Dalyan to London – 2nd July

My flight on Thursday 2nd July was not until 6.30pm but I was ready for the off. The time had come to go back to the UK and spend a month with Captain Caveman. I spent the morning doing some work then put my out of office on, until it was time to say some farewells. My first one was to pop over to see Jamie and little Norman to say bye. Norman, the dog, was still doing his best to live a long and happy life but we never knew how much longer he would live – he’s 15 now. I gave him a cuddle and a peanut paw, he was happier with the treat than the affection, then had a glass of water on the patio with Jamie. I hadn’t booked my flight back yet as they were still a bit out of my budget during summer holidays. After a quick run down of where I was going to be and a bit of a chat with Jamie, I said my goodbyes and walked over to my parents’ place for the next farewell. This one was also accompanied with us going out for breakfast at Ela’s Kitchen, ironically, for bacon sandwiches. Ma and I ordered bacon and mushroom sandwiches, which were huge and came with chips and salad, Pa ordered menemen which had a few chips and some bread. We had water and coffee for Ma & Pa, Yorkshire tea for me. I was pushing the boat out as I had loads of Yorkshire teabags at home, which Richard and Michelle and very kindly brought me over on their recent visit.
It was hot in Dalyan now and we sat outside in the shade trying to tackle the huge portions. I ended up taking half of mine away for the airport and Dad ended up finishing Mom’s sandwich.
Here’s what we had and what we paid in lira for our breakfast;

Ela’s Kitchen

1 large water 140
1 Cherry juice 150
1 Yorkshire tea 160
1 Cappuccino 190
1 Caramel latte 210
1 Menemen 410
2 Bacon & mushroom sandwiches 1,000
Total spent 2,260 lira (£35.87)

I paid on card and tried to treat my parents but Mom insisted on thrusting some cash at me for their share. I said bye and left my parents to pick up a mirror from the shop and I walked up to the Dalyan Turkish Delight shop to get a few gifts. It was hot and I spent 2,093.20 lira (£33.23) on boxes of rose and pistachio Turkish Delight. It seemed a little extravagant but I wanted to get the freshest and best I could – it’s my favourite place to buy it but isn’t usually open in the winter. The man in the shop gave me a free chocolate helva and said that was for me! I also managed to sample a few, even after my breakfast.
I walked back home along the river, bumping in to friends so I got to say bye to them too. I had time for a shower and a bit of a sit down before Sonuç came to pick me up. Captain Caveman had booked me an underseat bag and cabin luggage with an aisle seat so I was happy with that.

At Dalaman airport I investigated the new CIP lounge; it’s upstairs and costs £29 if booked in advance on Wise/Revolute. If paying as a walk in customer it’s €60 and, when I asked, it was unlimited drinks and snacks for up to 3 hours. I didn’t stay as I was just doing research and I wasn’t about to waste the money when I could get 3 cocktail tins from the fridge in duty free for less. I bought 2 Margaritas and 1 Pina Colada for €11.50 (£9.83) and had my leftover bacon sandwich with a cocktail tinny for lunch, while waiting at a random gate. I took a selfie but then blocked out the brand on my can because the advertising of alcohol in Turkey is banned. It has been for a while but as from 1st July there seemed to be a surge in fining anyone who posted it on social media.
The flight was fine and full, and I arrived in to Gatwick just a little later than planned. I got the train to Barnes, changing at Clapham Junction and arrived a little earlier than Captain Caveman. He was on his way to his parents’ at the same time but I got there about 10 minutes earlier. I had an issue with my Turkish bank card only letting me tap on at Gatwick but not tap off at Barnes so it was probably going to overcharge me. My journey door to door was 7 hours and I still had some of my frozen water left. At Captain Caveman’s parents’ home, I got a warm welcome and a nice cup of tea before bed.

Gratitude List

1. Farewell breakfast at Ela’s Kitchen with Ma & Pa
2. A smooth journey from Dalyan to Barnes in 7 hours
3. A nice welcome back to Barnes from Captain Caveman and his parents.

Dalyan – 1st July

Wednesday 1st July was my last day in Dalyan for a while, as I had some fantastic summer plans – mostly spending time with Captain Caveman in the UK and to celebrate his birthday month with a couple of trips away. But first, I was making the most of my last Dalyan day, doing what I enjoyed the most – a boat trip. I was up and about 3 hours prior to the boat trip to fanny about with banking with it being a new month. I decided that a limit of £30 per day as a budget for July would be the most I could afford and I was extremely hopeful to set it at that – not completely believing I could do it.

It was weigh day but I didn’t get weighed or do my measurements, and I was missing Fat Club today.

Our boat trip was quite a full one with it being a private trip organised by friends and we had quite a few of the usual faces. It was a choppy ride out to sea and we went out quite far, way beyond Ekincik. I’d taken extra strong seasickness tablets so I was fine until someone mentioned fried eggs (I don’t like eggs) and I had to really concentrate on not being sick.

We had our first swim stop in a turquoise bay which proved a little tricky to get back on to the boat due to the swell. Luckily, Shaun was able to help Nanny Kay and I get on safely, as I didn’t have my glasses on. It isn’t usually that bad but there were lots of big tourist boats causing bigger waves. We had a lovely couple more swim stops, we even had a photo on a rock. Cath, who is a non-swimmer even enjoyed it and we had a couple of minor scrapes from messing about on the rocks. Both Keith and I had to have a plaster on! Captain Fuat always does plenty of choice on the food, and we ate fantastic BBQ food and, as it was my last boat trip in Dalyan for a bit, we had a few wines. I was so busy enjoying being on the boat and chatting to friends that I didn’t take many photos, luckily the keen photographers onboard did. Paul got some excellent photos of the group who swam on to the rocks plus a laughing donkey who posed for him. We had a really lovely trip and I was almost sad to leave, I spent £40 on the boat trip and I forget my bar bill – definitely less than £20 on wine. I got home, did the laundry, packed my bag and did a bit of a tidy round, before getting in bed. Tomorrow, my taxi to the airport wasn’t coming until 3.30pm but I still had a few plans in the morning.

Gratitude List

1. Getting the opportunity to go back to the UK again

2. A fantastic boat trip

3. Being ready to enjoy July with Captain Caveman.

Photo Credit – photos by friends on the boat, including Paul C.

Dalyan – 29th & 30th June

It was a rather busy day on Monday 29th June and I had to take some time away from my office desk to do some important things. My first job of the day was to meet a friend for a little walk before it got too hot. We walked along the river and then went to Kaunos tea gardens for brunch. We each had a bottle of water, a large Turkish tea and a cheese and onion toastie, with chips and olives for a total of 390 lira (£6.30).

I’d not checked my budget for this month as I expected I was way over and decided to do it all in a couple of days at month end. I had definitely underestimated how much money I would need for July, August and September being out of Turkey.
After a couple of customer calls, some admin and a chat with a friend it was time to venture on a hot and sweaty bus to Ortaca. I wanted to get my hair done before my next UK and Europe trip and today was the only day Emrah could fit me in at short notice.
I arrived early, and glad of the air con as Emrah and the girls worked their magic. I had to get the bus back and was meeting a friend for a farewell drink at 4pm so I asked for an updo. I paid 2,000 lira (£32.26) for the colour, cut and blow dry which I thought was very reasonable and is always so professional. I got the bus back and it was pretty packed and hot.

When I got back to Dalyan I made my way over to Ren Garden where I had arranged to meet my friend. Her and her husband were moving back to the UK and I wanted to wish them well and have a catch up before we both set off. We sat in the back room for a bit of privacy and decided to have a wine (or 2) to mark the occasion.
As is the Dalyan way, we did get interrupted when some of the Dalyan Dwellers, who’d been on the yellow boat, came back from their Monday Köyceğiz market trip. Two of them came in first, a bit tiddly, asking if I had seen my parents. I replied that I hadn’t and they were the ones who had gone on a boat trip with them. Apparently, they were all meeting back at Ren Garden after getting off the boat. My parents arrived a few minutes later, also merry, and asked if I’d seen their friends who were now sat in the front bar. This went on a while as more people turned up all looking for each other within a small vicinity. My friend’s husband had joined us and all privacy had gone out of the window so we said our goodbyes and I went to join my parents and the group of boat trippers. I had another couple of wines with them and we chatted to a nice bloke, Ricky, who was staying at Grandma’s Garden, the hotel at Ren Garden.
I paid a total of 1,030 lira (£16.61) for 6 wines, 2 soda waters, and 1 water, a very reasonable amount!
My next stop was to join my parents for dinner where we had pizza at Heybe and it was very tasty.

Gratitude List
1. Having my hair done
2. A farewell drink with a friend
3. An impromptu catch up with my parents.

Tuesday 30th June was the end of the month and I was astonished at how quickly the first half of this year had gone.
It had been both a tough year so far, in many ways, but it had also been pretty good in lots of other ways. In June alone I’d split my time across quite a few different countries.
Out of the 30 days this month, this is where I actually spent my time:

Dalyan 7 days
Sheffield 7 days
Cruising (Budapest, Bratislava, Tulln and Vienna) 5 days
Spain 4 days
Sevenoaks 3 days
Mallorca 2 days
Vienna 1.5 days
Istanbul (airport) 0.5 days

So I was on holiday for at least half of the month, despite still working most of the time. It was also time to face the music with the monthly finances too, which had certainly taken a hit! I had given myself a budget of £25 per day, so a total of £750 for June. My total spend ended up being £802 so I was £52 over! Captain Caveman had needed to help me out to ensure I got my required amount in to the Turkish bank too and I was about to start July in a deficit of £115 after paying off my credit card. I do that every month and it only has a very low limit.
For July I hadn’t set a budget as I knew I was likely to spend more than I had this month and would be relying on Captain Caveman a lot too. All I did today was work as it was the last day of the month and I wanted to maximise any earnings.
There was so much fun coming up from July onwards, all of which I was going to continue to do with a frugal mindset and while doing more holiday research for my potential customers.

Gratitude List
1. Being very lucky to be able to work from almost anywhere in the world
2. Having a busy day and tying up lots of loose ends
3. Looking forward to a great summer.

Dalyan – 27th & 28th June

I was busy catching up with chores and writing content on Saturday 27th June. I was meant to go to the market to get fruit but I didn’t end up going as I got busy with dealing with some customer related stuff. The last weekend of every month tends to be the busiest for people getting ready to go away, as well as booking, due to it being pay day for a lot of people.
I did manage to force myself out of the house around lunch time, just for a walk so that I actually got some exercise.
Other than that I slowly tackled my never ending to do list and tried to spend as little money as possible before the end of the month, and before my trip back to the UK, where I had loads planned with Captain Caveman.

Gratitude List
1. Being busy
2. Managing to spend nothing and have no alcohol in the hope of losing weight
3. Having a short walk around town.

I’d been invited to visit friends, Janet & Ian, on Sunday 28th June and decided I would walk over, despite the heat. I put on plenty of factor 50 suncream, a dress with short sleeves and my sun hat from Vietnam. The walk was only 20 minutes but it was definitely hot in Dalyan now. Having survived the heat of Vienna, Dalyan felt a little more breezy.
At Janet & Ian’s we had a lovely time, chatting and lounging round the pool and even a lovely swim. Of course I was ‘persuaded’ in to having a drink at the poolside bar so that Janet wasn’t drinking blood orange gin alone – I’m good like that!
Janet and Ian have their property on the market and if I won the lottery, I’d buy it! It’s a gorgeous villa on the edge of town with a deep pool and a massive garden. They are in their 70s now so are looking to downsize.
I could’ve stopped longer but it was Sunday and I had 2 more engagements planned. Ian gave me a lift in to town and I went to see Richard and Michelle off at Waterfall bar.
We said bye and I was invited to see them in the UK during my summer visit, which was nice of them. We were also going to be arranging a trip to Vietnam in 2027 which would be amazing.
Back home, I snaffled down the rest of the leftover curry and then went round to my parents for a drink. I’d last seen them 4 weeks ago when we went to Duble for a meal. While I’d been in the UK and Europe having a lovely time, they had also been having a great time in Dalyan. I had less than 5 days left before I went back to the UK and they had another week after I left. They were going to be joined by my niece and her boyfriend so were looking forward to some time with them.
We had some wine and nibbles and arranged to meet for breakfast on my last day, so I could say bye.

Gratitude List
1. Spending time with lovely friends, Janet & Ian
2. Having a last drink with more lovely friends, Richard & Michelle
3. A great evening to round off my Sunday with my parents.

Dalyan – 26th June

I met a friend for a walk and talk at 7.30am on Friday 26th June. We talked about how my trip to England and Europe had gone. She’d also been busy so it was a good catch up and we had to wait at Kaunos tea gardens for it to open. We just had 1 large tea and 2 waters for 65 lira (£1.05) then both went back home to get on with our days.
Upon my return, I snipped as much of the unruly bushes that I could then messaged the gardening company to ask them to do the rest – it had obviously not been touched for 3 weeks at our side of the complex, but Block A looked very tidy.
I finished work at 4pm, despite having a lot to do still, as I needed to get prepared for my guests. I’d invited Richard and Michelle over for a curry at mine but I needed to get some ingredients in as I’d not done a proper shop yet. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Star Gurme
1 tin baked beans & 1 jar curry sauce
Total spent 300 lira (£4.84)

Yaman Büfe 2
1 bottle of Angora red wine 525
3 Dido chocolate bars 105
Total spent 630 lira (£10.16)

BIM supermarket
Naan Bread 82.95
770g Chicken 199.43
Total spent 282.38 lira (£4.55)

I didn’t need the beans or curry sauce but had walked all the way to buy curry paste and they didn’t have the one I wanted. I couldn’t remember if I had an alternative at home so I bought the jar in case I needed it to make a quick version of my chicken curry. The naan bread is just a pide type of bread but does the trick.

I threw everything in to the slow cooker and had a paste at home I could use, plus it didn’t need to be ready until 9pm so I had time; 4 hours on high.
I met my friends in Retro bar for a pre dinner drink (or 2) and they brought me some gifts which was really lovely and much appreciated. I paid the bar bill this time at 950 lira (£15.32) and then we went over to mine for curry. We had another drink while I popped the rice in the rice cooker and we had a good old chat, mainly about holidays and future plans. The curry went down well and the Dido chocolate bars worked as a dessert. It wasn’t a late one as I had work in the morning and my guests were off on a boat trip.

Gratitude List
1. Walk by the river with a friend
2. Retro bar for drinks with friends
3. Hosting a curry night at mine.

Dalyan – 24th & 25th June

I needed a rest on Wednesday 24th June and I was also not used to having to prepare and cook my own food! As it was weigh day and I was back at Fat Club this afternoon, I took my measurements to find strange results; I had put a whopping 3cm on my bust, lost 2cm off my waist and put 1cm on my hips!! It was going to be interesting to see how much weight I’d put on, using Carol’s scales, after my 3 weeks away. The home scales reckoned I’d put on 1.9kg (3.8lb), which was bad enough!
At 9am there was a planned power cut which meant I only had enough battery to work until 1pm, but the outage was for most of the day.
At 3pm, I was back to face the music. The weight gain was much more than I imagined, or felt, at 3.3kg (7.3lb) – more than half a stone in 1 month! I felt bad but I’d really enjoyed my various trips, maybe I would have to knuckle down and lose a bit, though! It was good to see the other ladies again after being away and there was so much to catch up on, as people had been away or were about to go back to the UK soon.
I called at the shop on the way back to buy light wholemeal bread and marshmallows for 168.45 lira (£2.72) and then got ready to go out.
Friends, Richard & Michelle, were in Dalyan so they had invited me to join them for drinks at the Waterfall bar and then for a meal. After a beer in the Waterfall, we decided to try out Doris Garden, which had a new owner/staff and had been getting good reviews recently. We chatted over wine, mainly about our shared interests in holidays. The food was very good, the service attentive but not too intrusive and we really enjoyed our meal, sat outdoors in the lovely garden area. We even bumped in to a couple of Dutch friends who were on a repeat visit. The beef çökertme was very tasty and went well with the Angora red wine.
Michelle is not a big drinker and didn’t join us with the red wine, instead she prefers the odd cocktail so we went over to Efe bar for a nightcap. We ended up having another bottle of red wine as it was on special offer for Wine Wednesday at only 750 lira (£12) compared to 1,100 lira (£18) in the restaurant. Michelle had a cocktail and they did look very impressive too.
We arranged to meet up again at the weekend and, as we said farewell, I had a feeling I might have a hangover tomorrow, after quite a lot of red wine.

Gratitude List
1. Surviving an all day power cut
2. Being back at Fat Club
3. A great meal and night out with friends.

On Thursday 25th June I had a bit of a woolly head but had to get on with a load of shit! My To Do List was huge. I also had multiple holiday enquiries to look at, which I was appreciative of. I barely had time to eat and had a Resort Experts team meeting at 1pm, where I’d been asked to do an update on my recent luxury river cruise.
I kept it short and to the point as I was aware that there were others within our team who already knew about cruises, then I sent out the information on email for anyone who might be interested in it.
I didn’t leave the house all day and I had to make myself stop working at 7pm to eat a chickpea curry. I briefly spoke to Captain Caveman in Sheffield to let him know I was back in Dalyan – he was looking forward to seeing me in London in 7 day’s time. The only photo I took today was of my dinner. It was an early night for me as I had so much to do tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Getting more holiday enquiries as a result of being away
2. Being asked to do a presentation on my cruise in the team meeting
3. Chickpea curry.

Vienna to Dalyan – 22nd & 23rd June

My plan to get back to Dalyan on Monday 22nd June was probably more complicated and longer than it needed to be, however it meant I had almost 12 more hours in Vienna. I’d initially thought of taking a train to Bratislava for 6am, then flying at 9am directly to Dalaman. This was the cheaper option with a Ryanair size under seat bag, which I didn’t have, and an extremely early start. Instead, I paid £88 (£24 more than the Ryanair direct flight) to fly 6 hours later in the day, with an 8kg allowance of hand luggage, via Istanbul.

This meant that I could have a leisurely breakfast at Sissy’s, who had gone to work but had left me some fresh bread from the bakery and I had it with some jam from the fridge. The schnitzel and accompanying leftovers were made into a snack for my journey as I wouldn’t get home until very late.

I worked in the morning at my laptop and then got the Metro, before my 24 hour ticket ran out, to meet Sissy. We decided to go for a quick lunch at Vapiano, a pizza and pasta restaurant where you choose what you want and they make it fresh at the counter in front of you. I also found the names of their drinks quite funny and had to order a Schartner Bombe. Sissy had a traditional herbal drink called a Almdudler, which had a familiar taste but I couldn’t place it until later – ginger and elderflower. Both drinks were great and my spaghetti was amazing.

It was sad to say bye to another wonderful host and friend, we’d had an incredible time of just under 30 hours together and I appreciated every minute and I hoped we would meet again soon for more adventures, perhaps in Turkey or Vietnam.

Sissy walked me to the train station to get the airport train, it was a bargain €5.40 (£4.63). We walked together to the platform and said bye several more times, by the time I was on the train I was emotional. The girl opposite me on the train got chatting and was an Austrian, who was on her way to Greece for a holiday but had grown up in Turkey.

At Vienna airport it was super efficient and clean, I ate my chicken schnitzel and snacks then boarded the plane to Sabiha Gökçen at 5.30pm, taking off at 6.05pm. The Ajet flight was busy but comfortable and I got an aisle seat near the back. I landed in Istanbul at 9.20pm and I had a drink and a snack for 495 lira (£7.68) in the airport while I waited for my next flight to Dalaman which was leaving at just after midnight.

Gratitude List

1. Getting a later flight back from Vienna
2. More time with Sissy
3. Austrian food and drink.

The second Ajet flight took off on Tuesday 23rd June at 00.05 from Sabiha Gökçen and landed in Dalaman at 01.25am. I had a wine on the plane for 150 lira (£2.38) and had fallen asleep by the time we landed. As I had no luggage to pick up and I was quite fast at getting out, I was in the taxi with Sonuç, who I had booked ahead, in no time.
Back home in Dalyan, I had to duck under overgrown bushes to get to the steps and then up to the apartment. There was no internet so I went straight to bed and slept very well. When I woke up, I needed to put the internet on and get some food so I went out. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 plastic bag 1.00
Yoghurt 54.95
Pain au chocolat 54.95
Olives 61.50
Total spent 172.40 lira (£2.74)

Captainnet internet
1 month 750 lira (£11.90)

I also decided to visit one of my favourite cafes in Dalyan, Mornings in Mavi, where I ordered the Nectarino sandwich, water and a cookie for a total of 770 lira (£12.22). It’s not the cheapest cafe in town, but it’s definitely delicious and I really enjoy the food there. I even took half of my sandwich home to have later. I spent the rest of the day catching up on laundry, emails, blogs and unpacking Pauline, of course. I had just 7 days in Dalyan before I headed back to the UK for another holiday.

Gratitude List
1. An uneventful journey back to Dalyan
2. A delicious brunch from Mornings in Mavi
3. Being back home for a week.

Dalyan to Sheffield – 2nd June

It was time to hold on to your hats on Tuesday 2nd June as my 3 week holiday adventure was about to start. I had managed to pack Pauline, my petite pink under seat suitcase, with everything I needed to get me as far as sunny Sheffield. I was dressed for the heatwave, which everyone in the UK was talking about, and I wasn’t even taking a coat!
At 9.50am I was in the bank, making sure all was in order and that I had my holiday insurance. I didn’t have it earlier due to the bank holiday and today Murat, at the bank, sent me off to Delfin insurers to get it instead. I was going to be away for 3 weeks in the UK and Europe, including 5 days cruising down the Danube and I paid just 900 lira (£15) for my travel insurance.
Next, I bought 2 packs of pills for 884.48 lira (£14.74) and then popped to Migros for essentials. I spent 124.85 lira (£2.08) on cereal bars, 1 tub of quark and some haribo jellies. I bought a simit, cheese spread and a chocolate croissant at Parlak bakery for 190 lira (£3.17) and then went to say bye to my parents. On the way I decided to drop off Jamie and Drew’s key and when I arrived, I found Drew in his underpants looking tired. Norman was just about to have breakfast while Dennis the doorstop had soggy paws where Norman had done a little wee.

I said farewell to Ma & Pa then rushed home to shower ready for a midday pick up with Sonuç, who I’ve been using for airport transfers for a number of years. At the airport I said bye to Sonuç and headed through security as I was already checked in online.
I was early and, as I’m frugal, I don’t like to waste money in Dalaman airport. A good top tip for anyone flying from Dalaman airport who likes a drink; if you’re the type of person who begrudges wasting money on an airport Gin & Tonic in one of the most expensive airports, but have a couple of hours to kill, try this. Instead of paying more in the bar or a lounge, treat yourself to a cocktail tinny or mini bottle of wine (or 3) which are on sale just to the right as you leave the duty free area. Then find yourself a quiet spot, or put your noise cancelling headphones on and relax until boarding!

My flight left 45 minutes late but I did have access to a water dispenser near Gate 42 in the international departures.
The flight went fine, apart from it being delayed so I had to hurry to get my 18.17 train at Manchester airport. I was meant to arrive in to Sheffield at 19.34 with plans to meet Captain Caveman in the Wellington pub, near Kelham Island. I didn’t yet know where he had moved to so this made sense, however, I ended up on the slow train and arrived almost 1 hour late. I caught the tram from Sheffield station to Shalesmoor which cost £2.50. What I hadn’t known was that Captain Caveman had arranged for our friend, Luan, to also be there to meet me, which was a lovely surprise. Luan got the round in while Captain Caveman was preoccupied with a pub quiz that was halfway through. His friend was doing it and he was helping her while trying to pretend he wasn’t more interested in the quiz than my arrival. With it being a school night, Luan left first while I listened to the results of the quiz I hadn’t entered.
Captain Caveman showed me round his new home; a 2 bedroomed flat in Kelham Island near to a few bars and cafes. It was a great location and I knew it was going to be a fun week in Sheffield.

Gratitude List
1. Having time to say bye to a few people
2. Going to the UK and Europe for 3 weeks with Pauline, my petite pink suitcase.
3. Seeing Captain Caveman and Luan in the Wellington pub.

Dalyan – 1st June

It was all go on Monday 1st June, my last full day in Dalyan for 3 weeks. I was up early with Norman but made him wait until 7am for breakfast, by which time he was chomping at the bit! I gave him his usual, but with egg, and did a video to send to Little Daddy, aka Jamie. Next, I completed as much banking as I could for today and then went to meet a friend for a walk from 8am. As I walked to Kaunos tea gardens the sun was shining and it was definitely summer now.

By 11am I was back with Norman, cleaning and getting ready for Drew’s return, later tonight.
At noon I went to meet Janet & Ian in Ren Garden, for a cup of tea and to arrange to catch up again when I got back from my holiday.

I worked for the rest of the day, while Norman mainly snoozed away. By 6.30pm, I was going back to Ren Garden to meet my parents. We had arranged to go for a last meal before I left and had chosen Duble, another firm favourite of ours. Drew had got delayed but I had kept hold of the key in case I needed to pop back to check on Norman.
I paid for the drinks at Ren Garden which only came to 620 lira (£10.33) for all 3 of us. At Duble the food was excellent and I was so pleased that I had decided to have the soup to start, then 2 more hot starters as a main; prawns and liver. We all had the chicken soup, one of the best in town, with extra bread. Ma ordered lamb chops which looked fab and Pa had a chicken casserole which came with rice and chips – one of the best meals out, for definite. We also had water and wine to go with our food and, when the bill came, Mom insisted on paying.
Once we had eaten, all 3 of us went to Jamie & Drew’s to check on Norman as Drew’s flight was delayed quite a bit and I had been gone for over 3 hours. Little Norman was pleased to see us all but seemed confused that there was no sign of Step Daddy Drew or any wine as he’d expected. We left and went back to my parents for a nightcap and arranged to say goodbye tomorrow morning.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Seeing friends and my parents
3. An excellent meal at Duble.

Dalyan – 31st May

I had a lovely day on Sunday 31st May and, because last Sunday I had wasted it being miserable, I decided to take myself off for brunch today. One of my favourite places is Mornings in Mavi where I enjoyed a white flower and strawberry tea with a granola bowl in the cute cafe. The owner’s wife turned up with a tray of freshly made cookies which I could not resist buying one for later. The food is so fresh and tasty there, so I always enjoy it for a treat. I paid a total of 600 lira (£10) including a small tip and I was off back to see Norman.
I called round to see friends for a sage tea and a good catch up as we hadn’t seen each other in a while. It was nice to hear about their holidays and also planned trips.
Jamie called from the British Virgin Islands and was enjoying his trip so much that he mentioned he was considering telling Norman he had to move house again. Norman wasn’t up for that and seemed a bit sad after hearing from Jamie, so we had to make sofa cuddles a priority.
As I was dog sitting, I had not gone on one of the boat trips today, but Nanny Kay had popped round when she got back to say hello to me and little Norman. The boat trip had been good and I was sad to have missed it. We had another video call from Jamie while Nanny Kay and I were together. I had a veggie curry and a glass of wine for dinner while watching TV with Norman.
It was the end of Bayram and I only had 2 days to get my monthly amount in to my bank account so I stayed up until after midnight to do it as soon as possible in the new month.
I had finished the last few days within a frugal budget level and had recouped some of the overspend. I’d been a bit too optimistic to think I could spend just £550 in May (less than £20 per day) but had actually spent £700.
Despite spending a whopping £700 in May, I had a really great month, especially spending time with family on fabulous boat trips and meals out. I worked out I had still only spent just less than 30% more than Turkey’s minimum wage and had been a tourist for at least a week of this month.
My budget for June was a hard one to set because I was going back to the UK for 10 days, I had a girls trip to Spain planned, then the River cruise Fam Trip and an extra stay in Vienna, plus some flights still to change or book. I decided to limit my June budget to £25 per day and see if I could finish June under £750. Was I being realistic, though? It was going to be a test to stick to any sort of budget but I was going to try.
My weight loss for this month had not gone as hoped but I was at least 1kg (2lb) lighter at the end of the month than at the beginning – I could do better though.
It was unfortunate that there had been a family fall out where it was perceived that I was causing the issue but staying away would hopefully resolve that.
I was also preparing to be visiting the UK again for some summer adventures with Captain Caveman.

Gratitude List
1. Breakfast at Mornings in Mavi
2. Seeing friends
3. Getting through to the end of May over budget but still being quite frugal.

Dalyan – 29th & 30th May

It was another quiet day of dog sitting with Norman on Friday 29th May. He’d been doing so well and, as I was getting up at 6am each day, he’d not once had a pee or poo in the house. I priced up a guided cycle tour in Vietnam for a customer before learning that Wendy Wu had offers on for business class upgrades on Japan holidays with Turkish Airlines for £199.
In the afternoon Norman wanted to help me work so I put him on the round chair where I could keep an eye on him. At 5.30pm I took Norman for a walk, he was so slow but we managed it. For dinner I had a mystery freezer meal which I think was a chicken casserole and I added a chopped courgette, as you do!
I checked the weather forecast for Sheffield for the next week and it looked a bit cold and wet! Typical, as I planned to just take an under seat bag for my 3 week holiday.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Excellent holiday offers
3. A mystery meal and a night in.

I didn’t bother with the Dalyan weekly market on Saturday 30th May because I was leaving for England in 2 days. Instead I worked more on my content plan for June and wrote at least one social media post per day for the whole month. I’d noticed loads of other travel agents using AI to write their posts and I didn’t want to do that, I wanted my posts to be authentic and actually from me. My existing customers trusted me and liked the real me so I wanted that to come across to the rest of my followers who were still to book a holiday with me or buy one of my books. I worked hard and then had a video call with a friend in the UK.
In the evening I agreed to meet Ma & Pa for a drink at Retro bar. It was warming up a bit so, after walking and feeding Norman, I had to find some summer clothes to wear. I wore one of my new tops with jeans and washed my hair, only to realise my hairbrush was still at Jamie’s. I had to use a comb which wasn’t ideal.
At Retro bar, Ma & Pa had beers and I had wine and we got chatting about last weekend’s incident. Ma & Pa didn’t remember what had caused the to-do or know why I had left Lukka abruptly but they made it clear they didn’t want to get involved. I explained how I felt and I said I’d not put up with anyone treating me badly. They said it was up to me and the other person and it wasn’t anything to do with them, I disagreed but understood their position so that was the end of that!
It was a shame but it wasn’t the first time and I felt that by pretending all was fine or ignoring bad behaviour, it would just set me up for a repeat performance in the future. I also think going through the menopause has meant I’m less likely to walk on eggshells or modify my actions to please someone, no matter who they are or what they’ve said. It’s interesting, as I know if it had been a male spouse who had acted that way towards me, the outcome and reactions would certainly have been very different. In my humble opinion, it shouldn’t be. We left around midnight and paid cash for the bill, forgetting exactly how much the total was but a wine was 140 lira (£2.33).

Gratitude List – I completely forgot to write one.

Dalyan – 27th & 28th May

There must have been something in the water this week because, on the morning of Wednesday 27th May, a friend popped round and was out of sorts too. She’d had some family drama which had upset her so she came over for a cup of tea and a vent. I felt very sorry for her and could empathise but I didn’t have much time because I was due to pick up my sourdough at 11am. I just bought 1 caraway seed loaf at 300 lira (£5) from Mesude because I would be leaving Dalyan in 6 days. Luckily, I had already got weighed to find I had lost 0.7kg this week (1.5lb) – there’s nothing like a family fall out to get rid of a bit of weight!
I rushed back for a co-working Zoom call at noon, did some training on Hunta, the new walking trail website and let Norman out.
Before Fat Club I walked round to Mary’s, who had the new scales for Carol but was under the weather. I collected the scales and we presented them to Carol who was very pleased. Both Carol and I decided we would have wine today and most of the group had an alcoholic beverage too. After 2 wines at 300 lira (£5) I had to rush back to a webinar on European cruises. After a walk with Norman, I made egg fried rice with extra veg and had it with chickpea and spinach curry. I needed to get back to being focused on my healthy meals and had loads in the freezer to try to eat before I left Dalyan.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. New scales for Carol at Fat Club
3. Sourdough

I had a 7.30am walk and talk meeting with a friend on Thursday 28th May. We decided to eat at Kaunos tea gardens where a large tea was 25 lira (42p) and a cheese and onion toastie with chips and olives was 150 lira (£2.50), a bargain breakfast.
Back home I did more training on Hunta and set up my profile. I did another co-working Zoom to ‘get shit done’. I used the time to set up a new account on Substack and wrote my first article.
The Resort Experts team meeting was at 1pm and the rest of the day was dealing with admin and writing more. I also designed some notebooks with quirky titles as another way to make passive income.
I didn’t drink alcohol and I spent very little so my weekly spend for this week was under budget at £65.57. I still had 3 days left of the month and I wanted to remain under £30 if I could. Luckily I had no plans to go anywhere before I left for the UK.

Gratitude List
1. Getting a morning walk with a friend
2. Breakfast for less than £3
3. Doing more side projects in an attempt to earn more money and help more people.

Dalyan – 24th to 26th May

Jamie was off on holiday at 10.30am on Sunday 24th May and I was in charge of Norman, the dog. I said I would pop over around 9.30am for a natter and hand over, as I would be leaving before he returned so we wouldn’t see each other for a month. I was about ready to leave mine when I got the Lukka-gate apology text I was hoping to get. Unfortunately, it upset me massively and I saw the situation very differently.
By the time I got to Jamie’s I was a mess and running late but I quickly said bye to Jamie and Julia then decided to have a sofa day with Norman. I managed to get Norman out for a short walk but he wasn’t keen to go far.
I didn’t eat until 7.45pm when I warmed up a defrosted freezer meal of pasta bolognese. I wasn’t hungry, I was still upset and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. On a positive note, I had not spent any money today and definitely didn’t fancy any booze.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Zero spend day
3. Day 2 of zero alcohol.

On Monday 25th May I was still feeling upset but I decided that I needed to move on. It had been a shock and an eye opener that I was thought of so badly but it was not going to do me any good dwelling on it. I had more than enough on my plate than to let family drama depress me and I was now at the ‘angry and don’t give a shit’ stage. I’m lucky that I am not always in the UK so the distance helps, as usual, I threw myself into my side projects and Resort Experts to keep busy. I decided that I needed to concentrate on me and anyone who tried to dim my sparkle from now on, could whistle!
I popped home to pick up some stuff and did admin all morning. At 2pm I embarked on yet another new business idea. I made a note to rope Captain Caveman into it as he’s good with maps. I forgot to eat but ended up having an ice-cream for dinner.
It was another no spend, no alcohol and plenty of time spent talking to Norman type of day.

Gratitude List

1. Becoming more creative in an attempt to be more positive
2. Norman
3. Another zero spend & zero alcohol day.

It was a quiet day on Tuesday 26th May, Norman was behaving and had a good snore on the round chair while I worked. In the evening my parents had invited me round to theirs.
Norman loves to visit Ma & Pa so he was up for it. If I’m honest, I wasn’t enamoured by the idea and even messaged mom to say that I would find it difficult not to speak about what happened on Friday night. Once there, I had a glass of water and we discussed every topic but the elephant in the room, while trying to prevent Norman from eating any snacks. I left about 10.30pm and when I got home I had a call with Captain Caveman who had lots to tell me, no time to ask how my weekend had gone and I didn’t feel the need to tell him – he probably wouldn’t be interested in my thoughts and drama either.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Not being upset in front of my parents
3. Not feeling the need to divulge my drama to Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 23rd May

I’d not slept very much so felt tired and still upset on Saturday 23rd May. There had been no messages of apology after last night’s shocking fiasco but, if I’m honest, I didn’t expect one. I decided to try to keep busy and leave the family to get on with their holidays without me being involved. It was sad and I felt like shit but at least I knew I wouldn’t be filling out the Race Across the World application form any time soon.
I went to the market and bought strawberries, bananas, carrots and mushrooms for 320 lira (£5.33), called in to see a friend for a cup of tea and then tried to visit my favourite white dogs. Sadly, they weren’t there which was the first time ever.
For lunch I met Penny and Phil at Ren Garden and Penny had brought me more clothes for me to keep or give to charity. They were summery and really good quality items which I was happy about. Penny & Phil had been on a recent trip to Datça which had been quite eventful so they managed to cheer me up telling me their holiday tales.
I had a lovely turkey, cheese and salad sandwich with water and a pot of tea for 400 lira (£6.67) and we chatted to Eva and Lale there, who also always cheer me up too.
Back home I pottered about a bit and decided to stay in and do myself the chickpea curry I was going to have on Thursday. The plan had been to join the family for a last meal together at Kingfisher, before Gayle & Neil left tomorrow. Of course, after Lukka-gate, I was not up for a repeat performance so I didn’t go.
Tomorrow I was going to be looking after Norman for 9 days, before I left for the UK.

Gratitude List
1. Forcing myself to get on with the day and do things to make me happier
2. Meeting Penny & Phil for lunch
3. Good simple and tasty food.

Dalyan – 22nd May

The weekend started well on Friday 22nd May, unfortunately it didn’t end that way. I’d booked a table at Lukka for music bingo that evening with the family plus a couple of friends. We were all looking forward to it and I’d agreed I would meet everyone after work at Retro bar for a pre dinner drink.
I worked all day and was knackered but as family were here I made the effort and got ready to have a good time. My budget was blown but we’d been having such a good time that I didn’t begrudge it. After this weekend I would be back to being very frugal. When I got to Retro bar Ma, Pa, Gayle, Neil, Julie & Gareth were already at a table for 8 and were having drinks. I pulled up a chair and joined on the end, ordering a rosé wine for 140 lira (£2.33). I barely had time to finish the wine and we were rushing off to Lukka, eager to eat and join in the fun.
I ordered the beef çökertme, which I love and a glass of red wine. Mehmet brought everyone bread and dips but they didn’t offer a gluten free option, which was disappointing for my sister. Gayle had also fancied a chicken satay but she couldn’t have that as it contained gluten and she had to choose something else. I decided I didn’t want to peak too early so would have wine by the glass. Neil and Dad shared a bottle and then I ended up sharing some so I bought a bottle too. Despite the lack of gluten free options, the night seemed to be going well from my point of view but something was afoot.
The music bingo started around 10pm and there were 2 rounds. Mehmet was funny and I thought everyone was having a good night. At the end my sister, mom, Julie and I even got up to dance and I danced with a friend who had popped in for a drink. Julie and Gareth left around 1am and most of the other customers had started to drift off too. My sister found an unattended microphone and made use of that until Mehmet took it off her. Unfortunately, things went bad and I ended up leaving. I paid for my meal, a glass of wine and a bottle of wine at a total of 2,300 lira (£38.33), apologised to the staff and went home.

Gratitude List
I didn’t write one that night.