Dalyan – 27th & 28th October

Monday 27th October was a busy admin day and I didn’t really stop for a minute. I spoke to Captain Caveman at lunch time who was also busy but he helped me out with something related to a hotel booking.
Norman was well behaved but sleepy and didn’t want to walk far on his walk.
I had more leftover bolognese for dinner and then arranged a night out for tomorrow. Lukka bar had been asked if they would have one last Music Bingo night and they had agreed if there were enough takers.
My parents hadn’t been to it this year and their friends had never been, so I booked us all in for tomorrow. I was looking forward to it, even though it was on a school night.

Gratitude List
1. Being busier at Resort Experts
2. Norman
3. A video call with Captain Caveman.

I was awake early on Tuesday 28th October and had a busy day. The sky was cloudy and the rain was forecast. For lunch I made a Slimming World style vegetarian pizza. A friend who had booked a holiday with me was on their family holiday and she sent me a message and a photo to say they were really enjoying it, which was great to hear.

When I finished work, I went to join my parents and their friends, Julie & Gareth, in Retro bar for a quick drink before our night out. It was good to see Nusret, the owner, who had been working hard this year on making the bar even better than it was before. I had a red wine which I paid 150 lira (£2.75) for, including a tip. We had to be at Lukka bar by 7.30pm for our meal and had decided to push the boat out on their final Music Bingo night, which I absolutely love.
All 5 of us ordered food and drinks and the night was really good fun. I really enjoyed my beef dish, which I had the last time I came. There was singing, chair dancing and Julie even won a bottle of wine on the music bingo. As midnight approached, it did get a bit chilly sat outside with just a denim jacket on. When we came to pay the bill it was probably the most I’d spent on just me on a night out, in quite a while, but it had been such a good laugh. Here’s what I had, with the prices in lira:

Beef Çökertme 950
Baklava with ice-cream 375
5 red wines 1250
200 tip
Total spent 2775 lira (£50.92)

Gratitude List
1. Update from a friend in Fuerteventura
2. Norman
3. A night out at Lukka music bingo.

Photo/video credit – Apo & Julie

Dalyan – 20th & 21st October

It was back to it on Monday 20th October and I had plenty to do, before looking after Norman on Wednesday. The weather forecast over the next few days predicted rain.
At lunch time I had a break and warmed up a curry I had got out of the freezer, then cracked back on with the to do list.
I finished on the laptop at 5.45pm and made myself a ‘pretend’ pizza with a wholemeal wrap base, but forgot I didn’t have any grated mozzarella – I used cheese balls instead and it still tasted fine.
At 9.30pm I had a video call with Captain Caveman who was continuing to work hard in the UK. We both agreed it felt a long time to be waiting to see each other again.

Gratitude List
1. It not raining yet
2. Easy and tasty meals
3. Speaking to Captain Caveman.

I had a bit of excitement on Tuesday 21st October; I pushed through the to do list in the morning and then had arranged to meet up with friends, Dot & Ian.
The rain hadn’t started yet so I made my way to Okyanus where we had some drinks and a lovely lunch. Dot ordered Menemen, Ian a breakfast sandwich and I had a chicken wrap with homemade chips. Dot and I had a couple of white wines, Ian drank Efes and we chatted loads. It was great to hear their future plans and it was lovely sunshine until the rain came. I’d helped them out with a passport situation when I was in London last so they insisted on paying for lunch, which was very kind and totally unexpected. I really enjoyed our catch up, the lunch was lovely and it was nice to take a little bit of time off too. We said our farewells at my gate and I spent the afternoon catching up on some content writing. I even sat out on the balcony as the sun was back out and it was rather warm. A friend had organised a ladies night boat trip which I had to decline, not just because it wasn’t in the budget but, because I had a full diary until 6pm and it started at 3pm. I got a message saying I would be missed which was thoughtful.

I messaged my parents to see if I could call in after going to the shops later, as it had been a week since I saw them. Unfortunately, they already had plans to join friends for a night out and were waiting for confirmation of where and when to meet them. At 6pm I decided to pop to the shop to get something for dinner and see if there was Quark in stock. My Mom messaged to say they could meet me for one drink before they went out with their friends, if I wanted, so I said yes.
Here’s what I bought in Migros, prices in lira;

Migros Süpermarket
Green peppers 13.98
Red peppers 15.88
2 Dido chocolate bars 49.00
Bananas 53.70
2 Dido Gold bars 54.00
2 packs of Mozzarella cheese 147.80
Total spent 334.46 lira (£6.14)

I walked over to meet Ma & Pa in Jiks, which is opposite the supermarket. They already had Efes Malts on the go and I ordered a white wine and soda (with it being a school night). Mom kept checking her phone to see if her friend had sent the location of where they needed to be and my plan was to go back home with my shopping and make some dinner, once they left.
We had a couple of wines in Jiks and, when I went to the loo, Dad ordered me a third wine. This meant I’d had 5 wines today and was quite tipsy – weigh day tomorrow wasn’t going to go well!
We paid the 1300 lira bill at Jiks (£23.85) and we were ready to leave. Ma & Pa still hadn’t heard from her friend so we decided to call for one in Ren Garden. There is a cute cat that hangs about in there and it had befriended my parents (who don’t usually like cats). Once we got in there, we didn’t leave until midnight. I was sozzled and hadn’t had any dinner. Our bill in Ren Garden came to 1400 lira (£25.69) which I paid for and I don’t remember getting home!

Gratitude List
1. Lunch with Dot & Ian
2. Getting to see my parents for an impromptu night out
3. Remembering to take my shopping home.

Dalyan – 17th & 18th August

I chose to work all day on Sunday 17th August as I’d got quite a few things to do. I’d started to get a few enquiries about solo travel for next year. By lunch time I had a quick snack and got a photo from Sausage Dick to say he’d got my book, his daughter had already delivered it – impressive!
I had to have the AC on as I was really hot and it was still pretty warm at 5.45pm when I started walking over to Penny and Phil’s. They had invited me over for dinner so I took a bottle of wine with me. I shared it with Penny and they had a lovely spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, followed by apple pie. It was nice to catch up and to also see Lady C, the dog, who was pleased to see me.

Gratitude List
1. A book selfie from Sausage Dick
2. Air Con
3. Dinner with Penny & Phil.

I woke up early on Monday 18th August and had tea and toast for breakfast before opening the laptop.
I had a tea break just after 10am where I took the kitchen scissors downstairs and started trimming the bushes that were in the way of the path and gate. It had been 6 days since I’d been back in Dalyan and I had still not seen the pool and garden man. It was very annoying that we just couldn’t get them to do their job and, when I asked them to come, it was just excuses and promises that were rarely kept. This had been going on for a year now and I was sick of it. Captain Caveman had more things to worry about and had given up on our maintenance company, despite him still paying for it. If it was up to me, I would not be paying for it, but I only stay there so I have no say.
In the afternoon, I spent time working on a bespoke Vietnam trip and then I had a random mystery meal from the freezer with steamed rice. I still couldn’t tell you what it was but it had chicken in. At around 9.30pm I had a video call with Captain Caveman and we discussed our holiday plans, as he was arriving in Dalyan at the weekend. He also said if I could borrow some tools he would do the garden himself. I had intended to have an early night because I had a lot to do tomorrow but that was not to be. Not only was the Jazz bar belting out very loud (not Jazz) music but a neighbour had decided to try to catch the stray cats outside to feed them in the apartment and was talking to them very loudly until way after midnight. I think she’d had a few shandies as I got a good half hour of her baby talking to Turkish cats and her going up and down the communal stairs in what sounded like clogs! It was 2am when I started to drift off to sleep.

Gratitude List
1. Planning Vietnam trips for customers
2. Planning a Turkey trip with Captain Caveman
3. Finally getting to sleep.

Sevenoaks and London – 24th July

Claire had needed to be in London for work on Thursday 24th and, as luck would have it, so did Clare. This meant I could tag along and work from Claire’s office and sit with her daughter who was also tagging along in the hope of a shopping trip afterwards.
I worked in the morning and then we took the train in to London, walking past a couple of places of interest. We met Clare at a nice spot for lunch where we braved sitting outside. The restaurant already had prepared for all weather with sunglasses and blankets, and we ordered quickly so that people could get back to work. Both Clare and I ordered a duck salad, Claire had a rainbow salad and her daughter ordered a burger with some duck bao buns to share. The food was fantastic and the waiter very good, we even got an extra portion of bao buns due to a mix up which we hadn’t even noticed. Typically, my dishes had tons of chillies in so I picked them all out, Clare who had the same, and likes chillies, had far fewer in her food. Here’s what we paid, in pounds, keeping in mind it was in London;

D&Ms
1 pint of tap water (free)
1 Elderflower cordial 0.60
1 tonic 2.95
1 diet coke 4.10
1 Homemade lemonade 4.95
Duck Bao Buns 10.95
1 Rainbow salad with Halloumi 18.45
1 Cheeseburger 18.95
2 Duck salads 33.90
12.5% tip 11.86
Total spent £106.71

Given that I was staying with Claire and had not paid for anything, I paid for the 3 of us at £81.71 and Clare paid for her share. I found it hard to get my UK phone to work in the centre of London and when I mentioned it, my 2 friends said they had the same issue. I missed the Resort Experts weekly meeting and ironically I’d also missed a zoom session on ‘Manifesting for Sceptics’.

Next, we said bye to Clare and went to the other Claire’s work. We had to get a pass, go through security to go in and up to a very high floor. The canteen was fantastic and I had a hot chocolate which was better than most cafes. Claire’s daughter shared her dried mango with me while her mom was in a meeting and was really well behaved while I did a bit of work. As we were leaving the office, I got a bit of a shock when I bumped in to an ex-Aviva colleague – the one and only Dan Holmes who now works in International insurance. What a small world it is.
We walked back to London Bridge station, via buying a new jacket for Claire’s daughter, and then did a bit of food and drink shopping, here’s what we got with prices in pounds;

Holland & Barrett
Diablo Dark chocolate 2.99
2 packs Gin Gins 7.78
Total spent £10.77

Gin Gins are great for seasickness, which I suffer badly from, so I was stocking up.

M&S
Sour cream snacks 1.25
Apple & peanut butter snack 2.65
Sparkling water 3.10
Super nutty salad 3.20
Edamame beans 4.25
Tuna and sweetcorn salad 4.50
Prawn layered salad 5.25
Sushi selection 5.75
Cray fish salad 6.50
3 ‘Train Tins’ 8.50
Total spent £44.95

On the journey back to Otford, we got a bit excited as we had Train Tins – let me explain for the uninitiated; these are tins (or cans) of premixed drinks sold by supermarkets in train stations so that you can have a takeaway alcoholic beverage on your train ride! Genius idea and Marks & Spencers do a really good range at only £8.50 for 3. We chose a Pornstar Martini each and then shared a limoncello with sparkling wine. What we didn’t really account for was a pretty full train with commuters on and the fact that, while the child in our care dined on sushi, sliced apple and peanut butter washed down with a juice, we were downing train tins before 5pm like a couple of soaks!
It was my last night with Claire and we had a nice relaxing evening with our salads and nibbles for dinner. I’d been well and truly spoiled at Claire’s and was going to miss them all, even Dave the cat and Reg the dog!

Gratitude List
1. London lunch with some of the girls
2. Going in to Claire’s office
3. Discovering Train Tins

Dalyan – 29th & 30th June

Lady C was still asleep when I got up on Sunday 29th June. I topped up my Turkcell phone with a 50GB hotspot package for 425 lira (£8.02) which should last until I left for the UK. Lady C didn’t go for a morning walk as it was too hot but she did spend most of the morning searching for a cool spot. Most of which was found at the neighbour’s house, on their patio. The forecast predicted 38°C at the highest today so I was going to crack on with some writing and maybe have a dip in the pool later.
By midday, Lady C had joined me indoors to benefit from the AC as I worked on my laptop. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was working in London and had enjoyed the concert last night. Around 7pm I took the dog for a walk and then got talking to the neighbours at the pool. Andy (Darcy’s dad) popped by and had some beers, I had wine and the neighbour joined us for a drink too. We all ended up in the pool with it being so hot but Lady C was not likely to be joining us for a swim, as she isn’t a fan of the water.
Dinner was going to be noodles from Simple but it was closed so Ozzy’s were able to deliver pizza, chips and a bottle of wine. The Slimming World plan had gone out of the window (again)!

Gratitude List
1. Turkcell hotspot packages
2. Getting all my jobs done
3. Having a dip in the pool.

The last day of the month did not end well! On Monday 30th June I started the day feeling tired as I ploughed through my to do list. I had quite a few calls and emails to deal with and the day went so fast. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for an incident that had happened as a result of our neighbour opposite not closing a door!
The door to the communal stairs was open and, as I started to walk up the stairs, I could smell an awful stench;
There was cat shit all over the top of the stairs where the 3 apartment front doors are. Ours and the next door neighbour had cat shit all over the step and some of it was up our door. I was fuming and banged on the door opposite, to ask her to close the stair door to prevent the cats coming up. It’s not a common thing with Turkish people to get them to close a gate or a door, for some reason. She wasn’t in so I went inside the apartment to get some bin liners and cleaning products.
I felt so sick and it really was disgusting, especially as it was dried on and took ages to get off. It was also difficult to wash because any water put down was going under the doors. I messaged Captain Caveman to ask him to let the other apartment owners know to close the stair door.
While I was cleaning, the neighbour opposite came back so I showed it her and asked her to close the door from now on. She agreed but I wasn’t convinced she would remember. Needless to say I then had to have a shower and change my clothes. I walked Lady C and told her about the random cat shit incident, she felt my pain as she isn’t keen on sharing her home with stray cats either. I wasn’t in the mood to eat dinner so, instead, I worked out my June income and expenditure – which didn’t do much to ease my bad mood!
In total I had spent a whopping £820.23 in June which was the most in a month so far this year. It did include Captain Caveman being here for 12 days and me going on 3 boat trips, 2 of them with him, and us going out far more than I usually would do! I did have zero debt, all the bills were paid including my credit card continuing to be paid off in full. As Captain Caveman had very kindly helped me out this month, I did still have £175 left to take in to the next month too. I was also due some royalties in the next couple of days from ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ sales in April.

Gratitude List
1. Getting on top of the workload
2. Eating a lot less than I would’ve, due to the cat shit incident.
3. Having money left at the end of the month!

Photo credit – Captain Caveman sent me the photos from the Iron Maiden gig

Dalyan – 28th June

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 26th June

It was pretty hot already on Thursday 26th June as I walked to Queen Accommodation Services’ office to meet Yusuf. He had agreed to show me a 2 bedroom property that had just come on sale for £170,000. There were people staying there so we couldn’t go in until tomorrow but I had a friend who wanted to know what the location was like and might be interested in buying it. They were concerned that it might be a bit too near to town and the petrol station so I agreed to do a reccy of the outside of the property.

Yusuf took me for a quick spin on one of the new 3 wheel electric scooters that they have for rent. They are about £15 per day depending on how long you rent them out for and were really handy to nip about in the heat. Queen also do money exchange now too which is handy if you’re up that way or the bank/jewellers were closed.

Video of us on the 3 wheel electric scooter

I liked the property location straight away and it was actually on a quiet street far enough away from the petrol station and main road. The nearest restaurant would be Olivia’s and it was easy walking distance to bars.
I took videos and photos so I could send them to my friend but I also liked the look of the place myself. Captain Caveman was not thinking of selling his apartment at Fire Opal at all, but I did think that if my friend wasn’t interested, I would mention it to him. I also made a second appointment to look inside the property tomorrow morning.

On the way back home, I called at the shops and was already feeling the heat a bit. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

BIM supermarket
2 Dido chocolate bars 29.00
Naan breads 67.50
Kitchen rolls 79.00
Total spent 175.50 lira (£3.31)

Parlak Bakery
1 loaf 15
1 simit 15
1 croisant 40
Total spent 70 lira (£1.32)

I sent my friend the videos and photos of the property for sale and they were still unsure and would wait until I went back tomorrow to view inside. By midday it was 36°C in Dalyan and about to get to 20°C in Sheffield. I hoped it would warm up in the UK before my visit. I worked for the rest of the day, including have a few work calls and meetings.

I finished just before 5pm, which was very early for me, as I had been invited to a friend’s house for dinner. Penny & Phil had invited me to join them and their friends, Karen & Andy (parents of Darcy the dog), for dinner. I took a bottle of wine and some Turkish delight over and we ate a lovely lasagne with garlic bread and salad, which had been made by Ela Bakes. I loved the meal, and ate quite a lot – it tasted really good. For dessert there was also a massive Bakewell tart which was amazing!

We had a lovely night and I even got some leftover lasagne and Bakewell tart to take home, which was very much appreciated. Penny tried to insist I get a taxi home but I walked back, passing a cat sat on a motorbike with a carpet over it. It was almost midnight by the time I got home – on a school night, too!

Gratitude List
1. Whizzing about in a 3 wheel electric scooter with Yusuf
2. Finding a great Dalyan property for a friend
3. A fab dinner with friends, trying Ela Bakes for the first time.

Dalyan – 24th & 25th June

Tuesday 24th June was day 3 of not leaving the house or spending any money. It felt strangely therapeutic. I saw an ex Turkish Class member and Facebook friend had posted on Facebook needing someone in London. She needed passports picking up which were going to cost £400 to have couriered so I messaged to say I could help if she could wait until I went there in a couple of weeks time. I also looked at flights to come back in time for Nanny Kay’s 80th birthday celebrations and they were now getting a bit pricier. I ate beans on toast for breakfast around 11.30am after sorting out my social media posts for the day and dealing with a couple of enquiries.
I’d ate cauliflower and cashew nut soup for lunch with wholemeal bread and then got back on with all my tasks. I stopped at 6pm to warm up some sausage casserole, not realising I didn’t have any potatoes in the house. By 8.30pm I was in bed with a facemask on and feeling really tired. I did a Facebook quiz to find out which country suited me to live in and wasn’t surprised to find it was Japan. I reposted the quiz so that others could have a go but it seemed a few people couldn’t get it to work. It was a shame as I wondered if any of the Dalyan Dwellers would have got somewhere other than Turkey as their answer. Tomorrow it would be weigh day and time to face Carol’s scales after indulging too much while Captain Caveman was here.

Gratitude List
1. Lovely home made food
2. Another zero spend, and zero alcohol day
3. Getting stuff done.

Of course the scales weren’t going to show a loss on Wednesday 25th June, after all the eating and drinking I’d done while Captain Caveman was here. It wasn’t surprising that my home scales said I had put on 0.5kg (1.1lb) this week. My measurements, though, showed no changes at all, which was good. While working in the morning I tried to help a friend out by sharing her post about a raffle to raise money for a local charity and unfortunately I didn’t really look at it too closely. I later noticed I was posting something that is illegal in Turkey, promoting alcohol, so I had to mess about taking it down but join the local charity page to share a version of it. I didn’t have time to eat lunch and headed to Fat Club via the bank a bit late. To my surprise, I was only showing a gain of 0.2kg (0.4lb) on Carol’s scales but I think I had been lucky really. I was now a whopping 2.7kg (6lb) over target and I only had 2 more Fat Club weigh-ins before I went back to the UK.
After Fat Club I popped to buy 2 more AC remotes but they hadn’t got them in yet and said to come back on Tuesday. I called at the shop and bought the following, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 plastic bag 0.50
Haribo jellies 22.45
Cheese spread 29.90
Biscuits 31.95
Bin bags 44.95
Batteries 74.95
Mushrooms 79.95
Toilet roll 108.95
Wholemeal wraps 110.00
4 Quark 116.00
Mouthwash 124.95
Total spent 744.55 lira (£14.05)

I went back home and did a couple of work related tasks before doing a few reviews on Facebook for places Captain Caveman and I had enjoyed on his visit. It followed with comments of people complaining about the price of things, yet again, on and off-topic point! Dalyan really is not that expensive in comparison to lots of other places and it got on my nerves that I was only trying to put nice reviews on not argue with people on the internet! I’m all for saving money, obviously, but arguing about the prices on a nice review is, in my opinion, not good form.
I noticed that the Dalyan Şarküteri had some offers on until the end of the month so I popped out around sunset to grab some imported products. I bought the following, prices in lira;

Dalyan Şarküteri
1 tin Heinz baked beans 65.00
1 tin Coconut milk 75.00
250g Lurpak butter 220.00
Total spent 360 lira (£6.79)

I spoke to Captain Caveman who was very busy working hard in London so didn’t have time to ask how I was, but I’d got used to that now. I lit my citronella candle put loads of Maizie Moo repellent on and treated myself to a White Russian (the cocktail) on the balcony. A couple of jays came to visit and I didn’t end up eating dinner of sausage casserole with potatoes and white cabbage until 10.30pm. Tomorrow I had another busy day as I had agreed to view a house for sale for a friend.

Gratitude List
1. Weigh day being better than expected
2. Being able to afford some shopping
3. White Russians on the balcony.

Dalyan – 11th June

Captain Caveman arrived before 2.30am on Wednesday 11th June. At Manchester Duty Free he’d bought us a bottle of Hendrick’s Gin for £29.99, then on landing at Dalaman he’d bought 2 bottles of Prosecco for €31.80 (1,443.08 lira). He’d also brought me the following treats, some of which I’d asked him to; Chopsticks, Eye mask, Tea Towels, Robinson’s cordial and Thai Curry pastes.
After a bit of sleep, I was up first to start work and get weighed. My home scales surprisingly said I had lost 1.6kg (3.5lb) but that couldn’t be right. My measurements showed my bust and hips had stayed the same but I’d put 1cm on my waist – that will be the alcohol at the weekend! I topped up the Turkcell with 50GB of data for 425 lira (£8) as Captainnet isn’t always reliable and there was now 2 of us working from home.
By 11am, Captain Caveman was on his morning video call and he was so loud, I expected the neighbours to complain. I left him shouting and complaining about not having any coffee and went to Turkish class at Lukka bar. I made us a salad for lunch and then I went to Fat Club in the afternoon. Carol’s scales were not as forgiving as my home ones but I was still shocked to find that I had lost 1kg (2.2lb). We had a bit of a laugh that the wine & Prosecco diet had done me well this week, but now I had to watch putting on weight next week! I called at the shop on my way back and here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Milk 33.95
2 Dido chocolate bars 43.90
2 tins tomato paste 59.90
Roasted red peppers 79.95
Walnuts 98.50
Coffee 164.95
Total spent 565.65 lira (£10.67)

Captain Caveman had been less than impressed that I’d given him a coffee made from Jamie’s decaf this morning and had insisted I get proper ground coffee – he was missing Vietnamese coffee! He didn’t have one though as, as soon as he had finished work at 7pm (5pm UK time), I was whisking him off to meet people!
I’d arranged to meet Jamie, Drew, Norman and Edna after their dog walk, in Lukka bar, for a quick hello/goodbye drink. Drew was heading back tomorrow so he and Captain Caveman are rarely in sync and it would be a quick meet up. Edna was the most excited to see Captain Caveman and I think she had hoped to get some wine. I ordered a soda water and Captain Caveman had his first Efes Malt of the visit. We all noticed that Edna was doing a little cough and I know she does that sometimes for attention. Norman got a stroke and was happy checking the floor for any scraps he could eat. Captain Caveman and I decided to have another drink, as we were having a roast chicken dinner at home for our meal and it was still in the oven. We tried a glass each of the house red wine and we chatted about all sorts. Drew mentioned Edna had been slightly off her food that day (which never happens) so Jamie was taking her to the vets before I dog sat on Monday – just in case.
I paid the bill for Captain Caveman and I, prices below in lira;
1 Soda water 60
1 Efes Malt 160
2 Red wines 380
Total spent 600 lira (£11.32)

Despite it being on the more expensive scale to what I’m used to, here in Dalyan, Captain Caveman was impressed at how cheap it was compared to the UK.
We said our farewells and headed home for our chicken dinner which was delicious. I forgot to take any photos and we had a relatively early night as tomorrow we were both very busy.

Gratitude List
1. Captain Caveman arriving in Dalyan (& with chopsticks!)
2. Losing weight despite a messy weekend
3. Seeing Jamie, Drew, Norman & Edna.

Dalyan – 1st & 2nd May

I had to declare the day a doggy duvet day on Thursday 1st May. The storm in the night had been quite bad and I’d ended up with 3 out of 4 dogs in my bedroom. When I went downstairs before 7am I had been left 3 presents; 2 wees and a very small poo. I let the dogs out, who were still reluctant to go in the rain, while I cleaned up. It felt pretty chilly out and even indoors was cool, as I had my tea and toast for breakfast. I brought all of the available dog beds out so each pooch could choose their own bed after each one had been towel dried and had their paws cleaned. Norman was hilarious as he tried every bed but his own. Even Edna preferred a different bed. It rained heavily all of the day so it was nice to keep dry.
Today was also the first pay day of my book royalties as Amazon pay me 2 months after the sale went through. It was a small payment this month but at least I knew it was working. I still needed to sell more and decided to promote it more on social media this month.
At 1pm I joined the Resort Experts team meeting, then had a call to Captain Caveman before a near miss with a cat happened. I’d let the dogs out for a wee and they cornered a ginger cat on the balcony railing so I had to go and rescue it in the rain.
After veggie curry for lunch, a chat with my Majorcan colleague and lending some friends a duvet for their grandkids, it was almost time to see if the rain had stopped enough for a dog walk. Norman had taken to scratching at the door to where he knew the food was kept a few hours before feeding time! That night I had spaghetti bolognese for dinner, no wine and was in bed by 10pm.

Gratitude List
1. Receiving my first book royalties as passive income
2. Doggy duvet day
3. Being in bed by 10pm.

I had tea and toast for breakfast on Friday 2nd May as 4 cute dogs looked on in anticipation of snaffling a morsel. I reminded them that I didn’t have a nibble of their dentistix or biscuits! We’d all been up since 6am and all 4 dogs had made it to the bedroom during the rainy night.
By 9am it was dry and warming up so I decided we would get out for a walk. Bebe had gone back to bed so I took Norman and Edna first and then Coco and Bebe. We didn’t go too far and I didn’t let any of them off the lead.
Back home I did some work before realising it looked like another downpour was on its way so I decided I should get to the supermarket while I could. Here’s what I got, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Tomato purée 22.95
2 Dido chocolate bars 39.90
Turkish salami 49.90
Wholemeal bread 49.95
Mozzarella cheese 69.90
Dubai Magnum ice-cream 75.00
Cashew nuts 84.50
Wholemeal wraps 93.50
Total spent 485.60 lira (£9.48)

While I was in the shop I checked out the prices of booze, as you do. Here’s what I noticed about the prices, in lira;
Angora red wine 439.50 (£8.58)
Isabey red wine 325 (£6.34)
Fiona red wine 250 (£4.88)
Can of Efes 85 (£1.66)
Large bottle Efes 83 (£1.62)
Large bottle or can Efes Malt 70 (1.37)

I walked back eating the Dubai chocolate flavoured Magnum which was unbelievably good. I also made a Slimming World pizza wrap for my lunch.
I did loads of work all afternoon while the dogs slept and it rained again. I was so glad to have done the walks earlier.
That evening, I realised I didn’t have enough in for my dinner and could do with a glass or two of wine so I set off to the shop. I’d only gone a few metres down the road when it started to rain again so I made it to the corner shop and bought essentials. Just wine and cheese for a total of 450 lira (£8.79).
For dinner I had bolognese with pasta and a Dido for afters before snuggling up with the 4 dogs who all wanted to be nearest to me. It was a good prevention from drinking too much wine as I couldn’t move to reach the coffee table.

Gratitude List
1. Lots of work done
2. Dog walks
3. Prices of wine in Turkey.

Dalyan – 30th March

Sunday 30th March was the day that Captain Caveman would be flying from Gatwick to Dalaman just to see me for a couple of days. When we initially booked the flight for £27, we had booked it without hold luggage. Since then, Captain Caveman had added on a case so that he could bring me some items that were cheaper or only available in the UK. He’d started buying the items before we decided that I would also fly back with him on Tuesday. I was up and about early as I was excited for his arrival, even though his flight didn’t leave London until 13:40 UK time. He was due to arrive in to Dalaman at 19:50 and our friend, Debbie, had volunteered to pick him up, taking me with her! The weather wasn’t fit for a Sunday stroll as it was raining and the skies were grey.

I’d arranged to meet my friends at Kefal tea garden at 10.30am as we wanted to discuss arrangements with Sezgin about our surprise BBQ (no longer a BBQ) tomorrow and our trip to İzmir at the end of next month. We were looking to do a cheese and wine trip for a couple of nights and Captain Caveman would fly directly to İzmir to join us. Tomorrow we had decided that Nur would cook a Turkish meal at their home and I just had to get Captain Caveman there as a surprise. Debbie and I agreed I would be at her house for 7.15pm tonight to go to the airport. No one had any breakfast at the tea gardens so I stuck to my 2 hot beverages. It’s still so cheap at the tea gardens, tea is often half the price of a tea elsewhere in Dalyan.

Kefal tea gardens
2 Turkish teas 40.00 lira (81p)

Back home, I ate overnight oats with berries for a late breakfast and decided to ask the AI tool, Chat GPT, about my book. It was hilariously inaccurate and read like it had made it up just from the title. I decided to reply to let ChatGPT know it had got ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ wrong but I didn’t expect an apology. I was impressed with that and decided to use it for marketing purposes in the future.

After doing a bit of work and making cheese pasties for lunch, I popped to the shops. I needed to buy booze to take tomorrow, as well as get some beer for Captain Caveman’s arrival tonight. I already had treats at the ready. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Yaman Büfe 2
2 Salt & Vinegar crisps 120.00
1 bottle of white wine 229.00
1 bottle of Rakı 1095.00
Total spent 1444.00 lira (£29.41)

Migros Supermarket
Mints 18.45
2 Quark 70.00
2 Efes Malt 134.00
1 Gluten Free Efes 105.00
Total spent 327.45 lira (£6.67)

Parlak bakery
Bread 15.00 lira (31p)

About an hour after returning home, Captain Caveman messaged to say they hadn’t took off yet. They should have left at 3.40pm (Turkish time) and I was tracking the flight. It said it had taken off at 3.53pm (Turkish time) but would land earlier than scheduled so all was still good, according to the internet. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman reported back that an engineer was coming to fix something and it looked like it could be delayed an hour or 2. Interestingly, the flight tracker showed it had departed on time and was flying over Serbia as Captain Caveman told me they were all getting off the plane and on to a new one. We cancelled the lift to and from the airport as we didn’t know what time Captain Caveman would depart, if at all, and he was still not on a new plane by the time 3 hours had passed. This meant he would now get compensation but wouldn’t land until after midnight. I was more concerned about all the goodies that might be getting a bit warm in that suitcase! I thought about asking someone else or a taxi to pick him up but as it was Bayram that proved tricky. Captain Caveman said he would just get a taxi at the airport. They finally took off on the new plane just before 8pm, Turkish time, I decided to make more cheese pasties so that he had something to eat when he arrived.
At 10pm I sat down with a glass of wine and watched something on Netflix while I waited for Captain Caveman to arrive, which would be around 1am!

Gratitude List
1. Having a Plan B for tomorrow’s cancelled BBQ
2. Slimming World style Cheese pasties
3. Knowing Captain Caveman was finally on his way but could claim £350 compensation for his flight delay.

Dalyan – 22nd March

I had planned to meet a friend for an outing to Dalaman on Saturday 22nd March. The plan was to meet up after the market and go off on a bit of an adventure, but I had to cancel. I had Resort Experts enquiries to deal with and I didn’t want to miss out on potential bookings. I had Yorkshire tea and wholemeal toast for breakfast then cracked on with work.
In the afternoon I went to the market where I also treated myself to lunch. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Market

Stall 1
Potatoes 35

Stall 2
6 Eggs 42

Stall 3
Gözleme mushroom 125

Stall 4
Strawberries 130

Total Spent 332 lira (£6.78)

I didn’t buy much this week as I still had enough food in. Back home I ate the gözleme (Turkish pancake) which was amazing and not Slimming World friendly. I had strawberries after, as I washed and chopped them up – putting them in a glass jar so they last longer.

I worked all afternoon on quotes and social media posts and even ate a Dido with a sage tea in the afternoon. After work, I met my friend at the Kaunos tea garden where I had a large Turkish tea and a bottle of water for 50 lira (£1.02). I still rate the tea gardens as one of the best places to go and the views are so good. We decided to go to Cömert Lokantası for a cheap and quick dinner. I had a chicken stew which had potatoes in it but came with rice. The cost for my meal and a bottle of water was 110 lira (£2.24) and was rather tasty.
I’d planned to host a Sunday dinner at mine tomorrow and wanted to get the Yorkshire puddings made today, that went by the way side as I ran out of time. I had a bit of a near miss when I went to Migros to buy the chicken for the Sunday dinner – there were none left. There were none left in A101 either and the ones in BIM were very small. Luckily, I found the last 2 in Şok and went home. I had a second visit to the shop when I realised I had run out of milk. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
2 x 1.8kg chickens 309.52 lira (£6.32)

Migros Supermarket
Milk 31.25
2 Quark 70.00
4 Dido chocolate bars 66.00
Total spent 167.25 lira (£3.41)

I had to move my desk down to the kitchen to make a bigger table for tomorrow and was slightly concerned there wasn’t enough room. It had been a busy day and I was pleased to see my bed that night.

Gratitude List
1. Being busy with work
2. Market visit
3. Having a desk for a spare table.

Dalyan & Köyceğiz – 9th March

I had big plans on Sunday 9th March, not all of them would be carried out, though. I met up with some friends for a bit if a Sunday stroll and we tried to follow a route that Captain Caveman had told us about with a bridge. We didn’t find it but we did have a nice walk and the sun was out. I was pleased to see the first stork of the year too but my camera wasn’t quick enough to get a photo.

After the walk, Janet & Ian had asked if I would like to go with them to Köyceğiz so they waited while I went to check on and let the dogs out. Norman was snoring away, while Edna wondered if we were going to a pub and could she come.
We drove to Köyceğiz and had a wander along the lake front to a place called Ayaklı Göl restaurant and was one of Ian’s recommendations for a very good Turkish breakfast. He wasn’t wrong and it was fantastic. It had everything you could imagine and more with Turkish tea and a fresh orange juice for 400 lira (£8.46) each. I loved it, we definitely couldn’t eat it all and we were too full to take any leftovers home. We had another wander then, back home, we called in to Janet & Ian’s for a cheeky glass of wine (or two) and a bit of a sunbathe as it had turned really warm.
Back at Jamie’s, I walked the dogs and then we had snuggles and watched TV. Edna prefers The Chase but I couldn’t get it to work so we watched Death in Paradise – Norman’s preference. I didn’t need to eat for the rest of the day as the Turkish breakfast had sorted me right out. I didn’t even have a bad stomach from it, which I often do with Turkish breakfasts.

Gratitude List
1. Sunday walking with friends
2. Köyceğiz breakfast with friends
3. Norman & Edna snuggles.

Dalyan – 23rd February

There was no Sunday Walk, secret squirrel or otherwise, on Sunday 23rd February. It was just too cold so I had arranged to meet some friends at Kefal Tea Gardens (indoor area) for a bit of a send-off for Zen. He was going back to work so it would be the last time we saw him until mid-April. We decided on meeting at 11.30am and joining the big table there were 8 of us. I wrapped up warm as it looked so sunny but was very cold outside.

When I arrived, the waitress helped me to move the tables in to place, in a sunny corner of the indoor area. I ordered a large Turkish tea, there were no gözleme available today. Everyone arrived and we had a good chat and beverages before ordering food. I ordered the breakfast portion (without egg) and it was rather substantial for the price of 225.00 lira (£5). I even took some of it away as I couldn’t eat it all. The sun had been very warm where we were sitting so it was very nice to feel hot and I even had to take a few layers off. My total bill with 2 teas, plus another which came included with the breakfast, came to just 255.00 lira (£5.67). I really enjoyed my Sunday Turkish brunch with friends but we were all sad to say bye to Zen.
I got back in time to have a chat with a friend, living in Hoi An, Vietnam, as we were looking at planning a trip to Easter Island and Peru for her. Unfortunately, she had an incident at work so the call was put on hold. Around 5pm, I popped to the shops and here is what I bought with prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Fresh Garlic 64.90
Tomato Ketchup 39.00
Total spent 103.90 lira (£2.31)

Migros Supermarket
2 tins of tomatoes 44.92 lira (£1)

I still hadn’t managed to find a notepad and I had an important call tomorrow that I needed one for. After eating a chicken dinner, I went to look for a notepad. None of the nearest supermarkets had one but I bumped in to Kaan who took me to the Şevikoğlu where I got one for 49.90 lira (£1.11) in the sale. I walked back and called in BIM where I bought a couple of Dido chocolate bars for 39.00 lira (87p). I spoke to Captain Caveman who was in the Yorkshire Dales, he would be back in Dalyan in 5 weeks.
At 11pm I was on a live Facebook update with Lisa Johnson getting ready for tomorrow’s Race to Recurring Revenue, which I was really looking forward to.

Gratitude List
1. Breakfast at Kefal with friends
2. An enquiry for Peru
3. A new notepad finally purchased.

Dalyan – 13th & 14th February

On Thursday 13th February I had breakfast of tea and toast then walked the dogs. I spoke to Captain Caveman before lunch then had a banana and a chicken sandwich. Jamie and his guests arrived back earlier than expected so I was back home for a Webinar on Adult Escapes, our Team Meeting and another Webinar on AI with Mel at Sales Geek. All 3 meetings were excellent and I spent the afternoon doing all my follow ups. I also decided to sign up for some more free courses, including the well-known Race to Recurring Revenue with Lisa Johnson. For dinner I had defrosted a surprise meal from the freezer and found it was the remaining half of shepherd’s pie from the last time I was at Jamie’s – it was so tasty!

Gratitude List
1. A good Resort Experts Team Meeting
2. Being back home
3. Free Training Sessions

After tea and toast with marmalade I got on with my dog free day on Friday 14th February. It was Valentine’s Day but unfortunately I had decided not to go over to see Captain Caveman in the UK. It made sense to save money to build up some savings before splashing out on trips. The flights weren’t that expensive but it was all the other stuff I would want to do that would cost me money. It did mean that we had overlooked the need to get Captain Caveman’s IRATA log book back to him ready for his rope access course next week. Luckily, Jamie and his guests came to our aid and agreed to take it back to England with them and Captain Caveman would go and collect it. I was pleased with that as it meant we could use the money I would have spent on another trip, instead. I had Pho Ga and a green tea for lunch. I should’ve been meeting friends but they had to cancel as they had a workman popping round. I cracked on with some work and had a few Friday Follow ups to do before having a veggie curry and half a bottle of wine for dinner.
It felt a bit weird knowing that my actual book was launched and was available for people to buy. My Mom was going to have a call with me over the weekend and let me know what she thought.

Gratitude List
1. Help to get Captain Caveman’s log book back to him before Monday
2. You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle… being LIVE!!!!
3. Wine to celebrate being an author.