I was once again able to go on the Köyceğiz boat trip because of not working on Monday 29th January. I did a quick check of my spending as of yesterday to find I was just £1.80 below my £300 budget, which I was so pleased with. Vanessa couldn’t make it but this time onboard were; The Aussies, their neighbour Jill, Mark & Kate, Nick & Michele, Donna & Neil and me. I’d had my overnight oats and a cup of tea for breakfast, then drank 3 Turkish teas and had half a simit on the boat. It was cold and I think we all wondered what on earth we were thinking going on a boat trip in this weather. The yellow boat was still being repaired so we went on a boat without a toilet again and it didn’t have any plastic sides to put down. Still, for 200 lira (£5.18) return we didn’t complain.
Once in Köyceğiz, Kate and I headed up to the shopping centre as she needed some pyjamas and I was after a new pair of gloves. I’d been making do with just one but it was too chilly when the sun wasn’t out. By 1pm I had bought a pair of thermal fur lined leggings for 329 lira (£8.52), a pair of fur lined gloves for 300 lira (£7.77) and a bottle of prosecco at 190 lira (£4.92). We swung by the market where I bought a pricey pineapple for 60 lira (£1.55) and went halves on some shitake mushrooms at 25 lira (65p). We rejoined Mark at Tuana, the Aussies and Jill joined us shortly after and we ordered lunch. I was on a strict budget so I ordered a Turkish tea for 10 lira (26p) and a chicken burger at 125 lira (£3.24). Unfortunately, when we came to pay, I ended up putting more than necessary in. I only had a 200 lira note for my 135 lira bill but I only got 30 lira back so I’d paid 35 lira extra but noticed not everyone put in a tip. My meal was nothing to write home about and a bit of a waste of going off my diet for, but Jill was pleased with her pasta and the Aussies enjoyed their Turkish breakfast.
We left Köyceğiz at 3.30pm and the Aussies were off to use the facilities of the mudbaths again. Luckily, we had the fizzy wine we’d bought and a couple of bottles from Hakkan and Nilüfer but I was reluctant to drink much without a toilet on board. It had been a great day – it’s pretty rare to see a peacock and a proposing street dog on the same trip! By the time we got back it was pretty cold. The Aussies went to drop off the shopping while Mark, Kate and I went to Tapa. When the Aussies returned they had a hot chocolate each, I had a rosé wine and played Mark at pool. Back home, it was too late for dinner so I had a few chestnuts and a bit of cheese before trying on my thermal leggings – they were amazing! It had been a good day out but I had splashed out almost 4 days worth of budget.
I was taking out my fruitcake at 00.15am on Thursday 11th January, which was my birthday. I cut off the crispy edges and ate a piece as I stayed up until 1am looking at flights and did find some reasonable ones. Good news came from my boss, he had picked up his replacement bank card and my overdue pay would go in to my account after the weekend. From next week I was asked to work a full day on Fridays which fitted well with me. After a sleep, I woke up to a chilly 6 degrees and got myself a cup of Yorkshire tea to bring back to bed. Captain Caveman called me before 9am and wished me a happy birthday, which was nice. I stayed in bed until 10am reading my birthday messages. I felt really happy and loved, I’m so glad Facebook reminds everyone! I had a card from my parents and they’d put me some lira in for a present – how lovely. For lunch, Vanessa and I had arranged to meet up, I’d suggested Ela’s Kitchen for a breakfast/lunch. I went over to their apartment, taking Matt’s laptop to give back to him and a fruit cake as a thank you. We said bye to Matt, who was off to watch football shortly, and Vanessa had decided she was taking me for a birthday treat. At Asaf Bey, Vanessa insisted that I order the waffle (highly recommended), which came smothered in chocolate, bananas, strawberries and crushed pistachios – I was very surprised at the size of it! Vanessa had her’s with just chocolate and ice-cream. We both drank tea and had a good chat. Later in the afternoon I made a bacon sandwich with mushrooms from the Ela’s Kitchen leftovers which I had with potatoes for a late lunch. I also managed to make a slow cooker beef stew for dinner and clean the house, as Jamie and Drew were popping over later. I’d actually relished the thought of staying at home alone for my birthday. I had an unfinished biography which I’d been really looking forward to reading but Jamie said I couldn’t not celebrate my birthday at all – he was having none of it! He, Drew, Nanny Kay, Ann, Bill and Jaxx were coming to mine for a birthday drink. No fuss, no food, just a drink or two – did I even have enough chairs!? Before the guests arrived I just had time for a birthday video call with my parents, which was really good and such a shame that they had gone home before my birthday. I even got a photo with my Dad looking at the camera! Unfortunately, they had spent 87 days out of their 90 days in Turkey but the flight they could get was before my birthday and they couldn’t go any later. I could only just fit all my guests in and I was shocked to find that everyone brought me a birthday gift. Jamie and Drew went first as Jamie was so excited to give me something that he thought was ‘so me’. It was a framed print which said ‘Too Drunk to Cook’ in bright colours. It would turn out to be very appropriate as a message for one the guests later tonight. Ann had brought me a bottle of red wine and a box of baklava which showed she knew me well! Nanny Kay gave me a Maisie Moo ‘Shade of Nar’ candle which I really loved the smell of. I was so surprised to receive a very expensive face cream from Jaxx (& Bill) who made us all laugh when she said she’d been using it herself and she was actually 85 years old! Drew also brought a big chunk of his Christmas cake (with icing and marzipan) which was amazing. We had lots of wine and I fished out the cake I’d made once we’d finished Drew’s and the baklava. Jaxx said she hadn’t got the memo about not getting any dinner tonight but by that time Jamie’s present was already coming in handy! Drew fell asleep, and I was getting quite tired when Jamie decided the two of them and Nanny Kay were off. Ann, Bill and Jaxx didn’t leave until very late, I’d tried to get a taxi for them at 12.20am but couldn’t get a reply. Bill eventually got a taxi and they all said their rather merry farewells. My impromptu, and not very well planned, birthday drinks had been rather lively but I’d rather enjoyed having more cake than wine! Sadly, I didn’t take any photos of people as I was too busy being the host with the least!
Bill and Jaxx were due to land back in Dalaman airport on the afternoon of Tuesday 9th January. They were coming in on the Manchester flight that my parents were going back on. The rain was heavy, I’d already packed and just had to put the remaining fridge contents in my rucksack. Lucy had taken to being able to open the downstairs door and was already coming upstairs to tell me she wanted a walk. I borrowed Jaxx’s wellies, popped a woolly hat on and took Lucy out. She was unusually giddy in the rain and didn’t half slosh about. Back home, I dried her with towels, she was quite muddy, then I left her in the house while I took Big Boy out. He also loved the rainy walk and was pretty sprightly. He had seen Lucy get a drying and so he wanted to get one too. They both had a biscuit and a lay down on a towel. I had to phone Fikri for a taxi back home as it was still pouring it down. I shoved my stuff in the apartment and would unpack later as my parents were on their way for our final goodbye. Ma brought me a bag of spare provisions that she’d not managed to use, which I would certainly not let go to waste. We had arranged to go for breakfast at Ela’s Kitchen as my parents had a long journey ahead but they weren’t getting picked up until 12.45pm.
At Ela’s we all went a bit mad by ordering different permutations of the Full English breakfasts. Nicola and Sev, the owners, are great and are so good at accommodating my fussy requirements, plus they do amazing food and a great cup of tea. Dad went for the large one, no mushrooms (I asked Nicola to put his mushrooms on mine). Mom went for the large one, no toast. I ordered the large but asked if Dad could have my eggs and tomato, in exchange for his mushrooms. My parents had a cappuccino and a latte, I had 2 cups of tea. The food was fantastic and we all left some! Mom was a proper lightweight and should have gone for the small! Dad did a remarkable job of eating his, considering the amount of eggs and tomatoes he had! I had the luxury of being able to take my leftovers home. Here’s the prices for those who like to know what we paid, bearing in mind pork and English products are obviously more expensive in Turkey because of being imported;
3 large Full English 1125 2 coffees 140 2 teas 120 Total spent 1385 lira (£36.45)
That worked out at £12.15 each and we were all so full! The FEB was 375 lira (£9.87) each but it is a massive portion!
We walked back towards mine, in the rain, after my parents got some sweets for the flight. We said our goodbyes, not quite knowing when exactly we’d see each other but probably in Sheffield in July, if not before. I tried not to cry as we hugged but I was a bit teary when I got back indoors. I went to hang my wet coat up and noticed my hair wasn’t the best, due to the moisture! I unpacked Ma’s shopping bag and unpacked all my stuff. In the afternoon I got settled in, made shopping lists, tidied up, had a naughty chocolate bar and a bit of fruit cake! I’d got weigh day tomorrow and it wasn’t looking good. My birthday was this week too and people had asked what the plan was this year. I decided I didn’t want to celebrate it on my actual birthday. I’d still not been paid so couldn’t afford to go out for a meal and drinks. Some sensible friends were doing Dry January too so I decided, instead, to set up an event for the 1st of next month, just to go out for some drinks. For dinner (yes, I was eating yet again!) I made a prawn and veg stir fry with a peanut sauce and steamed rice. My weekly syn count was a bit of a joke at 334, not including at least 2 packs of Strepsils! I got a message from Jaxx to confirm all was good and we had a laugh when she told me that they don’t bother walking the dogs if it’s raining heavily!!! I didn’t mind as Big Boy and Lucy had loved it and I found it quite therapeutic. To round off my day, I had a video call with Captain Caveman before he went to bed, then I sat on the sofa and watched a bit of Netflix. It was nice to be home, but I wasn’t going to get too comfy – I was off dog sitting again in 4 days!
It was my last full day and night at Bill and Jaxx’s villa on Monday 8th January. On our walks today, Big Boy had decided he wanted to go after a cat and I only just managed to keep him from zooming off. He wouldn’t listen and he got a little telling off for nearly pulling me over. To say sorry he licked me on the nose while I was trying to tell him the rules. The dogs had sofa snoozes while I drank tea, ate an apple and then some noodles for breakfast. I was meant to be back on the healthy wagon but I indulged in fruit cake and cheese instead of lunch. The Turkish lira was now over 38 to the pound, the highest it had been and was not good news for the Turks. At 11.40am Captain Caveman and I had a video call and he seemed to be missing me. He suggested I send him photos for my Vietnamese visa and he would apply for it for me. That way he could pay for it as I didn’t know exactly when I’d get paid. Ordinarily, I would’ve been working today, as I do on Mondays, but it was on hold until after I received my wages, next week.
I fed Big Boy and Lucy early so that I could get the bus in to town for my parents’ farewell evening. I was looking forward to going out for a nice meal and spending some time with Ma & Pa before they went back to the UK, especially as I wouldn’t be seeing them for 6 months. I was still not 100% better and the cough was pretty bad so I wasn’t thrilled that we were meeting at Tez bar at 6pm – I find it too smokey even though I would be sat outside. My parents, understandably, had lots of friends who also wanted to see them off, as well as it being Adam and Kath’s leaving drinks too. The 4 of them were travelling to the airport together and had become firm friends. They had given the ball a right kick last night, getting on the gins after everyone had left – I can no longer keep up with them all. When we got to Tez bar it was very busy so I sat between my mom and Daisy. It was smokey and I nursed my white wine for ages as it was making my cough worse. When my mom went to the toilet, John took her seat so I wasn’t even sat near my parents and would’ve been better off meeting them at the restaurant. After 2 hours at a smokey Tez, I’d had enough, I think Ma and Pa would’ve stayed there if I hadn’t have insisted on us having a farewell meal. I should’ve learned after Captain Caveman’s leaving drinks, that perhaps not everyone wants a farewell meal!
When we got to Simple at 8.15pm, we only had 45 minutes before closing so I hoped it would still be ok. Onur greeted us and was fine about the time and I was relieved because I was famished. We all had the red pepper and sun-dried tomato soup for starters and it was amazing. It was 100 lira (£2.62) per bowl but well worth it. For mains my parents had the Asian style noodles and I was tempted, but after having the burger last time, I couldn’t resist. They had sold out of the pulled beef burger, with us being so late, but the cheeseburger and fries that I had was still fantastic. The chicken noodles were 180 lira (£4.72), beef noodles 210 lira (£5.51) and my burger was 250 lira (£6.56) which we all agreed was value for money. Simple is not licenced for alcohol so we got a bottle of wine from Nazo’s, next door, which was 450 lira (£11.81) for a decent bottle of chilled white. I thoroughly enjoyed our ‘last supper’ and I was going to miss my parents a lot. They’d had such a great 3 months in Dalyan that I did worry that they would be going back to a more sedate, somewhat boring and more expensive life back in Sheffield. After Simple, we decided to have a drink in Ozzy’s, the new bar which had replaced 2 Charlie’s. John, Andrea, Daisy and the Aussies were in there and apparently had been shouting us as we walked past but we’d ignored them – I hadn’t noticed. It was very smokey inside which set my cough off straight away and I had to go outside and use my inhaler. Ma and Pa were fine and stayed inside the smokey bar but I couldn’t go back in. I drank my wine outside but that meant that I wasn’t making the most of being with my parents. Daisy and the Aussies came out to join me and I got updates on the eventful first week of January, which I’d missed from being so ill. I decided I’d had enough of the smoking inside, and complained to Ozzy, it is illegal here and the bar owner can get fined 9,000 lira (£236.22) per time. He listened and said he would take it onboard. As I was finishing my drink a drunk woman was becoming annoying to my friends so I messaged Fikri for my taxi, said goodbye and left.
On Sunday 7th January I’d been invited to join my parents at Adam and Kath’s house at 4pm for a Sunday lunch type meal. I decided I would get the bus and go for a drink but not stay as it clashed with the dogs’ dinner time. Big Boy tried to tell me he would like the first walk for a change but I explained that Lucy would bark until we got back so she had to go first. He was patient as he’s such a good dog. For breakfast I had fruit and then I forgot to have any lunch, for some reason. I was surprised to see that the fire from last night was still burning, not bad to say Captain Caveman and Dad were both giving me tips on how to do a proper fire. I got sent a photo of Captain Caveman from Bich at the Phong Nha Farmstay, he was there having a beer and the eggplant dish that we both like. He looked happy and relaxed, which was nice. I was going to get the bus in to Dalyan but it was raining very heavily so I paid 150 lira (£3.96) for a taxi. It wasn’t Fikri who came so the driver dropped me at the bank instead of my parents’. Luckily, the rain eased up for me to get to my parents from the bank. It started again as we walked to Adam and Kath’s but it wasn’t far. Ma and Pa took a few beers and a bottle of red wine, I took a bottle of red wine too. I did ask my parents if that was enough as they usually end up staying there late. I opened my bottle when we got there and shared it with Dad. Mark, Kate, Daisy, John and Andrea were already there and my mom opened a beer. I ordered a taxi at 6pm as it was raining and dinner time for the dogs. Luckily I’d had just about enough time to finish the bottle of red wine with Dad and he still had one more to drink. I said my goodbyes and went back to Villa Infinity where Lucy had taken issue at my lateness. She wanted her chicken dinner and she wanted it now! I fed the dogs then warmed up mine – wild boar stew. This time I had it with a glass of red wine, but just a small one as I still had the cough. Tomorrow was my parents’ last night so we had plans for a farewell meal out.
On Friday 5th January I was hoping to hear news from Rhodes that meant I’d be getting paid next week. My last wage had been just over 5 weeks ago, on 29th November, and things were looking pretty bleak. I had a bad feeling and I was preparing myself for more disappointing news as, assuming it did arrive and was picked up from the post office today, it was still the weekend. The wages wouldn’t reach my account until Wednesday, next week, which was the day before my birthday. I decided to try to remain positive, optimistic and hopeful as I walked each dog in the misty, cold morning weather. I had buttered toast for breakfast and made a shopping list. I needed to get the bus in to Dalyan to go to get some provisions. A friend got in touch to ask if I could pencil her in for a 2 week dog sit next month and we said we’d meet up to discuss further. She sent me the requirements and dates for her dogs and I sent back some info. I also had Jamie’s dogs booked in for February so I needed to check if there was any overlap on flight times. At lunchtime I got an update from my boss about my wages, it was not good news! I read the message but couldn’t reply as I’d not topped up the credit on my phone and was on my way to the bus stop. The Post Office was closed until the 10th January so I would have to wait another 5 days, which was not going to be easy. Here’s what I bought at the shops with the prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket 3 packs of crisps 76.50 1 pack jellies 17.50 Total spent 94.00 lira (£2.48)
Bim Supermarket Bread 7.50 Dido chocolate bar 9.75 Naan breads 34.75 671g chicken 106.69 Total spent 158.69 lira (£4.19)
Yaman Büfe 1 bottle of rosé wine 150 lira (£3.96)
This shopping trip was a little different to usual because I was replenishing the crisps and jellies Captain Caveman and I had eaten at Villa Infinity and I was stocking up on bread products to go with soup, stews and curry. I’d thought, as it was the weekend, I would treat myself to the wine, which was on offer, and my favourite chocolate bar. I ate left over chicken and stuffing for my lunch then had some fruit. For dinner I had some of the wild boar stew but I wasn’t really in the mood, I didn’t even open the wine.
I woke up early on Saturday 6th January and decided that I couldn’t let not getting paid get me down any more. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could physically do to get the money any quicker. I walked both dogs who got quite dirty and wet, as it had rained last night. It was good therapy having Big Boy and Lucy to look after and they definitely were getting more and more used to me. I made a chicken tikka masala from scratch and popped it in the slow cooker. I’d not seen my parents since Captain Caveman’s leaving drinks at Waterfall on Tuesday so I’d invited them over to Villa Infinity. My mom had suggested that we meet when I came to the weekly Dalyan market and that we could either walk or get the bus over and go to Günlüklu restaurant on the way back. Dad’s not keen on going to other people’s houses so Mom had said they might not come to see the dogs but just go to Günlüklu and I said that was fine. I’d eat the curry if Dad couldn’t be persuaded once I saw them. I got the bus in to Dalyan and went to the market where I splashed out 70 lira (£1.85) on a cheese and mushroom gözleme for breakfast. The price had increased by 17% since I last had one a few weeks ago, but it was still worth it. My mom had changed her mind about coming to the market as they didn’t need anything. They were leaving in 3 days so asked me to get them some rocket and tomatoes for a dinner party they were going to tomorrow. Here’s what I bought at the various stalls and the prices in lira;
Mushrooms and pumpkin 75 1kg of mixed dried fruit 250 Rocket and tomatoes 50 Total spent 375 lira (£9.89)
I dropped some stuff off at home and decided I should get weighed and measured, seeing as I hadn’t for a couple of weeks. I was 0.65kg less than at the last Fat Club weigh-in but I’d put 2cm on my waist. I went over to my parents’ at 12.30pm thinking I was going to pick them up for us to go to Günlüklu for lunch. I’d misunderstood as Dad was making lunch at home for them both. I stayed for a bit while they ate and then we went to get the bus.
At Günlüklu my parents had a couple of Efes beers and I had 2 glasses of wine, I didn’t realise the wine was 180 lira (£4.75) for a small glass, twice the price of a beer, and should have checked the cost of a bottle. Dad was up for the curry so the three of us walked to the corner shop to get some wine on the way. At Villa Infinity, Big Boy and Lucy really enjoyed having some visitors and were very well behaved and friendly. The wine and the curry with naan breads went down a treat and we had a good laugh. Dessert was a Dido chocolate bar each, and my parents hadn’t had them before. It was just what I needed to cheer me up and the dogs didn’t want Ma & Pa to leave. Big Boy kept pretending he wasn’t tired or falling asleep but he was shattered.
Tuesday 2nd January was far from sunshine and rainbows for me, but I didn’t expect it would be. It was the day Captain Caveman left to go back to work in Vietnam for his 8 months stint. Edna had recovered, Norman was improving and they were happy to go back to bobos while I had my cup of tea, Strepsils, ibuprofen, a hot lemon and a pancake using up yesterday’s batter. I had one of the busiest days ahead of me and I felt like death, having had less than 2 hours sleep. The dogs could tell I was out of sorts and were super sweet, I was going to miss them. Captain Caveman had booked Fikri, the taxi man, for 8.30pm from his apartment where all his luggage would be. I’d told a few friends and my parents, who we’d not seen for over a week, that he would be in Waterfall at 3pm for a farewell beer. I’d also told Captain Caveman this so that he could make sure he was packed in good time to meet everyone. The 2 of us could then get some food together before his long journey ahead (about 24hrs) and say goodbye. We’d decided we’d have a romantic meal for 2 before his taxi came, somewhere like YOLO, where we had both still not got round to trying. With this in mind, I got on with my jobs; feeding and walking the dogs, packing all my stuff up, stripping and remaking the bed, getting all the bedding and towels washed and dried, emptying all the bins, sweeping, hoovering, mopping – cleaning the bedrooms, bathrooms, the kitchen and living room before moving my stuff back home so that it could be left there, or taken to Bill and Jaxx’s. At 9am I got a message from Greg, the Aussie, to say he and Amanda were going to head over after 10am to see Captain Caveman, as they hadn’t had chance to see him yet. He was going home after walking the dogs to pack all his things for Vietnam and move all his personal affects in to storage cupboards for when we rented out the apartment! He’d walked Big Boy and Lucy for the last time and cycled home to make a start on dismantling the bicycle to store away. I decided to put my phone on silent and get cracking. At 12.45pm I had a cup of tea and a sit down, after letting the dogs out for a toilet break. I saw some bad news on Facebook that Foreigners with Turkish residency had to put a minimum of 25,503 lira (£680.08) in to their Turkish bank account every month. This was going to affect me, if I wanted to keep my residency here. Jamie was on his way and the flight was on time so I had no time to lollygag, this villa wasn’t going to finish itself. I also needed to go home to cart my stuff back, shower and change to get back to meet Captain Caveman but it was already 3pm. I shoved more medication down my throat, told Norman and Edna that Little Daddy, Step Daddy Drew and Aunty Julia were on their way and I left.
It was 3.20pm as I got my key out to open the door to the apartment, the drugs were starting to kick in but the heavy bag I’d carried over had done me in. I’d already had a message from Nanny Kay to say Captain Caveman hadn’t arrived yet and she was sat nursing a coke. On opening the door, I saw why! The Aussies and Captain Caveman were sat in the living room having a chat. I was not happy with Captain Caveman and I let it be known that he had people waiting for him in Waterfall. I had minutes to get ready so I went upstairs to shower while shouting orders to Captain Caveman of what to bring me to wear and a towel. I hurried and came downstairs to get my shoes on, Amanda pointed out they had brought us gifts of collapsible Tupperware and Factor 50 suncream, which was amazing. It took longer than I’d have liked for us to get to Waterfall where, luckily, only a couple of people were waiting. I was away with the fairies after 1 wine and the flu medication so I don’t really remember much. Ma & Pa arrived and they were still not 100% better but doing ok. Jamie and Drew arrived straight off the plane, just to say bye, but they didn’t stay long as they were knackered. Of course, we never got to go for the meal and I had to get back for the dogs dinner time. I was so hungry too because I’d not had time to eat since breakfast. Captain Caveman must’ve been hungry and he wasn’t flying until 11pm so he needed to eat. At 7.30pm, Captain Caveman said his reluctant goodbyes and we walked to get a kebab from Hatay’s. I asked for mine without chillies and they insisted they don’t put any form of chilli in them. We took them back home with just enough time to eat some of it before the taxi. We got in the taxi together and I got dropped off at Villa Infinity where Big Boy and Lucy were desperate for their dinner! I don’t even think we had a goodbye snog as Captain Caveman was in a rush to get to the airport. I hoped to see him in a couple of months or so but we weren’t certain. Once he’d gone and the dogs had eaten their food, I popped the heater on and we sat on the sofa. I finished off my half of kebab and was convinced it had chillies in. By 9.15pm I was in the bathroom and I was not well!
At least I started yet another year without a hangover on Monday 1st January but I felt terrible. This cold/flu bug really had put the kibosh on any new year or farewell drinks with Captain Caveman or my parents. I’d barely slept because of the coughing! I messaged my parents and Captain Caveman to invite them over to Jamie’s later in the day to exchange new year wishes, seeing as we had all stayed in, in the 3 different places last night. Captain Caveman said he was feeling better this morning and had given me some advice about walking Big Boy and Lucy on 2 separate walks when I take over, as they both had a likelihood of chasing cats or other dogs. Lucy had also had to be given some medication because of gun shots in the area. I’d been taking Norman and Edna separately so that was no bother and they weren’t concerned about fireworks. Captain Caveman said he would come over around lunch time. My mom replied to say she was off on the Yellow boat trip to Köyceğiz again today with some other Dalyan Dwellers and it would depend on their plans after the boat trip as to whether they would be free to pop over. As it was Captain Caveman’s last day, and it would turn out to be our last meal together, I decided to cook a Sunday dinner with Yorkshire puddings. I made roast chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, the Yorkshire puddings and realised I didn’t have any gravy. I messaged Jamie to ask if I could use his and, he not only said yes, but said to use some stuffing too! Captain Caveman and I were so excited as we’ve not had stuffing in quite some time. I opened the Prosecco and we had a really lovely last lunch. It’s always weird saying bye to Captain Caveman not knowing exactly when I will see him again. Captain Caveman went back to Villa Infinity with a full belly, in plenty of time to feed Big Boy and Lucy. I braved the walk to the pharmacy and found it was open. I stocked up on Strepsils, Tylol and Advil at a cost 653 lira (£17.41) which was horrendously expensive. I messaged Mom to say I was popping out, in case they popped over. At around 6pm, I was back to being fully dosed up and was trying to get a taxi to take Kate some medication as she was also out of supplies. At 6pm Ma messaged to say they were in Tez and wouldn’t be calling round as the weather looked unpredictable. I couldn’t get a taxi, neither could Tez, so Penny kindly went to take Kate some medicine. I got in to my pyjamas, both Captain Caveman and I stayed in our respective temporary homes with our borrowed pets and had early nights (again).
Monday 25th December was obviously Christmas day for a lot of people, we’d decided to opt out of celebrating it specifically, but we had chosen to spend the day and evening doing something nice with Josh, Martha and my parents. Most of the expats who I’m friends with in Dalyan were doing an English style Christmas here in Turkey, either with friends in their home or going to a restaurant serving English style Christmas dinner, like Lukka or Heybe. I think my parents would have enjoyed it but they had said they wanted to do something with us and I was pleased. I think a lot of Christmas is a waste of money and an absolute over indulgence, instead of being a time to really enjoy a day spent with people you care about most. The 6 of us had decided to book on to the yellow boat, owned by Hakkan and Nilüfer. Every Monday they put on a boat trip to Köyceğiz for market day at a cost of 200 lira (£5.38) per person. I’d seen a post on Facebook about a book shop/cafe that had opened in Köyceğiz and I wanted to visit there as a surprise, and maybe buy books. None of us were doing Christmas presents but a personally selected book would have been a nice treat for anyone who wanted one. It was a lovely sunny day, hot beverages and biscuits were served as we headed over to the stunning Köyceğiz lake. Josh and Captain Caveman had been to Ela’s Kitchen to pick up breakfast sandwiches for the 4 of us so I resisted the turtle biscuits which were a cute touch. We may have been the only English guests on the boat which was quite nice. Nilüfer was the perfect host, making sure the çay was topped up and chatting to everyone on board. We chatted to the others a little, all were friendly and we particularly liked Bruno who was very energetic and amusing.
Once in Köyceğiz, we found Lutra Lutra, the book shop cafe, but it was closed. Captain Caveman went rogue by motoring through to the fruit and veg market on a mission with his shopping list. It was not leisurely and my parents couldn’t keep up, I got annoyed with him and told him off in front of everyone. We then had to have a meeting point by the cheese counters to reconvene as he went off with the bag in search of apples. In Köyceğiz the prices are cheaper than Dalyan but less stall holders speak English, I usually enjoy a browse and a chat but that was not on the agenda for today. We bought potatoes, onions, pumpkin, leeks, red peppers, apples and 2 lots of cheese from the man who lets you taste as much as you like. I have no idea of the prices of the market purchases except for the cheese being about £6 in total. We bought 2 bottles of prosecco from Carrefour supermarket at 479.80 lira (£12.90) in readiness for New Year’s Eve then headed for lunch at one of my favourite lakeside eateries.
While people in the UK were probably checking the progress of their Christmas dinner or opening gifts on Christmas Day, the 6 of us had arrived at Avangart restaurant in Köyceğiz. Here’s what we had with the prices in lira;
It was less than £9 each on average for a lunch and drinks with a gorgeous view, but it’s certainly not the cheapest place to choose. I really enjoyed the lentil soup I had which came with loads of bread. We left there to get back to the yellow boat for the 2.30pm departure. Nilüfer had prepared some fruit platters with nuts for the journey back and it was such a lovely trip. I really enjoyed the fruit and meant I was doing my best to be healthier, even today. My camera phone really didn’t do the stunning scenery justice but I took a few photos on the way back to Dalyan. We arrived back in Dalyan around 4pm, we popped the shopping away and had a bit of a rest before the evening’s outing.
While most of our Dalyan Dwelling friends were merry and fully in to their Christmas Day celebrations, the 6 of us had opted for a ‘normal’ meal out. It was, sadly, Josh and Martha’s last day of their holiday too so we wanted to have a nice evening. Bistro Blue is one of our favourite restaurants where the service and food has always been consistently good so we had booked there for 7pm. Vanessa and Brad were disappointed that we weren’t joining them at Mark and Kate’s and said they would come to find us after their Christmas Day celebrations as they wanted to wish us Merry Christmas. We got seated at Bistro Blue, Dad and Josh ordered a beer while the rest of us chose wine. The waiter was Bakı who we know from various places but he had worked in Bistro Blue some years ago. Selahı, the owner, looked very presentable and he greeted us all. Josh tried to get a group selfie but it’s often difficult to get Dad to face the camera, this time he was blowing his nose. Dad wanted a glass for wine, as well as his beer, but it caused some confusion and he didn’t get it straight away. I had to ask Bakı for the wine glass before Dad got too mardy. We ordered food, Dad didn’t want a starter but the rest of us did – well it was Christmas. Captain Caveman was in good spirits and we shared 2 starters between us. More wine was had and the mains were served. I thought the food was amazing and I couldn’t eat all of my pepper steak as, even the smaller weight, was more than sufficient for me. Vanessa and Brad arrived just as we were finishing our mains and said that their Christmas dinner had gone really well and they had all had a great Christmas day. Matt had gone home as he’d had enough of the celebrations. We had thought of going on for a drink somewhere else but a lot of bars were closed on Mondays. Captain Caveman and I paid 1,950 lira (£52.42) for starters of stuffed mushrooms and liver & onions, a bottle of house red, pepper steak and Spaghetti Bolognese mains which I thought was reasonable for the quality of it. I took the rest of my steak home and we said goodbye to Vanessa and Brad. Back home, we had one last drink to round off the night and say bye to Josh and Martha. It had been a really great way to have a none Christmassy Christmas.
I was fast asleep on Sunday 24th December when Captain Caveman woke me up. It was 4.30am and he could smell something; his observation was that ‘the baking of the cake smelled less like cake and more like biscuit’. He deduced that the fruit cake was done and that I should get up and go and check it. I did, using a wooden skewer and found that it was indeed cooking much faster than the 7 hours on low, as specified! I gave it another 30 minutes then turned it off and let it cool for a bit on a wire rack (the grill shelf from the oven as I’m no baker). It smelled amazing but it was rather well done on one edge. I went back to bed but by 7am I was back in the kitchen working out how best to cut up fruit cake while eating one of Jamie’s spare mince pies from last night – well it was Christmas Eve! Captain Caveman, Josh and Martha had decided they were going to do the Sunday walk where the route would end at the beach, ready for the beach party. Each year, Dalyan Dwellers take food and drink to Iztuzu beach to share with each other and celebrate Christmas Eve. Many English-Turkish families join and bring the whole family and it’s always busy and a good cheap way to have a great afternoon. I had decided not to do the walk and was going to take the fruit cake, cheese, red wine, beers, tupperware, corkscrew and cups. I also decided to just get the normal bus and my parents had decided to join me. The fare is cheaper and there is less fuss involved. It left Dalyan bus station at 12 noon and returned at 4.30pm which was enough time for me to enjoy celebrating Christmas Eve. I always find it hard to eat much because of not knowing the ingredients of things and potentially getting a bad reaction/being allergic. Captain Caveman makes up for me by snaffling absolutely everything he can get his hands on.
When my parents and I first arrived, Captain Caveman and our guests were at the turtle sanctuary as it was Martha’s first trip and it’s a must see. It was already fairly crowded so I suggested to Ma and Pa that we have a quick walk to the sea and get a Christmas Eve photo to send to my sister. Back at the tables, there were loads of people setting up and already drinking. Captain Caveman, Josh and Martha joined us next to Bill and Jaxx. I had one of Bill’s special cocktails and I had another nice walk down to the sea with Jaxx, Captain Caveman and Brad. Captain Caveman went in the sea, as did Michele and everyone commented that it was too cold but it seemed pretty warm today. Brad and Daisy had a paddle, Josh and Martha had swims and a beer – it was certainly lovely weather. I popped my Christmas cake and cheese out near Bill and Jaxx and quite a few people gave it a try. I got a lot of compliments and one of Captain Caveman’s friends said it was the best he’d had yet.
I managed to eat a delicious pasty from Bill, a spring roll made from Christmas dinner from Carol and Ian (surprising but not bad) and rather tasty sausage rolls from Cath. Even though I was sat with my parents, Mark, Kate, Vanessa, Matt, Andrea and John for a while I didn’t even see what food they had on offer so I missed trying their’s. I gave out Christmas cake with cheese to Ma, Pa, Matt, Mark, Brad, John, Andrea and Martha and poured myself a small red wine. Adam and Kath gave me some food but I suspected it had chillies in so I gave it Captain Caveman. I chatted to Jamie, who had brought Norman & Edna in their Christmas outfits, Nanny Kay, Katrina, Debbie (Darling), Mel and Roy plus a few familiar faces before coming back to where we had stationed ourselves. I’d had a cheeky piece of Mel’s Cadbury’s rocky road which was fab too! At 3pm there was a large amount of people leaving the beach to get their pre-booked buses back. Kate mentioned that they should be getting on a bus but had said it would wait for them until they were ready to leave and hoped to stay for sunset. Vanessa was absolutely pissed as a fart and becoming a bit loud and wobbly. I took her with me to say hello to Jackie, a friend with her leg in a cast, sat propped up near the path and toilets. Vanessa was hilarious, nearly knocking Jackie over with a hug and calling her mom by a different name, repeatedly. We came back and packed up for the 4.30pm bus, which was busy and some passengers had to stand. We left a few people on the beach saying they would make the buses wait until they were ready or get a taxi back. We were home by 5pm, dropped stuff off, grabbed warmer layers and headed back out to the pub. My parents decided to go to Tez bar to meet Vanessa, Matt, Brad, John, Andrea, Adam, Kath, Mark, Kate and Daisy whereas I had already said wed see Bill, Jaxx and Fat Club Carol at Sofra.
Jamie had been home quite a bit earlier than us so he was ready for a quick drink in Waterfall and we popped in as Sofra was closed already. It was cosy in there, not at all smokey and quite busy, mainly with Dutch people. We sat/stood at the bar at first where a cute pooch was actually laid on the bar. We had meant to pop to Ozzy’s bar but once we were comfy we were quite happy, especially once we’d moved over to comfy seats. I thought my parents might come over but they were happier at Tez bar with our friends, who’d eventually managed to get back from the beach after the buses had left. After a couple of drinks we got peckish and decided to walk to the river for food. At River House Josh, Martha, Jamie, Captain Caveman and I were the only ones in the restaurant and they built a fire to keep us warm. We were given dips and plenty of bread for free and we ordered a carafe of wine which was good. Captain Caveman and I shared garlic mushrooms for starter, he had İskender kebab for main while I chose the Singapore noodles without chilli. Martha tried baklava for dessert but when it came, we hid it while she was in the loo and pretended we had eaten it. She sussed us out quite quickly, though, and we all returned the pieces we had moved from her nicely presented plate. The food was excellent and when we came to pay, Josh and Martha paid for ours as a thank you. That was so kind and it made me a bit emotional – what a lovely end to a wonderful day and Christmas Eve.
I should have been up early on Saturday 23rd December as I wanted to make a Christmas cake for the beach party tomorrow. Josh and Martha had brought the cheddar cheese for us to take and the idea was to put it with fruit cake as our offering at the buffet style free for all. It being Dalyan, I had kind of left it a bit late but was not unduly worried as I’d found a cheat recipe which could be done in the slow cooker. Josh bought croissants for breakfast and I had that before we all went to the market. We were still wandering round the market at 12.30pm and I’d managed to buy some extra dried fruit. My mom had already got me 5 140g packets of sultanas from Migros when she went to Fethiye. They didn’t have the usual dried fruit stand in the Erasta shopping centre so she’d got me the next best thing when I asked her. I still needed 300g of other dried fruit so I bought dates, currants and apricots which cost a whopping 235 lira (£6.35). I think the stall holder had seen me coming and had our pants down there! At 3pm I read the instructions for the cake making and realised I didn’t have one of the 4 vital ingredients so Captain Caveman and I went off to Migros. I bumped in to Ozzy, a Turkish friend, which was lucky as I have no experience (in any country) of buying 2 cups worth of chocolate milk. Ozzy helped me choose the right carton and it cost 45.90 lira (£1.24) for a litre.
It wasn’t until almost 5pm that I noticed the instructions for the cake said to soak 1kg of dried fruit in the 2 cups of chocolate milk and three quarters of a cup of Bailey’s for 24 hours! Ooops. I popped it in a bowl and then started preparing for a soirée/curry night, a glass of residual Baileys on the go. There were Josh, Martha, Jamie, Captain Caveman and I for dinner so the tables had to be moved to fit the 5 of us in. Captain Caveman was playing Bridge on his phone and got annoyed at having to help move furniture and didn’t see why it had to be done yet. I wanted to be organised so that I could get on with the vegan and the chicken curries, get enough rice in my cooker for 5 and not forget the naan bread. Before putting the Baileys away, I had another one – I’d forgotten how moreish it was. The curry night went well with some of the diners having thirds and I did forget the naan bread. I didn’t take any photos because I was too busy trying to make sure everyone was ok but by the time we’d finished I decided to fold the flour in to my soaked dried fruit. Licking the spoon from that mixture was a bit boozy and I wasn’t convinced it would turn out well enough as they don’t have self raising flour here. I didn’t have any baking powder either so I used Bicarbonate of Soda and a bit of lemon juice – which is meant to be an exact measurement but by now I’d had too many wines and Baileys to care. Jamie took photos and posted on Facebook about my culinary first and I wasn’t surprised to hear that not many people had faith in my efforts. It was meant to take 7 hours on low so we set a timer to turn it on at midnight, and an alarm for 7am tomorrow to turn it off. As one of our friends on Facebook asked; ‘What could possibly go wrong?’
Some of the guests in the house were feeling a bit delicate on Thursday 21st December. Poor Martha had spent a bit too much time in the bathroom last night after a bit too much gin and wasn’t feeling too great. I decided to make banana, egg and blackberries in to Slimming World style muffins and I also had my overnight oats for breakfast. Josh had gone to the shop for croissants, Captain Caveman had gone Bumming. We decided on an easy day and night today, we needed to save ourselves for Christmas Eve on the beach and I still had to make a fruit cake. I was already on over 50 syns from yesterday but chose to eat crisps! Captain Caveman came back, showered then popped to the shops as I’d decided we were having curry tonight. Here’s what Captain Caveman bought and the prices in lira;
We had lentil, pumpkin, chickpea, and spinach curry with steamed rice and it tasted ok. Josh fancied a beer at Lukka after, under duress Martha and I agreed. While the men had beers, Martha and I managed to force down a hot chocolate, which was gorgeous.
Friday 22nd December was our 12 year anniversary, according to me as I go by the actual date. Captain Caveman, on the other hand, likes to mark it as the Thursday before Christmas. He still said Happy Anniversary to me and brought me my cup of tea in bed, I had started to feel quite under the weather now and I looked pretty rough. I’d not been able to justify paying to have my hair done until now, but I was getting quite desperate so I was going to splash out. I had an orange from our tree for breakfast then drank cinnamon tea and a lemon & green tea to try to alleviate my cold symptoms. Captain Caveman went to Bridge Club, Josh and Martha were heading out to the tea gardens and asked me to come along. I actually wanted to go back to bed but I showered, got ready and joined them. I do like the Kaunos tea gardens and, as it is council owned and run, the prices are really good. Captain Caveman joined us after Bridge too and it was a nice lunchtime visit. Here’s what we had;
Captain Caveman went to the barbers for a shave, I headed over to Emrah’s new hairdressers for the first time since he moved. As I was leaving home I’d noticed the water was off and, unfortunately, it was the same at Emrah’s. It didn’t stop him and he simply got on with dying my hair, this time I’d gone for something a bit warmer and a mix of 2 colours. It was raining hard outside and as I sat catching up on my blog, Michele came in for a trim. We had a chat and she mentioned that she was after photos of the shelter sponsored dogs wearing a Christmas hat, for a Facebook post. I volunteered Captain Caveman and I to go up, as long as she could lend us a Christmas hat. My hair price had gone up to 1,000 lira (£27), he’d dyed it, cut it, added a few layers, blow dried then curled it and I was pleased with the colour too. The cost was still very reasonable if you compared it to the UK but was probably 5 times the cost of where I get it done in Vietnam. It’s always the rule that after a hair appointment, it’s compulsory to go out so, despite it raining heavily, we were off out. We’d arranged to meet Nanny Kay at Lukka bar but she cancelled due to the weather. Instead, we decided to try Filo which is a relatively new place that I’d not been in yet. We walked past Heybe towards Retro bar and found that Filo was closed. As the 4 of us turned around Michele and Nick drove up with the Christmas hat and gave it to Captain Caveman. We went in Lukka bar where we were the only people, the rain meant most people were staying indoors. We played pool and learned how to do some slower and harder shots. I had only one glass of white wine because I prefer the red but I was finding red wine a bit too harsh on my sore throat. For dinner we went to Jiks where Vanessa and Brad joined us. They had been in Tapa with the pool gang but ordered their food to take away and had a drink with us while they waited. The pizzas were really nice and the waiter didn’t mind when we all did swaps or asked for certain toppings. It was a good night, I’d been able to show off my new hair and the rain had not spoiled our fun.
Wednesday 20th December should have been my pay day so I had organised to meet a few friends and take our guests to a live gig tonight and was hoping for a bit of a blow out. Unfortunately, I would have to wait until January for my pay to get processed, due to a problem with my bosses new card being sent in the mail over the Christmas period. I could certainly do without the stress of having no money but I had 2 choices of how I was going to let this affect me for the rest of the year! I decided there was nothing I could do about the situation and I was going to do my utmost to remain positive and get through the rest of 2023 as best as I could. Luckily, Captain Caveman came to my rescue and transferred some money in to my account. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea, overnight oats with persimmon and then a lemon & green tea. As it was weigh day, I should have taken my measurements and got on the home scales but I forgot. Downstairs, Captain Caveman told me that he’d put some treats away which Josh and Martha had brought for me. It made my day that I had a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate, cheese (cheddar AND Red Leicester), and some duty free booze – the legends!!!! Obviously, my Fat Club weigh in resulted in me putting on weight. A whopping 0.8kg (1.8lb), twice the amount I lost last week! It was reassuring that a lot of the other ladies were kind of in the same boat. Afterwards, I met the gang at Rehab bar where Captain Caveman had dragged Josh and Martha to, as part of their continued initiation in to the expat life over here. Both of them seemed to be fitting straight in to the madness and were doing well. After a walk home along the river, we went to Çağrı for dinner with a couple of friends. The tomato and lentil soup was tasty and I really enjoyed my chicken shish, the meal for just us 2 came to 600 lira (£16.22) including drinks. Our next stop was to go to Ren Garden to meet more friends, including Jamie and Nanny Kay for a pre gig livener. With it being a new drinking establishment, I thought it would be a nice change but it wasn’t open and we plumped for Jiks instead. I had started to have a worse sore throat so I only had the one glass of white wine then I nursed one glass of red wine at the Jazz Bistro. I was glad I did as it cost 150 lira (£4.05), even a beer was 100 lira (£2.70) and a small water 40 lira (£1.08), which is more than most other bars. The music was great, though, and we had a good time – a few of us even got up for a bit of dancing. Martha gave the ball a good kick and none of us thought to mention that the measures of gin in Dalyan are often doubles, definitely larger than she’s used to back in the UK. Nanny Kay did rather well as she accidentally left without paying her bar tab and Jamie got her a taxi ride home as it was too busy for the usual ones to come.
It was all go on Tuesday 19th December and we were both excited for Josh and his girlfriend to arrive in Dalyan that afternoon. Today was also Daisy’s 25th birthday with a party booked at Tapa from 2pm. The cleaner was not at our apartment at 8.30am, as agreed, so we waited to see if she turned up. She was late as the office wasn’t open for her to collect the keys any earlier but no harm done. Captain Caveman and I decided we would go to a cafe or somewhere for a hot beverage, maybe some breakfast, before he went to Bridge Club. After walking round Dalyan to find nowhere open yet we bought 2 chocolate croissants for 37.90 lira (£1.02) from Migros and walked round the streets eating them.
When Captain Caveman left, I waited for Kaunos tea gardens to open and had a tea. I messaged Jamie to see if he fancied meeting up and I had a second breakfast with him, at Ela’s Kitchen. As tomorrow was weigh day, I tried to make as sensible a choice as I could. The beans on toast that I ordered was a very generous size and I was pleased id managed to resist Sev’s sausage. By 11.30am I was on my way to my parents’ place as arranged so that I could go to Jiks with Dad, while Mom went for her hair cut. Captain Caveman would meet us at Jiks for lunch. Ma finished early and we all ate together; Dad a burger and the rest of us had pizza which was great – my diet was well and truly blown! While there, Jamie messaged to ask if I would be able to take 2 bed side lamps to Tapa for Janet. He was selling them for a friend, Janet, who was going to be at Daisy’s birthday party, where we were going to go for one, before Josh and Martha arrived. Of course I agreed and we carried them over to Tapa where the Dalyan gossip started that Jamie must have sold his house because he was getting rid of some lamps!
Daisy’s 25th birthday party at Tapa was busy with lots of friends. My parents had a cold but had managed to muddle through and I had a bit of a sore throat coming. We’d already said we weren’t staying long as we needed to get back to greet Josh and Martha who were on the plane. Captain Caveman left first with instructions to ring me when he knew that Josh was in the taxi. He forgot, so when I got back home our guests were already there! It was great to see Josh again after a year and it was impressive to see he’d really done well for himself. Captain Caveman and I liked Martha straight away as she was really lovely – it takes a special kind of person to agree to a week in Dalyan with us lot (as I’m sure you can imagine). I just hoped we wouldn’t be spoiling her Christmas holiday and that she could get through the Dalyan shenanigans. We decided to ease Martha in gently with a trip to the Waterfall so we could have a drink together and get to know each other a bit better. She had a good sense of humour and it was obvious we were going to have a great week. Jamie popped in for one with Norman and Edna and he wasn’t too pleased that Dalyan Dwellers thought those lamps were his – surely they knew he had better taste in décor! We asked my parents, who had also left Tapa when I did, if they wanted to join us to meet Martha and welcome Josh back. Dad had already got bored at home waiting, so they had gone back to Tapa. The four of us decided to go to join them where we introduced Josh and Martha to everyone, some people Josh had already met. We had a couple of drinks and decided we were going to go for a meal as we were all peckish and I’d already booked Simple for the 6 of us. Daisy didn’t want us to leave and Josh, the not so devout vegan, managed to eat a slice of chocolate birthday cake as we were departing.
Simple was lovely, just the 6 of us indoors, with Onur the chef making us very fresh and tasty food. Josh and I had the vegan pumpkin soup, the others had the chicken soup – all were delicious. Martha and I had the pulled beef burger (with chips), Captain Caveman had a chicken quesadilla and the rest had the Asian noodles (meat for my parents, veggie for Josh). All the food was excellent although the noodles were on the spicy side. Simple is not licenced for alcohol but we were able to get beer and wine from next door. The prices were reasonable to say it felt like a private dining experience. Unfortunately, my 2 breakfasts, a pizza lunch, a few wines and a loaded burger meant that I had completely gone over the top on the syns this week. We went back to Tapa to rejoin the birthday shenanigans which were now getting even more lively. It had been a great day and we had more excitement planned for tomorrow. Fat Club was going to be a bit more like a confessional for me tomorrow, having had 548 syns.
Of course I was hungover (again) on Saturday 16th December and it was raining heavily. I spent all morning in bed and felt bad when we couldn’t even make it to the weekly market. When I did venture downstairs, I made myself an egg and banana pancake, with persimmon and quark for a very late breakfast. There was a Christmas treat auction being held at River House at 2pm but I was in no fit state to make it. Even if I were physically able to attend, I really didn’t need to break my diet for excessive treats that I hadn’t budgeted for anyway so I wasn’t too bothered about missing it. It was date night for our 12 year anniversary tonight and we decided we would just go to Lukka bar, with the weather being so wet. I’d tried to get booked in for my hair doing but I couldn’t get an appointment until next Friday. At Lukka I ordered soda water while Captain Caveman insisted on a bottle of red wine. I was absolutely begging for mercy as Çetin, the waiter, poured us a glass each of the red Buzbağ wine. For starters Captain Caveman wanted pâté but they didn’t have that, instead he had cheesy garlic bread, I had garlic mushrooms. Both starters were great and Captain Caveman even shared his starter with me. For main course he had pepper steak and I went for one of my old favourites, sweet and sour chicken. Both came with homemade chips which were nice and we enjoyed our food. I only managed about a glass of the wine while Captain Caveman drank the rest. I started to feel quite unwell before we had left to go home and I even had to go home before Captain Caveman, with some leftovers in a bag. Our anniversary celebration night out cost us just less than £50 in English money equivalent. Back at home, I felt quite unwell and thought I might spoil date night by having to have an early night by myself. By the time I’d come out of the bathroom, Captain Caveman was on the sofa, fast asleep and snoring, it was only 9.15pm!
My parents and I joined Captain Caveman on his weekly walk on Sunday 17th December. It was a sunny day for the 12km so I could just about manage that. As we left home I noticed that the person who was staying in the apartment opposite us, had a German Shepherd dog and it was on the front balcony, barking. Captain Caveman and I assumed the Turkish woman who was inside was the cleaner who had brought her dog to work with her. After the walk Captain Caveman, my parents and I had lunch at the Kefal tea gardens. I was good and had 2 big Turkish teas while the others had beers. I accidentally ordered a chicken döner sandwich instead of a cheese and onion toastie but it was rather tasty. It did mean that I’d gone over 300 syns for the week now so Wednesday’s Fat Club weigh-in was certainly looking a bit dicey. Here’s what we had and the prices in lira;
Not a bad lunch for less than £5 per person on average. That evening, I made enchiladas for dinner using up lots of defrosted leftovers from various meals out. It was lovely but I was ready for an early night as it would be a busy day off work tomorrow.
joloyolo 