Dalyan – 29th April

Before my alarm went off at 7am on Wednesday 29th April, I checked where I was against the weekly and monthly budget. In the last week of the month I had spent £85, of which £65 was on a preplanned boat trip where I had paid £45 in English cash. I decided that it meant I still had £30 of the weekly budget left, plus £20 for the last 2 days of April.
I had started to feel better so I went to meet a friend for a walk and talk at 8am.

We finished our morning walk at Kefal tea gardens, for a cheese toastie and a cup of tea. At only 175 lira (£2.92) for breakfast it was very enjoyable but then I realised I should’ve got weighed earlier. I was in charge of the Fat Club scales as Carol had to make an unplanned trip to the UK so this was my 3rd week in charge. My home scales had said I’d stayed the same as last week and I’d lost 2cm off my bust and waist, my hips were the same.
I was just logging in to my emails when I noticed an important announcement about Turkish residency. As this affected me I went to read and check the information. The authorities had decided to significantly increase the fees for both new and renewal of residency permit fees. There was also not much in the way of notice as it was effective from the 1st of May!!! I currently have a 2 year residency permit expiring in 2027 which I had paid 6,523 lira (£133 at the time). In the next 2 days it would increase to 57,000 lira (£950) – an increase of 873%.
As you can imagine this was quite a shock for people who were about to renew imminently and without much warning. It did also make me question if it would be worth me saving up £950 just to renew my residency next year when I might not be in Dalyan as much as previous years. I messaged Captain Caveman who told me not to worry about it and it was still cheaper than moving back to the UK. There were lots of people on Facebook up in arms about it, with plenty of expats wondering if foreigners were no longer being made to feel welcome staying in Turkey. I googled how much it would be for a Turk to get a similar permit to reside in the UK and it was just over £3000 for 2026, so by comparison it was cheap!
I worked for the rest of the day and ate loquats for lunch, before heading out to Fat Club. I’d already arranged with Ma & Pa to meet them at Ren Garden after the group meeting at 4pm.

I’d put on 0.25kg (0.6lb) on Carol’s scales and was about to over indulge too. I had a pot of tea for 100 lira (£1.67) while behaving at Fat Club but it wouldn’t last long. I ordered a white wine and soda while my parents arrived and when they got there Dad ordered an Efes Malt beer and Mom a lemonade. They apologised for not making it over to mine after being in Jiks last night but Ma’s phone battery was dead. They had ended up giving the ball a right kick so Ma was off the booze today.
Eva, the waitress had made fresh chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies so I ditched the Slimming World plan for a cookie and another white wine and soda. We all enjoyed the cookies which are so good and not diet friendly at all.
I’d decided to finish work today at 3pm but, as I’m never really off duty, I always have my work phone on me. I got a message from one of the Resort Expert owners which simply said ‘call Jenny asap’.
I excused myself from my parents and went in to the garden room area and called the mobile number. I use Rebel app while in Turkey as it’s free/cheaper than using my UK phone package. What happened next was great as Jenny told me I was going on a work trip next month. Even though it overlapped with other trips/birthday celebrations, I obviously said yes and she asked me if I would be able to respond to her email with some credentials as soon as possible today. Unfortunately, this meant that I had to bring my catch up with my parents to a bit of an abrupt end so that I could go back home and sort it out and look at changing my flights. As we went to pay our bill at Ren Garden my mom, who had already given me English cash to refund me for her shopping and putting her internet on, paid for my drinks and cookie, which was very kind and meant that I’d only actually spent just under £5 today, with tomorrow being the last day of the month and a £300 monthly budget.
Back home, I started rejigging my travel plans for next month. I called Captain Caveman to let him know and he helped me plan. I had a very late dinner as I was still trying to work out the best way to change my flights.

Gratitude List
1. Captain Caveman putting the new residency renewal cost in to perspective
2. Spending time with Ma & Pa
3. Planning a work related trip.

Dalyan – 21st April

I’d arranged to meet a friend for a morning walk and talk at 8am on Tuesday 21st April. I took photos along the river and it never gets boring seeing the same views. We had a lovely walk then went back to the Kaunos tea gardens for a cup of tea. I rushed back home to carry on with work as I had a lot on my plate. I’d also had further messages from Carol from Fat Club who was absolutely loving her Rhine cruise, still. I actually thought it would be a good one to do with Captain Caveman in the future as it was the sort of itinerary we would both enjoy.

At noon I joined day 2 of the Easi Passive Income with Natalie and Collette which was all about ideal clients.
In the afternoon I had more time working on quotes and enquiries, then did a content plan for the rest of the month.
The only thing I spent money on today was a replacement water which was now 120 lira (£2). I had mushroom pasta at gone 3pm which turned out to be lunch and dinner as I was too busy for the rest of the day and forgot to eat.
My 3rd week’s budget was completely blown and was over the £70 by £28.59! I could have blamed having to fork out for internet and contraception pills (£27.24) but really I should blame the 2 takeaway meals and more alcohol than usual. I needed to try harder next week but it was certainly getting more difficult as more restaurants and bars opened and family and friends would soon be arriving in Dalyan. I also didn’t count in the budget me paying £60 for the annual Netflix for Captain Caveman and my accounts as I was only paying it because Captain Caveman was otherwise engaged.

Gratitude List

1. An early morning walk

2. More free courses and advice from experts

3. Recognising where my overspend on the budget was coming from.

Dalyan – 18th & 19th April

Surprisingly, Saturday 18th April didn’t have the rain it had been forecast and was actually warm and sunny. Carol from Fat Club had been in touch to say she was enjoying her Rhine cruise which was starting in Frankfurt. I had booked her trip with Travelpack and we had found her a German ship which had the Juliet cabin she wanted and couldn’t find. She was quickly turning in to my new PR woman as she posted all over Facebook and in the Fat Club group chat how thrilled she was with this trip already. I was pleased as I know Carol and Ian are a sociable pair and wasn’t sure if they may miss having plenty of fellow Brits around them. After working all morning, I walked over to Vanessa & Matt’s. We had a cup of tea and then walked to the market. I only bought strawberries at 185 lira (£3.08) then we went to my usual pancake stall for a spot of lunch. Vanessa had a chocolate pancake and I chose a spinach one and, although the prices of them had gone up recently, they cost just 300 lira (£5) for both, which is reasonable and they are filling.
After the market, Vanessa and I decided to call in to Ren Garden and we sat in the garden room at the back with a glass of white wine and soda each so we could chat. We had just 2 glasses each with the soda and then had to leave. Matt had been trying to get old of Vanessa but her phone was on silent, to tell us to come to Corner bar. I said I’d head home and Vanessa could catch up with everyone in Corner bar. As I’d paid for the pancakes at the market, I just put 200 lira (£3.33) towards the bill and then we said our farewells. I called at the bakery and bought bread for 20 lira (33p) making a total spend for today of 705 lira (£11.95).
In the evening I spoke on a video call with my mom who was getting excited to be coming out to Dalyan soon.

Gratitude List
1. Carol being pleased with the cruise I’d booked for her
2. Meeting up with Vanessa
3. A video call with Ma.

I had debated having a day away from the laptop on Sunday 19th April but I realised it was not a good idea. From next week I had lots of stuff booked in that meant being away from the desk, so I really needed to make the most of it while I could. I also had 3 new enquiries, 2 of which were about cruises and one for a trip to Turkey. Messenger had started playing up and wasn’t working, I also was having trouble with the banking app. I had got it in my diary that I needed to pick up sourdough from Mesude today so I rushed off to do that, midmorning. On the way, I bumped in to my favourite white dogs and had to give them some attention. This week I was trying the caraway seed sourdough, as well as the ciabatta one. It came to 500 lira (£8.33) for both loaves and I was pleased with the quality. They stay fresh for ages and it’s also great to freeze – it’s so much better for my stomach than other types, too.
Next, I called at Migros to pick up some essentials – here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
Pasta 13.50
Tomato purée 38.92
Green Tea 61.95
Dates 99.90
2 Quark 111.90
4 tins of tomatoes 149.84
Feta style cheese 174.90
Total spent 650.91 lira (£10.84)

I’d not intended on getting the tomato products but they had plenty and they were on offer, so I seized my chance, knowing I was already going to be over the budget this week!
I hurried back and did a few quotes then carried on with more admin and content work. I ate roasted courgettes with cauliflower cheese for lunch, which was tasty. The sourdough trial was a huge success and I was very impressed with it.
In the evening I had a walk and bought some contraception pills which had increased a lot in price. I paid 884.48 lira (£14.74) for 2 packs and they were now more expensive than paying for them in the UK. In November they had been £1.50 per pack cheaper!
For dinner I had a chicken, chickpea and spinach curry with steamed rice and it was really good.

Gratitude List
1. Having too much to do to take a Sunday off
2. Sourdough – caraway seed was a game changer
3. Good food.

Dalyan – 16th April

I started my day on Thursday 16th April with catching up on blogging and content writing before breaking off for leftover pizza for breakfast. The Heybe pizza was definitely good the day after too.
I worked all day, had more pizza for lunch and then got word from Anex Tours that their package holidays could now include Ryanair flights. I’m not ordinarily a fan of Ryanair but for some people it can be the difference between going on holiday or not.
Considering Captain Caveman and I should’ve been in Lebanon now (for a caving conference tagged on to a holiday), life was still good but I missed seeing him. The May visit was not looking good as neither of us could fit it in and I didn’t want to miss spending time with my parents or seeing my sister and brother-in-law when they came to Dalyan either.
The Aussies had left this morning, I would see them again in September and Vanessa had arrived back in Dalyan today.
I didn’t attend the Resort Experts team meeting as I had a co-worker session with the Neon Nook for 2 hours. I decided to work on my lead magnet/freebie and managed to get it finished in the 2 hours. I then tried to attempt setting up a Mailerlite account to be able to start my email list collation and automation but that didn’t go well and was rather frustrating.
After finishing work at 7.15pm I took a walk along the river just as it was about to get dark and took some photos.
I called at the Yaman Büfe 2 where I bought 2 bottles of wine and a bag of crisps for 705 lira (£11.75) but I didn’t drink any as I was saving it for when Vanessa popped round.

Gratitude List
1. Leftover pizza
2. Neon Nook co-working session
3. A riverside walk.

Dalyan – 9th April

I was up super early on Thursday 9th April so that I could get work done, put the out of office on and get to meet The Aussies by 9am. We were off to eat Turkish breakfast at Mavi Yasemin, which is one of Amanda & Greg’s favourite places. It’s located over the other side of the river so we set off walking along the river path and got to the Deniz kızı ferry. It cost 25 lira (42p) one way as a foot passenger and took less than 5 minutes to get across. The Mavi Yasemin restaurant is located on the right-hand side a short walk after you pass Pirates and Skulls.

We got there early as I needed to be back for the Resort Experts team meeting and we all ordered the Turkish breakfast and a juice. The delicious and plentiful breakfast, which comes with as much Turkish tea as you can manage, cost 500 lira (£8.47) each. The fresh pomegranate juice is 130 lira (£2.20) and went down very well. The food was just so good and I think it is now my new favourite too. I often struggle to eat Turkish breakfasts but I did well with this one and wasn’t ill. What I didn’t realise is that they only take cash, so Amanda had to lend me the money. I managed to put the tip in but then forgot I needed the return ferry fare and Amanda paid that too! We had to rush back, although I could’ve stayed there all day!

After the Resort Experts team meeting I arranged to meet The Aussies at the bank at 2pm. I withdrew cash to pay Amanda back for the breakfast. So far this morning I had spent £12.46 then bought a bottle of red wine and some salt and vinegar crisps for 360 lira (£6.10) at the off licence. We had managed to be quite late for the 2pm start of Kate and Mark’s housewarming party as Amanda had ended up in a clothes shop buying a dress for Hannah’s engagement party. The shop had some gorgeous tailor-made outfits in for both male and female with various prices. The owner can do any alterations to make it fit and is pretty quick.
When we arrived at the party, Kate gave us a tour of her new house while Mark opened the red wine. Kate’s new bungalow was really lovely and I was really pleased for her. There were quite a few of the usual Dalyan Dwellers there, most of who I had not seen for months, and none of them so far this year. There were nibbles which I couldn’t resist and Kate had so many fruit trees that I was told to pick as many oranges as I liked, so I did. A small group of us remained after most people left and we had more drinks before heading back to our respective homes.
I was meant to be back for a video call with Vanessa but I missed that and had to reschedule. Instead, I attended my first online Neon Nookers meeting and we had quite a good ‘getting to know you’ type of session. It was a group for copy and tech help which I was pleased I’d joined and I really related to both Georgina and Holly. We even had a fun competition of who could get their pyjamas on fastest.

Gratitude List
1. Breakfast at Mavi Yasemin with The Aussies
2. Oranges from Kate
3. Spending time with friends.

Dalyan – 1st April

On Wednesday 1st April I woke up much earlier than I would’ve liked, now that I didn’t have to get up for Norman. April started off with me trying to decide if I could maintain the £10 per day budget for another month – I had proved it could be done but it wasn’t easy. I had friends here, I’d been invited to events and outings plus a boat trip booked in and a trip to the hairdresser’s. So, realistically, I really should try to keep my spending to a minimum even though Captain Caveman had offered to continue to support me, as needed. The minimum wage for a Turkish person was 33,000 lira (£550) per month and I was trying to ensure I lived below that. I didn’t have rent or electricity to pay out of that, though, so I didn’t know how the locals were managing to live. A 1 bedroom apartment in Dalyan was costing over 20,000 lira (£339) now.

I got weighed to find I had put on 0.6kg (1.3lb) using my home scales but my measurements were more favourable; no change to my bust or hips but 3cm off my waist. At Fat Club I did better on Carol’s scales but had still put on 0.35kg (0.8lb). I spent just 30 lira (51p) on water and resisted the very tempting cookies at Ren Garden. I called at Migros after the group meet up and bought the following, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket

Green peppers 56.04
Red peppers 58.64
Olives 61.50
6 eggs 72.95
Cashew nuts 95.00
2 Quark 111.90
Cheese 166.90
Total spent 622.93 lira (£10.56)

After work I had arranged to meet The Aussies, Amanda and Greg, for the opening of Lukka bar. It’s one of the closest bar and restaurants to where I live and the owners, Mehmet and Katrina are friends of mine. In my honest opinion this place is not for cheap chasers as they tend to have higher prices than some of the popular places with expats, however, I like the location, the staff and the quality so it’s been on my favourites list for a number of years. We’d said 6pm and I got there on time and waited for my friends who are usually late, I met the new staff and spoke to Mehmet, the owner. Lukka bar had been decorated and it was much more red and black, which looked good. I ordered a soda water while I waited for my friends. I wasn’t planning on eating at Lukka as I had food out of the freezer but my friends wanted to. They ordered gin and tonic and whiskey sours so I ordered a glass of Angora red wine. Amanda ordered a satay chicken and Greg ordered another chicken dish with a sauce so I just ordered a starter of the garlic mushrooms. Incidentally, when we ordered our meals, we were asked if we had any allergies and Mehmet even checked if I could eat bread with my mushrooms and that I wasn’t gluten free. He let me know that this year they were going to be able to do gluten free meals and gluten free bread – this was good for my Coeliac sister who was visiting this summer.

The food was excellent and was still the old menu while the new chef and staff got up to speed. The service was good too and not intrusive. Although Lukka is certainly not the cheapest place in town, I didn’t think it extortionate by any means. Here’s what I paid for what I had;

1 Soda water 70 lira (£1.19)
1 glass Angora red wine 250 lira (£4.24)
1 Garlic mushrooms 300 lira (£5.08)
Tip 100 (£1.69)
Total spent 720 lira (£12.20)

It was a really good evening, despite the torrential rain by the time we were leaving. The Aussies went off to meet friends at Corner bar but I was good and went home for an early night. As I climbed in to bed, Captain Caveman was leaving Saigon to fly back to Heathrow. He would land at 3pm tomorrow and be back at work on Friday.

Gratitude List

1. The Fat Club group
2. Meeting up with The Aussies
3. A great night out at Lukka bar.

Dalyan – 31st March

It was my last day with Norman on Tuesday 31st March and he was eager to get his breakfast rather than featuring in a video for Little Daddy. Jamie was due to land at 7pm so I had all day to tidy, clean, nip to the shops and do work. Norman was aware of what was going on because he was doing a security check and seemed a bit sad.

In the morning I worked on helping potential customers with hand luggage only packing tips and quotes for the Costa Del Sol in Spain. Since the war against Iran had started, I’d noticed that some of my customers were choosing to holiday nearer to home this summer. Of course, I had managed to have booked in even more travel bargains for myself. For 2026 I now had 8 holidays booked, 4 with Captain Caveman. This made a good change compared to last year and I was certainly taking advantage of the cheap deals. This didn’t include being lucky enough to also be visiting the UK 3 times this year, as well as having the holiday town of Dalyan as my home for the rest of the time. Already, I had booked several friends their holidays to come to Dalyan too, so I was looking forward to this year.

After some work, I cleaned the house. In between all that, I used up some browning bananas and an egg to make an oatcake (as you do)! As it was Sabotage Tuesday I didn’t want to be tempted to eat things I shouldn’t because I had been quite good since Norman’s birthday celebrations.
I found a lovely deal in Corfu at one of the fancy Grecotel chain hotels and sent it to 3 people who had asked about Corfu and Greek holidays. In the afternoon, I nipped to the bank to take out my ‘spare’ money for March, in readiness for doing the same during April (tomorrow). I popped to the shop to top back up anything I had used at Jamie’s, and spent just 111.85 lira (£1.89) on those essentials.
Norman snored away while I worked and seemed quite happy on the sofa. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was getting a train in Vietnam and heading back to Ho Chi Minh before his flight back to the UK tomorrow. Once I knew Jamie was on his way, I was able to pop back home and relax. It was my dad’s birthday so I managed to get a video call in and sing Happy Birthday to him before eating and then having an early night.
I bravely checked the March spending for the whole month. This last 3 days I’d spent £17.88 which meant that for the last 10 days I had spent only £46.52 against a budget of £100 (£10 per day). The monthly budget ended up being £270 for March, after I upped it from £221 (£5 per day) 2 weeks in to the month. I actually spent a grand total of £228.73 in March which meant I was £41.27 under budget and only £7.30 over the original budget. Adjusting it mid month had helped me claw some of it back and I was pleased to have done it. This had meant that the money I had saved was used for some of my 2026 holidays. I’d enjoyed the challenge of Money Minded March and was pleased to see that I’d spent half the amount of the previous month. Unfortunately, my weight loss had not gone as well in March and I was slightly heavier at the end of the month than I was at the beginning.
More shenanigans were coming up for April; more outings, some celebrations and The Aussies were back in town!

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Managing to be under the (revised) budget for March
3. Video calls with Captain Caveman and Dad.

Dalyan – 30th March

Norman was rather huffy and dishevelled on Monday 30th March, he also had a bit of a runny nose and was slow to move. He was 15 years and 5 days old, though, so I helped him down off the sofa and got on with work. I’d had strange dreams about a cat and the hallway smelled of cat pee which was weird. There were no signs of a cat or any pee anywhere. I had been up since 6am so was getting lots done before 9am. It had been a busy weekend so I was catching up on admin today. Our new Resort Experts system, The Zone, was taking shape and I now had it set up with tasks, enquiries and automations which was time saving.
I left Norman napping and went to check on the leaking bathroom roof which we were waiting for a dry day to get fixed.
The Aussies, Amanda & Greg, were on their way from Sydney to Dalaman on a 50 hour journey for 2 weeks at their villa in Dalyan, so I was looking forward to seeing them in April.
Today would’ve been a zero spend day but I had to get a replacement water, which was 100 lira (£1.69). The afternoon was busy too and I booked my flight back to Dalyan in June, ready for a friend’s 60th birthday boat trip and and Sausage Dick arriving for just over a week in Dalyan.
Norman decided he wanted his dinner early and was pacing about, he had complaints when I made him wait.
I spoke to Captain Caveman who was now in Nha Trang with our friend Trang and her dog, Zacky. He was tired from the charity cycle event but over the moon with everyone who had supported and donated – he looked so proud!
It was 8.30pm by the time I got my dinner so I just popped a frozen pizza in the oven.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Summer plans
3. Speaking to Captain Caveman.

Captain Caveman’s charity event link, if you missed it and still want to donate:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/adam-spillane-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

Dalyan – 29th March

My first job of the day on Sunday 29th March was to check the expenditure for the last week. I’d spent only £28.64 this week and had 4 zero spend days and 5 zero alcohol days. Things were back on track. I did still have 3 days left in March and I needed to buy some things so I would see if I could keep this up through to the next month.
The sun was back out after a very wet and stormy day yesterday so I took Norman out for a walk and Nanny Kay popped round. I also did some writing, ate my Sunday dinner for lunch at 4pm and worked until gone 6pm.
Over in a very hot and sticky Southern Vietnam, Captain Caveman had completed the 300km of his charity cycling event and was almost broken. He was very pleased to have raised a great amount of money for Saigon Children’s Charity and said he was going to do it again next year, too. We discussed me coming over to Vietnam and decided we would both go together next year as I had missed being there to support him.
At 7.30pm I took myself off to the shops and decided to treat myself, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

A101 Supermarket
Popcorn 40.00
Cheese spread 50.00
Chicken pieces 189.00
Frozen pizzas 265.00
Total spent 544.00 lira (£9.22)

Yaman Büfe 2
1 bottle of red wine 300 lira (5.08)

I put Netflix on, opened the wine and popcorn and tried to watch something. I fell asleep!

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Doing better against the budget this week
3. Treats.

Captain Caveman’s charity link here if you missed donating and want to:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/adam-spillane-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

Dalyan – 28th March

Saturday 28th March was very wet and windy so Norman wasn’t impressed when he went out in the morning. I decided it was too wet and wild out there to bother with the Dalyan weekly market. I had to nip home to swap my footwear – from sandals to wellies again. It was very cold and I’d stressed myself out trying to fully switch to my new phone. At 11.30am I did have to venture out in the bad weather to pick up bread. I had arranged to buy sourdough from Mesude who is a local Turkish lady and is brilliant at making various types of sourdough, including gluten free. I bought 2 different types to try at a total cost of 400 lira (£6.78). When I got back I divided it up and sliced some for the freezer and some for the forthcoming days.

I spoke to Captain Caveman after he had finished day 2 of the charity cycling event. He was still smiling and it’s a good job he had borrowed some suncream!
He put me right that today’s circuit was a circular route in Quy Nhon and he wouldn’t actually be arriving in Tuy Hoa until the end of tomorrow’s final day. He did go on about the elevation and how hard day 1 was when I said it looked like the easier day – I was wrong!
In the afternoon there were weather warnings and the rain was so bad that Norman couldn’t do his usual walk.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Wellies being back on
3. Speaking to Captain Caveman after day 2 of his charity cycling event.

If you didn’t get chance to donate to Saigon Children’s Charity for Captain Caveman’s event and want to – it’s still available and even a small amount can make a big difference in Vietnam. Here’s the link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/adam-spillane-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

Dalyan – 27th March

On the morning of Friday 27th March I wasn’t too happy at my early alarm. I let Norman out and then we both got on the sofa for an extra sleep. It was cold and rainy so it was nice to get under a blanket and try to get rid of my hangover. I’d consumed far too much alcohol yesterday and was feeling extremely delicate. No breakfast or lunch was eaten and I barely moved from the dining table/desk once I was functioning. Jet2 had yet another sale on so I had a few enquiries to deal with. It was pay day weekend for a lot of people and I was working all weekend after being a bit part time these last couple of days for Norman’s birthday.

Norman was well and truly done with celebrations and had requested an embargo on them for a while. After having his breakfast, he had gone back to sleep and not woken up until after 1pm! He insisted he was having a Doggy Day, like Debbie (Darling) has her Debbie day – both of whom were going nowhere today.

Meanwhile Captain Caveman was busting his chops in lycra in a very hot Vietnam, raising money for Saigon Children’s Charity. I had misunderstood the elevation of the route and thought Day 1 of the route ‘looked easy’. It was not, and I think Captain Caveman was regretting not having had any exercise, let alone been on a bicycle, in about a year! I was very proud of him as I could not have attempted what he was doing – he had 2 more days to go!

Then I remembered my agreeing to meet up with Ian at 3pm today, to give him some Yorkshire tea bags. I made the effort as I had no contact details for him, to cancel. I invited Norman who flatly refused.

I arrived at Ren Garden and we sat in the garden as the sun was back out again. Debbie (Darling) and Irena made it and Debbie foolishly ordered a white wine and soda, which she left. I had a pot of tea for 100 lira (£1.69) and then left as I had work to do and training sessions on cruises to attend.

I finally had my first meal of the day, a veggie pasta, at 4.30pm and I still struggled to get it eaten. Norman refused to go for a walk, stating he had already done his steps for the whole week, then reminded me of the Doggy Day! I finally finished my work at 8.15pm and was begging for mercy – vowing to never drink that much again (until the next celebration)! While sat on the sofa drinking water there was a massive bang (well actually 3 or 4 in quick succession) coming from upstairs. When I went to investigate, a framed certificate had fell off the wall at the top of the stairs and ‘bounced’ down the stairs, landing on the middle step. It was heavy and glass so when I picked it up I was expecting the glass to be broken. It was completely intact, despite hitting several travertine/marble steps. It was Jamie’s late husband, Graeme’s, star certificate. It was a bit spooky that it had managed to fly off the wall, but on further investigation it had been stuck on with velcro! I left it on the spare bed and made a note to tell Jamie.
It was an early night for me, ready to get up early tomorrow.

Gratitude List

1. Norman

2. Yorkshire tea bags

3. Free cruise training with Travelpack.

Dalyan – 26th March

Things got completely out of hand on Thursday 26th March! I got a few things done in the morning after getting up at 6.15am. After an hour of working with AI prompts for monetisation and doing my own research, I had tea and toast. Norman was now 15 years and 1 day old and he said he was entitled to 2 corners of toast today.
I spoke to Captain Caveman who was about to start his charity cycling event with a warm up practice which had been organised for today. You can watch a short video of it here:
https://youtu.be/21nVJ1luaaE?si=XanZFFjA7cMZPgoH

I got ready to take Norman for a walk as it wasn’t raining, but he had accidentally fell asleep. When he woke up he had complaints about how I was running the household. On our walk at lunch time, Norman was so slow that we turned into the road where Debbie (Darling) lived and Norman decided he wanted to find out why she hadn’t been over yesterday. Debbie (Darling) invited us in for wine and for Norman to chase the cats on the terrace by the pool. We had a lovely catch up in the sun and then decided to finish Norman’s walk by taking him to Ren Garden. Norman loves it there and they always serve him his water before the human drinks, because he’s 15 and deserves priority – especially when the sun’s out.
We sat by the pool in the garden and the weather was glorious. The hotel part (Grandma’s Garden) was starting to get customers and there were some workmen getting stuff fixed up for the season. Joining Debbie (Darling), Norman and I were Helen, Ian and Irena which was a nice eclectic mix for a Thursday – the conversation and laughs flowed. I had a couple of wines and had to say I’d call back the Resort Experts owner when he called me because I was in the middle of belated birthday celebrations for Jamie’s dog (as you do).
There was an agreement for me to give Ian some Yorkshire tea bags as he had inadvertently run out so I would see him again at 3pm tomorrow. Debbie (Darling) and Helen went on ahead to Cadde Balık Ekmek to have fish and chips. Norman and I followed after I’d paid my 300 lira (£5.08) for my 2 wines.

The fish and chips was lovely and it was my 2nd visit. Everyone enjoyed them, including Norman who managed to snaffle some fish that had dropped on the floor.
I paid 520 lira (£8.81) for fish and chips with a small bottle of water then it was time to go home.
Debbie (Darling) and Helen were meeting friends at Tez Bar and Norman insisted we go say hello. He was ‘out out’ now and on round 2 of his birthday celebrations. At Tez Bar, Norman got barked at by jealous resident dog, Cani, but they soon settled down when the treats came out. Ali & Kev had just arrived back from their motorhome drive from the UK with their dog, Brinny, so it turned in to another celebration – welcome back Brinny and a belated Birthday for Norman. I just had the one wine and then it really was time to go home. Norman had enjoyed all the fuss, the extra treats and had missed his afternoon nap, so as we got near Debbie’s he was flagging. I was also needing a pee so we went in to Debbie’s for a nightcap.
Hilariously, Norman made himself right at home then fell asleep and we finished off the vodka with limonata before going on to the gin!
I didn’t get back until gone midnight, having missed various calls. I also hadn’t attended the team meeting this week but it turned out there hadn’t been one. I’d spent £16.44 today which meant my weekly spend was now at £21.86, with 2 days left to go!

Gratitude List
1. Belated extra birthday celebrations with Debbie (Darling) for Norman
2. Fish and chips
3. Having a good laugh.

Dalyan – 25th March

Norman, the dog, was 15 years old on Wednesday 25th March. It was a miracle that he’d made it this far and that he’d outlived younger Edna. After feeding Norman with some extra egg in his birthday breakfast we went outside where it was a bit wet and said a few words to Edna’s and Big Daddy’s pots.
I left Norman having a nap and popped home to get weighed and pick up some chicken for tonight’s dinner.
My weight on the home scales remained the same as last week, despite 5 no alcohol days! My measurements weren’t very promising either as I had put 1cm on my hips, 3cm on my waist and lost 1cm from my bust.
There was a break in the rain so Nanny Kay popped over at lunchtime with the carrot cake she had made to celebrate Norman’s 15th birthday. Norman was super excited to see her but we took the decision to not give him any of the cake. Instead, he had lamb bones which were much better for him. Nanny Kay makes the best carrot cake and we had a slice with a cup of tea. Luckily, Nanny Kay timed it well by coming early as the rain was on its way.
I didn’t go to Fat Club as I was expecting more visitors but I did invite anyone to pop over for a bit of cake. Carol came over and I’m sure little Norman managed to snaffle a teeny bit of her cake. I also gave her an extra slice for Ian as he was unable to be at the party and I had another slice. It started to rain just as Leanne arrived with the 2 pooches and a round of Happy Birthday sang to Norman. He was impressed at so many visitors – whenever I’m in charge, we rarely see anyone. Unfortunately, Debbie (Darling) didn’t make it to Norman’s 15th but the rain was now torrential and Norman was napping!
For dinner I had chicken and saved some with carrots for Norman’s dinner too. It had been quite a day and I felt lucky that Norman had lived to be 15. He did very well considering 2 years ago we were pushing him round in a pram!

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Nanny Kay and her amazing cake
3. People caring about Norman on his 15th birthday.

Dalyan – 23rd & 24th March

Monday 23rd March was all about writing and Norman, the dog. After his own breakfast he demanded a corner of my toast, using his cute face!
I broke off for a lunch of homemade lentil soup with wholemeal bread and did something a bit weird. I’d had several people mention ‘my ADHD’ recently, and it wasn’t for the first time. I don’t have, or think I have, ADHD so I decided to take a test. This didn’t go as I expected as the result said I ‘have symptoms highly consistent with ADHD in adults and further investigation is warranted’. Well, that taught me to try to prove people wrong! It went on to refer me to see a professional to get a proper diagnosis. I was unlikely to do that here in Dalyan and put it down to menopause and being a woman who tries to multitask.
For the rest of my lunch hour I proceeded to check out flights for my trip to Spain in June and got some booked in.

Captain Caveman, who was in Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City), called and he was looking forward to his upcoming cycling event, despite very hot weather.
I took Norman out for a walk, fed him and then he watched with anticipation as I ate more chicken chasseur with vegetables. I had a zero spend and zero alcohol day too.

Gratitude List

1. Norman

2. Getting my own travel sorted

3. Good food.

I was up ridiculously early on Tuesday 24th March to be greeted with 3 presents from Norman, the dog. There were no rubber gloves or kitchen roll and the mop that has the floor cleaner in had none in. I managed with wet wipes and poo bags and it was all cleaned up before 7am. I fed Norman and then made myself a cup of tea, I couldn’t face eating any toast. It was raining and cold so today was all about getting through the to do list and making sure Norman was ok.
At lunch time I had soup with toast and then decided to chop some veggies. Little Norman was hoping to get a snaffle and was standing behind me. When I turned to put stuff in the fridge, he’d fell fast asleep and was snoring away.
We had a very short walk and had to turn back because Norman didn’t like the rain. I managed to sing Happy Birthday to Mom who was getting ready to go out for her birthday meal in Scotland with the family. Norman got to say hello to Granny Annie and Grandpa Stupot too.
I had a chicken casserole with potatoes and courgettes for dinner then decided I would watch some TV. The TV had other ideas and it wouldn’t let me.
It was another zero spend and zero alcohol day, which was great, and it helped that it was raining. Tomorrow would be Norman’s 15th birthday so we had plans to celebrate.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. A video call with Ma on her birthday
3. Managing more no spend and no alcohol days.

Dalyan – 22nd March

I woke up to my 7am alarm on Sunday 22nd March with a banging headache and feeling quite out of sorts. I went downstairs to let Norman out and, unfortunately, he had already peed in the house – right next to the lamp and Dennis, the doorstop. I cleaned it all up and fed Norman before messaging Jamie to check they had arrived in the UK and that all was ok – it was! They were flying to Tenerife tomorrow. I checked my budget and updated my expenditure list. It wasn’t great as I’d spent £72.23 this week, just over the increased weekly budget and £29 over for the month so far. I needed to really be careful this next week and I planned to.
It was cold, even with a thermal vest, t-shirt and hoodie on so I walked over to town to run some errands. I would be looking after Norman until the end of the month and Norman seemed happy with that.
By the time I was walking back, via the chickens who wanted some bread from me, the sun was out and it was a tad warm. I had a rare bit of time where I wasn’t doing anything related to work or travel so I decided to do a puzzle – guess what? It was a travel related one!
I took Norman for a short walk and he didn’t seem overly keen to walk on the road where my parents stay and he was super slow. On the way back he was quicker because he knew it was time for dinner.
I met a friend in the evening at Joy Cafe where they had the spaghetti bolognese and I had a sandwich and some cheese rolls with Turkish tea. They also brought us a free dessert to celebrate Bayram, which was sweet. It’s a really lovely cafe in Gülpınar and there was just us there. I paid 320 lira (£5.42) and my friend dropped me back off. Norman hadn’t moved since I left but was happy to see me when he did wake up, so that he could have sofa cuddles – he loves those.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. The sun coming out
3. Joy cafe.