Dalyan – 26th December

I was straight back in to work on Thursday 26th December, as I was thinking that it could be busy with enquiries for people who were off work and were wanting to book holidays or accommodation. Quite frankly, I was hungry for the business and to get on top of the January sales – there were so many discounts available on package deals with EasyJet, Jet2, Classic Collection, TUI, Gold Medal, Intrepid and the Adventure People – all of who had sent me their promotional offers email to have a read through. Captain Caveman had brought me buttered toast and a cup of Yorkshire tea in bed. I’d already decided that I wouldn’t continue my food diary for the rest of the year and I had blocked out my calendar to get on with as much Resort Experts work as I could, while still trying to spend time with Captain Caveman in his last week. It was a bit of a balancing act but now we didn’t have dog duties, it felt like I had a little bit more time.
After work, and before it got dark, Captain Caveman and I took a walk to Kaunos Tea Gardens where Captain Caveman had an Efes Malt and I had a large tea. It came to 160 lira (£3.63) and it was quite pleasant until the sun went behind the mountains. Next, we went to the green grocers to stock up on fresh produce, where we bought carrots, garlic, red peppers, onions and tomatoes for a total of 213 lira (£4.83). I also spotted some sage which I thought was a bargain at 30 lira (68p) for quite a lot – I love a sage tea.
At the pharmacy I bought 1 month of contraceptive pills for 329.18 lira (£7.46), which I think is pricey (but cheaper than a child), then we walked round to the supermarket where we bought the following;

Şok Supermarket
Chilli Dip 27.50
Aubergine Dip 29.90
Washing powder 64.95
Cheese 72.50
Total spent 194.85 lira (£4.42)

There was just 5 nights left of Captain Caveman’s stay so we drew out 3,500 lira (£80) for going out with, during that time. It was a tight budget for the 2 of us but it would be doable if we were careful.
We had chicken casserole for dinner and Captain Caveman made some airfryer roast potatoes which were really good. We had Merlot wine and then got ready to go out to the Jiks fun quiz, which Jan was running. It started at 8pm but The Aussies are often late so I wasn’t unduly worried when we arrived and they weren’t there. A lovely lady who had joined the Sunday walk was there with her husband and they were just about to leave when we roped them in for the quiz. They were on their holidays but have been to Dalyan before and were really nice people. We joined their table to make a team of 4, figuring The Aussies, when they arrived, would already be a team of 4 too. Unfortunately, they didn’t turn up and we weren’t sure why at the time but, by this time, it was too late to call them as the quiz had commenced and I didn’t want to get disqualified for having my phone out. The next day we found out Amanda had been quite sick with a bad stomach for the last 2 days so we were grateful she’d not shared that with us.
Jan did a very thorough Boxing Day quiz at Jiks with some laughs along the way and I actually really enjoyed the night out. All 4 of us contributed and it did make a nice change, as I don’t usually like quizzes which are more Captain Caveman’s area of expertise. At half time we got served Jan’s homemade warm mince pies and gingerbread men, we had a few as they were delicious! The quiz was an all-rounder which was good and we ended up winning which all but Captain Caveman were surprised about. Our team name was conveniently Albino Buffalo which was what was on our new t-shirts. We paid cash for our drinks; Captain Caveman had Efes Malt and I had red wine, which came to 250 lira (£5.67) per round and we just had a couple as I had work in the morning.

Dalyan – 22nd December

Sunday 22nd December was our anniversary and Captain Caveman had scheduled a Sunday Walk which incorporated going by the Dog Shelter to walk a dog. There was also a planned power cut which we didn’t know if it would affect either of the houses so I decided to join a small part of the walk with Norman and Edna. There was quite a few people on the walk, Norman and Edna loved it and wanted to continue on, but I turned back home before the dog shelter as we didn’t think it would be responsible to take them up there. While Captain Caveman and his fellow walkers, walked, I had cornflakes and a grapefruit for a late breakfast, with an extra cup of tea. I did some writing and a bit of work while it was quiet.

When Captain Caveman and some of the remaining walkers were on their way back, he called me to see if I wanted to re-join the walk to go back to the start point, Kaunos tea gardens. I got my shoes and coat on and went along, and I even shared a mixed toastie. Janet joined Ian and a lady on holiday met with her husband so we all sat together and had a chat.
Here’s what the group ordered, with prices in lira;

1 Tea 10.00
3 Double Teas 45.00
2 Latte Coffees 100.00
1 Mixed toastie 100.00
1 Chicken sandwich 125.00
2 Chips 180.00
3 Efes Malt beers 435.00
Total 995.00 lira (£22.51)

Captain Caveman’s and mine came to 260 lira (£5.88) which I thought was reasonable for a beer, a double tea and a mixed toastie.
On the way back, Jamie had run out of dog food almost so we walked to the pet shop to get more. Unfortunately it was closed on Sundays so we walked home and had soup for lunch.
That evening we had pasta bolognese and another bottle of our Levissi Christmas wine, this time the Makri red. It was very nice and so far the 3 bottles we had drunk were going down well. It was a nice way to celebrate 13 years of being together, even though Captain Caveman thought we had already acknowledged it on Thursday!

Photo credit – some photos by the Sunday Walkers

Dalyan & Göcek – 17th December

There was a planned power cut due at our apartment on Tuesday 17th December but it was not going to affect our day, as we had an exciting trip out planned. I got my cup of tea in bed and then got up to have a double breakfast of buttered toast and a grapefruit. I’d already gone way over the top on syns this week so I knew I was going to have put weight on at Fat Club tomorrow. Captain Caveman had a really bad sore throat and shouldn’t have been coming on the day out but he insisted he would be fine as long as he didn’t speak. I walked the dogs and got them settled for the rest of the day as we went to meet our friends, Ian & Janet. Captain Caveman had become good friends with Ian through the Sunday Walking group and he had told us about a place in Göcek, where they used to live, that has a great wine shop with good deals on. The sun was shining and we had arranged to go along for some wine shopping, which is what I had decided I would spend my parents’ Christmas money on as a really nice treat. We arrived in Göcek just before lunch time and went straight to the Levissi Wine shop where we met Ian and Janet’s friend. The lady who ran the shop knew our fellow wine shoppers very well and was very friendly. The Levissi wine that was on offer was only 150 lira (£3.37) per bottle so was great value and also, according to Janet, really good. Ian doesn’t drink alcohol so we only had Janet’s word for it but their friend could also recommend it. Our friends had quite a few bottles but we decided we would just get 12 bottles, 2 of each of 5 reds and a 2 of the rose. They also had whites but we both prefer red in winter so I didn’t want to get something we wouldn’t drink. Here’s what we got at the wine shop;

Levissi Şarap Evi
2 bottles of Petit Verdot red wine 300
2 bottles of Gamay red wine 300
2 bottles of Merlot red wine 300
2 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon red wine 300
2 bottles of Makri red wine 300
2 bottles of Makri blush wine 300
Total spent 1,800 lira (£40.45)

I was thrilled that we had got so much wine for such a bargain, the cheapest one I’ve enjoyed in Dalyan was 43% more. After borrowing a couple of shopping trollies from the nearby Carrefour supermarket to take all the wine to the car, we decided to have a meander round Göcek town centre. Janet and I got involved with a stray dog situation as I just couldn’t help it. A lively pup came up to us and barked until we followed him to his fat, old (dog) friend who was laying on the floor outside the back of a building. The pup was trying to tell us that the older overweight dog couldn’t get up and I thought it was sick. I did a bit of a foolish thing really, as I went to check it out and got a bit too near to the dog and it snapped at me a little. It turned out that the older dog just didn’t want to play and the pup was just trying to get his friend to get up and join in. We re-joined the men who hadn’t noticed we had been gone and then we had a really nice stroll around the town, stopping off at the pharmacy for more throat sweets for Captain Caveman, who had now started talking fine. We bought ginger throat pastilles for 49.95 lira (£1.12) at Watson’s and I noticed they had quite a good range of electric toothbrush heads at a good price.

After the wine shopping, we decided to have lunch in Göcek at a cute waterfront café, called Moc Café. It was a first for both Captain Caveman and I however our fellow wine shoppers had been a few times and liked it there. The sun was shining so we sat outside and ordered drinks then lunch. The men chose pizza or burgers, which were massive, and Janet and I ordered a chicken wrap. We all stuck to non-alcoholic drinks to be sensible and when the food came it was really nice. Janet & I got chicken shish instead of a wrap but it turned out to be a good mistake and probably better for my Slimming World plan, even though it was a little bit too late now. Captain Caveman and I paid 1,155.00 lira (£25.96) for a Turkish tea, an Americano coffee, 1 Cheeseburger and 1 Chicken shish. I really enjoyed having a rare lunch out and I thought the prices, to say we were sat on the harbour front in a stylish café, were pretty reasonable.
We drove back after lunch and on the way back, Janet and Ian invited us in to their home to try last year’s stock of the Levissi wine. Janet had a bottle of the Merlot already opened and she ended up opening another, it was very quaffable and we were pleased with our purchases if it was as good as this batch.

Ian, who doesn’t drink, drove us home and Captain Caveman went home to unpack the wine with strict instructions to take a photo of it so I could send it to my Mom to say thank you for our Christmas present. I rushed back to make sure Norman and Edna were ok as this was the first time in the 3 weeks we had left the dogs for longer than a couple of hours. When I went in to Jamie’s living room, Norman and Edna had just been snoozing away but were pleased to see me. I let them out while a grabbed the leads and poo bags for a walk. Norman was enjoying the new tiled patio area so much that he had taken to doing a poo on the same tile whenever he got the chance and he didn’t disappoint today. Captain Caveman arrived back and he was feeling a bit better so he made spaghetti with chicken, red pepper, onion and sucuk for our dinner. We didn’t have any more wine, though, as we had already had enough.

Dalyan – 6th December

Edna was most upset on Friday 6th December when she heard Captain Caveman and I talking about eating ‘fur’ for breakfast. She was relieved it was pho, which is pronounced like her coat, but she was still confused that it was soup for breakfast, not lunch. We took the dogs for an early walk over to Fire Opal as a few days of more rain was forecast to come today. While Captain Caveman watched Norman and Edna and played Bridge on his phone, I went to the bank (again). On my way I noticed a cat had been locked in to a bar and alerted the owner. While walking the dogs back to Jamie’s, just before the rain came, I bought the following at the shops, prices in lira;

A101 Supermarket
2 packs of wraps 30.00
15 eggs 81.50
Total spent 111.50 lira (£2.53)

Yaman Büfe 2
1 bottle of red wine 210.00 lira (£4.76)

By midday, I was doing more work and then arranging some more training on cruises. I got up to make some banana bread and little Norman held the fort in the office. I had my meeting with the Resort Experts cruise specialist and we spoke about the Quantum of the Sea with Royal Caribbean Cruises. Captain Caveman had been keeping himself busy with his phone scrolling and Bridge most of the day so I was looking forward to a Friday night glass of wine with him. That didn’t happen as, at 6pm he decided to do an online Bridge thing and went upstairs, leaving me to sort out a curry for dinner. We finally ate at 8.45pm and I was starving, we drank the bottle of wine but, by just after 10pm, Captain Caveman and the 2 pooches were all fast asleep. I carried on doing more work so that I had some free time tomorrow.

Dalyan – 1st December

Sunday 1st December was the day of the Çalış Winter Fayre which a few of the Dalyan Dwellers were going to. We didn’t fancy it as we were being frugal with the housekeeping and we didn’t want to leave Norman and Edna for too long home alone.
The electricity was off from 4am until 8am so Captain Caveman dealt with cups of tea and dogs, but we were lucky. Rhodes had suffered from terrible storms, floods and even landslides – posts on Facebook were asking for help and showed quite a lot of devastation, in particular where I had been on holiday with the girls in September.

I had cornflakes for breakfast and later some bread and butter which meant I had hit my syn allowance for this week already. It was quite chilly as Captain Caveman went off for his Sunday Walk without me. I didn’t fancy it and had work to do. I spent the day with the dogs, mostly indoors at Jamie’s as there were no builders in today and it was raining quite a bit. Captain Caveman returned from the walk only having had 2 of them do it today, he had gone via Fire Opal for a hot shower.

For lunch we had left over curry and rice and I did a bit of writing. I found a blanket to cover Captain Caveman and me, but Norman and Edna had other ideas. All 3 of them had sofa cuddles and I made lasagne with roast potatoes and cabbage for dinner. After what had been a trying month, I decided I needed to have a more grateful attitude as I was very lucky to be in the position I was, right now, even though it sometimes didn’t feel like it.

Photo credit – some from the Sunday Walkers/Captain Caveman

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 – 20th November

Captain Caveman took the dogs out early on Wednesday 20th November and then we both got weighed. Even though Captain Caveman wasn’t actually on a diet, he had agreed to support me on my healthier lifestyle by eating the same as me, if not just a little bit more than me in terms of portion size. I had stayed the same weight as last week on the home scales, my bust and waist measurements also remained the same but I had put on 2cm on my hips. Captain Caveman had lost 1.15kg (2.5lb) and was now under the 80kg mark.
As his schedule is free on Wednesdays, Captain Caveman had previously said he would look after Norman and Edna while I went out to Turkish class, which I ended up being late to. Today it was held at The Pier which is a lovely new restaurant. I had already been warned that a coffee could cost up to 200 lira (£4.59) there so I had decided I wouldn’t buy a drink. An hour’s Turkish lesson is less than that and buying unnecessary drinks soon adds up. The Pier was very lovely, though, and I thought it looked like a great venue to bring family and friends when they come to visit.

On the way back home, I spotted a dead snake on the pavement and took a photo to try to identify it later, but it was upside down. At Fire Opal it was evident that the painting was finished but the cleaning up after, wasn’t included in their work! Once again it was soup for lunch, a dog walk with both of us and then I was off to Fat Club.

Miraculously, I had lost 0.2kg (0.4lb) and meant I only had just over 2kg (4.4lb) left to lose to hit my target. The app we were using was still showing I had the body of a 58 year old though, down from 61 at least. Carol was off to the UK for 3 weeks so she had asked me to hold the fort for her. I was honoured and hoped it might be a bit of motivation to actually keep on track and not lapse while she was gone. Carol dropped me off at mine with the precious scales and all the books. For dinner we had a Slimming World friendly chicken and leek bake with pasta and it was so tasty, washed down with a bottle of white wine between us. We went to bed that night, having walked the dogs and told them Little Daddy, Jamie, was on his way home right now. Tomorrow he would be picking them both up and we would be responsibility free once again.

Dalyan – 16th November

I walked Norman & Edna on the morning of Saturday 16th November and left Captain Caveman in bed. It had meant to have been the day of the Dalyan Christmas fayre but it had been postponed due to the forecast rain – and rain it did!! We managed to not get soaked and I fed the dogs their breakfast which they absolutely wolfed down. By 9am the dogs were napping on the sofa and I had tea and toast for breakfast. I thought we would be going to the weekly market this week so I made a list, which only had a few things on. Captain Caveman was still in bed, probably playing Bridge, and I was starting to worry a bit more about him now. We didn’t bother with the market in the end.
I did a bit of work and I suggested a walk with the dogs to get us both away from phones and laptop. We didn’t go too far as it was about to rain and when I got back, we had a message from Jamie to say he was in Bulgaria already. I cracked a wasted joke about uncles and the Wombles on Edna’s behalf. We had soup for lunch and I got back on with work while Captain Caveman played Bridge and stroked the snoozing dogs.
At 2.50pm the rain eased off a bit and I wandered round to say bye to my parents who were leaving for the airport at 3pm. Captain Caveman stayed with napping Norman and Edna as we were not really sure whether to leave them alone at our place yet. When I got to my parents, I was chatting to Mom but Dad was already on a mission to leave so he didn’t really speak much. The taxi was early so, of course, Dad had to rush to go to it and we said a quick bye at the gate. Mom and I were a little teary but Fikri, the driver, made us laugh. It’s always harder when you can’t say ‘see you in so many weeks/months’.
As I walked back to Fire Opal a stray dog spotted me and came to lick my hand as I tried not to cry. The rain came down and I was home, having said bye to the stray by 3.05pm.
The evening walk was less dry and only I went with Norman and Edna, all 3 of us ending up absolutely soaked and having to use 2 of our bath towels and my travel towel to dry the dogs. They were looking very sorry for themselves and were definitely adding this to the complaint list. I made Slimming World style pizza wraps after feeding the dogs their dinner first. The dogs slept in their bed in our downstairs, while Captain Caveman and I were upstairs but there was a bad storm and I wondered if they would settle ok.

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 – 13th November

There was no Turkish class on Wednesday 13th November as our teacher was on a holiday, which gave me a couple of hours free to do my blogging. It was a lovely sunny day in Dalyan as I got on the home scales and took my measurements. Surprisingly, I had lost 1.05kg (2.3lb) on the home scales but, as we know, I had to wait until this afternoon to get on Carol’s scales at Fat Club. My measurements were very favourable with 2cm off my chest, 1cm off my waist and 3cm off my hips. Captain Caveman had only lost 0.05kg this week and I think he expected more, as did I. It was definitely making a difference us not drinking alcohol so much and it was helping to lose the weight.
As I left the house that day, Aslı (from A Block) and her painter friends were doing some cutting down of the bushes that the gardener had not done last month, so that the painting could be done. There was a young boy doing some painting with his mother and an older grandmother sat supervising – it looked like Aslı had a whole family doing the painting. They had cut down quite a lot of the bushes and put them at the bottom of the steps and gate to our apartment. Luckily, I could pick up the branches and move them to get out of the house because I was meeting with a clothes buyer. This lady bought another item and we had a good chat before I nipped for a bit of shopping. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Green peppers 16.87
Wine gums 17.00
Cake mix 21.85
10 eggs 65.00
550g chicken breasts 115.50
Total spent 236.22 lira (£5.42)

Back at home, I had a chicken wrap with lettuce and cabbage in it and then popped back out to meet another clothes buyer. The lady was coming to buy a dress but it didn’t fit, she did try on a couple of others and ended up buying 2 dresses, instead of the one she came for.

In the afternoon I went confidently to Fat Club thinking I would have lost 1kg, as I had this morning at home. Unfortunately, I had lost only 0.15kg (0.3lb) which was quite poor but still a loss. I still had 2kg to lose to reach my target and it was proving difficult. I didn’t help myself, though, as I went to the shop on the way home and bought some treats, here’s the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 Dido chocolate (Gold) bars 31.00
1l Schweppes tonic 45.00
1l Schweppes pink grapefruit 45.00
2 Quark 59.90
Mushrooms 74.95
Total spent 255.85 lira (£5.87)

For dinner, Captain Caveman made chicken fajitas which were really nice and we used Quark instead of sour cream. At 8pm it was the Resort Experts team meeting and we had some training on Costa Blanca and learned about a luxury villa website that Resort Experts were launching soon. We were going to be able to ask villa owners we knew around the world to list their properties so that we could offer these to any customers looking to book a luxury villa for their 2025 holidays. I already had a couple in mind from Vietnam and Thailand which I hoped would be suitable to be added. Jamie and I also decided that we were off to Costa Blanca at some point next year.

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 – 7th & 8th November

I managed to drink a cup of Yorkshire tea brought to me in bed on Thursday 7th November by Captain Caveman who was off Bumming this morning. I was finally in the land of the living around 10am and I even managed to make myself some veggie fried rice with mushrooms, sweetcorn and egg. It took me a while to eat it but I managed, and my mouth was ok. Captain Caveman was home at lunch time and we had lentil and vegetable soup with orzo in, but no bread. Later I had a bit of feta style cheese as I was peckish, definitely a good sign. My parents popped over on their way to the shops and I gave my Mom my English bank card, which was new and the PIN needed activating in the UK. This was from the Nationwide who had finally closed my other account after 3 years of hassle.
For dinner we warmed up a mystery curry from the freezer which turned out to be the last of the chicken one that I had put beans instead of chickpeas in – it still went down well with rice and roast potatoes.

The weekend had come round quickly again and, on Friday 8th November, I started my day with a cup of tea in bed and then overnight oats for breakfast. I cracked on with work while Captain Caveman went to Bridge Club. We had more pumpkin soup for lunch upon his return. While Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone in the afternoon, I carried on at my laptop until 4.30pm when I needed to get out for some fresh air. Captain Caveman said he would come with me and we went on a bit of a walk around Dalyan in the sunshine. It was a nice walk and we saw a dog drinking in the river and another calling in at the butchers for some meaty tidbits.
For our dinner I had defrosted the last of the Slimming World friendly Beef Kleftiko which I made yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and cabbage to go with it. We had a couple of vodka and diet cokes as we needed to drink up some of the soft drinks in the fridge and then we were off out. It was a rare night out for a change but we had decided to only go for a couple. Jamie had invited us to join him, Drew and his brother and sister-in-law for the last evening at Aşkin’s bar. When we got there, it was quite chilly and we just had an Efes Malt for Captain Caveman and a red wine for me. It was good to catch up but after an hour or so we had to leave as Captain Caveman was not used to the cold at all. I paid the 280 lira (£6.30) bill for our drinks and we walked back to Captain Caveman’s, back to the warm.

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 – 31st October

Captain Caveman and I were on the list for Riverbums on Thursday 31st October and we were to be at the Kefal Tea Gardens, ready to depart at 10am. I had my cup of tea in bed then overnight oats once I got up for my breakfast. It was getting a little cooler now in the mornings but it was still ok to wear shorts, a t-shirt and plastic porter sandals for Bumming in. This time, we were on time and the electric Riverbums boat was ready for us. We went to the Dalko site and surrounding areas and, although we did collect some rubbish, it was nowhere near as bad as it used to be a few years ago. A diver who was checking on the fish there was very welcoming and friendly which was also good to see.

Back home, both of us needed a shower but Captain Caveman said he would cook lunch as I would take longer and I had to check my work emails. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman had put the oven on the high setting because he believed the oven here didn’t work (it does). I explained that he should turn it down or the food would burn, or to leave the pizza wraps in for less time. Of course, Captain Caveman disregarded my opinion, as is usual, and kept it as it was while putting my pizza in first. Mine had mushrooms on and he doesn’t eat them, his had different toppings. Even when I said I could smell burning at 2.30pm I was ignored and my lunch was cremated. I got the scissors out and cut off all the burned bits while Captain Caveman turned down the oven, adjusted the timer and made himself a perfectly cooked pizza. I think pizza wraps for lunch after Bumming was a no-no for future reference and I’d stick to soup or a sandwich.
I was getting impatient about still not having had any call or message that my new residency card was on its way, so I went online to check. It said ‘record not found’, which wasn’t useful, Jamie’s friend’s daughter had her residency renewal appointment 2 weeks after mine and already had her new card but it is Turkey and there is no logic to these things. I got on with some more quotes for work and had a couple of general enquiries for South East Asia for 2025. I also scheduled some social media posts for the rest of the week and saved a post from EasyJet which detailed when all the UK bank holidays are. This was good for people with regular Monday to Friday jobs to work out how to have longer holidays, while using the least amount of holidays. Clever!
I was peckish before dinner so had some peanuts and a green tea. Then, by chance, got a text to say my residency card was on its way!
I made chicken & leek bake using quark, thyme and cheese spread which we had with roast potatoes and red cabbage. It turned out really tasty and was syn free using the Healthy A for the cheese. Captain Caveman helped with the potatoes and was having a whiskey with his dinner so I had one too.