Dalyan – 19th October

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 18th October

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

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

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

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

Photo credit – some taken by Steff and Captain Caveman

Dalyan & Köyceğiz – 16th October

It was the last Ladies Only Moonlight boat trip of the year, on Wednesday 16th October. Unfortunately, we had arranged it to leave at 3pm which meant I couldn’t go to Fat Club this week. I still took my measurements and got on the home scales; I had lost 1cm from my bust, but put 1cm on both waist and hips which was disappointing as I’d done quite well this week. My home scales said I had lost 1.1kg (2.4lb) but only carol’s scales were the reading to go by. Captain Caveman brought me tea in bed and then did his own breakfast. Carol messaged to say that I could walk to her house, where she would leave her scales in a safe place and I could get weighed still. I walked from our place to where I thought Carol lived but then got lost and couldn’t find her house. After 40 minutes, I gave up as Captain Caveman and I had a meeting at King Emlak at 9am. I was going to be late so I went straight to the estate agents and happened to be the first there.
I got laughed at for getting lost trying to find Carol’s as it was really close to where we were so we both walked from King Emlak to Carol’s for me to get weighed. Once there, we found that Carol had forgotten to leave the scales out. A little disappointed, we walked back home only to get a message from Carol to say she had forgotten and to apologise. Oh well, at least I had done over an hour of walking before 10am.
Back home, I was so hungry, I ate a banana. I went to my Turkish class at Lukka bar and then came back to do day 3 of my Get it Started course. I was starting to think I’d got too much to do before the boat trip that I was getting a bit stressed. Captain Caveman was getting on my nerves a bit for not listening and being engrossed in playing Bridge on his phone at every opportunity, even when he could see I was trying to do everything that needed doing. While I had been at Turkish class, he had gone to the shop, thinking he was being helpful by buying ‘essentials’ but I disagreed. Here’s what he got and the prices in lira;

BIM supermarket
Bin Bags 25.00
750ml Liquid Soap 93.50
Total spent 118.50 lira (£2.67)

Şok Supermarket
10 eggs 59.00 lira (£1.33)

In my opinion the bin liners were too thin and small and I had already told Captain Caveman that if we ran out of soap in any of the 4 dispensers at the 4 sinks, I had more Olive Oil (non-allergenic) in a new bottle, beneath the kitchen sink. So now we had more soap, that we didn’t need. He had used the last of the frozen berries in a smoothie though, so he had to go get some more a couple of hours later.
For lunch, I was busy trying to get everything done so Captain Caveman made me a peanut butter sandwich, as he was having one with Marmite on too! I’d asked Captain Caveman if he was going to meet some of the other halves of the ladies but he didn’t know them well enough to do that. I’d invited my Mom on the trip, thinking Captain Caveman and Dad could go to the pub while we were gone, but she didn’t fancy it and didn’t want to leave Dad unattended.

By the time I got to the boat for our Ladies Only moonlight trip, I was feeling very light-headed and a bit woozy but I was determined to have a good time.
The cost of the trip was £30 and a glass of wine was 140 lira (£2.42) which I thought was good value for money. Captain Fuat on Adil boat is one of my favourites and he even gave out Pomegranate wine to everyone with cake at the beginning of the trip, which was a nice touch as we sailed to Köyceğiz.

We had a visit to the market town (no market, but a bit of browsing in the shops for tat) and then got back on the boat to sail out to a sunset swim. It was absolutely wonderful and the water was still warm enough to get away with a nice swim. As is usual on these boat trips, there was so much food to enjoy and I noticed that the Captain just kept on feeding us with courgette fritters, chicken nuggets, chips, fruit and then a full buffet style dinner. I also indulged in a couple of rosé wines and spent time chatting with the ladies, which was nice. It was a very lovely trip and, when I got home, I was super tired.

Photo credit – some photos by other ladies on the boat, the Captain and The Photographer

Dalyan – 13th & 14th October

It was the next Sunday Walk on Sunday 13th October and Captain Caveman was once again in charge. It was a nice walk and I didn’t get lost on this one. Ma & Pa had not joined us this week as they were going to Jamie’s to look at buying one of his sofas. It did mean that I had to keep up with the group, though, and I did 10km in the hot sun. Luckily, I got to chat with Peter, who is a very nice chap and we ended up sharing my banana as neither of us had eaten any breakfast.

At the tea garden, Captain Caveman had a beer but I was sensible with a lemon soda and was feeling quite peckish. We went home for lunch where we had chicken salad sandwiches, with grapes and peanuts as a side for a bit more energy.
I contemplated a nannan nap but I didn’t get one as I prepared dinner; leftover bolognese with red lentils and roasted pumpkin – Slimming World style. After scrubbing the Yorkshire pudding trays every day with no progress I tried the bicarbonate of soda trick but they were still ruined.
Tomorrow was my parents’ 52nd wedding anniversary and they had plans to go on the yellow boat to Köyceğiz for their celebration with Dalyan friends. They were really looking forward to it and quite a few of the other Dalyan Dwellers were invited. My Mom messaged to ask if we would like to join but I declined. Captain Caveman was at the dog shelter tomorrow and I was on another free course. If there had been a bit more notice then I would have loved to have gone. Instead, I invited my parents to call in for a drink when they got back so that we could wish them a happy anniversary.

While my parents tootled off for an amazing anniversary boat trip to Köyceğiz, on Monday 14th October, Captain Caveman and I got on with our ‘normal’ Monday. Captain Caveman had his breakfast and went Dogging (helping out at the Dog Shelter) after bringing me my usual Yorkshire tea in bed. I had overnight oats for breakfast but then got peckish mid-morning and had 2 crackers with some cheese on.
I joined the Get it Started free course with Abigail Horne, owner of Authors & Co, which would help me get a book that I was writing, published. The first session was really useful and we were set to work straight away with a task for homework. I felt motivated and did it straight away.
Captain Caveman was back at lunch time so we had left over bolognese with pasta for our lunch.
In the late afternoon we had a little walk for me to get some fresh air, then I made a chicken and leek bake, from scratch, for dinner. Captain Caveman and I really enjoyed it, I had added a bit of sucuk (Turkish salami) to it, for extra flavour. We even had a bottle of wine with our dinner and did a toast to my parents. The photos of them on Facebook showed that they were having a really good time and I was pleased that they were celebrating their anniversary! Unfortunately, we had to drink the whole bottle between the 2 of us because, as I suspected, my parents were just too busy having fun that they didn’t come round and I didn’t hear from them.

Dalyan – 12th October

Our first job of the day on Saturday 12th October was a visit to the weekly market. It was Captain Caveman’s first one of this year and it was on his schedule to go every Saturday morning. The weather was nice and I was pleased to have a partner with me to carry the heavy rucksack, all I had to do was check that we had everything from our list and make a note of the prices, here they are;

Stall 1
Potatoes & onions 39 lira (87p)

Stall 2
Bananas & grapes 115 lira (£2.57)

Stall 3
Leeks, pumpkin, tomatoes, peppers & courgettes 190 lira (£4.24)

Stall 4
Spinach, red cabbage, aubergines & carrots 120 lira (£2.68)

Total spent at the market 464 lira (10.36)

I’m always interested to know how prices and availability of items compare, does anyone else spend about £10 per week for 2 adults? Do you set a budget? Feel free to comment what you do or what you think to my budget. Mine is the same when it’s just me, but I will just adjust how much I can batch cook.

Our next stop was for a lightbulb as just one of our bedroom wall lights had gone. Unfortunately, in the shop which sells everything, it had attracted 4 English expats who had perhaps not seen the other couple in a while as they took up the aisle we needed and part of the entrance way, while they chatted heartedly for quite some time. I tried polite ‘excuse me’s which fell on deaf ears and Captain Caveman tried the more direct approach of pushing through with a heavy backpack but alas they did not budge. All 4 of them were completely oblivious as other shoppers came in and left the shop. The lady at the pay desk didn’t look too pleased either. We bought the closest lightbulb to the old one that Captain Caveman had brought along but it did not look the same.

Millennium Shop
Lightbulb 45 lira (£1)

I also had no idea how much a light bulb would cost in any country.

Back home, I unpacked the shopping and popped it away while Captain Caveman replaced the lightbulb which worked.
I caught up on having veggie egg fried rice for a late breakfast, Captain Caveman had already had his before we went to the market.
For lunch, which we had late at 2.45pm, Captain Caveman made a veggie pasta dish with 2 types of pasta shapes (fancy)!
After lunch, I cracked on with my Turkish homework which was focusing on how to say ‘until’. At 4.30pm Captain Caveman and I decided to have a walk round to the shops as we needed a couple of bits ready for our dinner guest. Here’s what we bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Soft Cheese 79.90
Peanut Butter 79.95
A 2kg chicken 145.55
Total spent 305.40 lira (£6.82)

Jamie arrived and I had a bottle of Prosecco in the fridge that I had been keeping for when Captain Caveman arrived, but had never opened it. Captain Caveman popped it open and poured 3 wine glasses and then took a photo of me and Jamie. We had a nice chicken dinner with a bit of wine but didn’t go mad as all 3 of us had stuff we needed to be doing tomorrow.

Dalyan – 8th October

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

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

Dalyan – 7th October

When I went to feed Norman and Edna at 7am on Monday 7th October, you would think that they had not been fed in ages, they were both so giddy and were running around the kitchen with excitement. I had cereal and a cup of tea while the dogs snaffled down their breakfast. It was still very warm for October and I wandered back to check out some stuff that Captain Caveman had unpacked. He had brought lots of cheap medication, coffee for him, Phong Nha and szechuan peppercorns, pho stock cubes and dried pho noodles, which I was so pleased about. By 9.30am I was in the bank putting in more English money and drawing out Turkish and repeating it to get most of the monthly required amount in.
I called at the shop for some treats on the way back round to see Norman and Edna where I bought the following, prices in lira;

BIM Supermarket
1 plastic bag 0.25
Fresh bread 10.00
Plain crisps 27.00
2 Dido chocolate bars 29.00
6 mini Magnum ice-creams 169.90
Total spent 236.15 lira (£5.27)

Captain Caveman came over to Jamie’s to have lunch with me and after eating a mini Magnum each we had leek & potato soup with a cheese sandwich – one of my favourite lunches. I’d already eaten over the syn allowance for the week but in the afternoon we had a Dido chocolate bar each too. My friend, Debbie, had got me in to them as they are a little bit like a chunky KitKat but with different flavours and usually much cheaper – often on offer in BIM. Not content with 2 treats in the day, we also had some crisps then Captain Caveman and the 2 dogs had a good afternoon snooze in front of the TV, all 3 of them snoring away.

It was Linda’s last day in Dalyan so we had arranged to go out with her that evening, my parents were also invited but were already invited out by their friends. After feeding and taking the dogs out for an earlier walk than usual, we walked over to Kebapçı Yusuf to meet Linda. We were a bit early so I suggested that Captain Caveman take me to Ren Garden for a cheeky wine. I really like Ren Garden, which is a bar on the main Ataturk Street, at the back of it is Grandma’s Garden which is a lovely little hotel with a pool. The owners are very welcoming and the white wine is always fresh and cold. We both had a white wine and then walked back to meet Linda, who arrived at the same time as us. Our table was sat outside, while the weather was still nice and warm. We ordered a bottle of red wine and some lahmacun to be going on with. We all ordered different mains; Captain Caveman had a lamb wrap, Linda ordered a lamb shish and I chose liver shish. We shared one and a half lahmacun between us and a complimentary balloon bread (lavaş). I thought my meal was delicious and I was absolutely stuffed. The total cost for a bottle of wine, 1.5 lahmacun, 1 salad, and 3 mains came to 2500 lira (£55.80), so less than £20 each which was excellent value. After the dinner, we decided to walk Linda back to Riverside hotel and have a night cap, I messaged my parents to let them know, in the hope that they could join for a last drink and say farewell to Linda. Luckily, they were finished eating and were able to pop along. We had a lovely last evening with Linda and it looked like it wouldn’t be her last visit to Dalyan, either.

Dalyan – 5th October

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

Dalyan – 3rd October

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

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

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

Dalyan – 29th September

The alarm went off at 7am on Sunday 29th September and I got up to see the sunrise over the opposite block in the complex. I had tea and toast for breakfast and then made my way to the meeting point for 10am. I noticed that a small miracle had occurred and that Mehmet’s Dad had been and cleaned all my cuttings off the floor beneath my balconies. He had not done the rest of the trimming and, when I asked Mehmet, he said not until the end of October. I said he had to do it sooner, as I still couldn’t hang my washing out, and he said tomorrow – I didn’t believe him. At the corner shop I bought a 19 litre water bottle top up for the cooler and it was now 100 lira (£2.19) which had gone up more than I had expected.
I had decided to join the Sunday Walk which one of the Dalyan Dwellers had organised. A couple of friends had said they were going as well so was a good opportunity to see them. It was about 10km so would be a challenge for me after sitting at a laptop most days and not moving much. The walk was lovely and 18 people turned up, which was good. Michele, the organiser, asked me if I thought Captain Caveman would run the next one, with it being the day after he arrived, and I said I would ask him.

After the walk my friend, one of my friends talked me in to a beer with her at Tapa – so that she could take her dogs too. As I’d not seen her for a while and she was limited as to where we could take her dogs, I agreed and messaged my other friend to say we were there if she wanted to join. She had been at the front of the walking crowd and I am always at the back of the group as I walk slowly compared to everyone else. I introduced the 2 ladies who got on well and, despite me chatting to another friend about how well I’d been doing on not drinking any beer, I had 3! My drinks came to 270 lira (£5.92) in one of the cheapest places in town for draft Efes. By 3pm we were over in Okyanus having some lunch and another beer. My friend had a new dog from the shelter, called Polly, and she was a real cutie. I ate a chicken wrap with salad and chips and it was very good. My friends ordered a chicken wrap too and a pizza which the lovely waiter, Üstün, ordered in from Pamukkale restaurant. My lunch and drink came to about 300 lira (£6.58) which was very reasonable, especially for a riverside restaurant.

When I got home, shortly before 6pm, I messaged Captain Caveman to ask if he would do the next Sunday Walk but Michele and he had already arranged that he would.
Later, Jamie and Drew were taking Norman & Edna for a walk and I suggested they call in. While the pooches had a snooze on the sofa, the boys had a drink and I only had tea because I had already overdone it today. I was now on over 170 syns for the week so far and had spoiled the idea of getting some exercise. I made myself a vegetable and egg fried rice for dinner and had another relatively early night.

Dalyan – 24th September

I helped myself to a delightful sage tea on the morning of Tuesday 24th September after feeding Norman, Edna, Coco & Bebe who were all just so cute. I was outside before the sunrise and it was really lovely to enjoy the river views at Julia’s while the dogs had a good sniff about in the garden. I’d not heard from my parents yet, but they arrived in Dalaman about 12.30am and were probably sleeping. I did finally hear from Captain Caveman and he gave me a call from The Villas in Phong Nha, where he had popped in for an early lunch. I told him I got the residency, he was pleased that I had got the result I needed. He was a bit distracted, though, as he was planning his leaving party for tonight at the floating restaurant on the Son River. It would be at 5.30pm Vietnamese time, so 1.30pm Turkish time. I told him I had some wine left so I would do a video call to join the party and do a cheers with him and everyone to commemorate leaving Oxalis. I also messaged Tatas to say I would do this and to ask her to ring me to facilitate – she agreed.
I finally got some breakfast down and noticed a great tip if you’re trying not to eat too much; all 4 dogs were always the other side of the fridge door when I opened it, or if the toaster was in use they would wait for a little morsel. They looked at me with those puppy dog eyes every time I opened that fridge door as if to ask what I was eating (again)! I sat some more outside and ate some plums.
After breakfast, while the dogs napped, I did some preparation for a course I was starting this afternoon. It was a free course on Planner Ideation with Claire Clarke, who has a business producing planners, journals and such like to enhance businesses. I thought this would be a good idea for the future if I decided to set up my own business. I was very much sure that I would be going back in to the travel industry in some way and I just needed to figure it out.

Just before I got ready to join Captain Caveman’s party from a far, I got a reply from my Mom. I’d mentioned getting together before they left for Cappadocia in a couple of days time but unfortunately she messaged to say she wasn’t sure they would have time and would have to see how things went. Obviously, I was disappointed but they were only going to be away for a week so I sent her a cute photo of Coco & Bebe. For lunch I polished off a cheese sandwich and a pot noodle, for convenience, poured myself a glass of wine and went down to the river front ready for Tatas to call me. I messaged her and Captain Caveman to let them know I was here and ready to virtually join in the celebrations. I also recorded a video as I suspected that they might be having so much fun that they would forget to call me. I was right and, after an hour of waiting, I finished the wine and went back to the house.

In the afternoon I received notification of the water bill for Captain Caveman’s apartment and it was 7 times the amount of the previous month, which was a bit of a shocker when money was tight and I’m between jobs. Apparently, the electricity and water prices had increased quite a bit recently.
At 3.30pm I attended the first session of the planner course and it was quite informative and full of ideas. This was good as it helped give me some motivation and guidance for the ideas I’d already had. By 5.30pm I was relaxing in one of the huge hammocks and assuming that Captain Caveman would now be pretty drunk. I made pasta for dinner and totted up my syns for the week, ready for weigh in tomorrow. I had consumed 394 syns so it wasn’t going to be a good result, especially as I had been out, eating and drinking with my family and while on holiday with friends over the last week.

Captain Caveman was still out drinking at stupid o’clock Vietnamese time, when Chung and Uy called me to say he was at their house. Now it was my turn to not be that interested in speaking to him as I was trying to cook and he’d forgotten earlier. After 2 sets of walkies and trying to beat the mozzie spraying vehicle back home, Bebe came to me with one of her toys for snuggles and was so cute. Norman and Edna slept in their beds but Coco and Bebe were a little more clingy while their mom was away.

Fethiye & Dalyan – 23rd September

My residency renewal appointment was at 8.30am on Monday 23rd September at the Fethiye Government office. I had enlisted the help of a friend so that I wasn’t doing it alone and at least I wasn’t on the bus as I needed to be at Julia’s straight after to look after the dogs.
When I got to the Government building, I gave my documents in to a woman and waited. After less than 15 minutes I got called in and she asked if I had paid the application fee/taxes yet. I said not and she gave me a piece of paper, with the $55 fee written on it, to go and do that. I’d been hoping I could apply for 1 year but it wasn’t to be and I could only go for 6 months. We went to the tax office and paid the fee, which was fairly quick. Back at the Government building, I gave the lady I saw before, my receipt and she granted me my residency renewal, for 6 months. I got the official piece of paper and some of my documents back. I was pleased although now it meant I would need to apply again in February for the next one and wouldn’t be able to leave the country for more than 15 days until after I got my new card at the end of April, which was an inconvenience. We walked back to the car, calling at a bag shop to get a handle fixed for my friend. Then we were off back to Dalyan, as I needed to be back for the 4 dogs. In the car, we ate the sandwiches, biscuits and mints which I had brought and then drove back.
I should have felt excited that I was able to celebrate another 6 months of legally being able to reside in Turkey. For some reason I didn’t feel that and I wasn’t sure why not. It had not cost me as much as a lot of people had been saying it would either – here’s the breakdown of what I spent the money on;

Health Insurance for 1 year 1924.20 lira
Residency application fee for 6 months $55 (1,883 lira)
New Residency card fee 565 lira
2 lots of passport biometric photos 750 lira
Post Office and eDevlet sorting 400 lira
Location check for my address on the system 500 lira

Total 6,022.20 (£132).

I was pleased that I hadn’t had to wait for a delayed Captain Caveman to return for us to pay for a new rental agreement when I could use the original one from 2019. It also turned out I hadn’t needed the other ones we had paid to translate at the notary in the subsequent years, as the original one is on a rolling 12 months anyway.

On opening the gate at Julia’s house at 11.30am, I was met by a cheeky looking Norman, who was patrolling the perimeter. All the other dogs were inside, in the AC, having a chill out. I was so glad to switch people for dogs as I messaged Jamie to let him know I got approved and that I was now back in Dalyan with some very happy dogs. For lunch I had been left a tasty bolognese that needed eating up so I reheated it and had that. Later, I popped my bikini on to have a swim in the lovely pool. I did 2 separate walks with Norman & Edna first and then with Coco & Bebe.

That evening, I relaxed with the dogs who were so cute and I ate a Sunday dinner which Jamie, Drew & Julia had left for me to eat and it was delicious. All 4 dogs wanted some but they didn’t get any as they had leftover chicken and steak saved for them.
I was so happy to be sat having cuddles with cute dogs while having a glass of red wine and some chocolate as a treat to myself for getting another 6 months residency. I was glad to know that my parents were already on their way to Dalaman airport and would be arriving after midnight tonight. I was very much looking forward to seeing them again.
I left the dogs snoozing and I walked in to town and called at the supermarket. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Gold Chocolate brownies 7.00
Milk 8.95
Soup 25.90
1 Pot noodle 19.95
Wholemeal sliced loaf 44.95
Total spent 107.00 lira (£2.35)

The rate had reached 45.6 now so this was an absolute bargain in English money.

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 to Dalyan (via Rhodes Town & Marmaris) – 20th September

I felt like I was incredibly lucky on Friday 20th September as I said goodbye to the villa and got in the taxi, with Liz, to go to the port in Rhodes Town. In my bag, as the girls had insisted, was the bottle of red wine we didn’t drink and my leftover ham and mushroom calzone. My ferry back to Marmaris wasn’t until 9am but check-in rules are to be there an hour before. Liz had planned to explore the old town and wait for the other girls to get up and join her for the day. I took my sea sickness pill expecting that it could be as choppy going back as it was coming, and that was not doable for me without medication. Liz and I said our goodbyes and had the privilege of a couple of knights to see us off. It was an emotional goodbye and I had been so grateful for being able to spend time with Liz, Clare, Kelly and Louisa. We had laughed and talked so much and I even had more ideas for my book which they were all very supportive of. I felt I had a renewed energy and belief in myself that, although things were tough at the moment, I was going to be ok.
The ferry left over 30 minutes late and there were no fresh sandwiches on this one so I had a peanut bar from my bag and a bag of salt & vinegar crisps with a cup of black tea. I wasn’t quite up to cracking open the wine and eating the calzone for breakfast as I didn’t think it would be too pleasant if I couldn’t keep it in. I fell asleep and woke up as we approached Marmaris, realising that I did not have very long to get my bus connection. The crossing had been relatively calm too so there were no sick bags out. The queue to get off the boat was long and I wasn’t at the front of the immigration queue. I got through and found that there was only 1 remaining taxi and jumped in it. I used my best Turkish to ask to go to the bus station and established it was 200 lira (£4.41) which turned out to be less than a 5 minute journey. I was so lucky to make the bus from Marmaris to Ortaca as it pulled out. It was a small dolmus type bus with only one seat remaining right at the back corner and it was hot and very full! I still had the ham and mushroom calzone which was now in the top of my rucksack as I tried not to offend any muslim passengers who might be getting a whiff of pork products. When I got to Ortaca there was no time to waste as the Dalyan bus was also in and about to set off so I squeezed on, also on the back seat. I made it back to Dalyan just in time to drop my laptop and bag at Gayle & Neil’s and grab my travel towel and swimmers because we were off on one of my favourite things to do in an afternoon.

Gayle & Neil had wanted to book on to one of the Captain Boris’s Cheese & Wine boat trips and had tried to get a space before they arrived in Dalyan. Rebecca and Basrı had been fully booked but I’d asked them to let us know if they had any late availability. We were very lucky to get on the trip although the timings were cutting it a bit fine for me, to say the least, but I was determined not to miss it. On board there were no other people we knew but that was quite nice as it meant the 3 of us could relax and enjoy what would probably be our last night together. The boat trip departed at 2pm and was 5 hours of absolute bliss. There was so much cheese, meats, fruit, nuts, olives, jams, honey, gherkins, breads and crackers, as well as the wine now being included in the £50 price tag per person. We got talking to some of the other guests and everyone seemed lovely, especially after a few wines. We even got to see a gorgeous sunset before heading back to Dalyan around 7pm.

To top off the night, it wouldn’t have been complete without being able to say bye to Captain Caveman’s tenants, Ann & Stuart, who were leaving tonight. The 3 of us had arranged to meet for a drink or two at Aşkın’s and as Neil had insisted on paying my £50 for the Captain Boris trip I insisted the drinks were on me. I think everyone warned Gayle off ordering any Marshmallow Martinis this time but even I had a gin cocktail.
Here’s what we all had and the prices in lira:

Aşkın’s Bar
2 Cokes 100
3 Draft Efes 270
4 Gin & Tonics 800
2 Pina Coladas 520
2 Gin Fizz 520
Total paid 2,210 lira (£48.68)

I didn’t think that was bad considering we had 8 cocktails and spirits are expensive in Dalyan. I found it certainly cheaper than where we had been in Rhodes. It was a great end to Gayle & Neil’s stay who were off back to the UK on Monday and I loved the fact that we had made new friends of Ann & Stuart who were flying later, hence the cokes. We were all sad to say bye but knew we would see each other next time that everyone was in Dalyan at the same time.

Ialyssos (Rhodes) – 19th September

Thursday 19th September was my last full day with my friends in Ialyssos as I was leaving Rhodes early the next morning. Tonight would be our last night together and all the girls were really looking forward to us celebrating the end of our (too short) holiday together. When I woke up, I felt like absolute death and could hardly clean my teeth without puking. Liz did a walk, the girls all went out for brunch and it took me until 2pm to force down a slice of buttered toast and a cup of tea. The girls had fancied trying out Casa Italia tonight and I pretty much had to drag myself out of bed to attend the evening’s meal out and I am so glad that I did. Casa Italia is owned by Costas, the same owner as Cosa Nostra, Creamland and Kostas Village Taverna. As we arrived, Louisa, Kelly and Clare were walking ahead and didn’t notice Costas who came to chat to Liz and me. He was a very nice man and you wouldn’t have known he owned all the restaurants, very humble. Once seated, the manager was not happy with where we had been plonked and moved us to a nicer table. The girls were on it but I could not face any alcohol and stuck to water. We shared garlic bread and more of the fancy bruschetta. Liz ordered shrimp linguini, Louisa spaghetti Bolognese, Clare the burata on a huge plate of prosciutto, Kelly a rather lovely salad and I had to have the ham and mushroom calzone. When the food came, it was absolutely marvellous but my calzone was so big that I had to take half home with me, with a piece of the garlic bread, for good measure.

At 10.15pm we paid our bill and some of the girls fancied ice-cream at Creamland, I’m not a fan of ice-cream so I faffed around taking photos, as you do. It was such a good night but I was sensible and was back at the villa with the rest of the girls by 11pm. That next hour was the saddest as I said my goodbyes (with tears) to Louisa, Kelly & Clare. Liz was going to get up with me early tomorrow as the taxi to the port was booked for 7am.