In the morning of Wednesday 23rd July I didn’t get weighed despite it being weigh day, my 2nd one since being in the UK. I did take my measurements though and was surprised they weren’t worse; Bust -1cm and under target, Waist -2cm and on target, Hips -1cm and also on target! Claire and I worked from her home, with me doing some enquiries which included the Con Dao Islands and Gia Lai, both in Vietnam. I also saw an interesting Facebook post on ways to stay organised. My 3rd session with Ade on Substack was at 10am and also clashed with day 3 of Matt Hall’s Audience Growth training. I played catch up on that session but it’s not the same as doing it live. I did more work on my travel planner which involved key words and categories for marketing purposes. I had another zoom call about book publishing at 3pm and that went really well. By 5.30pm Claire, her daughter, Mark and I were in the car on our way to the seaside. Mark had something to attend to at their holiday cottage in Pett and Claire thought it would be a great opportunity for us to join him. The initial plan was for us to have fish and chips there too but when we arrived in Pett (not too far from Hastings), the fish and chip shop was closed on Wednesdays. What a shame, so we went for Plan B and went to Peking Takeaway for a Chinese takeaway instead. We must’ve been hungry as we ended up getting £50 worth of food for the 4 of us, including half a crispy duck with pancakes. The holiday cottage was lovely and it was great to be there, the Chinese food was fantastic and must have been my first in such a long time. There was loads left so we bagged it up to take back with us.
After stuffing our faces and Mark doing all his jobs, we drove to the beach. It was still light at 8.45pm and the beach had a glow about it. We had a laugh trying to copy Mark skimming stones in to the sea and I got a few photos of us on Pett beach. The drive back felt long as we were all a bit tired and there were road closures but it had been totally worth the trip out. Tomorrow would be my last full day and night with Claire and her family as I was heading up to Sheffield next – the time had gone so fast!
Gratitude List 1. My measurements still being good after 12 days in the UK 2. Chinese food for dinner 3. A fantastic impromptu visit to Pett.
While Captain Caveman was due back to London on the morning of Sunday 20th July, I was settling in to my new home in Otford, near Sevenoaks, for the next 5 nights. It was cold, I wish I’d brought more clothes and Captain Caveman bought me a train ticket up to Sheffield for Friday so that we could see family, friends and go to the Tramlines music festival. Claire drove us to the station so that I could pick up my tickets and Captain Caveman could get his train back to Barnes. I was both sad to say bye to Captain Caveman, after 9 days together, but excited to be spending some time with Claire and her family, plus Reg the dog! Claire and I popped to Sainsbury’s where I wanted to pay for the shopping but she was having none of it as she grabbed some food for a Sunday roast. Of course we had to take a photo of us messing about at the scanner! I accompanied Claire and Reg to take her daughter to an activity in the afternoon, while Claire’s hubby, Mark, sorted out a roast dinner with help from his daughter who was on to Yorkshire pudding and cookies. The Go Active briefing was interesting and I even ventured in to the venue to go to the loo. While all the other parents got to chat on, Claire and I took off with Reg the dog for a walk. We’d just set off when it started to rain – thankfully I had left my raincoat there last time!
Back home, we had a nice cup of tea and sampled Mark’s daughter’s cookies – that girl is a talented chef! I was also treated to an amazing Sunday roast with pork and crackling, roast potatoes, plenty of fresh vegetables, gravy and the most amazing Yorkshires I’d had in a while! Of course, there was wine which then lead on to us having an absolutely hilarious and random evening! It started with the cheese slapping game – let me explain for those not familiar; 2 people take it in turns to ask each other questions about themselves and if they get a wrong answer they are slapped in the face with a cheese slice! It was my first time playing it with Claire’s daughter and my face hurt from laughing, everyone was surprised how many I got right and Reg the dog loved it when the cheese fell on the floor. There was much laughter and confusion when Claire did selfies on Snapchat and made us in to men – both of us decided we were much more attractive as fellas too! We played more games – this time there was Claire, Mark, the 2 daughters and me. It was so funny and I wasn’t as good at the next game.
I’m not sure who had the bright idea of getting the karaoke out (it was Claire!) at 9pm on a school night but – I loved it! It was so funny when I was being told off by a kid for not knowing the lyrics to a Taylor Swift song. Poor Mark was probably wondering what on earth he had let himself in for by agreeing to me staying!
Gratitude List 1. Spending time with Claire and her family 2. Roast Pork dinner with all the trimmings 3. Evening entertainment to rival a weekend at Butlins!
It was raining in Barnes on the morning of Saturday 19th July when I said goodbye to Fred. He’s the toilet roll holder who I often chatted to while on the loo at Captain Caveman’s parents’ home in Barnes. He was a bit tight with the toilet paper but we had reached an understanding. Today we had lovely plans to be at Clare’s Birthday BBQ Bash in Burlesden, Southampton. It would turn out that the weather was the least of our problems. We said bye to Mike in a usual manner, with me not knowing that it was his birthday on Monday and Captain Caveman didn’t mention it. As it was raining, Gill gave Captain Caveman and I a lift to Barnes Station where we had train tickets booked to go to Southampton. Our other friend Claire, was driving from Sevenoaks to pick us up from Southampton station. The BBQ was planned for a 1pm start and we had timed it well to arrive bang on time. Unfortunately, Waterloo Station had come to a halt and we didn’t realise there was a signalling issue until it was too late. We were already at Clapham Junction walking quickly between different platforms, me with pretty much all of my belongings on my back, as I would be away for a week. It was very frustrating and I felt better knowing we only had 2 bottles of fizz and a chilli gift set as extras to carry – thankfully no Zebra print footstool! At Clapham Junction we came to the realisation that the train was not coming and we were going to have to make alternative arrangements. Needless to say we ended up going out of our way, including via Reading and Basingstoke, before arriving 4.5 hours late.
Claire’s Mom, Lesley, picked us up but it did mean we didn’t have an awfully long time at the BBQ. Captain Caveman was in a mood with the railway company as he felt that the incident could have been solved in a much better way, so he was on one. I suggested he send them a strongly worded email complaint and he seemed happy to do that. He headed over to meet Jon at the BBQ where some burgers and sausages were going on for us. Clare greeted us with wine/beer and I popped to get my new dress on. I then said hello to a few people I recognised and all I could think about was food. I’d had a packet of mini cheddars for lunch on the way but I was so hungry. The burgers and hotdogs tasted like the best thing ever and then I could relax a bit. Luckily there was no rain so the BBQ party had gone well. It was so nice to see Clare, her family and friends – even if we did miss several hours of the fun. Luckily, I did manage to have some birthday cake which was lovely. I only fleetingly got to see Kelly and Nicky, Liz was unable to make it but I was so glad we had carried on our ridiculous journey to get there. I was sad to say bye but we hoped to catch up back in London while I was in the UK. Claire drove Captain Caveman and I back to her home in Sevenoaks where I was staying for the next week, Captain Caveman was just there for the night and going back to London tomorrow. We had a lovely evening catching up over a couple of drinks and I forgot to take photos.
Gratitude List 1. Finally getting to Clare’s Birthday BBQ Bash 2. Seeing friends and eating delicious food 3. Spending the evening with Claire and her family in Sevenoaks.
To celebrate Captain Caveman’s birthday on Friday 18th July I decided to get him out for a coffee and a croissant before work. We went to a local coffee shop called Hermanos, where I had a pain au chocolat with an earl grey tea and Captain Caveman had a plain croissant with a double espresso. I enjoyed mine but Captain Caveman wasn’t impressed. He popped to the shop while I drank my pot of tea and he bought a Hovis wholemeal loaf for £1.39 from Sainsbury’s.
We were back home and working before 9am and Captain Caveman had a very busy day ahead so we would celebrate his birthday tonight. I had a sandwich for lunch around 1pm and we finally finished work about 6pm. Captain Caveman’s Ma had been to get a cake so we all gathered in the garden. Captain Caveman’s Pa was in charge of beverages and opened a bottle of fizz to mark the occasion. I was surprised to find out that singing Happy Birthday wasn’t required. I was having none of that and we sang, even though Captain Caveman isn’t one for celebrating birthdays particularly. The carrot cake was delicious and the bubbles was such a lovely thing to do, sat in a sunny spot in the garden. I’d even popped on a dress to wear as Mike and Gill had booked us in at Omm, a Lebanese restaurant, for dinner.
We had a nice stroll to the restaurant, Barnes is such a lovely area of London. It was my first time visiting Omm and I was very impressed. The place was stylish, there was lots of staff and we had a nice table. We decided to share lots of sharing plates and some rather pleasant Lebanese rosé wine. The food was absolutely delicious and we all had a great time. At the end of the meal, Mike and I got chatting to the owner who was really friendly. It was another one of my new favourite places to eat now. Captain Caveman fancied a nightcap in the pub on the way home so we persuaded Ma & Pa to join us. It was gone 10pm when we got to the Coach & Horses where the men ordered pints, I had my usual red wine and Gill had already had sufficient so decided it was time to call it a night. Despite it being a normal working day for Captain Caveman and I, his birthday and turned out to be rather lovely – thanks to his parents. Tonight was my last night with Captain Caveman for a week, as we were going to be spending time apart, after a rather eventful Saturday!
Gratitude List 1. Getting to spend Captain Caveman’s birthday with him 2. Cake, candles and celebrations with the family 3. An excellent birthday meal at Omm.
Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman & Gill
Captain Caveman had arranged a day out on Sunday 13th July and the main event was a surprise – it would turn out to be one of the most memorable days in a long time. All I knew was that we were going out for lunch and that I should wear something nice. I had brought my favourite black dress but it required a strapless bra and I’d yet to go shopping for one, so that was out. I didn’t know what else I could wear as I’d only brought cycling shorts and t-shirts which, apparently, would not be suitable. I also only had Vietnamese porter sandals, one of which had a tear down the back. Captain Caveman said that wouldn’t matter and no one would notice my feet. Even though I was having a day off, I still started the day with checking my Jo Lo – Resort Experts business page on Facebook. I noticed I had finally got my 300th follower and was really happy about that. These days it’s all about growing an audience and it’s something I was still struggling to do, despite having a lot of contacts in real life and 1700 friends on Facebook, it was one of the hardest things to do to get people to follow and like my travel page. I wasn’t sure why, especially when some of my colleagues were in the thousands on theirs. Captain Caveman made me beans on sourdough toast with bacon and a cup of tea for breakfast. I probably shouldn’t have bothered eating so much but I was unaware of what the surprise was for today, at this point. I put on my cycling shorts, porter sandals and the only other dress I had with me, over the top – my £8 red Primark one from my last visit. Captain Caveman was wearing his bespoke shirt made in Saigon, with storks on. I had a feeling we were going somewhere nice. We walked to Barnes station, got the train, all with me asking questions about the surprise. I only knew we were going for lunch and Captain Caveman had booked us in for 1pm. We arrived at a fairly ordinary looking building in Clapham and Captain Caveman said we were here and we were going upstairs. What I didn’t realise at the time was that we were at Trinity, a Michelin star restaurant which has a second restaurant, above it, called Upstairs (I saw what they did there)!
We walked in, were greeted professionally and shown to a table, which were all high tables and stools. I did my best to get seated without flashing my cycling shorts but couldn’t be certain the polite staff hadn’t clocked them. The place was small and pleasantly decorated with an open plan kitchen area. We were given water (choice of still or sparkling for free), and of course we opted for ordinary tap water. A set menu and wine list were popped on the table as the lady attending to us explained that we would be enjoying a 3 course set Sunday lunch which would be served to everyone in the Upstairs restaurant at the same time. I was impressed already and started to peruse the wine menu. When I saw the prices, I passed the menu to Captain Caveman and thought we may be sticking with just water. Of course, I was still used to tight budgeting and living in Dalyan which is super cheap compared to London. Captain Caveman ordered a bottle of the Falanghina Di Majo Norante, an Italian white wine, at £46 per bottle. The place started to fill up and I was obviously the cheapest dressed person in the room, including the staff!
When our first course of chilled Ajo Bianco came, I had no clue what it was so I tried it tentatively at first. It was basically a cold almond soup which, if I’m honest, sounds unpleasant but it was absolutely fantastic. It was served with toasted chunky bread and went well with the wine. I even asked for the recipe, as did fellow diners near to me. They gave me a card with the recipe on which I thought was great. Our next course was the best Sunday dinner I’ve had in a very long time. Veal with carrots and potatoes which was amazingly tasty, I even had seconds and gravy. We’d polished off the wine, before finishing our second helping so Captain Caveman insisted we have a glass each of the Chateau La Marche Canon red wine. I was so full but I continued to eat every mouthful, completely forgetting we had dessert to follow. Captain Caveman is not a sweet person but he had eaten his fig leaf panna cotta before I could even ask if he liked it, he then ate the other half of mine that I couldn’t manage. The whole experience had been fantastic and a total surprise. To be able to see all the dishes being prepped too was great and I was so full I could have had a sleep. Captain Caveman paid the bill, here’s what the prices were;
Upstairs 2 Sunday lunches £90 1 bottle of white wine £46 2 glasses of red wine £24 Service/tip £20 Total spent £180
While I wrestled with the notion that we had just spent on one meal what, only 6 months ago, was more than my monthly budget, Captain Caveman went to the upstairs toilet. I hadn’t realised there was an upstairs toilet so I had been going downstairs each time, through the Trinity restaurant to use that toilet. I felt quite emotional that I had been treated to such an experience, it was also quite difficult not to feel guilty at spending so much. However, the day wasn’t over and we had more to come as Captain Caveman navigated us to our next event.
By 3.30pm, Captain Caveman and I were walking from Upstairs and Trinity, in Clapham, to our next venue. I was quite sluggish, having eaten one of the best Sunday lunches for a while. We passed Joe Public which sold pizza and the smell made me queasy. Captain Caveman has a habit of being close by one minute and then zooming off so when I pointed out the Dubai Bun chocolate stall, it was to another man who stopped and bought one, on my suggestion, when I’d thought it was my other half. We passed a museum and I took photos of buildings I liked but there was no sauntering involved.
We arrived around 5pm to the Physic Garden in Chelsea where we were booked to listen to live music outside. The weather was very pleasant as Captain Caveman got out his picnic blanket and we sat down on the grass. Everyone else arrived and were getting out their picnics, we just sipped water and tried not to fall asleep before it started. The concert in Physic Garden started at 6.30pm and was absolutely amazing. Hanzhi Zhang on the piano was phenomenal and didn’t really get any recognition as she was just accompanying, but she was top notch. There was a German born opera singer who was very talented and I forget his name. My favourite performer was the Japanese violinist Ryo Koyama who I had already read about and he even did an improvised session with the opera singer. There was a Vietnamese guy who was outstanding at playing the zither while singing and it was great to watch and listen to. The main act of the show was Sarah Small on her Viola da Gamba which she had been cycling around with on tour. She was extremely good too, although how she held her bow really bothered me, and we both enjoyed all of the performers. I was surprised that Captain Caveman was into it as string concerts are more my thing. The cost of the ticket was just £20 each which was a bargain. The concert finished around 9.15pm and we left to go back to Barnes, passing a house where a blue plaque showed that Bob Marley had lived there 48 years ago. Today had been a really special day that I would remember for a very long time – I felt extremely lucky and happy to be in London with Captain Caveman.
Gratitude List 1. Reaching the 300 follower mark on my business page 2. Being surprised with a fabulous meal at Upstairs of Trinity restaurant 3. Enjoying live music in the beautiful Physic Garden.
Saturday 12th July was such a wonderful day which started with me waking up cold at 7am – I was still on Turkish time. I got weighed on the bathroom scales, more as a benchmark to see what I weighed on those scales and to track while I was in the UK. The scales said I was 1.3kg (2.9lb) lighter than I had been on Carol’s scales last Wednesday. That meant I was only 1.1kg (2.4lb) over target and I knew that I was going to be enjoying quite a few treats that weren’t Slimming World friendly while I was in England. Captain Caveman made me bacon sandwiches for breakfast and I had a cup of tea. Shockingly, it wasn’t Yorkshire tea but I still drank it. We had a trip out to the Farmer’s Market and the supermarket where I got my first glimpse of a couple of things; 1) how expensive things were going to be compared to Dalyan and 2) how much more choice there would be available to me. Here’s what we bought with the prices in pounds;
Farmers Market 1 Black pudding 1 Sausage roll 1 Scotch Egg 1 Pork Belly Total spent £15
M&S Milk 0.75 1 bag of salad 1.70 Cream cheese 2.50 Sourdough 2.65 Shropshire blue cheese 2.75 2 Avocados 3.70 Red Leicester cheese 3.80 250g Raspberries 3.90 Total spent £21.75
Today was an important date in the Barnes calendar as it was the day of the Barnes Fair. We’d planned my trip especially so that I could experience it for the first time. Luckily, I had arrived in the heatwave of England as all of my UK friends had been warning me about. I’d only brought summer clothes, sandals and flipflops with high expectations of enjoying the English summer while escaping the heat in Dalyan. By 1pm we had started to browse the stalls of the fantastic Barnes Fair and I had spotted a Zebra stool that I thought would make a great present for a friend, who’s birthday BBQ we were going to next weekend. We ummed and ahhed about the logistics of taking it on a train and whether it would even fit with their design of the new house and decided to leave it for now. We wandered round the various stalls which were really good but I was conscious not to buy anything I didn’t need. We did stumble upon a gift that was easier to carry and bought artisan chilli jam products from a lovely lady at Chilli Porter. While Captain Caveman took the stuff back to the house, I perused the list of stalls and took a photo of the map in case I got lost. I spoke to one of the organisers and volunteered Captain Caveman for the hold a plank competition. Upon his return, Captain Caveman was not up for the competition and we went off to the Sun Inn pub for a lunchtime beverage. Here 2 pints were £15 and everything was being served in plastic cups because of the event. We shared a table with a few interesting people and the atmosphere was very nice. Back home, I posted some photos on the family WhatsApp group as I was so impressed with the fair. It was very warm for London and we had a bite to eat, some water and some raspberries at home. I then fell asleep on the sofa (perhaps from too much excitement)!
At 5pm, Captain Caveman woke me up and we went back to Barnes Fair for another look around. We wanted to find certain stalls on our list and end at the Brown Dog. We didn’t find the Brown Dog stall so settled for the Wimbledon Brewery one. I chose a glass of pink fizz for £8.50 but they didn’t have any left. There was champagne for £11 but I was reluctant to pay that much to drink it from a plastic flute, so I didn’t bother. Captain Caveman ordered a pint of SW19 for £7.50 and had to pay an extra £2 for the plastic cup deposit. I was a bit shocked by this and even more surprised when they couldn’t give the refund at the end as they had no process in place. It was getting a bit busy, lots of families with prams and dogs and it was actually a bit sweaty.
We decided to stroll round to the Coach and Horses for a pint, still £14 for 2, but served with a better service, a friendlier attitude and an apology for their plastic cups. Next, we wandered round to the Brown Dog where it was only £12 for 2 pints, in glasses, and I had a rhubarb beer which was great. Back home, Captain Caveman made pasta for dinner, which should have been last night’s meal. It was good but I was so tired that as soon as I got on the sofa, I fell asleep.
Gratitude List 1. Barnes Fair 2. Sunny England 3. Having fun with Captain Caveman.
On Friday 11th July I was off back to England for at least a couple of weeks to celebrate Captain Caveman’s birthday with him and see his new home. I’d not booked my flight back but I knew the absolute latest would be 12th August as I had an event to attend in Dalyan. I was only taking hand luggage but I’d not finished packing yet as I was still doing some last minute bits and bobs for work. My pick up wasn’t until 2.30pm with Sonuç at Dalyan Airport Transfers so I had time to faff about. I made wraps with what was left of the chicken tikka to take on the plane but started to wonder if they might be a bit too spicy for travelling, as I have a delicate stomach at the best of times. After a call with a friend in the UK, who I was arranging to meet while there, I finished my packing and then decided to order an airport sandwich from Ela’s Kitchen. I chose a bacon and brown sauce sandwich which cost 350 lira (£6.50) and was delivered by Sev. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it as far as the airport as I snaffled it down before I left and it was very tasty. The transfer to Dalaman airport was pleasant and the journey cost £30, which is the going rate for transfer or taxi. I didn’t spend any money in Dalaman airport as I refuse to support the extortionate pricing they have. I did get my frozen bottle of water through security though and I swerved the Duty Free, realising it would be cheaper to buy once in the UK. My flight was on time at 5.30pm and I got to switch my window seat for a middle seat with a lady who was already sat in the middle. The flight was actually full and there were no spare seats in our row. I tried to watch a film called Havoc but I accidentally deleted it after about 20 minutes. We landed at Gatwick at 7.50pm and I made my way to the train station where I got the train to Barnes, changing at Clapham Junction. My frozen water was still half frozen and I was quite thirsty now. Captain Caveman met me at Barnes station, he took my bag and we walked to his parents’ house. They were on holiday so, once in the house Captain Caveman opened a bottle of red wine that he had got for us to have with dinner. I downed 3 glasses of water and we laughed that my frozen water had made it almost door to door, still frozen. I was hungry but Captain Caveman wasn’t so we just had cheese on toast for dinner. Tomorrow we had an exciting day planned.
Gratitude List 1. To be going to see Captain Caveman after only 19 days apart 2. A smooth trip from Dalyan to Barnes in just under 7 hours 3. Cheese on toast & wine for dinner with Captain Caveman.
Lady C had an eventful day on Thursday 3rd July and we were both up by 7am. We even had a quick walk round the block, before the paths became too warm for paws, and an early breakfast. The rest of the morning was spent working and making sure neither Lady C or I were too hot. I managed to make a good start on the chapter titles for my second book ‘You Can’t Eat a Whole Blancmange and Dance….’ I attended the Resort Experts Team Meeting, had catch up with Dagne (the Majorca Resort Expert) and Helen (the Italy Resort Expert) and got quite a lot done in the day. I got a message from Darcy’s owner to say he was eating at Olivia’s and did I want to join him for dinner. I said yes but I couldn’t go too early as Lady C was insisting on some chopped sausage and a walk. Andy walked Darcy, then came over to walk Lady C and drink some wine before going for food. On the walk, we saw a young Turkish boy, no more than 11 years old, who was walking a big dog, off lead. Lady C isn’t keen on other dogs at times so I was watching closely. Suddenly, a smaller dog came running from nowhere and tried to bite Lady C on her back end. I had to shove the dog away and pick up Lady C, who was very scared and shaking. Both dogs were with the boy and he didn’t know what to do when the small dog kept trying to come after me and Lady C. Luckily, Andy was there to help scare it away but it was a little bit worrying. Back home, we had wine while comforting the dog and making sure she was ok – it could’ve been so much worse. I couldn’t see a bite but she wouldn’t let me touch her to check properly. She got some extra love and sausage as a treat and she seemed back to normal after that.
It was 8.30pm by the time we got to Olivia’s and I decided that we would have a bottle of red wine. Andy and I shared a pasta dish and pizza (both vegetarian) and they brought us the bread and olives to start too. The food was spot on and I really enjoyed it, we also established that Andy’s son knew one of my best friends from back home so we got him on the phone for a chat. In the restaurant was a family of 5 who came over to chat to me, having read my recommendation about Olivia’s from the first visit. The Mom of the family, Jane, was also a reader of my blog and she thanked me for recommending Olivia’s as all 5 of them had enjoyed their meal too. They were a nice family and we all chatted for a bit and I got a photo for the blog (with me pulling a face)!
While Andy called Karen to see how she was back in blighty, I ordered more wine and paid the bill. It came to 2,450 lira (£45.37) for 1 neapolitan pasta, 1 mushroom pizza and 2 bottles of wine, one of which we didn’t finish. I said goodbye to Andy and I took the rest of the wine with me as I called to say hello to a friend in town on my way home. I was back home before 11.30pm and gave Lady C some cuddles before bed.
Gratitude List 1. Getting lots of stuff done 2. Another lovely meal at Olivia’s 3. Lady C seeming to be ok after her ‘attack’.
I had arranged to see friends on Saturday 28th June, before they flew to the UK. Their dog, Lady C, was going to be in my care while they were gone. I had beans on toast for breakfast and Captain Caveman sent me over an itinerary for our holiday at the end of August – it looked quite busy with 11 European towns in 2 weeks! My concern was that there might be too much moving about in a heat wave. I worked all morning until 2pm then I wandered over to Ozzy’s bar to meet Penny & Phil! Penny was on the phone when I arrived, so I ordered a shandy, at 120 lira (£2.26) a pint it went down very well and I had to order water and another pint. Penny came off the phone and the plan was we would go over to their’s to see Lady C and chill out before they left. I threw caution to the wind and ordered one of the Ozzy’s pizzas which was loaded with toppings and tasted really good. I paid my bill, then the staff gave the 3 of us a shot to drink. We thought it was an alcoholic one but it was a watermelon smoothie, of which they gave us a bottle to take home, too. Here’s what I spent, prices in lira;
Ozzy’s Bar 1 small water 40 1 Efes shandy 120 1 Efes draft 120 1 Chicken pizza 410 Total spent 690 lira (£13.02)
While Penny whizzed back on the ‘Madge-mobeel’ (her orange mobility scooter), Phil and I sauntered back and bumped in to Kaan (from Tequila boat) at his new villa. It was looking really good now that it was finished and he’d done a good job. Lady C was pleased to see me but was rather warm so she chilled out in front of the cooler in the sun room. By 6.15pm I was enjoying a cold drink and had my feet in the pool while Penny and Phil finished last minute getting ready and packing. I still didn’t know exactly what time they were flying but I had ascertained that it was late tonight.
A plan was formed to go out for dinner at Olivia’s, which used to be Yolo, and I was invited to join. They had a deal on any pasta dish with a glass of wine for 300 lira (£5.66) which is great value for money. It was my first time at Olivia’s and it might just become my new favourite place! They served Altıntepe and Isabey wine (currently 120 lira per glass) which I like. The place is cool in the heat with lots of seating indoor and outdoor and great staff – one I recognised but couldn’t place. I had the Four Cheese Tagliatelle (perfect for cheese lovers), Penny had the shrimp spaghetti and Phil ordered chicken and mushroom tagliatelle. The portion sizes were good and we got a free appetiser of warm bread with olives and oil – a nice touch. The shrimp spaghetti had a rather generous amount of capers in and Penny doesn’t like them. Even though it did say it on the menu in the small description, our waiter and chef changed the dish to redo it without issue when he noticed Penny picking them out. Phil didn’t realise his tagliatelle had chicken in so he picked it all out to give to the dog later. We were almost done eating our mains when Karen and Andy arrived and sat next to us. Andy ordered a non-pasta dish and Karen ordered the same shrimp spaghetti which Penny had but with capers in (you couldn’t make it up)!
We met the dessert chef and it would have been rude not to try the desserts which looked amazing! My friends had a roulade type cake which got devoured and I had a Dubai Chocolate Brownie which was out of this world!!!! The desserts were a work of art and also tasted fantastic. Here’s what our bill came to, prices in lira;
I’d ended up with 3 wines and a pasta that I wasn’t expecting to be paid for so I put 250 lira (£4.72) in as a tip. It equated to 14% but given that Penny had her dish replaced after the capers debacle, I thought it a good idea if ever we wanted to go again. Meanwhile, Captain Caveman and Vinnie were having a great time at the Iron Maiden gig in London, where some of my Sheffield friends were also in attendance, but separately.
Gratitude List 1. Great food at Ozzy’s and Olivia’s 2. The amazing dessert at Olivia’s 3. Having a lovely afternoon and evening with Penny & Phil.
I really should have planned my day a bit better on Friday 27th June, but then again, I was going to have to start to get used to the heat in Dalyan – summer was definitely here! I had just 2 weeks left in Turkey before I would go back to the UK, again! The weather forecast predicted highs of 39°C today but my phone only measured 26.9°C at 10.30am, as I walked to meet Yusuf outside of the property that I saw yesterday, ready to view the inside, today. The house was lovely and I particularly loved the 2 same sized bedrooms with ensuite. It also had a downstairs WC with a tidy kitchen and living area. There were 2 large balconies, 1 from the lounge and kitchen and another shared by both bedrooms. There were nice views out over the mountains from the upstairs balcony, too.
By the time I was leaving, 20 minutes later, my phone said it was over 34°C. After shovelling down a quick bite to eat, and some water, I was on my way to the hairdresser’s for a hair cut and dye. I was the only one in there and I was glad of the AC. Emrah shared the news that he would be moving to Ortaca later in the year so I would need to travel there for my appointments in the winter. Rents were increasing so it made financial sense for him to do that. The price of my hair came to 1,900 lira (£36) which I thought wasn’t too expensive and my hair looked so much healthier than when I went in. Emrah and the girls did a good job, as always, and I was home before 3pm. I noted the rate at the currency exchange shop was now almost 53 lira to the pound as I walked past.
I had cauliflower and cashew nut soup with a simit for lunch then got on with some work. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was meeting Vinnie, Mark’s brother-in-law, tomorrow to go to the Iron Maiden concert so he was happy about that. I also mentioned the property I had viewed for a friend and he was curious about the finer details. Essentially it had the same amount of bathrooms and bedrooms as his existing apartment, had a slightly smaller lounge area but did have the better views. He said if my friend wasn’t interested, it might be worth him having a closer look. I had a red wine or two on the balcony and then had leftover lasagne for dinner followed by Cherry Bakewell for dessert.
Gratitude List 1. House viewing for a friend and liking it myself 2. New hair 3. Fab leftover food from Penny & Phil’s dinner party.
It was pretty hot already on Thursday 26th June as I walked to Queen Accommodation Services’ office to meet Yusuf. He had agreed to show me a 2 bedroom property that had just come on sale for £170,000. There were people staying there so we couldn’t go in until tomorrow but I had a friend who wanted to know what the location was like and might be interested in buying it. They were concerned that it might be a bit too near to town and the petrol station so I agreed to do a reccy of the outside of the property.
Yusuf took me for a quick spin on one of the new 3 wheel electric scooters that they have for rent. They are about £15 per day depending on how long you rent them out for and were really handy to nip about in the heat. Queen also do money exchange now too which is handy if you’re up that way or the bank/jewellers were closed.
Video of us on the 3 wheel electric scooter
I liked the property location straight away and it was actually on a quiet street far enough away from the petrol station and main road. The nearest restaurant would be Olivia’s and it was easy walking distance to bars. I took videos and photos so I could send them to my friend but I also liked the look of the place myself. Captain Caveman was not thinking of selling his apartment at Fire Opal at all, but I did think that if my friend wasn’t interested, I would mention it to him. I also made a second appointment to look inside the property tomorrow morning.
On the way back home, I called at the shops and was already feeling the heat a bit. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;
Parlak Bakery 1 loaf 15 1 simit 15 1 croisant 40 Total spent 70 lira (£1.32)
I sent my friend the videos and photos of the property for sale and they were still unsure and would wait until I went back tomorrow to view inside. By midday it was 36°C in Dalyan and about to get to 20°C in Sheffield. I hoped it would warm up in the UK before my visit. I worked for the rest of the day, including have a few work calls and meetings.
I finished just before 5pm, which was very early for me, as I had been invited to a friend’s house for dinner. Penny & Phil had invited me to join them and their friends, Karen & Andy (parents of Darcy the dog), for dinner. I took a bottle of wine and some Turkish delight over and we ate a lovely lasagne with garlic bread and salad, which had been made by Ela Bakes. I loved the meal, and ate quite a lot – it tasted really good. For dessert there was also a massive Bakewell tart which was amazing!
We had a lovely night and I even got some leftover lasagne and Bakewell tart to take home, which was very much appreciated. Penny tried to insist I get a taxi home but I walked back, passing a cat sat on a motorbike with a carpet over it. It was almost midnight by the time I got home – on a school night, too!
Gratitude List 1. Whizzing about in a 3 wheel electric scooter with Yusuf 2. Finding a great Dalyan property for a friend 3. A fab dinner with friends, trying Ela Bakes for the first time.
It was Captain Caveman’s last day in Dalyan on Saturday 21st June and he’d not been feeling 100% the last few days. He was so busy at work and I don’t think he’d enjoyed working from home in Turkey as much as he’d hoped he might. The internet on our Turkcell hotspot had been fine for him but with staff shortages it meant he couldn’t step in and do nights in London to help out. He did book himself on to jobs to do that as soon as he got back to England, though. To start the day, Captain Caveman wanted to eat breakfast at La Sorella again and this time he chose the avocado croissant which came with scrambled egg and cheese in it. I didn’t eat as I didn’t want to have a bad reaction for our day trip. Here’s what we paid for breakfast, with prices in lira;
La Sorella 1 Turkish tea 30 1 Double Espresso 120 1 Avocado croissant 390 Total spent 540 lira (£10.19)
Our next bit of excitement for the day was on the Princess of Ekincik boat trip and I really hoped Captain Caveman would enjoy it. When we arrived at the boat, our Captain said that, due to rough seas, he was thinking of changing the destination from Bacardi Bay to Ekincik. I knew Captain Caveman would be disappointed as he prefers Bacardi Bay. Ismail explained to everyone that the sea had been particularly choppy over at Bacardi Bay yesterday and he didn’t want it to ruin people’s day trip. I was glad I’d took one of my trusted Avimone sickness pills and everyone agreed that the Captain would know best about our destination. The group of people on the boat were fantastic and I even knew Rachel, and her family, from Turkish class. It was really great to see that everyone was polite and there was lots of room for everyone to get comfy as we set off towards Ekincik for the day. We tucked in to the homemade biscuits with our hot drinks, of which there was an impressive tea selection.
The Princess of Ekincik boat trip turned out to be the best we had been on so far. The boat was roomy and comfortable, the 2 children onboard were well behaved, the adults were too and even the one smoker was considerate and hardly noticeable which made the trip more pleasant. The food was also of the best I’ve had on a boat trip with great choice of drinks and food. The swim spots were fabulous with not many other boats and our captain and his second mate were wonderful. The boat steps were very similar to those on Duran Duran boat and meant they were really good for anyone with mobility issues. I loved being in the water in the quiet coves – it was nice to enjoy drinks after a swim while sat on a comfy bean bag. There was fruit and cake in the afternoon which is always a nice touch too. We paid £35 for the boat trip and we did go a bit mad with the drinks, spending about 1,800 (£34) between the 2 of us. I was a bit tiddly and ended up kicking the side of the boat when I was walking to the bar. It hurt a bit at the time but I thought nothing of it, until I got off and put my shoes on. We’d got dropped off near the end of bar street and had thought we might go for a drink. It was so hot out of the breeze of the boat that we just went home, with me limping, to shower and change. I took photos of the bus station notice boards on our way, for all the day trips they do.
It was apparent that I had probably broken my little toe when I hobbled out of the shower. Captain Caveman and I were due to go out for a last meal together and then be ready for his pick up tomorrow at 4am. To celebrate his working from home break of 12 days in Dalyan, we decided to venture back out. We had a drink in Heybe’s and a quick chat with Donny before deciding we would no longer go in to the Turkish Quarter for dinner. I said I would be able to hobble over to wherever Captain Caveman fancied but he decided he would like our farewell date night to be at Lukka bar. I love Lukka and the owners and staff there are considered good friends, however I’d not been able to go out much of late and hadn’t been for such a long time. I was also a bit reluctant to spend a lot of money on a night out when I still had so many things on my essentials to buy list. Captain Caveman said not to worry and we were going there. We were welcomed in and given a table in a good location and we looked at the menu. It was the first time I’d eaten there since the new chef so I wasn’t sure whether to go for an old favourite or try something new. Captain Caveman ordered wine and water, then suggested a mixed meze plate. He ordered lamb and I stuck to the sweet and sour chicken. All the food was great and I really enjoyed our last night together. Here’s what we paid, prices in lira;
Lukka bar 1 large water 110 Mixed meze plate 430 Sweet & Sour chicken 770 Lamb Shish 875 1 bottle Angora white wine 950 Tip 200 Total paid 3,335 lira (£63)
Captain Caveman thought it was very reasonable and we were both impressed with the food and service. After a lovely meal we popped next door to pick up a Citronella candle too which smells amazing.
Maizie Moo 1 Citronella candle 400 lira (£7.55)
Today had been the most money I had spent this year, in just one day, so I was still feeling a bit like I needed to get back on track when Captain Caveman left. We set the alarm and Captain Caveman finalised his packing before bed to try and get 6 hours sleep.
Gratitude List 1. Princess of Ekincik boat trip 2. Meal out at Lukka bar 3. Splashing out on treats for our last day together.
I was so busy on Thursday 19th June that I’m not sure I had time to eat breakfast or lunch. Captain Caveman had a few meetings and the weather outside was very hot. We eventually went to the shops about 6.40pm and here’s what we bought, prices in lira;
We also tried to get another kitchen sink plug but failed. I managed to get up to Module 3 on a course I’m doing for publishing a planner.
Gratitude List 1. Both being able to work from home 2. Shopping 3. Dubai chocolate.
I’d tried to organise some after work drinks for Friday 20th June, given that the Friday Bar crawl didn’t seem to be happening. Captain Caveman had said he would finish work at 4pm so I would try to do that too. Usually weekends and evenings are when I get the most enquiries/bookings for holidays so I was finding it hard to change my working pattern. Our first treat of the day, though, was a quick trip to nearby La Sorella so that Captain Caveman could have a proper coffee and a croissant. He ordered a plain one but I ordered the chocolate one with banana and fruit – it was immense and I was so stuffed. The prices for what we had were as follows;
La Sorella 1 Green tea 60 1 Double Espresso 120 1 croissant 130 1 chocolate croissant with fruit 290 Total 600 lira (£11.32) but we got 50 lira (94p) off.
I’d never have spent that if Captain Caveman wasn’t here but it was a really lovely treat. I called at the bank before work and sent messages to friends asking if anyone fancied meeting us later. Most people responded to say they couldn’t make it apart from one friend who was up for tonight. I was pleased in a way that it looked like Captain Caveman and I could spend some time together, but was also a bit disappointed that we weren’t going to be out with friends for him to see them before he left for the UK. We had bacon sandwiches for lunch and we both had lots to do in the afternoon. Captain Caveman and I worked until 6pm (which was only 4pm UK time) before getting ready to go out. We decided to go to Okyanus for a drink where a friend came over to meet us. We saw Üstün, the waiter who was previously working at Tapa and who me and my parents like, and we got chatting and taking photos. We had 2 white wines and 3 beers for 900 lira (£16.98) and then decided to say bye to our friend and have a wander in to town. Captain Caveman chose Cafe Ivy to go to and we sat down to briefly say hello to Lou and the kids. We found some sunglasses which didn’t seem to be anyone’s and Captain Caveman said he would borrow them and then hand them in. While at Cafe Ivy, we got a message from Debbie to say she was going to pop to join us for one and Ghislaine went past with some friends and her dogs, so came to join us after all. Here’s what Captain Caveman and I had with prices in lira;
Cafe Ivy 2 Efes Malt 280 2 Glasses of white wine 300 1 chicken strips 300 Lots of free popcorn Total 880 lira + 100 lira tip = 980 lira (£18.50)
After our night out, we went home and warmed up a curry for our dinner.
Gratitude List 1. Breakfast at La Sorella 2. Nice food 3. A night out.
I made sure I got up and out early on Tuesday 17th June before it got too warm. I went to the shops and here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket 2 pot noodles 54.50 6 eggs 55.00 Wholemeal Wraps 99.50 Washing powder 157.95 Total spent 366.95 lira (£6.92)
Parlak Bakery 1 loaf 15.00 1 açma 20.00 Total spent 35.00 lira (66p)
I also called in to Jiks to get photos of the pizza menus because we were invited to Nanny Kay’s tomorrow. Captain Caveman and I had breakfast together of açma (half each) with white cheese and some of the left over olives from Saklı Bahçe at the weekend. We both got on with work and I had some enquiries from friends about Turkey. There was a sale on with Classic Collection who only offer holidays through agents and the deposit is only £12.50. Captain Caveman had 3 meetings and they were loud and sounded stressful. We both chose pizzas for tomorrow and messaged our choices to Nanny Kay. At lunch time, we had bacon sandwiches which were very nice and I got a message from a friend who’d been away. I’d booked them a city break and they had really enjoyed it. They were looking to book another one so we arranged a chat for later in the weekend. In the evening we had sausage pasta for dinner then had a walk through town. We called at Rehab bar to see Tay where Captain Caveman had an Efes Malt and I just had soda water (as it was Fat Club tomorrow). While we were there, the mozzies were out in force so we both had to spray stuff on and the bar staff went and bought more!
Gratitude List 1. Getting the shopping done early 2. Eating meals with Captain Caveman in between work tasks 3. Seeing Tay at Rehab bar.
Wednesday 18th June was a busier day for me. It started with the usual measurements and getting weighed on my home scales. Unfortunately, having Captain Caveman here had been detrimental and I had put on 1kg (2.2lb). I’d lost 1cm off my bust and hips and 2cm off my waist so that was good. At 11.30am I went to Turkish class at Lukka bar where I paid 60 lira (£1.13) for a small water and 150 lira (£2.83) for the lesson. I made lunch at home for Captain Caveman and I which was salad with cheese and salami. I had 3 online webinars, made a test book on Canva for a new planner that I’d started working on and saved that as a draft before heading back out to Fat Club. Carol’s scales were kinder than mine and and I had only put on 0.7kg (1.5lb) but I still needed to watch it a bit. After Fat Club, I went to the shop next to the hairdresser’s and bought a new AC remote for 400 lira (£7.55) and ordered 2 more for next week. The Arçelik shop wanted 1,000 lira (£18.87) for one but luckily, Carol had put me on to this shop and I’d saved lots. While I was still waiting for Katrina at Maizie Moo to make more citronella candles, I bought a cheap pack of 3 from the Millenium shop for 140 lira (£2.64), they weren’t as good but were better than nothing. Captain Caveman and I finished work by 7pm and walked over to Nanny Kay’s house where we ended up having quite a night! We had a Jiks pizza delivery which was piping hot and all correct, plus quite a lot of red wine. Nanny Kay was also asking how we would be spending the rest of Captain Caveman’s time in Dalyan and I was disappointed to hear him say I wasn’t really featured in his plans. He would be working all week and then wanted to do his own things at the weekend, before he left early on Sunday. I had already been lining up a boat trip and he now was not interested in another one and would rather go walk some dogs at the dog shelter or play Bridge. Luckily, Nanny Kay helped talk him in to agreeing to another boat trip, this time with Princess of Ekincik but only if there was less smokers on board. I checked and then we confirmed 2 places on Saturday, so I wouldn’t be going on my own. We walked home quite sozzled and it was late when we got back.
Gratitude List 1. Measurements being better than weight 2. Getting a bargain AC remote 3. A wonderful evening at Nanny Kay’s.
Sunday 15th June was a real treat as we had booked to go on a boat trip with Captain Boris. It cost £45 each which isn’t the cheapest boat trip in Dalyan but they pride themselves on making sure they give great service and food. On all the previous trips I’ve been on with them, they’ve definitely been particularly memorable. I was so excited to be going with Captain Caveman and enjoying our day off doing something really lovely. We were off out to sea for the whole day and later going over to a party at Mark and Kate’s. Our first stop off was to the corner shop for some beers to take for the party later. 4 cans of Efes was 340 lira (£6.42) and we put them in the rucksack for later. I’d already given Vanessa a bottle of Prosecco to take for me to save it going warm. The boat trip was rather an eclectic mix of people and there was a bit of confusion at the start as 2 people were late and Colin didn’t turn up at all! Quite early doors on the trip, it became apparent that we had a lot of smokers on, which Captain Caveman and I aren’t fans of. It’s obviously better if you can afford, or have enough friends for, a private trip, but we didn’t so we had to put up with it. Captain Caveman also got ‘trapped’ at the front of the boat with some older chatty women which weren’t his cup of tea and all smoked too much. Luckily, there was a nice couple on board who I ended up talking to a bit. We went to Bacardi Bay which was beautiful and we had a swim. Captain Caveman had beer which were 150 lira (£2.83) each and I had wine at 180 lira (£3.40) per glass – still good prices compared to the UK. The BBQ and food was really nice – I particularly enjoyed the prawns which were delicious. Captain Caveman can’t eat prawns or mushrooms so I had extra prawns and a bit more chicken and mushroom casserole. I did enjoy it, there was plenty for us to get more food if we wanted to. I think we had 3 drinks each as we paid 1,000 lira (£19) in total for drinks. It was a lovely day and I had to let my head not feel bad for spending £109 for the 2 of us as it was ! After several swim stops, cake and fruit, we headed back to Dalyan before 5pm ready to go to our next event. We got dropped off at Portakal ferry and walked to Mark and Kate’s where we joined their party. Vanessa and Matt were getting ready to leave when we got there, as they had errands to run before they left Dalyan tomorrow. Vanessa had arranged to meet me and another friend tomorrow to say farewell as they were driving back to the UK and had decided to go a few days earlier than planned. There was quite a crowd at Mark and Kate’s, some familiar faces as well as some new people. We also had chip butties to eat and later Mark and Vinnie got the port and cheese out. Mark’s son was over visiting so it was nice to meet and I enjoyed talking about yachts with him. We didn’t stay late as Captain Caveman and I had work tomorrow and I was really tired.
Gratitude List 1. Being lucky enough to be going on a boat trip 2. Amazing food, including prawns 3. Having a good time at Mark and Kate’s party.
joloyolo 