Dalyan – 15th January

I’m always busy on Wednesdays and Wednesday 15th January was no different. I started the day with tea and toast and a check of my measurements. I’d lost 1cm from my bust, but my waist and hips had stayed the same. I had consumed 228 syns this week so it was not going to be good on Carol’s scales this afternoon at Fat Club. I had so much on my To Do list that I was quite glad of the cancellation of Turkish class that morning so I could get stuck in, after the dog walk of which Lady C was going a little further each day. I nipped to the shop to get more ingredients for my dish for tonight’s meal. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Şevikoğlu Supermarket
1 Dido chocolate bar 15.00
Milk 29.90
1 pack of tortilla 54.90
Cauliflower 93.49
Total spent 193.29 lira (£4.39)

When I spoke to Captain Caveman he was very calm and collected and said he thought the interview had gone well and they were going to get him an offer and the contract out. Captain Caveman was waiting to find out more details in this paperwork before committing but it did sound like this was going to work out well for him. I was really pleased that things were going in the right direction as, despite being a positive person, I do worry more than Captain Caveman does. He also helped me install Maps.me on my phone so that I could find places easier when offline, perhaps on a Sunday Walk. Foolishly, I ate a chocolate bar and some peanuts for lunch, put my cauliflower cheese in the slow cooker and then went to Fat Club at Nish Caria hotel, as usual.
Unfortunately, I had put on 0.5kg so I was now exactly at my target weight. I was going to need to be careful this week with those ‘extras’. I finished Fat Club and rushed to meet a lady from the walking group who was going to be at Waterfall bar to return Captain Caveman’s walking poles.
As is often the case in Dalyan, that did not go to plan! I ended up paying 140 lira (£3.18) for a glass of red wine to sit on my own in Waterfall bar. I wasted 50 minutes and risked my cauliflower chees being spoiled to have to go find the lady’s house, when she called me with directions, then turned out not to be at home! She came running down the street in a flap with a tale about her ID card not arriving before she left for England.

I rushed back to a slightly overcooked cauliflower cheese and a dog who wondered what had kept me. We did the dog walk and I got ready for an evening with friends. Jamie picked me up, with Julia already in the car so she got to hold my cauliflower cheese (not a euphemism), which was precariously covered with tin foil and in a tray with handles on. We then went to pick up Nanny Kay, which meant she could join me on the wine. I’d brought a nice bottle of the Levissi stash over and my dish went in the oven. Jamie and Drew were the perfect hosts; as Drew took charge in the kitchen, Jamie poured everyone a glass of celebration fizz which was so lovely!!! We were celebrating quite a few occasions including Drew’s return, my birthday, several people’s departures and just being together for a laugh!!! Not only had Jamie and Drew put on the soirée and bought the Prosecco, they had also bought me a bottle of red wine. Nanny Kay had got me a card and a gift which I thought was a cricket bat at first, but it turned out to be a lovely hand painted paddle type item which you hang on a wall. I certainly didn’t already have one so she had chosen well and it was very kind of her. The drinks flowed, the music came from Alexa, which I didn’t even know they had, and our Sunday Dinner on a Wednesday (so wild) was delightful. I had no idea that Jamie and Drew had got me a birthday cake too and everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me. Even Norman and Edna tried to get a piece of cake, which was gorgeous and blowing out candles has made a comeback since Covid (who knew!?). I felt so lucky to be with such good company and of course we had a great time, laughing non-stop and even dancing. We ended up all shouting song requests at Alexa while keeping Fikri, our taxi driver, waiting a little too long at the end of the night! He was slightly miffed at having to wait for us so all 3 of us put in extra lira.
Jamie insisted I take the remaining cake home and I remember holding it in the taxi as I clambered out and wobbled about getting up the steps and indoors. It was late and I don’t recall what happened to the cake from that point. I do remember drinking one glass of water in an attempt to ward off the hangover I knew I would have tomorrow. I also recall checking Nanny Kay had got home ok, despite us all going in the taxi together. I also followed it up with a very crude post from Facebook which was a good job Nanny Kay had a sense of humour.

Photo/video credit – Julia and Drew

Dalyan – 11th January

Even though it was my birthday on Saturday 11th January, I had made the decision not to celebrate it. I had a half finished handy travel tips book that I had been wanting to finish for ages, but it always took a backseat. I decided today that I would turn my phone on silent, take the day off work and get it finished. I no longer wanted to make it perfect and decided that I would do a series of them, meaning I could do short books which readers would be able to read quickly and even take on holiday with them.
I had gorgeous oranges and pink grapefruit on my doorstep so I had picked them and made juice which was so good. I had cheese spread on bread for breakfast and then took Lady C on a walk. I cracked on with the ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle……and other handy travel tips’ book and got quite far. I didn’t stop for lunch until 2.30pm when I had a feta cheese salad with my overpriced lettuce. I had the slow cooker out and made a very quick and easy dahl for dinner. I spoke to my parents who wished me a happy birthday and then I spoke to Captain Caveman who later sent me photos of Whernside and Pen-y-gent with snow on. I think he was just about getting used to how cold it was in the UK. When I came off the phone I had a delivery from good friends, some flowers, Dido chocolate bars and a birthday card – which I thought was really sweet and made my day.
After finishing all the chapters of the book, bar one chapter that needed changing, and taking Lady C out for a walk, I decided to sit and watch a film on Netflix as a break from my screen. I chose badly; ‘Mother of the Bride’ wasn’t funny and not my thing at all so I decided to watch a documentary next; ‘Avicii – I’m Tim’ was really good but rather sad, obviously. I got an invite to Nil Lounge tonight for the Cat Paws charity night. I politely declined as I was doing my best to be disciplined with my time. The Aussies were soldiering on too and had a barbecue which I also declined as I wanted to concentrate on getting the book finished. By this time it was raining but weather doesn’t stop a group of Aussies having a barbecue. I’d also been invited to Duble for birthday celebrations which we had already postponed too.
My lentil and chickpea curry was rather tasty but I didn’t even have a drink on my birthday. I did watch another film that was mildly entertaining called Carry-On. I went to bed without setting an alarm as I had nowhere to be tomorrow and knew I’d wake up early anyway.

Gratitude List
1. So many birthday wishes, plus cards and gifts
2. Fresh tasty food
3. Book Day – at last.

Dalyan – 9th & 10th January

My day started with overnight oats and frozen berries for breakfast with my Yorkshire tea on Thursday 9th January. Lady C, the dog, was still napping and wasn’t too keen to go outside in the cold. When we did get out for her morning walk she managed to get the whole way around the block. I left her at home while I went to run some errands which included going to the bank and picking up some bread and a cheese flavoured açma from the bakery, for 35 lira (80p). I decided to call at A101 and get some treats too. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

A101 Supermarket 2pm
1 Dido chocolate bar 16.50
Jellies 17.00
1 Pot noodle 22.00
1 Bounty chocolate bar 24.50
Total spent 80.00 lira (£1.82)

I bumped in to a friend in the town and had a bit of a chat and then had to dash. It was around lunch time by this point and when I arrived at our complex, two of The Aussies, were on the terrace waiting for the rest of the family to arrive back from a trip across the river. Another 2 were at home ill with Covid symptoms and Amanda told me that all but her, and 2 of their party of 9, had had Covid. I’d still not had it and I didn’t want it – I couldn’t afford to be unable to work. I backed away and said farewell as I had to get back to my laptop, just as the remaining 5 Aussies arrived.
For lunch, which was very late I had the pot noodle and the cheese açma then got on with my expanding To Do list again before another dog walk. For dinner I had a veggie lentil bolognese with pasta and a glass of red wine. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was back at his friend’s house in Sheffield and was planning some excitement at the weekend. In the evening I started watching Black Doves and did some blog editing at the same time.

Gratitude
1. A January self-care chart to remind me to look after myself
2. Bumping in to a friend for a chat
3. One of my Resort Experts colleagues, in Majorca, helping me with a list of 50 ideas for social media posts.

Now that I could have between 40 and 60 extra syns per week, plus up to 3 extra Healthy A & Bs per day, I was ready for more flexibility in my food on Friday 10th January. I was awake early and ploughing through my substantial To Do list while I drank my tea and ate my overnight oats with berries. There was dog walking, cat feeding and general animal stuff. Lady C was rather disgruntled that at least 4 cats were sleeping on her bed when we got back to her house. We had another short walk at lunch time as I wanted to keep her active while the weather was fine, I felt she was a little lazy and didn’t want her getting bored. When we got back this time, the cats were feeding and one had made a bed out of a spare box on the table. I ate an aubergine dip with bread and feta then had some peanuts as a snack. I also cancelled all my plans that involved other people, for the next 3 days. In Turkey if you have Covid, there are no rules to say that you must stay home but I checked with the friends who I was meant to be visiting today, one was an ex medical professional who was at risk, and they definitely didn’t want me to join them, for up to 5 days, just in case I had caught it. It was unlikely, as we had been outside and at a distance, but I’d been feeling under the weather with aches and a bit of a sore throat. Rain was definitely forecast this weekend so I decided that I would use the time to be productive instead.
For dinner I had leftover lentil bolognese with potato wedges which I did in the air fryer and topped with cheese, since I was allowed extra now. As it was a Friday and I was not going out, I decided to have a glass of wine. I spent Friday night totting up my finances to make sure I would have enough money deposited in to the bank for the new residency rules. For me to stay as a resident now, I needed to deposit at least 33,156 lira per month, which was about £755 at today’s rate. I was short by £170 but with still enough time to sort it out. I finished watching Black Doves in the evening, which I wasn’t massively impressed by. I started watching Breakthrough but couldn’t get in to that either. At 11pm, Captain Caveman called to say he was on his way to the Yorkshire Dales for the weekend and that he would call me tomorrow. I told him to message me first as I had planned to turn my phone off and get on with something important for the day.
Before I went to bed, I got a message from the bank to say that my parents had put me some birthday money in to my Turkish bank, which was really kind of them and would be nice to get myself something nice, or maybe have my hair done at last.

Gratitude List
1. That the cats were outdoor ones and I didn’t have to do much with them
2. Having time to watch some TV
3. Deciding to stay home tomorrow and make time to do something I had been meaning to do for a while.

Dalyan – 5th January

There was no official Sunday walk on Sunday 5th January, as Captain Caveman had now left Dalyan and there was no one else willing/available to take on the task of organising one this week. I’d decided I would not always be free as I worked some weekends and I also was a bit of a fair-weather girl who couldn’t read a map. The sun was out and so when I got up and had my cup of tea, I messaged Debbie and Janet to see if they were going on a walk. They said they were up for a short stroll and Debbie let Sezgin and Nur know too so we could meet at the tea gardens at 11am. It turned in to a bit of a Secret Squirrel Sunday walk, quite by chance. We all started off togged up in many layers, as it was a very cold morning despite the sun. We had lost one walker before leaving the Mosque Square and we watched some stand up paddle boarders on the river. One of them fell in, which must have been a bit refreshing for them. By 12.45pm I had taken so many layers off that my bag was full of clothes and I had very hot feet. I was wearing Captain Caveman’s wool socks with my wellies to make them comfier. We went to the tea gardens afterwards and had a hot beverage and a bit of a laugh.

After the walk, I went to the shops to stock up, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Bakery
1 fresh loaf 10.00
1 açma 15.00
Total spent 25.00 lira (57p)

Migros Supermarket
2 red onions 10.72
1 chocolate bar 14.40
Spring onions 34.94
1.2kg carrots 64.84
720g sweet potatoes 71.96
3 Quark 89.95
Spray olive oil 129.95
705g chicken breasts 105.72
912g chicken thighs 184.64
Total spent 707.15 lira (£16.07)

When I got home, Captain Caveman had been busy setting up a Facebook Group and had invited me to be the admin on it. I treated myself to the açma with kaymak and jam for my brunch and made a chicken casserole in the slow cooker for dinner. The weather forecast was looking bad again for next week so I got on with work and then started looking at my own holidays. I had a quick look at costs of package holidays to Marrakech in February and saw one at £229 per person from Gatwick, hand luggage only but staying at a nice place with a pool. Captain Caveman thought this was a bit pricey and I looked at flights which came up at a bargain £35 return from Gatwick. I would still have to add my flights from Turkey to the UK on top of that, though. I went to bed thinking of a weekend in Marrakech and knowing the sales course I was on tomorrow had come at a good time.

Gratitude List
1. The Secret Squirrel Sunday Walk
2. Bargain chicken from Migros
3. Captain Caveman including me in his projects and plans.

Photo credit – some photos by Debbie W

Dalyan – 15th December

There was a bit of excitement in our day on the morning of Sunday 15th December when we decided we would take Norman and Edna on the Sunday Walk which Captain Caveman had organised. Norman had been so sprightly lately so we thought we would give it a try and if he got tired then I would go back with him, or even both, dogs. It was very cold at 7am when I woke up but it would be a whopping 9°C by 9am. I forgot to have breakfast but I had a couple of cups of tea. It had been a month since my parents had left and I hadn’t spoken to them on the phone yet. I missed them not being on the Sunday walk so that I could have an excuse to be the fat, slow one at the back. On the walk today was a nice small group and I enjoyed our very nice walk until we got to a muddy patch. I had my trainers on that are not suitable so I moaned that I would turn back around with Norman and go home. Norman joined in and decided he didn’t want to go through the big puddle either so Captain Caveman came back, carried Norman over and then offered to carry me over it. I went across and was fine after that, despite soaking socks and Norman pulling to try to get in to the front again. We even got another dog, Chezza, joining us who protected us from any of the street dogs. At the end of the walk we went to the Kaunos tea gardens for a beverage and the big dog, Chezza, got in the river while Norman and Edna had a drink of water from my bottle. We sat on the wall as dogs aren’t allowed at the tea gardens and we had 3 teas for 40 lira (less than a pound). Edna got cocky and decided to see Chezza off so he left and then we all walked back home.

We had leek & potato soup for lunch with bread and then I ate a banana as a snack. I got on with work for a bit and Captain Caveman lay on the sofa with the dogs for the rest of the day. He said he didn’t feel well and he was incredibly snotty and sneezy. I made a chicken casserole for dinner with stuffing, Yorkshire puddings, carrots, onions, green beans, cabbage and roast potatoes. This did mean that I had gone quite a bit over the syns this week and was on 299 syns. I had a really nice surprise from my parents when they sent me some Christmas money, this made me a bit emotional and I promised to spend it on something nice, rather than something essential. At first I had thought I might use it to get my hair done because I had not had it done since June but I decided it wasn’t a priority and I could always wear a hat! I worked quite late as we had received a warning that there may be a planned power outage tomorrow so I wanted to be prepared.

Dalyan – 25th November

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

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

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

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

Car ferry 100.00 lira (£2.30)

Total spent 430.00 lira (£9.89)

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

Dalyan – 13th November

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 25th & 26th October

I had a very productive Friday 25th October, I had an early breakfast of tea and overnight oats before starting work at 9am. I did lots of training and I added more to my growing To Do list. Captain Caveman was at Bridge Club and had left about 9.45am, he came back at 1pm for lunch but I was still working so I asked him to make our meal. He made some really tasty chicken fajita wraps which I ate at 1.30pm then went back to some more training at 2pm.
Captain Caveman seemed ill with his constant sneezing and blowing his nose and was snappy with me so I suggested he actually did have some rest in bed to sleep it off. I had to remind him that he was not going to bed so that he could play Bridge on his phone all afternoon.
I had scheduled in to my diary to work until 4pm but my Mom was available for me to pop round. We’d mentioned about having an evening together soon and I asked what plans they had for the weekend. They had been invited to one of our friend’s houses for cheese and wine tomorrow night so we suggested Sunday evening would be good for Captain Caveman and I, if they didn’t get a better offer!
I went to the shops as we needed Quark and tinned tomatoes. Word from the Fat Club group had let me know they had some in stock. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Milk 28.25
2 tins of tomatoes 59.90
2 Quark 59.90
632g Chicken thighs 132.72
Total spent 280.77 lira (£6.32)

When I got home, Captain Caveman was on the sofa, playing Bridge and still very sneezy. We both agreed I should have bought more tomatoes while they were in stock and I toddled back off, while he went to bed.

Migros Supermarket
Pasta 11.75
Penne pasta 14.96
1kg Flour 22.50
3 tins of tomatoes 89.85
Total spent 139.06 lira (£3.13)

When I got back I cleared out one of the spare room cupboards and prepared dinner which was only a veggie curry, omelette and steamed rice. When I went in to check on Captain Caveman, he was playing Bridge and we had a row. I was annoyed that he was meant to be in bed because he was too ill to do anything else! I told him I was very concerned about this Bridge addiction and that was all he was spending his time doing. His response made me even more mad; he was not addicted because he hadn’t reached 10,000 hours in 3 years yet! Now I realised that was his aim and he obviously was not going to do anything else until he reached that target. I was fuming! Shoot me now!!!!

Captain Caveman was still sneezing and sniffling and had taken to waking me up just before 7.30am with a sneeze on Saturday 26th October. He brought me a cup of Yorkshire tea in bed and we were due to go to the market. We didn’t end up getting there until 11am but we had quite a list of things to get this week. Here’s what we bought at each stall, with prices in lira;

Stall 1
Potatoes & Onions 80 lira (£1.80)

Stall 2
Leeks, pumpkin, red cabbage, 1 lemon
200 lira (£4.50)

Stall 3
Tomatoes & peppers 105 lira (£2.36)

Stall 4
Carrots & Apples 52 lira (£1.71)

Stall 5
Peanuts 100 lira (£2.25)

Stall 6
Mushrooms 50 lira (£1.13)

Stall 7
Olives 100 lira (£2.25)

Total spent 687 lira (£15.47)

This was the most we had spent at the market in a while but we had got quite a lot for the money, some of which would easily last longer than next week, and we still had over 12 (mostly unripe) bananas in the fruit bowl.
Captain Caveman had wanted to go out for a Turkish breakfast but Saklı Bahçe had been closed when he checked. I love Turkish breakfasts but they always make me have a bad stomach for at least 2 days so I preferred to avoid them where possible. I suggested that we could make our own version of a Turkish breakfast at home and I prepared the table with all of this; feta style cheese, roasted red peppers in Quark with garlic, gherkins, baba ghanoush, olives, tomatoes, bread, jam, honey and sliced apple. Captain Caveman made himself an egg to go with his too.
While Captain Caveman played more Bridge on his phone in the afternoon (I give up!), I sorted out lots of clothes and belongings from the spare room and started putting clothes which had been packed away in to the washing pile. We’d already agreed that Captain Caveman would cook dinner tonight so that I could get on with things I needed to do but hadn’t yet. He made a spaghetti carbonara which was very tasty and we shared some red wine with it.

Dalyan – 24th October

I had decided to join the Riverbums on Thursday 24th October, the organiser was away so they had left Captain Caveman in charge of proceedings. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and overnight oats for breakfast before walking with Captain Caveman to Kefal tea gardens to get the gear out of storage and ready to depart on the electric boat at 10am. Unfortunately, no boat appeared and one of the Turkish Bummers had to contact the organiser to find out where our boat and driver was. After a short delay, we were on our way in a normal boat, not the Riverbums one. We spent about 2.5 hours clearing up rubbish near the natural sulphur and rock pools over the other side of the river, in a field where sheep are and close to the mudbaths. I’d been there before with the Riverbums and it used to be a really bad area for lots of rubbish being thrown there. I was very pleasantly surprised that it was much cleaner. We did find a sheep who had put its head through a swing top bin and was wandering around wearing the lid like a necklace. Captain Caveman freed it of the bin lid and then the sheep wanted to say thank you. The boat captain gave them some reeds to eat as they were all quite peckish.
Back at the tea garden, we were already running over time so no one stopped for a beverage or snack and we all went home.

Captain Caveman and I had showers and soup for lunch with pasta in and some bread. In the local news there was an update that with immediate effect, renters in our area were able to apply for residency renewal for 2 years now and only had to show proof of 1.5 times the basic wage deposited in to their Turkish bank for 3 consecutive months. I was waiting for my new residency card which had expired on 19th October, so it was too late for me and I was stuck with just 6 months. Hopefully, if things didn’t change again before mid February, I would be able to apply for 2 years then, meaning I would be able to leave Turkey for more than 15 days by May, if I was approved.
In the afternoon, I got on with more training for Resort Experts and I was getting through the training quickly but now I had a 2 page To Do list. After working 2-6pm while Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone, I was quite tired, and got a bit peeved that he was not very responsive to putting his phone down or helping me. He was also incredibly sneezy again, which was probably made worse from the pollen when Riverbumming.
In just 2 months’ time, it would be our 13 year anniversary so I mentioned this to Captain Caveman and asked if he intended for us to make it that far. I was getting increasingly more annoyed that all he wanted to do was play Bridge. He had said he was making his own to do list of other things he needed to do but, aside from washing clothes and hanging them out, he was obsessed with little else but Bridge. Captain Caveman thought I was overreacting (I didn’t think so) and said of course we would make it to 13 years! In all honesty, if I had a teenage son who was constantly playing games on his phone and ipad, I would not have allowed it. However, it was Captain Caveman’s house and there was no amount of me moaning that would stop him spending as much time on Bridge as he liked! I’d also noticed that if Captain Caveman wasn’t playing Bridge he was totally fascinated in watching random reels on his phone. If I interrupted him he would scroll past ‘someone painting a hole’ or ‘plaiting dust’ but got a bit snarky that I had questioned him. He really hates me asking him any ‘irrelevant’ questions.
I made dinner of chickpea and spinach curry with steamed rice and we had a bottle of red wine between us.

Dalyan – 2nd October

On Wednesday 2nd October Jamie had left me in charge of his dogs, Norman & Edna.
First I did my measurements and found that they were very favourable; 1cm off my bust and 3cm off both waist and hips so I was looking forward to seeing Carol’s scales at Fat Club later. On my home scales I had lost over 2kg so it was looking good. I had a cup of tea with cheese spread on toast and grabbed a few things to take with me.
On leaving mine, I noticed the gardener had now trimmed some of the plants and finally cleared the walk way by the gate. I arrived early at Jamie’s, Norman was still asleep but Edna was keen to know if Aunty Jo would be bringing any treats. I also noticed on Facebook that there were flood warnings in Sheffield. Here in Dalyan, the weather was lovely. Jamie had a new patio door in and I quickly found out that Norman was obsessed at going through it.

For lunch I had a feta salad with radishes then wrote my shopping list. I popped on a slow cooker soup back at mine then decided to go to the shops as I needed some toiletries. I bought Olive Oil shampoo, conditioner and shower gel for a total of 250 lira (£5.51) which I thought was reasonable for some really good stuff. Ideally, I needed to go to the hair dresser, as I hadn’t been since June, but I couldn’t justify spending the money on it just yet and hoped I could once Captain Caveman arrived. In Migros I bought sweet potatoes, tinned tomatoes, ginger and red cheddar for a total of 246.17 lira (£5.42).
At Fat Club I was a little disappointed that I hadn’t lost more weight but I did lose 2kg (4.4lb) which was not to be sniffed at. I paid 50 lira (£1.10) for a large water to keep hydrated. At dinner time I had a bit of a feast as I had a Slimming World wrap pizza as a starter and then a portion of chickpea curry with rice, which was very nice. Dog walks and cuddles were had, Norman & Edna even came with me back home as I needed to turn off the soup and decant it in to batches.

Dalyan – 28th September

I had just 2 important things in the diary for Saturday 28th September and that was to go to the weekly market in the morning and see my friend, Vanessa, in the afternoon. There had been some to do with the owner of the gardening company telling everyone he was going to be on the complex at 7.30am to the owners who were also cheesed off at the quality and lack of work the company were giving the complex. I was up and about in time but I had already assumed we would not see him, for obvious reasons. I didn’t bother with breakfast but I did have a green tea before getting ready for the market big shop. I took photos of the complex, looking scruffy and, at 8.30am, left for some fruit and veg shopping. Of course, the other residents were still sat waiting as I walked past.

I was gone almost 2 hours but I bought so much that I could hardly carry it, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Stall 1
4 leeks
3 cucumbers
3 lemons
Total spent 70 lira (£1.54)

Stall 2
Nectarines
Bananas
Grapes
Apples
Mushrooms
Total spent 185 lira (£4.06)

Stall 3
Homemade Turkish bread (70 lira)
Mint (20 lira)
Spinach
Lettuce
Gherkins
(1 free cucumber)
Total spent 205 lira (£4.49)

Stall 4
Potatoes
Red onions
White onions
Total spent 45 lira (99p)

Stall 5
Tomatoes
Carrots
Radishes
Total 50 lira (£1.10)

I had spent just 555 lira (£12.15) on all of that and was quite pleased with myself. When I got back, and still with the heavy back pack on, I bumped in to my next door neighbours and helped them pick up empty beer bottles and litter that had been left by a random parked car, outside the complex. When I put it in the bin there was a local Turkish man going through it for anything he could salvage. As I was clinking beer bottles, he obviously thought I’d been on the bevvies a bit early already and gave me a look like he wasn’t the one rooting through the bins. It turned out that the gardener turned up at 8.35am but didn’t do much apart from hose the floor and I had missed meeting him again.
I didn’t get chance for breakfast until 11am when I made myself a lovely fruit salad with banana, nectarine, apple, quark, fresh mint and honey.

Vanessa arrived at 1pm and she hadn’t been well so she told me all about what had been going on with her while we drank tea and I made us a nice chicken salad with yoghurt dip and warmed bread, from the market, for our lunch. The market seller’s sister makes the bread herself and it is just so fresh and last for ages in the fridge/freezer.
Around 6pm Vanessa realised she needed to get back home to Matt and I walked with her so that I could borrow her garden clippers. I’d not even had any time to update Vanessa on my shenanigans so we said we would meet up again after Captain Caveman got back and settled in, next week. I walked back with the loppers and lopped off quite a few branches which were touching the balconies, but I couldn’t reach very well and it made my arms ache. For dinner I made a roasted vegetable pasta dish from the Slimming World magazine and it was surprisingly good. I had an early night in readiness for tomorrow’s fun – a bit of rare exercise!

Dalyan – 22nd September

Gayle messaged me on the morning of Sunday 22nd September asking where is good to go for Menemen and did I fancy a last breakfast with them. I don’t eat eggs and tomatoes generally so it’s not a dish I like but everyone I know who does, says that Ela’s Kitchen has the best one. Gayle said they had already been there 3 times this holiday so had wanted to try somewhere else and was thinking of Cinar. They didn’t have Menemen on their menu so we ended up at Ela’s, anyway. Beforehand, I had walked over to their’s and they had helped me bring all the rest of my stuff over from my parents’ upstairs room. My parents were arriving in a couple of days but I only had a 2 day window to get my stuff before they left for a holiday in Cappadocia.
Once at Ela’s Kitchen, one of my favourite breakfast places, Neil and Gayle both had their usual and I was extra hungry so I had a large full English (no tomatoes or eggs) and a cup of Yorkshire tea. The food was as good as always and I ate every bit of it as I was pretty peckish. The bill came to a total of 1300 lira (£28.63) for all of us so less than an English tenner each for a great breakfast.

After breakfast, Gayle & Neil were going back to get ready for leaving Dalyan tomorrow and, as I was up and off to Fethiye really early, today was the last day I would see them. They invited me to join them at Kingfisher restaurant that night but I was mindful they would probably want a romantic night by themselves. I did invite them to call in at mine for a drink before or after though, so we could say goodbye. I had really had a great time with them and I wasn’t really sure when I would see them again. I popped to the shops and picked up some essentials, including provisions for my trip to Fethiye tomorrow, prices below in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 plastic bag 0.25
1 Quark 29.95
Water 34.90
Total spent 65.10 lira (£1.44)

Şok Supermarket
Water 9.75
Biscuits 17.00
Turkey ham 22.00
Cheese slices 28.50
Total spent 77.25 (£1.70)

Bakery
1 fresh loaf 10 lira (22p)

When I got home, I had a video call with Captain Caveman and I mentioned about me going to Fethiye tomorrow. He didn’t seem at all interested and was preoccupied with something else. He said he would call me back after he had a shower but then he forgot. I was a bit cheesed off that he had not wished me well for my appointment either. Was I maybe imagining that he really didn’t care if I got it renewed or not!?
Jamie picked me up at 6.30pm and I was outside trimming the bush that our gardener still hadn’t touched. The elusive gardening company were still experts at doing absolutely nothing and the bougainvillea was below face level for anyone going through the gate. My neighbours were older than me and had to duck beneath the spiky branches. We drove over to Julia’s so that I could pick up a key, meet her dogs and go through the requirements of what I was needed to do for the next few days of doggy care. Coco & Bebe were a little shy of me at first, while Norman & Edna were pleased to see me. Edna was a bit less giddy than usual but it was probably because she was at Aunty Julia’s house and wanted to show she was behaving better than the resident dogs! I wasn’t there long and then decided I would walk the 20 minutes back in to town, calling at the shops again on the way back. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Dido Trio chocolate bar 13.50
Dido Lemon chocolate bar 14.00
Popcorn 21.50
Total spent 49.00 lira (£1.08)

Nova Market (used to be Selcuk Market)
1 bottle of white wine 200.00 lira (£4.41)

I was definitely noticing that, although prices had gone up a little in Dalyan, the prices for drinks and snacks in the shops were definitely cheaper here than in England and Rhodes.

I made cheese and turkey ham sandwiches for tomorrow’s trip to Fethiye, even though it should have been a short visit once there. I was preparing for if it was not straight forward as I didn’t want to be spending money on lunch out. I ate a sandwich while waiting for Gayle & Neil to pop in after their meal at Kingfisher.
When they arrived, they weren’t as merry as I had expected they might be on their last night. They had a lovely meal but said they were finished quite early and then had to sit around for a while waiting to get the boat back. We had a couple of drinks and a good laugh. We had used my parents’ shopping trolley earlier to bring some of my stuff over, so they took that back with them.
We had hugs goodbye, which is unusual as my sister is not normally one for hugs or soppy farewells. We had all had a really good time together on the occasions I had joined them and there had not been any falling out whatsoever – we were obviously maturing! I was actually very sad to see them leave and a little bit glad that I wouldn’t be able to see them drive off to the airport tomorrow at 9.30am, in case I got upset. I don’t think they wanted to leave Dalyan, having had such a great holiday but they had to get back for the dog.
I got all my documents together and set my alarm for 6am so that I could be up and ready for tomorrow’s residency renewal appointment.

Ialyssos (Rhodes) – 18th September

There was a bit of bad news on Wednesday 18th September and it wasn’t just that I would have put on some weight from overindulgence with my family and friends over the last week or so. I did my measurements, as usual, to find that I had put 2cm on my waist and 1cm on my hips, my bust had stayed the same. Liz and I were up and about much earlier than everyone else, she had been doing her exercises and I had already done a couple of hours work. I saw 2 big black crows on the wall of the villa and they stuck around for a while, one of them let me walk up quite close and I vaguely remembered that superstition suggests that seeing 2 crows is lucky. Apparently it means new beginnings in a relationship or career. I’d had a reply back from my boss’s wife, to say to speak to him about why I hadn’t been paid yet. It was 4 days overdue and I knew from her response that it didn’t look promising. I decided to stop work until I had spoken to my boss to find out what was going on. I had a feeling he no longer could see the need in keeping me on during the quiet winter months. I closed the laptop so that Liz and I could go for a walk, get some breakfast and a coffee for Liz.
By 9.30am Liz was getting us something from The Cake Box. She had a croissant, a coffee and a detox juice while I had a sundried tomato and cheese ciabatta and a juice. It was once again lovely, although Liz didn’t reckon much to the coffee as it wasn’t a brand she preferred. We walked around and I took her to Creamland to see if the coffee was any better and, luckily, it was. It cost €5.50 (£4.58) for her Cappuccino with a Freddo Espresso in it.
Our next stop was a nice walk along the beach where a lovely Dutch woman had been making a cute heart and some writing out of stones on the beach. We got talking to her and her friend then decided to have our photos taken by her over her art work – I bet she thought we were daft, but Liz and I did not care!
When we got back to the villa it was gone 11am, I was hoping to get a call in with my boss, for an update on the work situation. While all the girls were busy enjoying their holiday, I got a message from him. It said ‘things were getting very quiet and he was canning our project’. He thanked me for my help, apologised for the late notice and that I had ended up working 4 days over what he had already paid me for. I already had a feeling this was going to happen so I just replied with best wishes for flood season and to let me know if there was anything I could help with in the future. It was quite a blow that, just like that, I had no further income and I would now have to wait to rely on Captain Caveman once again, until I found another job. I made a decision not to say anything to the girls, I was doing all I could to hold it together lately as it was and didn’t want to ruin their (or my) holiday. I made myself a promise to find another job within a month, though, or set up my own business. As luck would have it, only 2 days ago a friend had suggested I talk to his boss as he thought I would be a good fit for an opportunity at his place. I decided to tell the girls that I had the rest of the week off, which wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t the complete truth. We only had 2 more days together and I wanted us all to have a good, and happy, time.

As if the girls knew to cheer me up anyway, the fizz was out of the fridge and it was jacuzzi time. Not before being dragged through a yoga/HIT session with Liz and Clare. It was far too difficult for me on a concrete floor with my knees but I gave it a go where I could. Louisa kindly took photos of us and pointed out when I needed to adjust my position.
The jacuzzi was fantastic and the bubbles were very much appreciated as I secretly celebrated being unemployed once again! By 6pm we were showered and changed, ready to hit the town – I even wore one of my dresses. Clare and I took photos of each other by the pool while we waited for everyone to finish getting ready. It was pretty windy and it took a couple of goes to get some without our hair all over the place.

Clare had took the liberty of booking a table for the 5 of us at Cosa Nostra and it certainly did not disappoint.
I was very conscious of being on a budget but I ordered a margarita cocktail at €12.50 (£10.41), a Gnocchi starter at €10.50 (£8.75) and a mushroom risotto at €18 (£15). The steaks started at €45 (£37.50) so I avoided those and we all shared some fancy bruschetta with various toppings.

The food was excellent and the service on our VIP table, second to none. We ended up having more cocktails instead of wine with our dinner and I threw caution to the wind a little having 2 more drinks. At the end of our meal we were brought out free shots of something ridiculously sickly sweet. As we were getting the bill, one of the girls had already paid and it was on her! Wow, I was both grateful and speechless. More free shots were had and a group photo with the staff before heading back to the villa. Of course, that would have been the best thing to do at gone 10.30pm but it was Liz’s first night out and she really fancied another drink somewhere. While Louisa and Kelly headed back home, Clare and I accompanied Liz to a bar which I think was called Blaze Bar. It had a band on and we must have been a bit tiddly as Liz ordered a Bloody Mary, Clare had a cocktail which looked like Sex on the Beach meets a Pina Colada and I, very foolishly, ordered a draft lager. The band was a lot better than we were expecting with 3 members who looked like famous people with our beer goggles on. We joined in on the singing and stayed until closing time. I paid for the round of drinks and had one of the best nights in years for just £20!!
It was gone midnight when we got back and then Liz and I stayed awake talking for a few hours – at least I didn’t have to worry about getting up for work in the morning!

Dalyan – 14th September

Saturday 14th September was full on for me. I worked for a couple of hours in the morning before popping to the shop to get some breakfast, as I had emptied the fridge & cupboards already. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Peanut bar 9.95
1 Simit 12.50
Granola bar 15.36
Polo mints 18.95
Total spent 56.46 lira (£1.27)

Meanwhile, Gayle & Neil were off on a weekend trip with Murat to Datça early this morning. My friends Kelly, Clare & Louisa were on their way to their respective airports and then to Rhodes.
I finished work and then went to the bank so that I could put a load of cash in to the bank to pay on to my credit card. Captain Caveman had decided that it would be best for him not to use his Vietnamese card to pay the money for my hotel stay and that he would transfer it to my Wise account instead. I had transferred it and paid extra on to my credit card so that it was in credit, ready to pay the hotel. When I went back to check out, the receptionist said she could only accept cash, even though I had specifically booked this hotel to be able to pay on card. It was now a bit of an inconvenience as I had no cash and there was over 14,000 lira on my credit card which I had no intentions of spending on anything else! I had to ask a friend if I could transfer some money to her and her pay the hotel when she arrived tomorrow. After sorting out the payment and transferring money to my friend in the UK, the owner turned up and said it was ok to pay with my credit card, but it was too late.
I got picked up by a friend, with my big rucksack and all my luggage/laptop for Rhodes and we drove to the beach. I was reluctant to leave all my stuff in the car but I also really wanted to get in the sea after a stressful morning. I paid the 100 lira (£2.24) parking fee on my card and then we went to the beach café for a late lunch. My friend ordered a tuna sandwich and a diet coke, while I had a chicken sandwich, a bottle of water and a Turkish tea for 375.00 lira (£8.41). The food was hot and tasty and not a bad price for what we had – I noticed a sign which said the café closed at 6.30pm.
The sea was super choppy but the sun red hot as we got in for our swim and stayed in there for ages, mainly jumping the waves. I thoroughly enjoyed splashing about and trying not to lose any of my bathers as it was a top and bottoms combo. It was gone 7pm by the time we had got back to my friend’s place, cracked open the wine and got a bit of a picnic out on the balcony, in time to watch the sunset.
It was an early night, the alarm was set for 4.30am the next day, as we were off to Rhodes, via Marmaris.

Otford – 5th & 6th August

Monday 5th August at Claire’s was really nice, I had tea and toast for breakfast and gave Reg, the dog, some attention. All the kids were away now and Mark had gone to work so Reg was finding the house rather quiet. Both Claire and I had work so she took to her desk in the office and I used the dining table. I called Herdy back about my broken Herdy bag and the nice person asked me to email photos and organised a new one to be sent to Claire’s address this week. I offered to post the old bag back but they were happy with just photos and didn’t want me faffing around. I was very impressed with their customer service so can highly recommend them if you happen to be in the Lake District any time soon.
At lunchtime Claire and I broke off from work for a quick trip to Sainsbury’s. I needed an adapter plug for my Turkish laptop to charge it up and Claire had found a pack of 3 for £11.99, they didn’t do just one. For lunch Claire made us a rather lovely chicken caesar salad and we had strawberries, blueberries and raspberries afterward. I was being good until tea break when I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and 4 biscuits. I was already on over 350 syns for this week with a couple of days to go to weigh day so I was not doing too well.
After work, we walked Reg and I saw how pretty the village of Otford was, then Mark and Claire cooked an absolute feast of a BBQ and we sat in the garden with a cider or 2. I had chicken legs, vegetables and rice and it was so tasty. In the evening we lounged, chatted and ate some chocolate.

Claire had very kindly booked me in for a class on Tuesday 6th August, first thing in the morning. She regularly does a class in the nearby park and had invited me along. Claire’s also training to run another marathon so, as you can imagine, the class was way beyond my (lack of) fitness capabilities. There was a beep test and floor exercises and running – quite frankly, it nearly killed me for about 45 minutes. I also ruined any good work I had done by having a sausage sandwich with my cup of tea for breakfast as soon as we got home. Even in the shower my legs were like jelly and I knew I was going to ache tomorrow. I did a couple of hours work before Captain Cavemen called, he was doing his next Oxalis briefing in a few hours. For lunch Claire and I had chicken, cheese and sweetcorn pittas followed by a chocolate rice cake and another cup of tea. More work was done before getting ready for an evening out in Bromley – it had been a while since I’d last visited. Upstairs I found a new friend in Dave, the cat, who had been napping on my bed after I had left the bedroom door open. He did not want to move so I left him there while Claire and I nipped off to the cinema.
Bromley did not look like it had changed too much and we managed to get parked on a side street and find a supermarket to get our cinema snacks from. Tesco definitely had a better choice of Meal Deal items and I treated us both to ‘dinner’ for just £6.80 as Claire had paid for the tickets to see Longlegs.
I opted for a Katsu chicken wrap, a Naked Blue Machine smoothie and a Wall’s pork sausage roll while Claire chose a spicy bean wrap, a protein bar and a chocolate milkshake. I’d been reading tips from a money saving expert about how never to buy water or crisps on the meal deal as you’re not getting the best value. It was an absolute bargain as the non-deal price was £13.30. We had really good seats which reclined and were super comfy. The film, starring Nicholas Cage as a nutter, was pretty scary and jumpy. I’d say worth a watch but don’t have a blueberry smoothie open at the scary bits! We didn’t have any popcorn but we did take a packet of Minstrels in from Claire’s and ate a few but were full from our lovely meal deals. I had finished the week on 450 syns and was quite glad that I would not be going near Carol’s Fat Club scales tomorrow. I was intending to face them the following week, though.