely and was on plan so I felt better after veering off plan yesterday.

After getting my proposed book titles for my book completed, I set off to meet Captain Caveman who was at Kefal tea gardens with the other Bummers. He’d been collecting the trash and was now having a beer and a toastie, which I had a little bit of with a lemon soda.

The bill at the tea gardens was;

1 Lemon soda 25.00
1 Mixed toastie 100.00
1 Efes Malt beer 145.00
Total spent 270 lira (£6.07)

I didn’t think the price was bad but some of the expats I knew, had stopped going to the tea gardens as they thought it was far too expensive for alcohol.

Back home, I spotted a caterpillar and learned something new; the eyes on the caterpillar are actually a pattern on their bum. Apparently, this is to confuse it’s enemies. For lunch we had more leek and potato soup with bread so I was already on 88 syns for the week – and it was only day 2!
I got on with more book and blog writing and then we had chicken curry for dinner.
In the evening I had a few replies on my book title ideas which made me rethink my original plan.

Dalyan – 8th October

Captain Caveman and I were lucky enough to be invited on a boat trip on Tuesday 8th October. Jamie was on his way back from New York and was arriving earlier than I had anticipated which made it easier for me to leave Norman and Edna after their morning routines. Captain Caveman was scheduled to be playing Bridge but wasn’t going today which gave us a rare opportunity for him to be available.
We joined Captain Fuat’s Adil boat at 10am and were off to sea with some lovely swimming and snorkelling stops along the way. We had hot drinks and simit as we sailed out to some beautiful coves for our first swim in a really nice spot. Once I take my glasses off, I can’t see to snorkel so I just had a good swim, going several times around the boat. While Captain Caveman swam to shore to pick up trash, I joined some of the ladies to clamber up some rocks. Back on board, the captain had thought we might be peckish and gave us some chicken nuggets and chips as interim nibbles before lunch.

There was a delicious BBQ for lunch and I had a couple of rosé wines with mine, Captain Caveman started on beer and then moved on to wine as both were 140 lira (£3.13) so the wine was better value. I just had the one plate for lunch as I’m always the slowest eater, on it I had; chicken, salad, köfte, green beans, yoghurt, mushrooms, potatoes, rice and a piece of brown bread. Captain Caveman certainly got his money’s worth with seconds and I gave him my köfte too.
There was more swimming and relaxing, we had another wine and enjoyed the hot weather. Later, the captain brought out a cake, as is his speciality, and I indulged even though it would probably not be good on my stomach later. It was gone 6pm when we got back to Dalyan after a really lovely boat trip with a great bunch of people.
After overeating on the boat, I didn’t need any dinner but I did have a couple of cubes of feta style cheese to keep the calcium levels up. It is never a good idea doing a boat trip the day before weigh day and Fat Club but I would suffer the consequences tomorrow. This week I had consumed 130 syns more than last week, at 336 syns, as I had expected I would with Captain Caveman being home.

Dalyan – 6th October

Captain Caveman had arranged the Sunday Walk on Sunday 6th October and I had said I would join him. Linda, Ma & Pa were also able to join and so I fed the dogs and had my overnight oats and a cup of tea before leaving to meet everyone at Captain June’s statue in the Kaunos tea gardens at 9am. I got there 15 minutes early so had chance to take some photos of the river and the other side. Captain Caveman had posted the event on the Dalyan in Winter Facebook group so that he would have an idea of who was coming, but he was surprised by how many people turned up. Before 9.30am, we had chatted to Kate who was looking for her missing cat outside her house. The rest of the group had gone on without us so Linda, my parents and I were lost before 9.40am and were too far behind the group to be able to catch up. None of us had any internet or could decipher the map without any markings on so we decided to go to Kingfisher restaurant for a cup of tea, or even breakfast. Unfortunately as we were nearing Kingfisher, we saw a path the others must have taken and carried on, we walked for ages and eventually a local man came to our rescue and told us a short cut – we must have looked hot and tired as he even offered to go get his car to drive us back to Dalyan. We carried on and came out just slightly ahead of the group and re-joined them. The walk ended at the Kaunos tea gardens where I had a soda and a piece of Captain Caveman’s gözleme (Turkish pancake) which he had with a beer. My parents ordered beers and toasties and a few of the walkers were having a beverage.

I went straight back to sort Norman and Edna out, who I had to wake up and then my parents, Captain Caveman and us decided to go for a beer in Aşkin’s. My parents had a bit of a to-do with losing a key so they had to go, luckily they found it once they got home and that was the end of that outing. Back at Jamie’s I made a potato and leek bake for dinner and had to wake Captain Caveman up to eat it. I took the dogs out by myself as Captain Caveman was back to sleep as soon as he had eaten. I struggled as my feet and legs ached from the 9km I had walked this morning.

Dalyan – 5th October

Captain Caveman arrived in to Istanbul airport at 5.35am on Saturday 5th October. He messaged me to say he was on time for his 7.45am flight to Dalaman. Sonuç was picking him up after he landed at 9.05am and would take him to his apartment. We had already agreed I wouldn’t be there to greet him as I was having breakfast with Norman & Edna. I had cereal and a cup of tea and had hoped I would be spending the day with Captain Caveman but he wasn’t forthcoming with any plans and told me to carry on as normal without him – he would catch up with me later on. This meant that I put off going to the weekly market unnecessarily, as I was waiting to see what Captain Caveman’s plans would be.
As Linda was keen to visit Pirates & Skulls, I decided to arrange to do that with her and my parents. We decided on meeting at lunch time at Riverside hotel, getting the ferry over and having some lunch. When I told Captain Caveman that was what I was going to do, he decided to join us. After a bit of faffing about waiting for everyone, we got the 2pm ferry over, which was 15 lira each (33p) and walked to Pirate & Skulls.
We had a couple of drinks and ordered some food; Mom and Linda had the spicy noodles, Dad ordered a jacket potato, Captain Caveman and I shared mezes. The food was nice, beers were 135 lira (£3), wine 140 lira (£3.12), soft drinks 70 lira (£1.56) and 4 mezes for the 2 of us was 440 lira (£9.80). It was almost 5pm when we got the ferry back so Captain Caveman and I had to rush to let Norman and Edna out for a wee and give them their dinner. On the evening dog walk, we called at Lukka bar for a quick drink. Captain Caveman had a beer and I had a white wine & soda. The actual total was 420 lira (£9.42) but we did get a very much appreciated discount.
Back at Jamie’s, we had leek and potato soup for dinner and I had barely finished mine before both dogs and Captain Caveman were snoring away on the sofa.

Dalyan – 3rd October

Thursday 3rd October gave me an opportunity to sort my banking out for the new month to make sure I put the required amounts in to my Turkish bank. I had already got my 6 months residency renewal but I would need to apply again in 4 months with evidence of 6 months of payments. The weather was hotting up as I gave Norman and Edna their breakfast then decided I was going to apply for some more jobs including a part-time remote Sales Consultant for a UK company. I had tea and toast for my breakfast, followed by a snack of feta cheese and an apple when I got peckish. I was also in discussions with Mehmet, the gardener, again as I decided I was going to complain that he still hadn’t sorted out my bushes to be able to hang my washing out but he had done some stuff on the other side of the complex. He said the lads would be there at 10am, they didn’t come and when I complained he said they had forgotten. They eventually came but it did take unnecessary time out of my day with all the chasing.
Mehmet’s lads arrived at Fire Opal around 1.30pm, but I was at Jamie’s so I went back over to check – it had been done, finally! I treated myself to an açma for lunch which I had with some of Vanessa’s jam on.

Back at Jamie’s with Norman & Edna, they had a bone each, I had some leftover chickpea curry and then got ready for a rare night out in Dalyan. I had decided to invite Vanessa on a dog walk with me, Norman & Edna where we would call for my parents and then meet Linda at Ela’s Kitchen. I was keen to see my parents and hear all about their recent trip to Cappadocia plus it was 2 days since Linda had arrived for her week’s holiday in Dalyan so I was looking forward to checking on how she was doing. It was also Happy Hour at Ela’s and I know the dogs really enjoying going there on their evening walk along the river and through town.
Vanessa got lost and ended up at the wrong end of the street and had to rush to catch me up. Norman and Edna were on a mission to eat cat poo so Vanessa and I shared the holding of the dogs. Vanessa was so busy telling my parents all about her recent trip to Datça that Edna got away with munching a little bit of cat shit outside my parents’ place.
Edna and Norman were as excited as me to reach Ela’s Kitchen where Happy Hour was very welcomed. At only 120 lira (£2.67) for a decent glass of wine, I managed to polish off 3! Vanessa was on water and was updating my parents on all her trips she had planned. Linda hadn’t got my message until later due to having been down Iztuzu beach all day, but joined us still in time for Happy Hour.
When Vanessa left to go back home, the rest of us decided we would like to all eat out together this evening. My parents suggested to Linda and I that we go to Firat’s for food as it is one of their favourite Turkish restaurants and I agreed. I had to wait until the sausages, which Sev had cooked for the dogs, were a bit cooler before I could walk them home. Norman & Edna love Sev’s sausages and were so happy to get one each. We paid and I left a tip to account for the sausages and water bowls, as not all establishments are that welcoming to pets. While the others finished their drinks, I hurried back to drop the dogs home and then rushed back.

I was back to join Ma, Pa & Linda within 20 minutes of leaving Ela’s Kitchen and I had even got changed. The 3 of them had managed to get a great table at Firat’s and it was a busy 9pm already. We ordered a bottle of Angora wine which was 650 lira (£14.50) between the 4 of us and we had complimentary balloon bread (lavaş) to start with. All of us went straight for mains and I had a delicious chicken shish. My mom had the fish as it’s her favourite thing on the menu, Linda ordered lamb and dad chose chicken. The main courses ranged in price from 400 lira (£8.90) to 600 lira (£13.36) and our total bill with wine came to about £60 for the 4 of us, which I would say was very reasonable. We all had a really good meal and then decided it would be a good idea to walk Linda back to her accommodation, at Riverside Hotel. I’d never been before, the 4 of us sat on high stools at the pool bar and ordered a nightcap, or two. Ramazan, who my parents and I knew from his previous locations, was working the bar and had a good chat and a drink with us.