Austria – 20th June

On Saturday 20th June, Day 4 of our Riverside Luxury Cruise, we arrived in Tulln, Austria. Something concerning had happened to me, though! I’d woken up very early feeling a little unwell and my tongue had swollen up. It was just like the time I had found out I was allergic to kiwi fruit. I took antihistamines and drank all the water I had, hoping it would subside, as I needed to be on an excursion at 9am.
My continental breakfast today was chosen to be eaten in my cabin while catching up on some Resort Experts emails, knowing that today was our last full day and night on this fantastic luxury cruise. I still hadn’t booked my flight back to Dalaman so I also needed to do that, as well as finalising arrangements with a friend in Austria who I planned on meeting up with tomorrow. I’d selected the continental breakfast option thinking it may be less filling than the cooked breakfast – it wasn’t and there was loads of it. The butler had sent it in just before 7am as they were busy today. I found it hard to eat as my face was puffy and the swollen tongue wasn’t helping. I decided to message Victoria to see if she wanted to take my place on today’s excursion but she wasn’t able to. I wasn’t too sick to go, I just didn’t want my potential allergic reaction to get any worse.
My first reaction of being on a 9am wine tasting excursion was that it might be a tad early in the day for me! However, I was wrong and the excursion was absolutely fantastic. We had a short coach ride to Schloss Gobelsburg, one of the oldest wineries which dated back to 1711. The owners met us with 2 overexcited dogs, who were soon taken back indoors.

We had a wonderful tour round the cellars and learned about the history as well as the specific wine making processes a while before we got to sample any of the products. By this time the antihistamines had taken more of an affect and my eyes had stopped watering.
The trip also had another surprise in store if we made it through the cold cellars (I took a hoodie), to the wine tasting room. I loved Schloss Gobelsburg, where we got to sample Grüner Veltliner and Riesling white wines. What made it all the more special was a surprise rendition of some popular songs from an impressive quintet. The memory of sipping one of the white wine classics, Messwein, while listening to a Boney M classic will stay with me for a very long time!

On the last evening of our Riverside Luxury Cruise on Riverside Mozart, we enjoyed even more Taittinger champagne and the sunset before dinner. We set sail through the beautiful Wachau Valley and I didn’t want the cruise to end. It had been a remarkable journey which Travelpack and Riverside Luxury Cruises had organised for us and I felt so lucky to have had the experience. I also knew I wanted to do more river cruises and I was certainly sold on this luxury one. All of us said we fancied a winter trip next, and I was already imagining Christmas markets, Christmas or New Year would be a great time to do a trip like this.

The dinner in Waterfront was excellent and I even managed a dessert after my beef main, this time. We had a last drink in the bar to round off the night but I didn’t want a late one as I had an extra day planned in Vienna tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Recovering well enough to enjoy the wine tasting excursion
2. Sailing through the Wachau Valley
3. A wonderful last meal to round off the perfect cruise trip.

Photo Credit – some photos by other Fam Trip Attendees

Sevenoaks – 11th June

Typical of a last day before a holiday, I was busy on Thursday 11th June and had an early start. Claire and I also made sure I booked the airport transfer to our hotel tomorrow which, as a Resort Expert, worked out cheaper for me to book with Suntransfers. I attended an online workshop about copy content with Georgina and then checked in for my flight tomorrow. Although I only planned on taking Pauline, my petite pink under seat bag, I was cheating a bit by sharing toiletries with Claire which would go in her checked in bag. I wasn’t taking my own shampoo, conditioner or shower gel, but I was taking a deodorant stick and toothy tabs. I was also taking Captain Caveman’s ‘Scrubba’ a portable washing contraption in case I wouldn’t have the use of a washing machine over the next 10 days in various destinations.
At midday it was the Resort Experts team meeting where we were told that we would be getting our own new websites built for us, next month and that was exciting.
One of my customers who is also one of my best friends was on her way to the airport so I kept particular attention to see how she got on as we would be on holiday at the same time but in different countries. Unfortunately, her flight was delayed due to a problem with the plane.
I stopped work mid afternoon and joined Claire on a quick trip to Sainsbury’s – I decided I needed to buy more knickers as well as pick up some Euros, ready for my 10 days in Europe. Here’s what I bought with prices in pounds;

Sainsbury’s
3 seam free knickers 9.00
3 pizzas 11.55
1 bottle of red wine 9.50
Razors 1.00
Glacier Fruits 1.50
Crisps 2.20
2 garlic & herb dips 3.70
Nectar card discounts – 10.17
Total spent £32.13

We dashed off for the school pick up of Claire’s daughter and then realised I had forgotten to get some Euros, so we all went back. I managed to get rid of some Scottish £20 notes but it did take a while, being so far south. This was also a good excuse for a cafe visit where Claire treated me to an earl grey tea, her daughter had chicken tenders and chips which looked fab and Claire dialled in to a meeting. I also was in touch with my friend who was still stuck at the airport with plane issues.
Claire and I attended Otford Primary school’s summer concert in the evening while leaving the men to do tasks like walk Reg, put the pizzas in the oven and attempt (and fail) to fit a sofa bed in a van. Claire’s daughter was playing piano so we went along to support – it was actually a lot better than I had anticipated. Having been a young musician myself, it brought back lots of good memories and we all got a chance to sing a Beatles song where I gave it a bit of welly – who doesn’t love singing along to Yellow Submarine?!
We got back home to pizzas and wine and I realised that I’d been so slack on taking photos that I insisted we have a family one where Claire displayed her unusual sense of humour.
The out of office was on but I was still waiting to hear from my friend who was on the flight and was due to arrive in her destination after midnight. She had let me know they were taking off and I asked her to message once she was safely at the hotel so that I didn’t have to worry. I set an early alarm so I could check that they had arrived safely at her hotel.

Gratitude List
1. New knickers
2. Being invited to Otford Primary summer concert
3. A last family dinner with Claire, her family and Captain Caveman.

Sevenoaks & London – 10th June

There was more excitement on Wednesday 10th June as I had arranged to meet up with more friends in London after work. Captain Caveman had gone off to see a job somewhere not too far from Sevenoaks, Claire and I were working from home and Claire had a busy schedule so couldn’t join me in London.
I worked all morning, but not before a quick photoshoot with Reggie, the dog. I had a private session with Holly to get shit done, as no one else in our Neon Nook group had turned up – so I was lucky.
Captain Caveman got back early from his work so we both got the train together.

We met Clare and Liz at the Rose & Crown pub not far from Black Friars and it was pretty muggy by the time we arrived. Staff were friendly, there was free tap water on the bar, which I necked a few of, and I had a large glass of red wine for a whopping £11!!! The beer garden was off limits as it had been soaked by a downpour earlier in the day.
I had a Giffgaff SIM card which struggled to work in London but all was fine as everyone turned up. We had a couple of drinks, a good laugh and some suggestions to meet up again on my next visit. One of the staff even took photos for us and did a cheeky selfie!

Unfortunately, Liz had a prior arrangement and had to leave us but Clare, Captain Caveman and I decided to go on for food. Captain Caveman chose one of our favourite places to eat steak and I was a little hesitant that we should be splashing out as it’s definitely not in my budget. The train had already cost £8.40 each way so when we arrived at Flat Iron I chose the cheapest steak, whereas Clare and Captain Caveman went for a Wagyu Sirloin and Wagyu skirt. We all shared wine and ordered some sides. Flat Iron is just so good, no matter which cut or quality of steak you choose. Here’s what the 3 of us had with prices in pounds;

Flat Iron
1 bottle of Red wine 25.00
1 normal steak 15.10
1 Wagyu Sirloin steak 27.10
1 Wagyu skirt steak 24.10
1 chips 4.50
1 spinach 4.50
1 bone marrow mash 5.00
1 Mac and cheese 5.00
2 peppercorn sauce 3.00
1 wild mushroom sauce 1.50
Service charge 14.38
Total spent £129.68

My share came to just under £30 which was actually very reasonable for what I had and I loved it. This did include the free ice-cream which is so good too. Captain Caveman and I said our farewells to Clare and got the train back to Claire’s in Otford, where everyone was already in bed by the time we got in.

Gratitude List
1. Reggie, the dog
2. Seeing more of my favourite southern friends
3. Steak at Flat Iron was a real treat.

Sheffield & Sevenoaks – 8th & 9th June

On Monday 8th June, while having my tea and toast I tried to work out how much I had spent in the first week of this month. Just in the UK from my bank account I had spent £70, Captain Caveman had paid for stuff whenever I was with him, which I didn’t have receipts for, plus I had spent £100 in cash. I was supposed to be on a budget of £25 per day, just for me. I’d hope this week wouldn’t have been as expensive but it had been. I needed to keep a bit of a lid on it this next week because I was off to Spain with the girls in 4 day’s time and that would probably exceed the weekly budget.
Today, I got paid and unfortunately it wasn’t as much as I had planned for because how we got paid had changed. I was a little disappointed about the situation, despite a bit of notice, because I was lined up to be having my best pay day this year in July, which was Captain Caveman’s birthday month and we had loads planned that I had earmarked my cash for. It seemed that as soon as I had got straight and was starting to have saved enough for an emergency fund, there would be something crop up again to knock me back. After the summer holidays I promised I needed to rectify the situation. I had lots of ideas and some projects already started that I needed to get on with but there just didn’t seem to be enough hours in a day.
After work, Captain Caveman and I were off to stay with our friends near Sevenoaks and I was super excited to be seeing Claire and her family again, before our long weekend on the Costa Del Sol.
Pauline, my petite pink under seat case, was all set for her 2nd destination of her 3 week trip but this time she had been repacked with all my new clothes from Uniqlo – I just hoped it would be a bit warmer down south!
We arrived fairly late to a warm welcome from our hosts and my first drink was of course a nice pint of tap water – also a good one in the village of Otford!
Claire, Mark, Captain Caveman and I had a couple of welcome drinks and caught up on who was doing what and when during our stay. It was so good to see everyone again and I was looking forward to the next few days.

Gratitude List
1. Managing to personally spend within the allocated budget
2. Getting a full day’s work done
3. Seeing Claire and her family again.

It was a quiet day with minimum photos on Tuesday 9th June as I was busy getting stuff done before my next destination at the weekend. Everyone was out of the house when I got up at Claire’s so I had a cup of tea and some dog snogs from Reggie! He’s very affectionate and still a youngster so he needed belly rubs and attention. He also needed to make sure I knew where the snacks were kept – I did!
Everyone was working today and it was cold and rainy outside. We all came together for a family dinner, prepared by our hosts, in the evening. The weather wasn’t good enough for a BBQ outside so there was improvisation and we had it indoors. It was so lovely to be around the big table with everyone and such great food. We started before Captain Caveman because he had a late one but he soon caught up with us all.

Gratitude List

1. Reg, the dog
2. Getting through a good chunk of the to do list
3. Spending time with Claire and her family.

Sheffield – 3rd June

I was very tired on Wednesday 3rd June which didn’t help with the mix up I had made in my diary. Of course, it was a normal working day for me, however, I had given the impression to friends & family that I was meeting them during the day. I think this was also made worse because I had set up an event on Facebook to say catch up this week that started this afternoon. I ended up apologising because I had to work but I did manage to open my parcel from Uniqlo. This was the order of clothes which Captain Caveman had bought for me, ready for my holidays. I decided to have a fashion show while I had my morning cup of Yorkshire tea and asked Captain Caveman to take a photo of each outfit I tried on so that I could see what it looked like – there were no mirrors in the house. Every item fitted so I was pleased about that and I’d specifically chosen items that were mostly practical and lightweight in readiness for travelling light. Captain Caveman was not thrilled at having to be photographer so the photos were definitely not flattering but I’m posting them so you can see my new clobber.

Captain Caveman was looking forward to us spending time together, until I told him we were meeting up with lots of friends, not realising how much I had tried to cram in, each evening. He had already been food shopping and had got a nice dinner planned for tonight, as well as a few other good meals this week. Today was weigh day and I was missing Fat Club, I did send a message on the group chat but I didn’t get weighed (no scales) and didn’t take my measurements either (not unpacked the tape measure yet).
After quite a bit of work and looking at my own flights, I finished before 5pm! Captain Caveman was still in meetings so he carried on while I got some fresh air.

Becca & Steve were walking their dog, Little Vera, in the Sheffield area so they came to meet me in the Kelham Island Tavern. After going through a kidney transplant fairly recently, it was good to catch up and see them both doing well, despite a slow recovery for Becca. Little Vera knew she had to be protective and did her job well, making sure she was top dog in the room. Captain Caveman joined us after he had finished his work for the day and Little Vera kept her eye on him too – she is so cute!
Back home, after a short pub visit and a walk to get my bearings, Captain Caveman cooked us a lovely chicken and vegetable dinner. I also discovered that Aldi do a version of Monster Munch called Monster Claws and I was hooked on their pickled onion flavour ones, after just one bag.

Gratitude List
1. New Uniqlo clothes from Captain Caveman, which all fitted!
2. Getting to see Becca, Steve and Little Vera for an impromptu catch up
3. Dinner with Captain Caveman at his new home in Sheffield.

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 – 20th May

I’d not seen the family since Saturday so I’d arranged to introduce Gayle to a better class of cocktail on Wednesday 20th May. She’d tried some elsewhere but they didn’t seem strong enough and I’d asked if she fancied Luz after Fat Club. Neil was temporarily back in the UK for work so she had been left alone and I didn’t think my parents would want to come. Luz is quite pricey and is a little bit different compared to the usual haunts but their margaritas are ace. It is generally a place out of my budget but I did try it with Captain Caveman when he was here and we really enjoyed the strong cocktails and nibbles, which had some gluten free options. Hence why I’d suggested it for Gayle to experience it as a treat. I also asked Gayle if they all fancied coming round for a home cooked curry for dinner after Luz and she said she’d get back to me as I needed to know who likes chickpeas, courgettes and aubergines before I popped it in the slow cooker.
I took my measurements to find I’d put 1cm on my hips, 2cm on my waist but stayed the same on my bust. The home scales said I’d put on 0.45kg (1lb) but I hoped Carol’s scales would be more favourable.
I cracked on with work and then, just before lunch it rained unexpectedly, hopefully it would stop by 4.15pm.
Mom messaged to say they didn’t fancy coming for curry tonight but they would come to see what these fancy cocktails were all about. Instead, she suggested we go out for a family meal and that I save the curry for another night. At noon I had a tech session on automated email set ups on Mailerlite, despite not having Mailerlite.
I set off early for Fat Club as I was in charge, Carol had her family here and couldn’t attend today. A few of us decided to have wine and I also had a water as I was thirsty. I paid 200 lira (£3.33) for both and found I had still put on 0.5kg (1lb) which wasn’t surprising at all. The scales were actually on the blink as one lady lost more than 50kg and she’s the smallest lady there. Luckily, we planned a whip round to get a new set as a surprise for Carol next week.
I popped home to drop bags off and then met the family for a walk to Luz. I wasn’t sure if Dad might be a bit out of sorts as he wasn’t too chatty and when we got to Luz it didn’t suit him at all – I think it was the price of an Efes Malt being 280 lira (£4.67) which caught him off guard! I explained it wasn’t really a place to drink beer and we should have a cocktail or wine. Dad looked like he was in pergatory, while Mom tried to coax him in to trying something nice to drink. Gayle and I ordered margaritas which were 660 lira (£11) each and were bloody lovely. Ma & Pa eventually settled on sangria at 430 lira (£7.17) each but Dad didn’t like that it had a tiny paper straw. I necked my glass of water so he could put his unwanted garnish and his straw in. This meant I no longer had a glass to partake in the free water and was likely to be drunk easier. I suggested food as they had cheese fondu and gluten free nachos but no one fancied that. Gayle and I thought our cocktails were excellent and ordered another, Dad still looked like we had dragged him to the gallows but Mom assured us the sangria was nice and ordered 2 more. Our bill for the 8 drinks and 2 jugs of water came to 4,360 lira (£72.67) which Gayle thought was reasonable. I appreciated the value despite it costing my usual weekly budget and I don’t think Ma & Pa were in a rush to return in the future. Gayle ended up paying the bill and we paid 200 lira (£3.33) each for the tip. We decided it would be a good idea for Dad to choose where we ate, considering his reaction to my choice of Luz. He decided Bistro Blue, an old family favourite of ours which we’d not been to since Annie left.

On the way, we decided to call in to Dalyan Lounge for a drink and to say hello to Captain Boris, whose boat trip we were on tomorrow. Once at Dalyan Lounge, Dad was back on good form and on the Efes Malt while the rest of us sampled various cocktails. We had 2 beers and 6 cocktails which came to a total of 2,600 lira (£43.33) and I paid that bill to even it up a bit.

At Bistro Blue we had a warm welcome and sat at a nice table near to the kitchen. I was a bit concerned about how much the meal might cost, but Gayle and Mom had said they wanted to pay for my meal – I think they felt guilty for turning down my offer of a delicious gluten free curry night. At Bistro Blue we got a good deal on the Angora wine, while Gayle had surf and turf, I had steak with pepper sauce, our parents had liver and onions. Dad had cheered right up and had picked well for the evening meal so we even splashed out on 2 baklava and ice-cream between the 3 of us, while Gayle had a brandy coffee. I was pleasantly surprised that the prices at Bistro Blue were reasonable and the food was excellent, we even got a discount for paying cash. Here’s what we had with the prices in lira so you can see for yourself:

Bistro Blue
1 litre water 110
Brandy Coffee 420
Liver & onions with mash 990
2 Baklava & ice-cream 1,000
Liver, onions, bacon with chips 1,090
Fillet steak 200g 1,250
Surf n Turf 1,850
2 bottles of Angora wine 2,000
Total 8,710 lira (£145.17)
Discount for cash – 910 lira (£15.17)
Tip 1,000 lira (£16.67)
Total paid 8,800 lira (£146.67)

Ma and Gayle paid 4,000 lira (£66.67) each and I paid just 800 lira (£13.33) towards the tip. We all really enjoyed the meal and ended up having another drink in the bar side before going home quite late. Today I had spent a total of £63.32 despite others paying for my meal and tomorrow we had another expensive day coming up.

Gratitude List

1. The rain not lasting long

2. Chaos being in charge at Fat Club

3. Time spent with the family.

Dalyan – 17th to 19th May

I worked all day on Sunday 17th May and found some great deals for cruises, including a similar route to the trip I would be going on in June.
I had some warmed up pizza for lunch, which I cooked from frozen and then got excited when Travelpack put a Facebook post out to announce my Fam trip onboard Riverside Luxury Cruises.
I worked late because I had taken tomorrow off so that I was on standby to join my sister, if I was invited to Köyceğiz on the yellow boat. It turned out though, that they had decided not to go so I messaged a friend to see if she fancied going to the beach instead and we made a loose plan to either go to Iztuzu or Dalaman in the morning.

Gratitude List
1. Being lucky enough to be going on the Riverside Luxury Cruises Fam trip next month
2. Pizza for lunch
3. Having the flexibility to take some time off.

My plans changed a bit on Monday 18th May; Jamie had asked me to let Norman out at lunch time as he was off to Fethiye for the day. My friend and I met for a cup of tea and a walk at 8am and postponed our outing to the beach. I got more annoyed than I should have that escaped balloons from boat trips were floating down the river! My parents, Gayle and Neil had said they were off to the beach but also changed their minds and went to Köyceğiz on the yellow boat.

I worked on some existing customer admin and checked on a customer abroad.
I visited Norman, who was snoozing and needed to be tempted out with a peanut paw. He’d had a haircut and was looking very trim and pleased to see me.
I had a late lunch of chicken casserole with green beans and carried on with promoting holidays for later in the year.
For dinner I made a concoction of bacon and asparagus risotto, Slimming World style – so no wine or butter in it.
Today I was pleased to have a zero spend and a zero alcohol day.

Gratitude List
1. An early morning walk
2. Seeing Norman, the dog
3. Nice home cooked food.

It was another quiet day on Tuesday 19th May. I did some book writing in the morning, a short course on how to write a landing page and form with Holly Frances and then completed another free course with Lisa Johnson on Selling with Integrity and Scaling. I was doing ok with Resort Experts but I could definitely take on more customers for this year and 2027 so I was working on doing just that.
I had warmed up leftover risotto for lunch, which wasn’t the best as it was using broken rice. I worked more in the afternoon and then made a Slimming World Tarka Dal for dinner. It was very tasty and felt healthy which was good as I had weigh day tomorrow and I wasn’t hopeful for a loss this week.
I stayed at home in the evening and had another zero spend and zero alcohol day.

Gratitude List
1. Free and helpful courses
2. Home cooked meals
3. A quiet but productive day.

Dalyan – 14th May

Before breakfast on Thursday 14th May I had took photos of some Slimming World recipes which I liked the look of. I sat on the balcony having tea and toast while the pool and gardening team worked below. The weather was definitely starting to pick up which was great now that my sister and brother-in-law had arrived. I did some writing and then grabbed a quick lunch before a couple of meetings online. The Resort Experts team meeting got cancelled so I cracked on with my to do list until 4pm. I’d not heard from the family about doing anything tonight so I took myself off for a walk along the river at a decent hour.

On my way back, I called to say hello to Katrina at Maizie Moo and ended up having wine from Lukka bar. I met a friend of Katrina’s with a gorgeous looking dog and we got chatting. Katrina and I sat chatting for a while and I had 3 red wines to Katrina’s 1 mint chocolate milkshake, which I tasted and it was fab. I paid my bill which was 800 lira (£13.33) including a tip and went home to a mystery dinner from the freezer.

Gratitude List
1. Having a sit on the balcony for tea and toast
2. Spending time with Katrina
3. A fairly relaxed and easy going day.

Dalyan – 11th & 12th May

Monday 11th May was a busy one with a short break to go to the bank and pick up sourdough bread. I was also glad to not have a hangover despite 4 wine and sodas plus 2 pints of shandy yesterday! I had ordered both an ordinary sourdough and a caraway seed sourdough from Mesude, which cost 500 lira (£8.33) for the 2 loaves. I had some with olives and cheese for my lunch and my favourite is the caraway seed one.
I spent the rest of the day at my laptop until 5.30pm when I had a rest and warmed up a bolognese for dinner. I was meant to meet Jamie and the girls who were going to watch the Hull football match but I decided I wasn’t up for it and needed a night in. Instead, I chilled on the sofa and had a video call with Captain Caveman.

Gratitude List
1. No hangover from yesterday’s boat trip
2. Mesude who bakes my sourdough
3. A quiet night at home.

It was another busy working day on Tuesday 12th May and Dalyan was certainly warming up a bit. The pool looked good but I’d still not been brave enough to get in it.
I had another cruise training webinar, with a different supplier about the launch of a new river cruise in Vietnam for 2027. It looked so good that I wondered if I should dust off my CV and see if they could use a woman of my experience – it did go down the Saigon river which I had skippered a speed boat down a few years ago!
Just after 1pm, I went to let Norman out as Jamie & Drew were on a beach day with Julia and the girls. Norman was fast asleep and didn’t want to go outside but I encouraged him with a peanut paw. I nearly shit my pants when I saw a stuffed cat cushion on the kitchen worktop!
After spending some time with Norman, I popped in to see Ma & Pa. We spent more time than we should’ve trying to decide where to eat tomorrow night for the family of five’s first meal out together. I think we were overly concerned that my sister would be able to get a good gluten free meal and didn’t want to pick somewhere that anyone wouldn’t like. Eventually we decided on Caretta, in the mosque Square and Ma booked us in. I didn’t eat lunch until gone 3.30pm after prioritising other stuff so I decided to use the last of the bolognese to make a pasta bake and ate that as my main meal of the day. I worked until late and had a zero spend and zero alcohol day – it would be the last one for a while as my sister and brother-in-law were arriving tomorrow and we were all looking forward to it.

Gratitude List
1. A nice clean pool and garden
2. Training on a brand new Mekong River Cruise
3. Getting all the errands done so I could get back to work.