Dalyan – 9th November

On Saturday 9th November, things got a little bit unpredictable; Captain Caveman did not get up before me, nor did he make me a cup of tea in bed. We had said last night that we would get up early to go to the market but it looked like Captain Caveman had changed his mind.
I made my own tea and had some buttered toast and a banana for breakfast, while I waited for Captain Caveman to get up, as he said he would do shortly. I chopped all the veg to make a large amount of leek and potato soup and put it all in the slow cooker with some vegetable stock. It would be ready around 1pm, in time for lunch and with some leftover to batch up for the freezer. I got impatient waiting for Captain Caveman to come downstairs and went to check on him. He still hadn’t got out of bed and was on his phone, scrolling at a load of what I would describe as ‘crap’. I needed to go to the bank and I was also meeting a lady as I had some clothes for sale, which she was interested in buying an item from me. I was now down to a size 12 so I had lots of clothes that were far too big for me and were taking up space in the wardrobes and cupboards. Captain Caveman said he would be up and ready for the market after I had been to my parents, the bank and met with the potential clothes buyer.
The lady bought the item and we had a lovely chat. My parents were well and were also off to the market and I could have gone with them but I hadn’t brought the shopping bags or list and I was waiting for Captain Caveman so that he could help carry all the items I had on the list. I didn’t want to be too long as I still needed to do some work and some writing and the weekends are the busiest times for enquiries so I wanted to make sure I was available. I also needed to be back to turn off the slow cooker with the soup in.
Having been in and out of the house twice already, it was 11.30am as I walked back in glorious sunshine to get Captain Caveman, who had assured me he would be ready to go to the market. He wasn’t, he was still laying on the bed scrolling through his phone. I got told he didn’t fancy going to the market today as he was going to have a lazy day. I was fuming, as I could have already been and done the market shopping ages ago. I would also have loved a lazy day myself but I didn’t have that choice of such a luxury. It really felt like I was trying to fight a losing battle and that Captain Caveman, who was ordinarily more of an action person, was becoming even more of an argumentative, lazy, phone addicted teenager. I wouldn’t have minded as much if he had said hours ago that he had no intention of doing what he had suggested yesterday. I was at a loss as to how to handle the situation as Captain Caveman is not someone who will do anything he doesn’t want to. I decided that all I could do is do things as if he wasn’t going to join in or be of help and then quickly adapt when he decided he would be. I asked the internet for answers but that was a lot more worrying than real life.
Finally, at gone 12.30pm, I hurried to the market and here is what I bought at each stall, prices in lira;

Stall 1
A massive white cabbage & leeks 100

Stall 2
Plums 30

Stall 3
Bazlama bread, spring onions, lettuce 140

Stall 4
Potatoes 40

Stall 5
Pumpkin & garlic 90

Total spent 400 lira (£9)

With hindsight, I should not have bothered going and maybe managed without going to the market this week. Even my favourite stall holder tried to rip me off but she had picked the wrong time and I was having none of it, right now. She’s an old lady and it could’ve been an honest mistake but I asked (in Turkish) how much the pumpkin and garlic came to, she replied 90 lira and I gave her the only note I could, a 200 lira. She then gave me 10 lira back and was about to go on with her day. I asked her where my 100 lira was and she told me I gave her 100 lira, the 200 note was still in her hand with the open bumbag and her friend was listening to me to see what I was going to do next. I again, speaking in Turkish, told her I gave her 200, that she had a 200 right there and that I had 10 lira but wanted another 100. She was about to weigh the pumpkin and garlic again but I stood firm and then got my 100 lira – we all had a laugh and I made out like she made a mistake but I was unsure if she hadn’t done it on purpose. My bag was so heavy that I had to not bother getting any more fruit or peppers as I really struggled to carry the bag.
When I put it all away at home, we had some of my homemade leek and potato soup with some of the nice bread from the market for lunch. It was gone 2.30pm when I managed to start any work and I had to be finished by 4.30pm to go to meet a friend, who was over from England but leaving to go home tomorrow. I mentioned to Captain Caveman that his laziness and lack of communication this morning had meant I was behind by a lot and he suggested we cancel going for a tea at the tea gardens with my friend. Obviously, this was because he had been playing Bridge and didn’t want to stop. I said he had to come and I had invited my parents as well. At the tea gardens we both drank fresh sage and lemon tea, which is amazing and one of my favourite teas there. My parents had a beer and we watched the sunset after my friend had arrived from her boat trip.
By 6.30pm, Captain Caveman was feeling the cold, my friend was still in her shorts so we decided to walk back home. At home, Captain Caveman tried to redeem himself by making a pasta with peppers, olives and sucuk for our dinner. I decided I had too much to catch up on tomorrow that I wouldn’t go on the Sunday Walk, despite probably needing the exercise and it being the last one my parents would be going on this year.

Dalyan – 7th & 8th November

I managed to drink a cup of Yorkshire tea brought to me in bed on Thursday 7th November by Captain Caveman who was off Bumming this morning. I was finally in the land of the living around 10am and I even managed to make myself some veggie fried rice with mushrooms, sweetcorn and egg. It took me a while to eat it but I managed, and my mouth was ok. Captain Caveman was home at lunch time and we had lentil and vegetable soup with orzo in, but no bread. Later I had a bit of feta style cheese as I was peckish, definitely a good sign. My parents popped over on their way to the shops and I gave my Mom my English bank card, which was new and the PIN needed activating in the UK. This was from the Nationwide who had finally closed my other account after 3 years of hassle.
For dinner we warmed up a mystery curry from the freezer which turned out to be the last of the chicken one that I had put beans instead of chickpeas in – it still went down well with rice and roast potatoes.

The weekend had come round quickly again and, on Friday 8th November, I started my day with a cup of tea in bed and then overnight oats for breakfast. I cracked on with work while Captain Caveman went to Bridge Club. We had more pumpkin soup for lunch upon his return. While Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone in the afternoon, I carried on at my laptop until 4.30pm when I needed to get out for some fresh air. Captain Caveman said he would come with me and we went on a bit of a walk around Dalyan in the sunshine. It was a nice walk and we saw a dog drinking in the river and another calling in at the butchers for some meaty tidbits.
For our dinner I had defrosted the last of the Slimming World friendly Beef Kleftiko which I made yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and cabbage to go with it. We had a couple of vodka and diet cokes as we needed to drink up some of the soft drinks in the fridge and then we were off out. It was a rare night out for a change but we had decided to only go for a couple. Jamie had invited us to join him, Drew and his brother and sister-in-law for the last evening at Aşkin’s bar. When we got there, it was quite chilly and we just had an Efes Malt for Captain Caveman and a red wine for me. It was good to catch up but after an hour or so we had to leave as Captain Caveman was not used to the cold at all. I paid the 280 lira (£6.30) bill for our drinks and we walked back to Captain Caveman’s, back to the warm.

Dalyan – 6th November

On Wednesday 6th November I was awake early and was concerned about my broken tooth issue on the chestnut last night. Captain Caveman had decided he would go to the dog shelter for a spot of Dogging this morning, as he had missed going on Monday. My parents were off to Göcek as part of their farewell to some of their Dalyan friends who were leaving this week. I got on the scales at home and did my measurements, knowing that it wouldn’t be a loss this week. I’d put on 0.25kg (0.5lb) on my scales, 2cm on my bust, 3cm on my waist and 1cm on my hips. I obviously didn’t bother with any breakfast, given that I needed an urgent dentist appointment. When I got to the Hesire Dentist, the newish one on Sulungur Caddesi, they were fantastic. I knew a few people who had been there and had recommended it. The male receptionist was quick, efficient and very informative, he gave an idea of cost before I went ahead (not that I had much choice). He did me a 360 degree x-ray and then told me that the dentist could see me right away. Once in the chair, the dentist checked me out and found that I might need root canal and a cap. He said it might hurt, I told him I’m not good with needles and that I would close my eyes. After feeling the needle pinch I made the mistake of opening my eyes and then seeing the needle, so I started to faint. The dentist tipped my chair so that my head was lower and I was ok for a few minutes. That’s when I remembered how I had reacted to the adrenalin in needles at dentists in Vietnam, just as I started to shake and get incredibly hot. Ordinarily, I might have called someone to come and help me but I had no wifi and neither did my parents or Captain Caveman where they were.
I don’t remember much after I tried to be brave and asked the dentist to put the AC on as I was dizzy. I was well looked after and had the filling done without being sick or falling on the floor (both of which I thought were a strong possibility)! The dentist told me he was finished and that I couldn’t eat or drink anything too hot or cold for the next 24 hours. I paid the nice receptionist the 3,000 lira (£68) which I didn’t consider expensive for the treatment and care I had received, without making an appointment too, and was glad to be on my way.
When I checked the time, as I walked back in to town, I was due to be at Turkish Class but I felt like I needed to lay down, my mouth was numb and I was still a bit woozy. I decided to cancel the class and go home to bed, optimistic I would still be able to make it to Fat Club at 3pm.
I had set my alarm to ring in time to get to Fat Club and, although I was still feeling groggy, in a bit of pain and couldn’t speak, I decided to brave Carol’s scales. I had already messaged ahead to say I couldn’t stay and couldn’t speak so I was, of course, disappointed when I arrived to see lots of new people. It’s always nice to see new joiners, and returners, when it gets to the winter and more of us who want to be nearer to a healthy weight than we are, by the time it gets to the colder months. I got on the scales and, to my utmost surprise, found that I weighed 1.45kg (3lb) less than last week. Maybe breaking a tooth was the way forward and it wasn’t like I was going to be able to eat much after weigh in, either. I went back home and got back in bed as I felt worn out, that adrenalin reaction and fainting had really done me in. After just 30 minutes of sleep, I was awakened by the sound of Captain Caveman juggling pots very loudly, downstairs. Although he thought he was being helpful by putting all the pots and pans away while I slept, when usually he would have been playing Bridge around this time, it wasn’t ideal for me! I had a piece of bread and cheese and warmed up some of the leftover ‘hot pot’ for my dinner. I then went back to bed and slept until the next morning, so I must’ve needed the rest.

Photo credit – Hesire dentist and Captain Caveman for the photo of Coffee, the dog.

Dalyan – 5th November

On Tuesday 5th November it was all go, seeing as yesterday I had been out at the beach for most of the day. Today was the day that Vanessa and Matt left to go back to the UK via Istanbul, Captain Caveman had a morning Bridge session and it was a month since Captain Caveman had arrived in Dalyan. Obviously, it had not been all hearts and flowers – more Bridge and me getting on Captain Caveman’s nerves for nagging him to do anything other than play or watch Bridge.
I had a reply from a very nice man at Sotheby’s who had said that, as my Egyptian fine art prints were valued at less than £5,000 he couldn’t help me. He then proceeded to help me by telling me that my particular prints were worth at least £100 each and that I should get in touch with Bonham’s in London, as well as a few other auction houses he mentioned. I went to the post office, as I was hopeful of getting my new Residency card today. The same nice man I saw on Friday, told me that yesterday the post man had come from Ortaca with it but I wasn’t in so it was now at the Post Office in Ortaca and, if I didn’t collect it this week, they would send it up to Muğla. I had spent pretty much every weekday since my appointment not going out and the day they supposedly try to deliver it, I’m out! They had not called or texted so I guessed he hadn’t actually tried to post it. What a palava, I asked the man what time the postman had been and he gave me the impression that he didn’t believe he had been either. He called the post office in Ortaca and asked them to bring it to the post office in Dalyan this afternoon and I said I would be back at 3pm. I really hoped that would happen as I didn’t fancy a bus ride to Ortaca, or a day out in Muğla trying to track down my new card.
I had overnight oats for breakfast and then nibbled on olives while doing some work. Captain Caveman came back and we had pumpkin soup with orzo and bread before I went to meet Mom and go back to the post office. As it was a new month I conducted the banking to put in my required amount in and then waited in the queue at the post office. My new residency card had arrived, only 42 days after my appointment and just 17 days after the old one expired! This gave me an indication that if I wanted to leave Turkey for longer than 15 days in 2025, I would potentially be looking at 7th May before I could book a flight, knowing that I had the card in my hand. Our next stop was Captainnet where I updated the man with my new card, he seemed happy but reminded me that even though I had a new card, it was only valid for 6 months, but I could apply again in 4 months and I could only pay my internet for 1 month at time.
Mom and I wandered over to the bank where I withdrew what I had put in and then added some more from my English account to draw out tomorrow. We called at the shop where I bought the following, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 tins tomatoes 59.90
Frozen berries 99.95
Total spent 159.85 lira (£3.58)

I said farewell to my Mom as my parents were off out with friends tonight for a meal.
Back home, Captain Caveman made pasta for dinner and I had a glass of white wine with it. I decided to cook some chestnuts for a snack while watching a film but had a bit of an issue. As I was eating a chestnut my tooth cracked, one with an old filling in, and the whole filling and most of the tooth came out. Just what I needed – a visit to the dentist in the morning! Tomorrow was weigh day and I had consumed 283 syns this week so tomorrow’s Fat Club weigh in wasn’t looking favourable. I took a paracetamol for the tooth pain and went to bed early.

Dalyan – 4th November

On the morning of Monday 4th November, we realised we were out of eggs so I popped to Şok Supermarket and bought 15 for 72.50 lira (£1.63) and then went back home for pancakes for breakfast. I’d got some Yorkshire pudding mixture left over from yesterday so it was silly not to eat it up.
There was a bit of excitement for a Monday, and I had decided to take myself off on location. My boss and the sales manager at Resort Experts had been advocating it in the last discussions I had had with them, so I asked if a few people fancied meeting me there, my new office for the day. I had decided that I was going to join Captain Caveman, Ian, Janet and Patricia (from the walking crew) and get a lift to the nearest beach. Captain Caveman had been in touch with the İçmeler walking group and they were doing a walk over the hills close to Iztuzu beach so he, Ian and Patricia had decided to join. Janet and I had already said it was beyond our capabilities but we could use our time wisely while waiting for them, at the beach. I don’t often get to work from the beach and I thought it would be really lovely – a bit different to my usual Mondays. My parents were up for it and said they would get the bus down, a couple of friends said they would pop down too, perhaps for lunch at the cafe. After a hot beverage and saying bye to the walking lot, there was initially just Janet and I. We took some photos and chatted and then my parents arrived. Dad went straight in to the sea and was pleasantly surprised that the temperature was still swimmable and fine once you got in. My friends were next to arrive. After a lunch of a chicken sandwich for a bargain 150 lira (£3.37), and it was rather substantial, I decided it was time for a swim in the sea. Dad was right – it was lovely.
The time flew by and, before we knew it, my parents had to get the last bus back to Dalyan, my friends had to get back as the dogs weren’t being made too welcome on the beach and had to be left in the car (with a window open).
When Captain Caveman and his walking friends returned it was certainly cracking on, timewise. Ian & Janet gave Patricia, Captain Caveman and I a lift back to Dalyan and we all got dropped off near the Waterfall bar.

I had a soda water and Captain Caveman had an Efes while I fought with my wet swimmers in the loo. I didn’t have any wifi but I was due to pop over to Vanessa’s to say bye once I got home. As we were sat there, at the bar at Waterfall, Vanessa and Matt pulled up in a car and by chance we got to say bye. They had been to ours already and left us some goodies on the stairs. Even though they were planning on spending their last evening in Dalyan at home, they had been invited to a BBQ so were off there instead.
Captain Caveman was quite tired when he got in so he lolled on the sofa playing Bridge on his phone while I made a chicken and vegetable stir fry with steamed rice for dinner. We were still peckish a bit later so we had bread and olives and some Turkish Delight while watching something on Netflix. I’d loved ‘working’ from the beach today and I felt refreshed.

Dalyan – 3rd November

It was Captain Caveman’s Sunday walk on Sunday 3rd November and this week there was a bit of excitement as we were crossing the river. I wore a red Vietnam t-shirt, cycling shorts and plastic porter sandals. I remembered to take a banana and some water as this week was a bit more hilly than usual. My parents had decided not to come as my mom had some issue with her toes and she wasn’t sure my Dad’s knees would manage it. There was quite a crowd of us and the walk turned out to be a bit too much for me, especially when I had eaten my banana early doors, then drank all of my water. We took the Portakal ferry over to the other side of the river, which cost 15 lira (34p) each, and coming back cost 25 lira (56p) each on the rowing boat. In between, there was walking on quite a tricky ‘path’ which I found too steep and the group kept having to wait for me.

When we reached the top there were some amazing views, admittedly, but I wasn’t convinced that it was worth the pain I would be in tomorrow. A few of the ladies on the walk were encouraging and one lady in particular helped me when I couldn’t even see a path to follow. When we got to the white building, which I had often seen from afar while on boat trips, I was told there was a water tap, and got excited. However, one of the ladies mentioned it had been off a couple of days ago. Captain Caveman went on ahead to check as he, another walker and me were out of water – the tap worked and he left it on. I, concerned it would run out, ran to the tap to fill up my bottle. The others laughed at me as a few minutes previously, I had been struggling to keep up with the walking pace, and running was not expected from my audience. By the time we had walked along the Kaunos city walls and were on the downhill stretch, the group were much faster and I couldn’t even see them.

When we eventually got back to the rowing boat, we went in 2 boats and even got a small discount, with their being so many of us at once. Quite a few of us were in need of a beverage at the tea gardens when we got back and I had a lemon soda while Captain Caveman had a beer, totalling 165 lira (£3.72). Even a double Turkish tea is only 15 lira (34p) there. It had been a great crowd and we were all grateful to Captain Caveman for his leading of it, I for one was way out of my depth but was thankful to have made it back.

I could hardly walk home as my legs and feet were so sore after the Sunday Walk. My parents would be pleased they had not attempted it and one lady had been glad that she had turned back at a sensible spot. For lunch, Captain Caveman put on more of the pumpkin and vegetable soup and we had it with fresh bread. I could easily have eaten it twice, even with the orzo added to make it extra filling.
There was no rest to be had, though, as I needed to get on with preparation for this evening, as I had invited my parents round for dinner. I made a beef mince and lentil ‘shepherd’s’ or ‘cottage’ pie but more like a hot pot as I used sliced normal and sweet potatoes on the top as Mom and I don’t like mash. We had red cabbage and leeks and I also did Yorkshire puddings to go with it. I had hoped to make a chocolate orange sponge for dessert but I couldn’t find any ready mix chocolate cake. My parents arrived around 7pm, Mom stuck to white wine while the rest of us drank red and we dished up the dinner. I thought it was rather tasty but Captain Caveman said he would have preferred it without the lentils in. Everyone ate it, though, and had seconds so it wasn’t that bad. It was nice to have my parents round and I think they were glad of the rest as they had been out and about with their Dalyan friends quite a bit lately. They only had 13 days left until they went back to Sheffield so they were certainly planning on making the most of Dalyan while they could – and who could blame them while the weather was still so lovely.

Photo credit – Some photos taken by others, including Captain Caveman, on the the Sunday Walk

Dalyan – 2nd November

I was somewhat woolly headed on Saturday 2nd November when the alarm went off. The plan had been to get up early and go to the market before I had to go to meet friends for an outing. I managed my cup of tea in bed and then Captain Caveman said he couldn’t be bothered to go to the market as we didn’t really need much, except we were out of potatoes. It was sunny as I took all the empty bottles to the bin and waited for Vanessa to walk towards me. She was off back to England via Istanbul on Tuesday, so I wouldn’t see her until next year. She had organised a walk to the Gunlüklü restaurant with a couple of our friends, and invited me too. I wasn’t sure if it was just my head because of the hangover but Vanessa was chatting faster and louder than usual, as we walked to meet the other 2 ladies at Waterfall.
By the time we actually got to Gunlüklü I was feeling a bit more hungover. We all ordered food and drink; I chose a big bottle of water and a pide but unfortunately the ovens weren’t on so I just ordered a plate of chips. My fellow diners ordered a tuna salad, mezes and a Spaghetti Bolognese. At Gunlüklü they offer free tea or coffee after a meal so two of us took advantage and had a Turkish tea. I mentioned I would like to get back to get to the market. We got the bill, paid individually and here’s what I spent, in lira;

Gunlüklü restaurant
1 big water 25
Chips 125
Turkish tea FREE
Total spent 150 lira (£3.39)

Here’s what I managed to buy at the market, prices in lira;

Stall 1
Potatoes 22.50

Stall 2
Bananas 55

Stall 3
Lemons & Green Peppers 25

Stall 4
Pumpkin 25

Total spent 127.50 lira (£2.88)
Quite a bargain!

On the walk home, Vanessa was chatting about her forthcoming trip to Istanbul next week and was excited to be going. I mentioned I needed to nip in to Migros to see if they had any Quark and Vanessa came with me. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 packet Orzo 11.75
300g Chestnuts 59.99
3 Quark 89.85
610g Chicken 166.50
Total spent 328.09 lira (£7.41)

After that, Vanessa suggested a juice in Jiks and I said yes. They didn’t have freshly squeezed juice so Vanessa treated us to a regular one for 60 lira (£1.36) each.
At home, it was as if Captain Caveman had not moved from where I left him over 6 hours ago and I didn’t even ask what I already knew the answer to.
We had diet coke chicken for dinner which I had only defrosted from the freezer and served it with steamed rice and red cabbage. It wasn’t bad for a make-do dinner.

Dalyan – 1st November

On Friday 1st November I got up early so I could have my cup of tea in bed and then get to the post office to see if my new residency card had been delivered there. Captain Caveman woke up to news that there was a possibility of some work that would be ideal for him and that cheered me up a lot. I was definitely more stressed than he was about him not having any set plans yet for what he was going to do when he had to leave Turkey in 2 months’ time. Captain Caveman was very relaxed about it all but I hated not knowing where he (or I) would be for 2025.
Captain Caveman and I walked as far as the Post Office together and he went off to Bridge Club. At the Post Office, I learned from the very helpful man, that my residency card was still in Ankara and I was advised to come back on Tuesday.
On the way back home, I called at the bakery for fresh bread and treated myself to an açma (a cross between a croissant and a bagel) which I would have when I got back with the last of Vanessa’s homemade strawberry jam. I took some measurements and photos of my David Roberts’ Egyptian fine art prints which I still had and decided to email Sotheby’s and some other auction houses to find out the value of them. I’d bought them about 30 years ago and, since leaving England and bringing them to Turkey, I had kept them in storage as I no longer had anywhere to hang them. I really loved them and I didn’t want to part with them but it seemed silly to have them in a cupboard and not sell them to someone who would love them, while also raising a bit of spare cash. With the start of the new month I was very aware of the need to be as frugal as possible, Captain Caveman’s Vietnamese bank card no longer worked in Turkey and I was only just in to my new part time role as a Travel Adviser for Resort Experts. I was conscious that I would still not be able to spend money willy-nilly until I was able to be in a more steady position.
I spent the rest of the morning tidying and cleaning the house as we had guests over this evening. Captain Caveman came back from Bridge Club and we had pasta with chicken, pumpkin, sucuk, quark, egg and cheese. It was quite tasty and filling, ready for tonight’s drinking session. In the afternoon, while I hoovered and cleaned the apartment, Captain Caveman was given the job of putting the sun lounger cushions underneath our bed, getting out the spare chairs and cleaning the downstairs bathroom. When I came downstairs he was playing Bridge and had only half done his jobs so I redid the downstairs toilet and told him to do the main bathroom (which generally he uses) and I did the en-suite (my bathroom). I was knackered and sweaty after doing the hoovering and, after a shower, still needed to go to the shops. At 5.45pm, we left what was not done and took the bins out on our way for the shopping. Here’s what we bought, with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 cartons tomato puree 29.90
Peanut butter 69.95
Total spent 99.95 lira (£2.25)

Yamun Bufe 2
1 Salt & Vinegar crisps 45.00
1 Rituel Red wine 210.00
1 Isabey White wine 220.00
Total spent 475.00 lira (£10.72)

We were now ready for our Gin Night. It was Captain Caveman’s first one and the first at our place, the last one had been at Jamie’s. We had pumpkin and vegetable homemade soup with fresh bread for dinner and had poured a whiskey when the guests started to arrive. We had a lovely night, despite our apartment only just fitting everyone in, but at least it was cozy and a good laugh. Julia brought Coco & Bebe (her dogs) who are so lovely and it was the first time Captain Caveman had met them. Jamie mentioned a friend in the British Virgin Islands and I asked if she might know my friend, Kev. It turned out Lisa and Kev were meeting tomorrow for a beach day in the BVI – what a small world! It wasn’t a particularly wild night, although I did manage to drink about a bottle of wine to myself and ate some crisps as a treat. I went to bed about 1am, after Captain Caveman had already fallen asleep.

Dalyan – 31st October

Captain Caveman and I were on the list for Riverbums on Thursday 31st October and we were to be at the Kefal Tea Gardens, ready to depart at 10am. I had my cup of tea in bed then overnight oats once I got up for my breakfast. It was getting a little cooler now in the mornings but it was still ok to wear shorts, a t-shirt and plastic porter sandals for Bumming in. This time, we were on time and the electric Riverbums boat was ready for us. We went to the Dalko site and surrounding areas and, although we did collect some rubbish, it was nowhere near as bad as it used to be a few years ago. A diver who was checking on the fish there was very welcoming and friendly which was also good to see.

Back home, both of us needed a shower but Captain Caveman said he would cook lunch as I would take longer and I had to check my work emails. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman had put the oven on the high setting because he believed the oven here didn’t work (it does). I explained that he should turn it down or the food would burn, or to leave the pizza wraps in for less time. Of course, Captain Caveman disregarded my opinion, as is usual, and kept it as it was while putting my pizza in first. Mine had mushrooms on and he doesn’t eat them, his had different toppings. Even when I said I could smell burning at 2.30pm I was ignored and my lunch was cremated. I got the scissors out and cut off all the burned bits while Captain Caveman turned down the oven, adjusted the timer and made himself a perfectly cooked pizza. I think pizza wraps for lunch after Bumming was a no-no for future reference and I’d stick to soup or a sandwich.
I was getting impatient about still not having had any call or message that my new residency card was on its way, so I went online to check. It said ‘record not found’, which wasn’t useful, Jamie’s friend’s daughter had her residency renewal appointment 2 weeks after mine and already had her new card but it is Turkey and there is no logic to these things. I got on with some more quotes for work and had a couple of general enquiries for South East Asia for 2025. I also scheduled some social media posts for the rest of the week and saved a post from EasyJet which detailed when all the UK bank holidays are. This was good for people with regular Monday to Friday jobs to work out how to have longer holidays, while using the least amount of holidays. Clever!
I was peckish before dinner so had some peanuts and a green tea. Then, by chance, got a text to say my residency card was on its way!
I made chicken & leek bake using quark, thyme and cheese spread which we had with roast potatoes and red cabbage. It turned out really tasty and was syn free using the Healthy A for the cheese. Captain Caveman helped with the potatoes and was having a whiskey with his dinner so I had one too.

Dalyan – 30th October

Captain Caveman had decided to go for a reccy for his Sunday Walks on Wednesday 30th October. I’d like to have thought that he had taken the hint that he was cheesing me off by lolling about playing Bridge in a horizontal fashion, but I doubt it! After my cup of tea in bed, I took my measurements and got on the home scales. My bust had stayed the same, my waist was now -1cm beneath my target but my hips had put on 2cm. The home scales showed that I had lost 1.2kg (2.6lb) since last week which was really good news but I know, recently, Carol’s scales at Fat Club had not been as kind.
I made myself a vegetarian pho for breakfast then did my Turkish homework before I had to go to the lesson at 11.30am. This week we were having the lesson at Ela’s Kitchen but we didn’t know until last minute that Lukka had closed. The smell of the breakfasts was amazing and I wanted to get a nice cup of Yorkshire tea but I hadn’t taken enough money with me – I’d know for the next time! Instead I had a soda water. I like it at Ela’s for having a Turkish lesson as it is easier to hear Sioned, our teacher, as it’s a quiet spot.

I did a quick bit of work and ate a banana before it was time to go to Fat Club at lunch. As expected, Carol’s scales were not as kind. I had lost only 0.8kg (1.7lb) but it was still a loss and I was pleased. Captain Caveman had not yet joined the Fat Club but he was certainly following the plan for meals. He’d only lost 100g this week but 2kg over the last 3 weeks. It was a little disconcerting that he had lost 0.5kg more than me in 3 weeks without trying. I didn’t stay long at the group today as I had a video call booked in with the Resort Experts Sales Manager at 4pm, but I did quickly call in to the supermarket as we needed some cheese. Here’s what I ended up buying as a bit of a treat, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 Bounty chocolate bar 34.90
Cheddar cheese 139.95
2 x 400g 7% fat beef mince 479.90
Total spent 654.75 lira (£14.75)

I’d gone a bit mad buying mince but it’s not too often that they have the lower fat one and I had suggested my parents come round for dinner one night, when they were available. Today they had gone to Ortaca and they were going to Babadağ either tomorrow or Friday, so maybe at the weekend. They were going to let me know when they had a free evening as their social calendar was pretty full.
My video call went well and the Sales Manager is loads of fun plus he knows what he is doing. He lives in Benidorm and has been there for over 30 years, which was good to know for any of my friends and potential customers who fancied a bit of Costa Blanca.
The team meeting was at 8pm that night, too, so I was very busy today. Captain Caveman came home, asked how I had done at Fat Club and told me he was taking me out for a glass of wine (with cheese) at Retro bar. It’s only round the corner from us and was closing for the winter this weekend. I grabbed a fleece, as the evenings were getting cooler, and off we popped. Retro Bar was really lovely and the wine and cheese went down well at only 100 lira (£2.25) each. We rushed back for the team meeting only for me to have got the time wrong as the UK and Spain had put their clocks back at the weekend, while Turkey keeps them the same all year. We could have had another drink at Retro, but at least I was home and we were only having leftover curry and saag aloo for dinner with steamed rice.

Dalyan – 29th October

I was working from my bed with a cup of tea before 8am on Tuesday 29th October, while Captain Caveman made himself breakfast and got ready for his morning of Bridge Club. I read that Vietnam Airlines had launched a non-stop flight between Hanoi, Vietnam, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and would run on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. This was good news and I added it to my list of itinerary options for future trips. I also put a post on my Resort Experts Facebook page of me on a swing in the sea while in Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia. For breakfast I had cheese and olives with a green tea (no bread today as it was weigh day again tomorrow).
Despite all the rubbish going on and having a partner who’s main focus was being the world’s best Bridge player, I had decided to keep focused and remain positive. There was nothing I could do to change anyone else and it would take too much energy and time that I didn’t have spare. I decided I was just going to focus on myself and let everyone else around me get on with whatever they were doing. If not, I was going to drive myself mad.
Around midday, I decided to pop to the pharmacy and shops for a bit of fresh air and a few essentials. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Pharmacy
1 box of Cerazette pills 329.18 lira (£7.38)

I thought the price for one month’s contraceptive pills was higher than it should be!

Migros Supermarket
Dido Chocolate bar 16.50
Diet Coke 30.00
Fanta orange 30.00
Tonic 45.00
Spinach 46.95
1kg chicken breast 170.50
Total spent 338.86 lira (£7.60)

I love those Dido chocolate bars and didn’t even get one on sale this time!
When Captain Caveman got back from Bridge he made a pasta dish for lunch which was probably only about 3 syns, as it had sucuk in. I worked in the afternoon and then made dinner. I did a Slimming World Roast Potato Saag Aloo, which was very nice and went well with the chicken curry and steamed rice. I ended the week on 194 syns, which was 72 less than last week’s and half of it was for alcohol, so I was hopeful for a loss tomorrow.

Dalyan – 28th October

On Monday 28th October I was up early and the sun was shining. While Captain Caveman went Dogging, I had work and errands to do. My first task was to go to the bank and make sure I had put in my 26,000 lira (or more) to keep up my residency requirements. I also needed to draw out some cash as it was time to pay for my Captainnet (internet) again, but still without my new residency card. My parents were off on the yellow boat again with other Dalyan Dwellers for the weekly Köyceğiz trip. They often go to Tuana, a bar/restaurant on the water front, for drinks and lunch. At Captainnet I usually deal with the lady who works there but this time there was a new man and he refused to let me extend the internet without a valid residency card, at first. I showed him my official piece of paper that said I had renewed and he made 2 phone calls. Today was Republic Day (Cumhuriyet Bayram) in Turkey, so I told him I would need to have the internet because of the special day – perhaps the Turks would not be able to acknowledge today without the internet so I hoped that would work. He took another 10 minutes of over-mauling my paper with his grubby hands and then agreed, saying I needed to come back as soon as I received the card. Of course, I agreed, paid him the 400 lira (£8.99) for the month, then went to Migros for some essentials – here’s what I bought, with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Green tea 23.00
Chickpeas 33.95
15 eggs 72.50
1.4kg sweet potatoes 94.91
Total spent 224.26 lira (£5.04)

Back home, I made banana, oat and egg pancake for breakfast but the banana was too unripe still and I could only eat half of it before the rest had to go in the bin.
At noon I had a meeting with my boss which went well and I was now part of the Resort Experts team.

When Captain Caveman got home from Dogging we had leek & potato soup for lunch followed by some peanuts in the afternoon. I had a couple of friends respond to my Resort Experts post to ask for quotes so I spent the afternoon on Crete, Portugal and the Canaries for 2025 holidays. Captain Caveman warmed up left over Chicken Provençal and made sweet potato and normal potato wedges in the air fryer to go with it, for dinner.
In the evening, we watched something on Youtube as we couldn’t get the Netflix to work on the TV and it was too late to get a code from the guy who is in charge of it. I can’t recall what we watched but I know that Captain Caveman was fast asleep and snoring well before the end.

Dalyan – 27th October

The alarm went off early and Captain Caveman went to make me a cup of tea on the morning of Sunday 27th October. The Sunday Walk was planned and the weather looked good. This time, Captain Caveman had made the walk so that it had a deliberate short cut in it for the slowies like me, Ma & Pa. I put in all the ingredients for a Chicken Provençal in the slow cooker and had a banana before I set off, this time. This week we had quite a few people join the walk and it was a good one going to Gunlüklü restaurant and back in a loop. For me, 10km is about my limit and my legs ached. At the end, there were just the 3 of us, me & my parents, but even they were off to the Kefal Tea Gardens via their house so left me just after the market road.
I called at the bakery for bread, then went home to prepare our lunch which was leek and potato soup.

In the afternoon, while Captain Caveman did the laundry and played Bridge on his phone, I did some work. I had a couple of friends who had mentioned Bali to me this week so I was doing a bit of research on the best places to go and what itineraries looked good.
For dinner we had some of the Chicken Provençal which Captain Caveman cooked the potato wedges with, while I was absorbed in Bali. The meal was really nice but we had no time to waste as we were due to go out.
My parents had invited us over for drinks, which was really nice of them. At my parents’ we had some wine, my Mom drank just a couple of beers as she was taking it steady and didn’t want to drink too much. Captain Caveman and Dad made up for it. Mom also had nibbles with cheese and biscuits which were very nice and terribly moreish. I had to remind Captain Caveman to stop shovelling it in like he’d never been fed. Mom even had to get out more cheese and crackers! We had taken wine round but Dad also opened some really nice wine from Cappadocia which was great. It was good to spend time with my parents as they were leaving in 3 weeks and I had no idea when I would see them after that.

Dalyan – 25th & 26th October

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stall 1
Potatoes & Onions 80 lira (£1.80)

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

Stall 3
Tomatoes & peppers 105 lira (£2.36)

Stall 4
Carrots & Apples 52 lira (£1.71)

Stall 5
Peanuts 100 lira (£2.25)

Stall 6
Mushrooms 50 lira (£1.13)

Stall 7
Olives 100 lira (£2.25)

Total spent 687 lira (£15.47)

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

Dalyan – 24th October

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

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