Dalyan – 19th November

Wednesday 19th November turned out to be quite eventful. I’d fed the cat before sunrise and decided on another walk through Dalyan’s town and by the river, on my way home. It was a little chilly but beautiful and quiet.

I’d turned in to a bit of a magnet for stray animals as various ones came to say hello. I now had a handful of dogs who came over to get some fuss on a regular basis.

Back home I got weighed to find I had put on 0.3kg (0.7kg) which wasn’t ideal. My measurements weren’t good either; my bust remained the same but I’d put on 2cm on my waist and 1cm on my hips. I would find out later what Carol’s scales read. The Slimming World plan kept falling by the wayside but I was determined to get back on track before the end of the year.
I had beans on toast for breakfast and then went to do some more edits on my new travel planner. Canva had started playing up with the page numbering I had saved and was showing page numbers on pages I had asked it to hide, as well as moving the odd one to the right instead of the middle – very frustrating and unnecessary time was wasted.
At 3pm it was time for Fat Club, only to find I had lost 0.3kg (0.7lb) on Carol’s scales, which was better than expected.
I went straight home after Fat Club as I needed to finish off some work before my friend popped round. Vanessa arrived as soon as I’d finished and we chatted and drank tea. We were going to meet at Jiks but decided it would be better to chat first then go out. I went to feed the cat and then we were on our way to the bank, when we saw my parents with their friends in Ren Garden. They’d been out a while and were planning on going home but they stayed out a bit longer with Vanessa and me. It was the first time I’d seen them since they went to Jiva Beach almost a week ago so they were telling us how good a time they had on their trip for Kate’s birthday. I had 2 white wine and sodas for 300 lira (£5.45) and, while Vanessa went back home, we stayed out. My parents hadn’t got anything ready for dinner so we were going to eat out at Çağrı. Unfortunately, it was closed as it was already 8.50pm so we decided to walk to one of our old favourites, River House. We shared a large bottle of water, a meze plate and balloon bread. My parents both ordered liver with either mash or chips and I had meatballs with cheese. My share of the meal came to 1,410 lira (£25.64) including a tip and was very nice but slightly extravagant for a Wednesday.

Gratitude List
1. Animals
2. Not being as fat as I’d thought
3. Seeing Vanessa and my parents.

Dalyan – 18th November

I was awake at 6.30am on Tuesday 18th November so that I could go to feed my friend’s cat. It was a bit fresh out but nice, so I decided to have a walk through the town and along the river on the way back home. My heart had still been racing a bit after yesterday’s shock and I’d not felt that great. I thought a bit of exercise would do me good, for a change. I was out until 8.15am and then I had a cup of tea and started working on the planner again.

I didn’t bother with breakfast, so at lunch time I sat on the balcony in the sun and ate bread, cheese and olives.
At 6pm, I broke off to go feed the cat again and then on the way back, did some shopping. I was still looking for chopped tomatoes but had to make do with tomato puree in a jar. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Şarküteri
1 tin of coconut milk
2 tins of baked beans
Total 270 lira (£4.91)

A101 Supermarket
Mints 17.50
Jellies 29.00
Tomatoes in a jar 48.90
Sensodyne toothpaste 185.00
Total spent 280.40 lira (£5.10)

For dinner I had a pasta bolognese with parmesan and then did more of the planner until bed time.

Gratitude List
1. Walking through town before many people were up and about
2. A calm but busy day
3. Tasty food.

Dalyan – 17th November

Monday 17th November was my last day in charge of Kate’s 7 cats. She had said they were going to be back in time for the evening feeding so I only needed to do the 7am one. By 7.30am I had fed and checked on all 7 of the cats, they were fine and were going to be popped outside once I left.
I messaged Fikri to book the taxi to take me back before lunch as I had signed up for a 6 hour, free online event with Lisa Johnson from 1pm. The taxi was 200 lira (£3.64) and it made things easier with carrying my bag.
I got a message from my Mom to say the return bus from Jiva Beach had been moved, so they would be home even earlier. I’d packed up my stuff, washed the cat’s bowls and made sure everything was tidy, ready for Mark and Kate’s return. Casha was reluctant to go outside but all the others were up for playing in the sunshine.
On my way home, I called at the bakery and treated myself to a chocolate croissant as I was hungry and hadn’t had any dinner last night. I also called in to check on another friend’s cat, and top up her water and food bowls. On the way home I passed two small white dogs who came to say hello, one of them had the sniffles.
In the afternoon, I’d been listening to the online Lisa Johnson sessions and noticed my laptop battery was low. I went to plug it in and the plug blew up in my hand, tripping the electric and turning my hand black. I got a shock but was lucky the whole power had gone out. My heart was racing and I felt a little bit peculiar. I had to go out in search of a new lead and, luckily, Mert at Dalyan Computer had one for 500 lira (£9.09). I was also lucky that I’d not had the lead plugged in to my laptop when it went bang. By the time I’d got back and gingerly plugged my laptop back in to charge, I decided a hot shower and a cup of tea were needed.
In the evening I walked round to my friend’s and fed her cat, she was super affectionate and we had some fuss. My next job was to go shopping and here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket

Plastic bag 0.50
Onions 5.01
Milk 10.90
Pasta 13.95
Turkish ravioli 32.50
2 Quark 91.90
Toilet roll 279.95
400g Beef Mince 329.95
Total spent 764.66 lira (£13.90)

For dinner, I warmed up the left over chicken casserole, spinach and rice from Çağrı and it was very tasty still. That night I was in bed early as I felt really tired.

Gratitude List
1. All of Kate’s 7 cats surviving the 5 days
2. Being alive after the shock from the laptop lead.
3. Being able to get a replacement lead from Dalyan Computer.

Dalyan – 15th & 16th November

Saturday 15th November was one of those days where I was totally cheesed off. I don’t have many days like that because generally I try to keep positive and upbeat wherever I can. I try to tackle problems with a solution as soon as I can. I was also finding that going through the menopause was having an impact on my emotions and I was so much more easily put out of sorts by things I couldn’t control.
I fed the chaotic 7 cats. Norman, the 3 legged cat, wasn’t about but there was a black and white one in its place.
I worked on my planner but was disappointed to realise that on Canva my margins had come undone and I had lots of changes to update. It meant that I was further delayed to submit the copy to Amazon for a proof copy. I was miffed as, if I’d known earlier, I would’ve planned better.
I got another Fikri taxi back home but had to be back before 6pm as a friend was coming over for pizza (again). When I got back to Kate’s, there had been a cat incident; Norman the 3-legged cat was back and tormenting JC and Baby. There was a dead blackbird as a gift at the back door and Mork had, what looked like, a cat’s tail in his mouth!
It ended with me having to let Kate know and her telling me to me to contact Sue to come get her cat. When Sue and Graham arrived they went to get Norman in the cat carrier but decided he would rather stay where he was and went home without him! Baby had still not come home and it’s tail is the same colouring so we had some drama trying to find it. Me and my friend had to form a search party for a cat without half of its tail. We gave up looking once we got hungry and ordered Ozzy’s pizzas. It came to 800 lira (£14.55) for 2 and was lovely. At 11.15pm, when my friend was leaving, Baby came home with her tail in tact and demanding to be fed. We were all very relieved but there was still the mystery of who the tail belonged to.

Gratitude List
1. Still finding something to be grateful for
2. Fikri
3. Friends who understood.

On Sunday 16th November I fed the cats and was met by another gift of a dead bird – they really do like me. After disposing of the second bird in 2 days, the second without a head attached, I decided the cats were all going out in the sun for the day. I also decided to take myself off on my own Sunday walk and was intending to pop home to put some washing on.
I treated myself to lunch at Çağrı, where I had chicken casserole, garlic spinach, rice and bread with a bottle of water for 720 lira (£13.09) including a tip. There was enough to take half home but that’s when I realised I hadn’t brought my house key. I took it with me and called in to Bim Supermarket where I bought some sweets and a Dido chocolate bar for 77 lira (£1.40) then I needed a toilet stop.

I called in to Mono where I ordered a green tea for 60 lira (£1.09) and sat relaxing and updating my diary. They had a new promotion on for Friday night Indian food with a set menu at 1,390 lira (£25.27) for 2 people, not including drinks. I got chatting with the owners and accidentally found myself with a large portion of delicious carrot cake for 295 lira (£5.36). It was probably the most expensive piece of cake I’d eaten in quite a while but it was very good and I didn’t manage to save half, as intended. I walked back to Kate’s, a bit cheesed off at having forgotten the key but pleased I’d had a day out, even if I had unexpectedly spent over £20. Back at Kate’s I fed all but 1 of the cats who didn’t turn up that evening.

Gratitude List
1. An impromptu Sunday walk
2. Great food and cake
3. Having most of the cats fed and watered.

Dalyan – 13th & 14th November

It was little Norman’s last morning with me on Thursday 13th November, his owners were due back from Jiva beach, Fethiye, by noon. Once I’d done the handover with Jamie and Drew, I was due over to Kate & Mark’s to cat sit 7 cats for the next 5 days, while they went to Jiva Beach, Fethiye.
Norman and I had our last walk and then he got impatient waiting for his breakfast. An hour later he was snoring away on the sofa, living his best life. I was going to miss him as he was just so adorable. Jamie and Drew arrived, Norman was very pleased to see them and I was sad to say bye to him.
By midday I was having a stress on with my planner as I now had most of the pages written but the format was proving troublesome. I left it and walked to the bakery to pick up bread and a simit so I could have lunch later.

Jamie picked me up and drove me over to Kate’s, so that I didn’t have to get a taxi. A spare key had been left for me and I had my written instructions at the ready. All the cats were outside and stayed there until after I had my Resort Experts team meeting. Luckily, the internet worked well and I had no issues.
Before 3pm I was out on the terrace playing with Mork and Mindy, the latest kitten additions to this cat family. They were cute, mainly blind, very affectionate and they just wanted to play all the time.
It was lovely and sunny so I had a break then went to check if I’d heard back from the publishing company. I’d sent in my Canva link to get a second opinion but it had now been 6 days without a response and I was getting impatient.

At 6.30pm I had all of the cats coming home, ready for their evening meal. I spent the evening with them all vying for my attention and was surprised that JC was the one who came for cuddles on my lap. I had a sandwich for dinner and was in bed by 10.30pm, feeling quite tired.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. A lift from Jamie and Drew
3. Seeing all 7 cats were alive and well on the first day.

My deadline to have ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ finished was today, Friday 14th November. Unfortunately, the lady I’d tagged at the publishing company I was working with, had not seen it until today and now it was the weekend. I did get feedback about my sizing and fonts which needed more work so I was behind for getting the proof copies sent to Captain Caveman in Pontefract. The cats had woken me up at 6.30am so I was quite tired as I worked more on correcting my planner. One of the cats had torn open my bag of dried pasta that I had left on top of the toaster and it was all over the kitchen counter and floor, so most of that went in the bin.
By mid morning, I had 2 mock up copies of my book cover, designed by Nicole, and I was very pleased with them. I had a choice of 2 and could get some tweaks so I did that quite decisively. At midday, I needed a break so I walked in to town. This was the furthest I’d walked without a crutch since breaking my foot, just over 2 months ago. I was still very slow and it frustrated me. I called at the shop but they didn’t have what I needed in, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Water 4.50
Cheese börek 26.95
Haribo jellies 32.95
Total spent 64.40 lira (£1.17)

I went back to Kate’s and cracked on with work and editing my planner until 4.30pm, when I put all the cats outside and walked back home as I had an online training session booked in for 5pm. It was about Nile river cruising which I was interested in doing myself in 2027 so I was glad to be attending it. I did this at Fire Opal then went to meet Vanessa at Ozzy’s. We had planned to meet there because I had to feed another friend’s cat at 6.30pm and we were going to order a pizza to take away.

Interestingly, we got chatting to a man, whose accent I recognised as being from Hull, and decided to have a second wine and order food. I left Vanessa chatting to Mike while I went off to feed the cat.
Vanessa had a plain jacket potato but I had a chicken pizza which is my favourite. I paid 705 lira (£12.82) for 2 wines and the pizza which included the winter discount. We had to get back to Kate’s cats for feeding time so we decided to get a taxi. Fikri charged just 200 lira (£3.64) for the journey and the cats were waiting for us. It was chaos and there was also a 3-legged cat who was on a beanbag under some chairs that had blown over in the wind. I gave it some food, it let me stroke it and was very vocal, so I thought it was injured. When I let Kate know she had an extra cat, she said it was Norman, Sue & Graham’s cat. I left it outside but it wasn’t being friendly towards some of Kate’s cats.
Vanessa and I shared some wine that she’d brought and we had a good chat. The kittens, Mork and Mindy loved her and got lots of cuddles.

Gratitude List
1. Getting to see my mock up book covers for The Handy Travel Planner, which I loved.
2. Dinner at Ozzy’s
3. Still having 7 cats alive, plus an extra one!

Dalyan – 12th November

Wednesday 12th November was chock-a-block with stuff!
Norman and I were out before daylight and he tried to go back to the spot he’d found the fish. He’d got an oyster shell in his mouth which I quickly retrieved – luckily as it was broken and could injure an animal.
After Norman’s breakfast he went back to bed while I took my measurements. I’d lost 0.4kg (0.9lb) on the home scales, which was surprising. My bust had stayed the same, I’d put 1cm on my waist but lost 1cm on my hips. Not bad, considering Sabotage Tuesday had got me.
I did some Resort Experts work before prioritising The Handy Travel Planner – yes, it now had a title! I updated the Packing, Itinerary, Must Do, See & Eats pages as well as reformatting the questions pages. I had soup for lunch before taking Norman on a quick outing before Fat Club. Bizarrely, on Carol’s scales, I was the same as last week. I was getting a bit frustrated that I wasn’t losing the weight but, although I was drinking far less and not as often, I wasn’t being as strict on the food. Even though I was walking Norman 3 times each day, it wasn’t far or fast.
After Fat Club I called at the shops to pick up some shopping to give to Kate. I was meeting her to pick up house keys so that I could start the cat care from tomorrow. Here’s what I bought, with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Plastic bag 0.50
Pasta 13.95
Courgettes 18.98
Rice crackers 24.00
Milk 39.95
Chickpeas 69.95
Bananas 76.92
Pesto 79.95
Dark chocolate 84.95
Mushrooms 89.95
Total spent 499.10 lira (£9.07)

When I arrived at Ozzy’s to meet Kate, it was a little chaotic! Kate had just finished hosting the quiz and was trying to do 3 things at once. She apologised as she was very busy and had forgotten the key.
I sat down next to Vanessa and had a soda water but I had to leave because I was meeting my next cat owner to discuss her requirements and pick up her key. Vanessa and I took Ozzy’s phone number so that we could order delivery from him this coming weekend.

I said bye and headed to my next appointment, buying a couple of chocolate bars on the way as I was a bit early. I was eating a chocolate bar outside the Millennium shop when my friend arrived. We walked to her house, she gave me a spare key, and ran through the cat’s needs.
Norman and I had a little walk and bumped into my parents to say farewell and wish them a nice break at Jiva Beach in Fethiye. We then wandered past Phil who was walking Caramel and he’d left Penny in Tez bar. I decided to go in to say hello and had a glass of red wine while Norman got some fuss. He enjoyed listening to the regulars singing and even got a dog treat from Penny.
Back home I had a video call with Captain Caveman who was working in Scotland and was in a hotel. I had a very late dinner of chicken casserole then some cheese and wine as a weigh day treat.

Gratitude List
1. Not putting weight on
2. Norman
3. Things going well with half of the cat sitting arrangements.

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.