Dalyan – 16th November

I walked Norman & Edna on the morning of Saturday 16th November and left Captain Caveman in bed. It had meant to have been the day of the Dalyan Christmas fayre but it had been postponed due to the forecast rain – and rain it did!! We managed to not get soaked and I fed the dogs their breakfast which they absolutely wolfed down. By 9am the dogs were napping on the sofa and I had tea and toast for breakfast. I thought we would be going to the weekly market this week so I made a list, which only had a few things on. Captain Caveman was still in bed, probably playing Bridge, and I was starting to worry a bit more about him now. We didn’t bother with the market in the end.
I did a bit of work and I suggested a walk with the dogs to get us both away from phones and laptop. We didn’t go too far as it was about to rain and when I got back, we had a message from Jamie to say he was in Bulgaria already. I cracked a wasted joke about uncles and the Wombles on Edna’s behalf. We had soup for lunch and I got back on with work while Captain Caveman played Bridge and stroked the snoozing dogs.
At 2.50pm the rain eased off a bit and I wandered round to say bye to my parents who were leaving for the airport at 3pm. Captain Caveman stayed with napping Norman and Edna as we were not really sure whether to leave them alone at our place yet. When I got to my parents, I was chatting to Mom but Dad was already on a mission to leave so he didn’t really speak much. The taxi was early so, of course, Dad had to rush to go to it and we said a quick bye at the gate. Mom and I were a little teary but Fikri, the driver, made us laugh. It’s always harder when you can’t say ‘see you in so many weeks/months’.
As I walked back to Fire Opal a stray dog spotted me and came to lick my hand as I tried not to cry. The rain came down and I was home, having said bye to the stray by 3.05pm.
The evening walk was less dry and only I went with Norman and Edna, all 3 of us ending up absolutely soaked and having to use 2 of our bath towels and my travel towel to dry the dogs. They were looking very sorry for themselves and were definitely adding this to the complaint list. I made Slimming World style pizza wraps after feeding the dogs their dinner first. The dogs slept in their bed in our downstairs, while Captain Caveman and I were upstairs but there was a bad storm and I wondered if they would settle ok.

Dalyan – 15th November

Friday 15th November was my parents’ last day in Dalyan, as they were off back home to Sheffield tomorrow. I was feeling a bit sad as I had no idea of when I would see them again and hated not being able to plan. They had been here since late September and I felt like I’d not seen them as much this time in Dalyan. To make up for not seeing my parents in bars and restaurants, as we chose to stay home, I had invited them over for dinner for their last night. Captain Caveman brought me a cup of tea in bed and asked if I was ok – he doesn’t usually enquire about feelings so he could tell I was sad. Luckily, he knew to remind me that I would soon be cheered up as I had a couple of visitors on their way.
Captain Caveman went to Bridge Club, I got up and ate my overnight oats for breakfast but was still in my lounge wear when the doorbell rang. Jamie was here with Norman and Edna and they were super excited to see me. The dogs were going to be staying with us, even though we aren’t allowed dogs on the complex so we had to keep them in our apartment and not let them bother anyone. Jamie didn’t stop long, he dropped off 2 leads, 2 food bowls, 1 water bowl, medicine, food, a few poo bags and a dog bed. By 10.35am both Norman and Edna had found a comfy spot each on the sofa while I did some work.
When Captain Caveman returned, we ate cheese and olives and leek & potato soup for lunch before taking the dogs for a quick walk. At home, Norman and Edna live in a villa and are used to saying when they want to go in the garden but at our place we are on the first floor so it’s not as easy to let them out. Once back home, I went out a couple of times, once to the bank, then to find Captain Caveman some ground coffee – he had almost run out of the Vietnamese one and I imagine he would miss not having that. I found some alternatives in Migros but, given I never drink coffee, I took photos and came back to check before buying any. Here’s what I did buy, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1.2kg Carrots 32.44
Chocolate cakes 34.50
15 eggs 79.50
A 1.6kg Chicken 126.00
Total spent 272.44 lira (£6.23)

Yaman Bufe 2
2 bottles of Idol wine 430.00
1 bottle of Isabey wine 215.00
Total spent 645.00 lira (£14.76)

While Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone and cuddled the dogs, I spent the afternoon doing a bit of work and then preparing for dinner with my parents. As the electricity had been on and off, I almost didn’t get any Yorkshire puddings in but Captain Caveman helped me get them done in the air fryer. We walked the dogs again and took them via my parents so we could walk back with them to ours. Norman and Edna were really pleased to see Granny Annie and Grandpa Stupot, as we affectionately call my parents. Edna was so excited and wanted some wine but Little Daddy (Jamie) had put her on a diet and neither dog was allowed any treats. As Norman already had the runs we kept them on water and no snacks – they were likely to put in a complaint.
The rest of us took advantage of wine and a roast chicken dinner, although Mom really was taking it easy and only had a couple of wines with soda all night. They were flying at 6.25pm tomorrow and she didn’t want to be hungover to go to the airport. We had a lovely evening and I was disappointed after my parents left that none of us took any photos of our last night together. Before bed, we took out Norman and Edna for another toilet walk, just around a block or two. It was cold out and we all were pleased to get back indoors.

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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 8th October

Captain Caveman and I were lucky enough to be invited on a boat trip on Tuesday 8th October. Jamie was on his way back from New York and was arriving earlier than I had anticipated which made it easier for me to leave Norman and Edna after their morning routines. Captain Caveman was scheduled to be playing Bridge but wasn’t going today which gave us a rare opportunity for him to be available.
We joined Captain Fuat’s Adil boat at 10am and were off to sea with some lovely swimming and snorkelling stops along the way. We had hot drinks and simit as we sailed out to some beautiful coves for our first swim in a really nice spot. Once I take my glasses off, I can’t see to snorkel so I just had a good swim, going several times around the boat. While Captain Caveman swam to shore to pick up trash, I joined some of the ladies to clamber up some rocks. Back on board, the captain had thought we might be peckish and gave us some chicken nuggets and chips as interim nibbles before lunch.

There was a delicious BBQ for lunch and I had a couple of rosé wines with mine, Captain Caveman started on beer and then moved on to wine as both were 140 lira (£3.13) so the wine was better value. I just had the one plate for lunch as I’m always the slowest eater, on it I had; chicken, salad, köfte, green beans, yoghurt, mushrooms, potatoes, rice and a piece of brown bread. Captain Caveman certainly got his money’s worth with seconds and I gave him my köfte too.
There was more swimming and relaxing, we had another wine and enjoyed the hot weather. Later, the captain brought out a cake, as is his speciality, and I indulged even though it would probably not be good on my stomach later. It was gone 6pm when we got back to Dalyan after a really lovely boat trip with a great bunch of people.
After overeating on the boat, I didn’t need any dinner but I did have a couple of cubes of feta style cheese to keep the calcium levels up. It is never a good idea doing a boat trip the day before weigh day and Fat Club but I would suffer the consequences tomorrow. This week I had consumed 130 syns more than last week, at 336 syns, as I had expected I would with Captain Caveman being home.

Dalyan – 7th October

When I went to feed Norman and Edna at 7am on Monday 7th October, you would think that they had not been fed in ages, they were both so giddy and were running around the kitchen with excitement. I had cereal and a cup of tea while the dogs snaffled down their breakfast. It was still very warm for October and I wandered back to check out some stuff that Captain Caveman had unpacked. He had brought lots of cheap medication, coffee for him, Phong Nha and szechuan peppercorns, pho stock cubes and dried pho noodles, which I was so pleased about. By 9.30am I was in the bank putting in more English money and drawing out Turkish and repeating it to get most of the monthly required amount in.
I called at the shop for some treats on the way back round to see Norman and Edna where I bought the following, prices in lira;

BIM Supermarket
1 plastic bag 0.25
Fresh bread 10.00
Plain crisps 27.00
2 Dido chocolate bars 29.00
6 mini Magnum ice-creams 169.90
Total spent 236.15 lira (£5.27)

Captain Caveman came over to Jamie’s to have lunch with me and after eating a mini Magnum each we had leek & potato soup with a cheese sandwich – one of my favourite lunches. I’d already eaten over the syn allowance for the week but in the afternoon we had a Dido chocolate bar each too. My friend, Debbie, had got me in to them as they are a little bit like a chunky KitKat but with different flavours and usually much cheaper – often on offer in BIM. Not content with 2 treats in the day, we also had some crisps then Captain Caveman and the 2 dogs had a good afternoon snooze in front of the TV, all 3 of them snoring away.

It was Linda’s last day in Dalyan so we had arranged to go out with her that evening, my parents were also invited but were already invited out by their friends. After feeding and taking the dogs out for an earlier walk than usual, we walked over to Kebapçı Yusuf to meet Linda. We were a bit early so I suggested that Captain Caveman take me to Ren Garden for a cheeky wine. I really like Ren Garden, which is a bar on the main Ataturk Street, at the back of it is Grandma’s Garden which is a lovely little hotel with a pool. The owners are very welcoming and the white wine is always fresh and cold. We both had a white wine and then walked back to meet Linda, who arrived at the same time as us. Our table was sat outside, while the weather was still nice and warm. We ordered a bottle of red wine and some lahmacun to be going on with. We all ordered different mains; Captain Caveman had a lamb wrap, Linda ordered a lamb shish and I chose liver shish. We shared one and a half lahmacun between us and a complimentary balloon bread (lavaş). I thought my meal was delicious and I was absolutely stuffed. The total cost for a bottle of wine, 1.5 lahmacun, 1 salad, and 3 mains came to 2500 lira (£55.80), so less than £20 each which was excellent value. After the dinner, we decided to walk Linda back to Riverside hotel and have a night cap, I messaged my parents to let them know, in the hope that they could join for a last drink and say farewell to Linda. Luckily, they were finished eating and were able to pop along. We had a lovely last evening with Linda and it looked like it wouldn’t be her last visit to Dalyan, either.

Dalyan – 6th October

Captain Caveman had arranged the Sunday Walk on Sunday 6th October and I had said I would join him. Linda, Ma & Pa were also able to join and so I fed the dogs and had my overnight oats and a cup of tea before leaving to meet everyone at Captain June’s statue in the Kaunos tea gardens at 9am. I got there 15 minutes early so had chance to take some photos of the river and the other side. Captain Caveman had posted the event on the Dalyan in Winter Facebook group so that he would have an idea of who was coming, but he was surprised by how many people turned up. Before 9.30am, we had chatted to Kate who was looking for her missing cat outside her house. The rest of the group had gone on without us so Linda, my parents and I were lost before 9.40am and were too far behind the group to be able to catch up. None of us had any internet or could decipher the map without any markings on so we decided to go to Kingfisher restaurant for a cup of tea, or even breakfast. Unfortunately as we were nearing Kingfisher, we saw a path the others must have taken and carried on, we walked for ages and eventually a local man came to our rescue and told us a short cut – we must have looked hot and tired as he even offered to go get his car to drive us back to Dalyan. We carried on and came out just slightly ahead of the group and re-joined them. The walk ended at the Kaunos tea gardens where I had a soda and a piece of Captain Caveman’s gözleme (Turkish pancake) which he had with a beer. My parents ordered beers and toasties and a few of the walkers were having a beverage.

I went straight back to sort Norman and Edna out, who I had to wake up and then my parents, Captain Caveman and us decided to go for a beer in Aşkin’s. My parents had a bit of a to-do with losing a key so they had to go, luckily they found it once they got home and that was the end of that outing. Back at Jamie’s I made a potato and leek bake for dinner and had to wake Captain Caveman up to eat it. I took the dogs out by myself as Captain Caveman was back to sleep as soon as he had eaten. I struggled as my feet and legs ached from the 9km I had walked this morning.

Dalyan – 5th October

Captain Caveman arrived in to Istanbul airport at 5.35am on Saturday 5th October. He messaged me to say he was on time for his 7.45am flight to Dalaman. Sonuç was picking him up after he landed at 9.05am and would take him to his apartment. We had already agreed I wouldn’t be there to greet him as I was having breakfast with Norman & Edna. I had cereal and a cup of tea and had hoped I would be spending the day with Captain Caveman but he wasn’t forthcoming with any plans and told me to carry on as normal without him – he would catch up with me later on. This meant that I put off going to the weekly market unnecessarily, as I was waiting to see what Captain Caveman’s plans would be.
As Linda was keen to visit Pirates & Skulls, I decided to arrange to do that with her and my parents. We decided on meeting at lunch time at Riverside hotel, getting the ferry over and having some lunch. When I told Captain Caveman that was what I was going to do, he decided to join us. After a bit of faffing about waiting for everyone, we got the 2pm ferry over, which was 15 lira each (33p) and walked to Pirate & Skulls.
We had a couple of drinks and ordered some food; Mom and Linda had the spicy noodles, Dad ordered a jacket potato, Captain Caveman and I shared mezes. The food was nice, beers were 135 lira (£3), wine 140 lira (£3.12), soft drinks 70 lira (£1.56) and 4 mezes for the 2 of us was 440 lira (£9.80). It was almost 5pm when we got the ferry back so Captain Caveman and I had to rush to let Norman and Edna out for a wee and give them their dinner. On the evening dog walk, we called at Lukka bar for a quick drink. Captain Caveman had a beer and I had a white wine & soda. The actual total was 420 lira (£9.42) but we did get a very much appreciated discount.
Back at Jamie’s, we had leek and potato soup for dinner and I had barely finished mine before both dogs and Captain Caveman were snoring away on the sofa.

Dalyan – 4th October

Breakfast was tea and toast again on Friday 4th October after I’d given Norman & Edna their biscuits. Captain Caveman was due to leave for the airport at 1.30pm Turkish time so I was getting excited for his arrival. I spent the morning cleaning up and moving my stuff to accommodate some free space. I saw that Captain Caveman had already invited people to a Sunday Walk in Dalyan, on Facebook and thought it wise for me to accept the invite so that I could be sure I would get to see him this coming weekend. He’d already said for me not to bother meeting him when he arrived as he would probably have a shower and a sleep while I looked after the dogs tomorrow. I got the feeling that Captain Caveman wasn’t looking forward to seeing me as much as I was him. While Norman had a mid-morning snooze, Edna helped me with some writing. I had a Slimming World pizza wrap for lunch and was about to go out when Jamie called to say a delivery he had ordered was on its way. After taking the delivery from the man who refused to bring it in to the house, I nipped to the bank.
That evening I tried a new Slimming World recipe; a courgette risotto and it was amazing. After the dog walk, both dogs cuddled up and we watched a bit of TV, The Chase as it’s one of Edna’s favourites.

Dalyan – 3rd October

Thursday 3rd October gave me an opportunity to sort my banking out for the new month to make sure I put the required amounts in to my Turkish bank. I had already got my 6 months residency renewal but I would need to apply again in 4 months with evidence of 6 months of payments. The weather was hotting up as I gave Norman and Edna their breakfast then decided I was going to apply for some more jobs including a part-time remote Sales Consultant for a UK company. I had tea and toast for my breakfast, followed by a snack of feta cheese and an apple when I got peckish. I was also in discussions with Mehmet, the gardener, again as I decided I was going to complain that he still hadn’t sorted out my bushes to be able to hang my washing out but he had done some stuff on the other side of the complex. He said the lads would be there at 10am, they didn’t come and when I complained he said they had forgotten. They eventually came but it did take unnecessary time out of my day with all the chasing.
Mehmet’s lads arrived at Fire Opal around 1.30pm, but I was at Jamie’s so I went back over to check – it had been done, finally! I treated myself to an açma for lunch which I had with some of Vanessa’s jam on.

Back at Jamie’s with Norman & Edna, they had a bone each, I had some leftover chickpea curry and then got ready for a rare night out in Dalyan. I had decided to invite Vanessa on a dog walk with me, Norman & Edna where we would call for my parents and then meet Linda at Ela’s Kitchen. I was keen to see my parents and hear all about their recent trip to Cappadocia plus it was 2 days since Linda had arrived for her week’s holiday in Dalyan so I was looking forward to checking on how she was doing. It was also Happy Hour at Ela’s and I know the dogs really enjoying going there on their evening walk along the river and through town.
Vanessa got lost and ended up at the wrong end of the street and had to rush to catch me up. Norman and Edna were on a mission to eat cat poo so Vanessa and I shared the holding of the dogs. Vanessa was so busy telling my parents all about her recent trip to Datça that Edna got away with munching a little bit of cat shit outside my parents’ place.
Edna and Norman were as excited as me to reach Ela’s Kitchen where Happy Hour was very welcomed. At only 120 lira (£2.67) for a decent glass of wine, I managed to polish off 3! Vanessa was on water and was updating my parents on all her trips she had planned. Linda hadn’t got my message until later due to having been down Iztuzu beach all day, but joined us still in time for Happy Hour.
When Vanessa left to go back home, the rest of us decided we would like to all eat out together this evening. My parents suggested to Linda and I that we go to Firat’s for food as it is one of their favourite Turkish restaurants and I agreed. I had to wait until the sausages, which Sev had cooked for the dogs, were a bit cooler before I could walk them home. Norman & Edna love Sev’s sausages and were so happy to get one each. We paid and I left a tip to account for the sausages and water bowls, as not all establishments are that welcoming to pets. While the others finished their drinks, I hurried back to drop the dogs home and then rushed back.

I was back to join Ma, Pa & Linda within 20 minutes of leaving Ela’s Kitchen and I had even got changed. The 3 of them had managed to get a great table at Firat’s and it was a busy 9pm already. We ordered a bottle of Angora wine which was 650 lira (£14.50) between the 4 of us and we had complimentary balloon bread (lavaş) to start with. All of us went straight for mains and I had a delicious chicken shish. My mom had the fish as it’s her favourite thing on the menu, Linda ordered lamb and dad chose chicken. The main courses ranged in price from 400 lira (£8.90) to 600 lira (£13.36) and our total bill with wine came to about £60 for the 4 of us, which I would say was very reasonable. We all had a really good meal and then decided it would be a good idea to walk Linda back to her accommodation, at Riverside Hotel. I’d never been before, the 4 of us sat on high stools at the pool bar and ordered a nightcap, or two. Ramazan, who my parents and I knew from his previous locations, was working the bar and had a good chat and a drink with us.

Dalyan – 2nd October

On Wednesday 2nd October Jamie had left me in charge of his dogs, Norman & Edna.
First I did my measurements and found that they were very favourable; 1cm off my bust and 3cm off both waist and hips so I was looking forward to seeing Carol’s scales at Fat Club later. On my home scales I had lost over 2kg so it was looking good. I had a cup of tea with cheese spread on toast and grabbed a few things to take with me.
On leaving mine, I noticed the gardener had now trimmed some of the plants and finally cleared the walk way by the gate. I arrived early at Jamie’s, Norman was still asleep but Edna was keen to know if Aunty Jo would be bringing any treats. I also noticed on Facebook that there were flood warnings in Sheffield. Here in Dalyan, the weather was lovely. Jamie had a new patio door in and I quickly found out that Norman was obsessed at going through it.

For lunch I had a feta salad with radishes then wrote my shopping list. I popped on a slow cooker soup back at mine then decided to go to the shops as I needed some toiletries. I bought Olive Oil shampoo, conditioner and shower gel for a total of 250 lira (£5.51) which I thought was reasonable for some really good stuff. Ideally, I needed to go to the hair dresser, as I hadn’t been since June, but I couldn’t justify spending the money on it just yet and hoped I could once Captain Caveman arrived. In Migros I bought sweet potatoes, tinned tomatoes, ginger and red cheddar for a total of 246.17 lira (£5.42).
At Fat Club I was a little disappointed that I hadn’t lost more weight but I did lose 2kg (4.4lb) which was not to be sniffed at. I paid 50 lira (£1.10) for a large water to keep hydrated. At dinner time I had a bit of a feast as I had a Slimming World wrap pizza as a starter and then a portion of chickpea curry with rice, which was very nice. Dog walks and cuddles were had, Norman & Edna even came with me back home as I needed to turn off the soup and decant it in to batches.

Dalyan – 29th September

The alarm went off at 7am on Sunday 29th September and I got up to see the sunrise over the opposite block in the complex. I had tea and toast for breakfast and then made my way to the meeting point for 10am. I noticed that a small miracle had occurred and that Mehmet’s Dad had been and cleaned all my cuttings off the floor beneath my balconies. He had not done the rest of the trimming and, when I asked Mehmet, he said not until the end of October. I said he had to do it sooner, as I still couldn’t hang my washing out, and he said tomorrow – I didn’t believe him. At the corner shop I bought a 19 litre water bottle top up for the cooler and it was now 100 lira (£2.19) which had gone up more than I had expected.
I had decided to join the Sunday Walk which one of the Dalyan Dwellers had organised. A couple of friends had said they were going as well so was a good opportunity to see them. It was about 10km so would be a challenge for me after sitting at a laptop most days and not moving much. The walk was lovely and 18 people turned up, which was good. Michele, the organiser, asked me if I thought Captain Caveman would run the next one, with it being the day after he arrived, and I said I would ask him.

After the walk my friend, one of my friends talked me in to a beer with her at Tapa – so that she could take her dogs too. As I’d not seen her for a while and she was limited as to where we could take her dogs, I agreed and messaged my other friend to say we were there if she wanted to join. She had been at the front of the walking crowd and I am always at the back of the group as I walk slowly compared to everyone else. I introduced the 2 ladies who got on well and, despite me chatting to another friend about how well I’d been doing on not drinking any beer, I had 3! My drinks came to 270 lira (£5.92) in one of the cheapest places in town for draft Efes. By 3pm we were over in Okyanus having some lunch and another beer. My friend had a new dog from the shelter, called Polly, and she was a real cutie. I ate a chicken wrap with salad and chips and it was very good. My friends ordered a chicken wrap too and a pizza which the lovely waiter, Üstün, ordered in from Pamukkale restaurant. My lunch and drink came to about 300 lira (£6.58) which was very reasonable, especially for a riverside restaurant.

When I got home, shortly before 6pm, I messaged Captain Caveman to ask if he would do the next Sunday Walk but Michele and he had already arranged that he would.
Later, Jamie and Drew were taking Norman & Edna for a walk and I suggested they call in. While the pooches had a snooze on the sofa, the boys had a drink and I only had tea because I had already overdone it today. I was now on over 170 syns for the week so far and had spoiled the idea of getting some exercise. I made myself a vegetable and egg fried rice for dinner and had another relatively early night.