Dalyan – 22nd & 23rd February

I had updated my CV and spent the morning applying for jobs on Thursday 22nd February. I needed to earn the equivalent of around £700 per month to keep my Turkish residency and so I was looking for part time work that I could do from any of the countries I was likely to be in.
I had bread, 2 bananas and a cup of Yorkshire tea for my breakfast before popping over to our apartment to take back a few things and grab some more stuff. I was meant to be on a mission to eat healthy and I did drink a rose tea, a green tea and some cucumber water before lunch. When I returned to Jamie’s, Edna had taken my slipper on to the sofa again and Norman was in his bed, snoring away. I had a Slimming World friendly chicken dish with rice for my lunch and I was really enjoying having a surprise freezer meal when I couldn’t work out what was in my batch cooking. As Nanny Kay had missed out on her fruit scone yesterday, I couldn’t help snaffle it today – this time with jam instead of strawberries! I washed it down with 2 litres of water and chilled out in the sun on the patio with the pooches. I snacked on chickpea biscuits and tried to make similar using grated, and squeezed, courgette. It didn’t turn out well and I ended up with a courgette omelette and decided I could chop it up to put in rice. On the dog walk, Edna got a seed stuck in her paw and I had to get it out, she tried to get a sympathy pub visit for Skippy to kiss it better but I wasn’t swayed. Back home, I roasted a load of vegetables and had them with some Turkish pasta for dinner. My treats were an apple and just 1 glass of wine that evening.

A friend had recommended Lisa Johnson’s Race to Recurring Revenue, which started next week. On Friday 23rd February I signed up for the free challenge and was looking forward to getting involved in seeing how it might help me run my own business or make passive/semi-passive income. I knew I needed to do something while ever I wanted to remain being abroad and ideally I wanted to do something I was passionate about, so this would be ideal. I’d started to do it a year ago but, because I started the job I’d been doing for the last year, I never followed it through.
Nanny Kay popped round at 12pm and we sat in the garden with the dogs. We were both so proud of how well Norman was doing. He wanted to play fetch or football with Nanny Kay and he was even pushing Edna out of the way as I drank my green tea. For lunch I ate more of the Slimming World friendly ‘surprise’ chicken dish with rice and then had a fruit salad with yoghurt for afters.
At about 4.30pm Edna persuaded me to do the dog walk to the Waterfall pub and we all forgot that Skippy doesn’t go there on a Friday. I just had the 1 red wine, while the dogs got a couple of sausages from Mehmet and made friends with everyone in the bar. Edna got over her Skippy disappointment by trying to get in with a bloke playing darts.
Back home, we all got fed but I didn’t wolf my dinner down nearly as fast as Norman. I made a Slimming World friendly pizza from a wrap, which was really nice, and finished off the chickpea biscuits.

Dalyan – 20th & 21st February

I had another healthy and relaxed day on Tuesday 20th February, just keeping out of any drama and trying not to stress about being out of work. I’d started to think about what I could do to start my own business and I’d brought my laptop over to Jamie’s so that I could update my CV. I intended to apply for some jobs which could be done in Vietnam or Turkey. I had a breakfast of champions; a crumpet with butter, Yorkshire tea, overnight oats with berries and a green tea. My back and neck were still hurting and aspirin was not taking the pain off. I was meant to be going to Zumba but I couldn’t manage it. I had some rose tea just before lunch and then warmed up the rest of the pasta dish from yesterday.
In the afternoon I went to buy a replacement water which was still only 50 lira (£1.29) at the shop Jamie uses (compared to 85 lira at my local shop). By the time I’d got home, it had already been delivered too so was great service. I went to the vets to pick up medicine for Norman and Edna, which they had ran out of. It cost 2,320 lira (£59.49) for 2 lots which Jamie transferred to me, immediately. I had leftover pasta bake for lunch, managed a dog walk without a pub visit and ate leftover curry for dinner. I made chickpea biscuits as a snack and had them with low fat yoghurt, onion, cucumber and tomato. I kept some to eat over the next couple of days in a tupperware to try to prevent unhealthy snacking. I’d done well this week with only consuming 195 syns, only 12 of which were on alcohol and I felt I was bound to have lost weight when I got on the scales tomorrow.

When I got up on Wednesday 21st February I weighed myself on Jamie’s scales. They showed I’d lost 0.8kg (1.8lb) and I’d had a good week, having not drunk any alcohol since Thursday. I was very pleased with myself and hoping for good results at Fat Club later today. I did my measurements but they weren’t as favourable;
Bust -1cm,
Waist +2cm,
Hips +2cm.
This meant my waist was now back over the goal I had set by 1cm. After feeding the dogs, I decided to try an app called Three Sixty Me where it takes a scan of your whole body to determine your measurements. It was worse than with the tape measure so I wasn’t convinced it was ideal. I had overnight oats and a Yorkshire tea for breakfast then as a snack before fat club I had 2 ginger teas and 3 of the chickpea biscuits.
When I got to Fat Club, it wasn’t great news as I had only lost 0.1kg (0.2lb) which was negligible. Of course I was disappointed as I only had 2 more Fat Club weigh-in weeks to go until I left Turkey.
After drinking 1.5 litres of water at the meeting, I popped to the shop on the way home. Here’s what I bought and prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket

Haribo Gold bears 10.50
Turkish pasta (mantı) 23.50
2 Quark 39.50
Kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) 40.95
Nuts 44.90
Falafel 62.17
Total spent 221.52 lira (£5.65)

Back at Jamie’s, Norman and Edna cheered me up with a bit of advice for keeping the weight off. Norman instigated a game of fetch with his sister while Edna soon suggested we open the wine. Nanny Kay was meant to be coming over but she didn’t. So I had to have afternoon tea by myself; Yorkshire tea, a buttered fruit scone with fresh strawberries and kaymak, seeing as it was treat day.
After walking the dogs, I warmed up leftover chicken, pumpkin, chickpea and spinach curry for dinner, had 2 glasses of wine and some Haribo jellies. I’d not gone out on treat day but I’d certainly eaten (and drank) well, using 56 syns in one day.
Before bed, I totted up the weekly spend which I’d really tried my hardest to get back on budget with. I’d spent just 731.52 lira (£18.76) this week and I was so chuffed with myself. In total for the month so far I had spent the equivalent of £210.60 making me only 60p over budget – proof I could do it when I really tried.

Dalyan – 17th to 19th February

On Saturday 17th February Norman and Edna ate breakfast and then had extra cuddles on the sofa while I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and a buttered crumpet.
I left the dogs at home while I walked to the Saturday market where I bought the following (prices in lira);

Bananas & apples 40
Strawberries 100
Peppers and courgettes 55
Total spent 195 lira (£5.01)

I ate some strawberries on my way back and the sun was getting warmer. Back at Jamie’s I had more tomato and lentil soup for lunch. We had a dog walk in the afternoon where we avoided going to the pub. I had a bad neck and shoulder so I had to take some aspirin.
I spoke to my parents who were still in Sheffield and Captain Caveman who was in Phong Nha. My evening meal was more sweet and sour chicken with egg rice and I watched some TV while eating chestnuts and oranges later on.

I was meant to be joining the Sunday walk on Sunday 18th February but I woke up with a very sore shoulder and neck and decided not to go. I fed the dogs and then Norman insisted on coming back to bobos with me and Edna. I had to carry him up the stairs and he was very patient. After extra sleeps and a cup of tea in bed we all got up and decided to get a sun lounger out on the patio, as the sun was out. I made a nice fruit salad for breakfast and had it with low fat yoghurt and a litre of water. Jamie messaged to say his brother, Barney, had booked flights to come to visit him in Dalyan next month so he asked me to let the dogs know. The reactions in both dogs were amusing.
For lunch I had beef stew and Yorkshire puddings then a small slither of fruit cake with another litre of water. I spoke to Captain Caveman again and we looked at plans for when I’m in Vietnam. For dinner I made a lovely veggie pasta dish which was so tasty.
I’d managed a whole weekend of not going out or having any alcohol, my total syns for the week was 182 which was good compared to other weeks and I just needed to keep it up for a couple more days.

I had a really easy going day on Monday 19th February and the second day in a row of not spending any money. I had fruit salad, yoghurt and Yorkshire tea for breakfast then got peckish late morning and had 2 slices of wholemeal toast with cheese triangles and an apple when I nipped back home. I wasn’t gone long but when I got back, Edna had taken my slipper up on to the sofa to snuggle with – cute.
For lunch I had chicken curry with pumpkin, spinach and chickpeas and plain rice, which was delicious.
I tried something a bit different for dinner by adding the tomato and lentil soup to cooked pasta and adding cheese to make a kind of pasta bake. It tasted really nice and, because I hadn’t had my syns for today, I had a few olives and some strawberries in the evening. It was also the 4th day in a row of no alcohol so I was hoping for a good result at Fat Club this week.

Dalyan – 15th & 16th February

I spent most of the morning on Thursday 15th February getting ready for my 13 days at Jamie’s while they jetted off to Thailand. I did Zumba at noon in my new Zumba trainers and felt quite light on my feet this week.
For lunch I had a veggie fried rice then I packed all of my batch cooking so that Jamie could collect it in his car. I didn’t need to be over there until the evening but then I had to have chicken nuggets and chips for dinner as I’d sent everything else over that was in the fridge. Norman and Edna had been briefed that I was coming but they were both snoozy by the time Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew said their goodbyes. Jamie had bought me 2 bottles of wine from Edna, as she loves a party. I finished off some wine then chilled with a blanket and the dogs on the sofa.

Norman and Edna weren’t too thrilled by the early get up on Friday 16th February and were already on the sofa snoozing by 8.30am. I was no longer working on Fridays (or any other day) so I had the day to spend as I pleased. I had my Yorkshire tea and then got ready for a morning walk with Adele. The dogs weren’t bothered about going out on the garden but I had to insist as I wouldn’t be back until lunch time. Norman was much more mobile but grumpy about being woken up for a pee. He still needed to be wiped down after, as he got it on his front legs, but he was much more capable of going to the toilet by himself. He still waited for me to do the wet wipes and pick him up at the back step, although he frowned at being called Little Lavender Legs. Edna was still getting a bit jealous of all the attention Norman was getting too.
My walk with Adele was lovely, it started off cold but we were down to our t-shirts when we stopped for breakfast at the Kefal tea gardens. I had a toasty and a couple of çay which was very nice and only cost a total of 75 lira (£1.93). Back ‘home’ I had another cup of Yorkshire tea and some water while catching up with Norman and Edna, who had been sleeping all morning.
My lunch was soup and I started watching The Apprentice as Jamie has UK TV.
I booked my flight from Dalaman to Istanbul for when I go to Vietnam which only cost £34, including food and seat choice. Jamie had very kindly said he would take me to the airport that day.
After walking and feeding the dogs, I made myself some roasted veg which I had with a chicken casserole. The evening was spent snuggled up under a blanket on the sofa with more snuggles and snoozes from the dogs.

Dalyan – 13th & 14th February

On Tuesday 13th February Vanessa popped round to collect her glassware and have a final hug goodbye. Vanessa is such a good friend to me and I was going to miss her. I’d actually took her pots out yesterday, they had made quite a night of it. They ended up being carried from Tez, to Ozzy’s, back to Tez and then back to mine as Vanessa forgot them at each step of the way.
Today was the day before weigh day and I needed to have started damage limitations with another speed day. I had 3 cucumber waters, a banana and a tea for breakfast.
I went to Zumba at midday and had an impromptu shop on the way home. Here’s what I bought and the price in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 plastic bag 0.25
Tomato purée 13.90
1 tin of tomatoes 29.90
Chicken nuggets 29.92
1 tub frozen berries 71.90
3 Quark 74.85
Total spent 220.72 lira (£5.69)

When I got back home I had a load more water with cucumber in. I took some bolognese out of the freezer and added pasta and cheese to make a nice lunch. I then decided to make a list about my current work situation, trying to look at some solutions to getting paid regularly. I had a a text conversation about this with my boss, as we tried to work out a plan. Unfortunately, due to my circumstances of needing regular payments in to my Turkish account I had to become temporarily unemployed.
For dinner I had leftover chicken dinner and later some chestnuts. I’d eaten potatoes so I had not managed a speed day but I had done a zero syns day. I’d consumed 23 more syns than last week though, so maybe I wouldn’t lose any weight at Fat Club tomorrow. As I went to bed, I expected that I would feel really stressed at no longer having any work at all but I didn’t. Instead, lots of thoughts were going through my head on what my Plan B would be. These next few weeks were going to be tight moneywise as my last pay was due tomorrow.

It was Valentine’s day on Wednesday 14th February so I’d arranged to spend the evening with Nanny Kay. We booked in for a quiet meal at Nil Lounge at 7.30pm tonight.
First thing in the morning, I did my measurements and got weighed at home to find that I had lost 0.85kg (1.9lb), stayed the same on my bust but lost 1cm from my waist and 2cm from my hips. I was now 1cm under my goal on bust and waist and 2cm under my hip goal. Great news came from Jamie that Drew had brought me 80 Yorkshire tea bags and that made my day. I had overnight oats and some orange juice for breakfast.
I had a bit of a walk in the morning and then met a lady in Jiks who was selling some Zumba trainers. I managed to get some almost new ones for 1,100 lira (£28.35) which retail around the £150 mark! She was a lovely woman and she even bought me a soda water and we had a chat.
Fat Club at 3pm was not as exciting a result as the home scales as I’d only lost 0.3kg (0.6lb) on Carol’s scales.
Captain Caveman was in Son Doong and we don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day anyway so I was looking forward to my evening out. Ghislaine, Jamie and Drew were going to join us after Nanny Kay and I had eaten as there was a band on.
The meal wasn’t the best I’ve had but it was certainly adequate; I had chicken shish and Nanny Kay had chicken curry. We both limited ourselves to just 2 glasses of red wine. Nanny Kay was cycling and I was trying not to turn it in to a Wine Wednesday.
The music from the live band was good and there was a Turkish engagement party on. The groom-to-be insisted we help ourselves to some treats so we had chocolate covered strawberries and we could definitely feel the love! Jamie came up with the 3G Club idea. Our first get together would be in a couple of weeks.
It had been a lovely evening but I was glad to have stuck to just 2 wines with Nanny Kay. My syns were still 48 for today so tomorrow I was determined to do better. Jamie and Drew were off to Thailand so I had to rely on Norman and Edna not to lead me astray for the next couple of weeks.

Dalyan – 11th & 12th February

There was another walk planned on Sunday 11th February which I was looking forward to. I hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday but I was starting to feel better. I had a couple of bananas to give me some energy but didn’t bother with any tea. Luckily, I was walking with Christine who has a bad knee so she goes at a similar pace to me. She and I only managed 2 hours, there was a bit of rain and we were struggling to keep up with the others. Very kindly, Christine gave me a Slimming World skinny bar which I had when I got home with my cup of tea.
Vanessa and Matt were coming round for Sunday lunch which had kind of happened by accident. Initially I had invited Kaan over, thinking we would be able to have a video call with Captain Caveman and Caroline who were celebrating Tet together. When I’d realised the etiquette of not having a single Turkish man in the house with just me, I’d roped in Vanessa. She had not only agreed but had also said she would cook the chicken and bring it over with some Yorkshire puddings. When I let Kaan know, he cancelled as he had some business he needed to attend to in Fethiye. I did the carrots, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkin, brussel sprouts and stuffing. I’d got some gravy but when Vanessa and Matt arrived she had brought some homemade gravy too. What a treat, I poured us some fizz to start, then we went on the white wine with our very delicious meal. Vanessa and Matt left so that she could have her family chat but, by this time, Jamie and Geoff had stopped by for a bevvie. Not being one to miss a party, Vanessa promised to come back after the chat.
Jamie and I had wine, Geoff had his own beers and we caught up on what the two of them had been up to. Vanessa came back and the 4 of us had a great night, drinking until about 11pm. At midnight I was in bed when Captain Caveman sent me a photo of him and Caroline and I told him Kaan cancelled on us.

I was getting quite used to not working on a Monday but on Monday 12th February I had some decisions to make about work. I had a bigger breakfast than usual with 2 slices of wholemeal toast, 2 cheese triangles, a banana and I used the last Yorkshire tea tea bag! It was a tough day but I put on my big girls pants and got on with it. I went to the bank to ask about various ways of getting Euros cash in to my Turkish bank and they were very helpful. My local bank can take Western Union payments, which I know they have a branch of in Rhodes Town.
I decided to go for a little walk around Dalyan before lunch time. Lunch was more of the tomato and lentil soup with pasta in and lots of water. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was off to his briefing and would be in the cave again tomorrow.
At 4pm I went to meet Vanessa and Matt at Tez bar for their farewell drinks. They were off back to the UK tomorrow and I might not see them until the summer.
I had a soda water at Tez bar which was only 20 lira (52p), some bars were now charging 3 times that. Wolfie and Rey were there, who I’d not seen in a while as they’d been back in the UK.
At 6pm we went to Ozzy’s where I treated myself to a chicken pizza and 2 wines. The pizza was amazing so my well intended plan of eating half and taking the rest home, went out of the window. We had a good night in Ozzy’s, even Jamie and Geoff (with Norman and Edna) popped to say bye to Vanessa and Matt which was really nice. My bill including a tip and just 2 wines came to 600 lira (£15.46) which I thought was reasonable. Back home, I had a ginger tea and watched some Netflix before bed and a huge storm.

Dalyan – 30th & 31st January

Tuesday 30th January started with me being in a great mood, it would not end that way!
Captain Caveman had gone in to Son Doong this morning and would be back on Friday. He’d got some famous guests on the tour this time and I was a little bit jealous. One was a famous Dutch DJ and one was a famous racing driver for Formula 1. I asked if I would be able to send some questions to ask the F1 guy and Captain Caveman agreed that he would try his best.
For breakfast I had 1 slice of wholemeal toast and a cup of Yorkshire tea, which were getting dangerously low! Before Zumba I had a small snack of cheese, olives and cashew nuts. Zumba went better and I was really enjoying it. I popped to the shop on my way back and here’s what I bought (prices in lira);

Migros Supermarket
2 onions 4.62
1 red pepper 11.36
Tomato paste 30.00
Jasmin rice 39.50
All spice 53.90
2 Ginger ales 86.00
Olive oil soap 87.66
Total spent 313.04 lira (£8.11)

The ginger ales were to take over to Kate’s as she had organised a gin afternoon for the Aussies. I’m not a gin and tonic kind of person as I hate tonic, hence why I took the ginger ale. When I arrived Mark, Kate, Amanda, Greg and Linda were all having a drink. I’d took the bottle of Adil gin which we had bought to have with the Aussies when Captain Caveman was here, but then we were both ill. Kate offered me a glass of the prosecco they were already drinking and I obviously said yes, leaving the gin and ginger ales on the side. Linda and I had a good chat as she had cancelled the pencilled in dog sitting for next month. I was fine with that as we hadn’t firmed up the booking due to a slight flight overlap with Jamie. I put it to the back of my mind and sat chatting with everyone, still feeling quite positive. I even had one of Amanda’s biscuits and a slice of Kate’s lemon cake. The weigh-in tomorrow was not going to be good!
Kate had cooked a curry and asked if I’d like to stay for some so I joined the table and had a very small amount. I was having a nice time, I even joined in playing Uno, when the subject turned to Linda using a free pet sitter from a Facebook group, rather than me (the ‘experienced’ dog-sitter at the table). Again, I was not upset with Linda’s decision, I’d already pointed out why I didn’t do it for free and the level of commitment and priority I give to the pets. Unfortunately, Amanda offered to do any dog sitting that Linda required for free, which I wasn’t thrilled about, but there was nothing I could do as Kate was also endorsing the idea. I walked home with the Aussies at gone midnight after plenty of prosecco. I’d learned a valuable lesson this evening, house and petsitting was not going to be a viable money earner for me when I had friends who would offer it for free instead. I went to bed feeling like I needed a plan B, but it had certainly taken my mind off the fact that it was pay day tomorrow.

When I woke up on Wednesday 31st January, and decided I would have an easy day. January had been a very tough month for me, it looked like February was not going to be much better unless I made some tough decisions and changes. Jamie popped round for a cup of tea and he agreed. On more positive notes, today was pay day and I had been paid – on time, the correct amount and drama free!
I did a delayed weigh in at home and took my measurements, not expecting it to be good. I had lost 0.25kg on my home scales, 1cm from my waist, no change to bust and 1cm on my hips. I was 2.7kg off my weight target but I had reached my goal for waist size, having lost 12cm overall.
At Fat Club, Carol’s scales were not kind to me and I had stayed the same for the second week in a row. On the way home, and as I’d got paid, I bought myself some treats, here’s what I bought and prices in lira;

Şarküteri
Coconut milk 65
Sweet & Sour sauce 75
Brie 175
Camembert 175
Total spent 490 lira 12.73

£4.55 for some cheese was expensive but it was £6.88 in Migros so I got the bargains while I could.
I had chicken curry with nan bread for a late lunch then batch cooked some sweet and sour chicken, which I had for dinner.
Instead of having a wine as a treat this Wednesday, I had mac n cheese balls and some chestnuts as I watched Netflix. I totted up my spending for the whole month and it had been a whopping £462.16, making me £152.16 over the January budget of £310, £10 per day. Could I get through February only spending £280!? I doubted it, but I was going to do my best.

Dalyan & Köyceğiz – 29th January

I was once again able to go on the Köyceğiz boat trip because of not working on Monday 29th January. I did a quick check of my spending as of yesterday to find I was just £1.80 below my £300 budget, which I was so pleased with. Vanessa couldn’t make it but this time onboard were; The Aussies, their neighbour Jill, Mark & Kate, Nick & Michele, Donna & Neil and me.
I’d had my overnight oats and a cup of tea for breakfast, then drank 3 Turkish teas and had half a simit on the boat. It was cold and I think we all wondered what on earth we were thinking going on a boat trip in this weather. The yellow boat was still being repaired so we went on a boat without a toilet again and it didn’t have any plastic sides to put down. Still, for 200 lira (£5.18) return we didn’t complain.

Once in Köyceğiz, Kate and I headed up to the shopping centre as she needed some pyjamas and I was after a new pair of gloves. I’d been making do with just one but it was too chilly when the sun wasn’t out. By 1pm I had bought a pair of thermal fur lined leggings for 329 lira (£8.52), a pair of fur lined gloves for 300 lira (£7.77) and a bottle of prosecco at 190 lira (£4.92). We swung by the market where I bought a pricey pineapple for 60 lira (£1.55) and went halves on some shitake mushrooms at 25 lira (65p).
We rejoined Mark at Tuana, the Aussies and Jill joined us shortly after and we ordered lunch. I was on a strict budget so I ordered a Turkish tea for 10 lira (26p) and a chicken burger at 125 lira (£3.24). Unfortunately, when we came to pay, I ended up putting more than necessary in. I only had a 200 lira note for my 135 lira bill but I only got 30 lira back so I’d paid 35 lira extra but noticed not everyone put in a tip. My meal was nothing to write home about and a bit of a waste of going off my diet for, but Jill was pleased with her pasta and the Aussies enjoyed their Turkish breakfast.

We left Köyceğiz at 3.30pm and the Aussies were off to use the facilities of the mudbaths again. Luckily, we had the fizzy wine we’d bought and a couple of bottles from Hakkan and Nilüfer but I was reluctant to drink much without a toilet on board. It had been a great day – it’s pretty rare to see a peacock and a proposing street dog on the same trip!
By the time we got back it was pretty cold. The Aussies went to drop off the shopping while Mark, Kate and I went to Tapa. When the Aussies returned they had a hot chocolate each, I had a rosé wine and played Mark at pool.
Back home, it was too late for dinner so I had a few chestnuts and a bit of cheese before trying on my thermal leggings – they were amazing! It had been a good day out but I had splashed out almost 4 days worth of budget.

Dalyan – 24th January

It was a funny old day on Wednesday 24th January, where things didn’t quite go according to plan. I didn’t even get out of bed until almost 10am and the sun was shining. I got weighed at home to find I had lost 0.5kg (1.1lb) and I had lost 1cm from my bust, waist and hips which I was really pleased about and couldn’t wait for Fat Club later. I had Slimming World pancakes for breakfast with frozen berries in and some watermelon on the side, followed by lemon and green tea.
At 2.45pm I walked to Fat Club at Nil Lounge and was rather cocky that I would have lost weight. Unfortunately, I had stayed the same on Carol’s scales and I wasn’t too pleased. When we finished the group, I headed over to Cafe Ivy where I had arranged to meet Vanessa. When I arrived, there was no one there but I’d already told Jamie and the Aussies that’s where I was going and they said they were coming too. Jamie said he would bring the dogs and he invited Ann too as she likes a Wine Wednesday. I got a wine, Jamie and the dogs arrived and got a drink, then Ann arrived. I checked my phone to see where Vanessa was, she had gone to Tapa instead because that’s where the gang were playing pool today, as Rehab bar was closed. She said to come there but I couldn’t change now that I’d got a drink and we were settled with the dogs. The Aussies arrived and I stuck to just 2 red wines and we moved inside when it turned chilly. After Ivy, Jamie had to take the dogs home for feeding but I ended up staying out and we went to Nil Lounge to watch the band, I’d still not had any dinner so Ann and I shared some chips. I had another 2 wines and then called it a day. I’d spent 220 lira (£5.71) in Ivy and another 335 lira (£8.70) in Nil so I had to say no. The band was excellent and I really enjoyed listening to them. As Ann was rather more merry than me, I walked her as far as the corner shop on the way to her house and then came back to mine. As I approached our place, I noticed there were lights on in the apartment opposite me – I had neighbours again!

Video of the band playing one of my favourite songs

Dalyan – 22nd January

On the morning of Monday 22nd January I totted up my budget spend for the first 3 weeks of the year. I’d set myself a tight £10 per day to live off, not including rent and utility bills. To my surprise, I’d done even better than anticipated and had managed to only spend the equivalent of £147.78, a massive £52.22 saving. I was really pleased with myself as it had not been easy and had took strict planning and a lot less going out/drinking. Because of this, I had allowed myself to go a bit mad today, as a treat.
Given that I had been working every Monday, I’d been missing out on the Köyceğiz weekly market that a lot of Dalyan Dwellers had been frequenting, with Hakkan and Nilüfer on the Yellow Boat. Köyceğiz, in my opinion, is a lot cheaper than Dalyan too and I’d missed the market on Saturday so it was good timing.
When I got out of bed I regretted drinking so much wine yesterday and Vanessa’s coat in the downstairs toilet reminded me I’d come home in a heavy downpour. I messaged Vanessa who was fine and not hungover at all, she called for me and we laughed about yesterday’s impromptu piss up.
Unfortunately, the usual Yellow Boat was being repaired so Hakkan took us on a boat that’s used to go to the beach, and it didn’t have a toilet. It was cold but I’d brought my big coat, hat and the one glove I had. There was also plenty of blankets and hot beverages on the boat.

When we reached Köyceğiz, Vanessa and I went off to the market, not realising everyone else went a different way.
Here’s what I spent on splashing out, with prices in lira;

1kg Tangerines 10
Cabbage 20
Bananas 25
Potatoes & carrots 40
Chestnuts 60
Melon 70
2 bags of olives 150
1kg dried fruit 300
Total spent 675 lira (£17.53)

My bag was so heavy and I was certainly missing Captain Caveman for carrying the rucksack. He wouldn’t have appreciated our willy-nilly approach to shopping, though – we didn’t even go row by row or do the heavy stuff first! I’d probably regret that when I was eating squished olives.
Feeling a bit hot and bothered, we walked back towards the boat and restaurants, bumping in to Hakkan and Nilüfer. They took our heavy bags to the boat for us, which was kind, and we decided on a walk along the water’s edge to find a spot for lunch. I love Avangart, even though it’s certainly not the cheapest place at 180 lira (£4.68) for a glass of wine. But, as Vanessa and I had drank our quota of wine last night, we were happy with a big bottle of water and an orange juice. I ordered the beef wrap and she had the healthier tuna salad, both meals were great and here’s what we paid in lira;

1 Big water 35
1 fresh orange juice 70
1 beef wrap with chips 225
1 tuna salad 245
Total bill 575.00

I thought my 300 lira (£7.79) lunch (including a tip) was lovely and I took half of the wrap away with me as it was so filling. Vanessa and I were also both conscious of there not being a toilet on the boat when we both suffer with reactions to food. We walked back towards the boat and were a bit early for the 2.30pm departure so decided to join the others at Tuana. We joined the table and I had just had a soda water which was a reasonable 20 lira (52p). The plan was to stop at the Sultaniye mud baths on the way back so the Aussies had gone to buy something to swim in.
I was looking forward to getting back on the boat, as usually Nilüfer does a nice spread of fresh fruit and some nuts for the journey. This time, they had provided 2 bottles of white wine, which was a nice gesture. Nilüfer is so lovely and was making sure everyone had wine or hot tea.
The boat trip usually arrives back in Dalyan for 4pm but we only arrived at the mud baths at 4.10pm, I didn’t have anything suitable to swim in and wasn’t bothered about going in.
Once back, everyone but me went to Tez bar, after Vanessa and I divided up my cabbage in to 3 for me, her and Kate. I had a relaxing evening at home, for dinner a chicken, chickpea and spinach curry with steamed rice.
It had been a lovely day off work, making a nice change on a Monday. I added up what the day had cost me and was pleased;

Market 650
Lunch at Avangart 300
Soda water at Tuana 20
Boat fare 200
Total spent 1,195 lira (£31.04)

Dalyan – 21st January

I woke up at 10.15am on Sunday 21st January, took a cup of tea back to bed and did a bit of blogging.
For lunch I made a chicken stir-fry with a spoonful of black bean sauce and it was lovely. The Aussies came round, bringing me some spare white paint and we moved the table. I walked as far as the main road with them and then popped to the shop for wine as I’d decided to call in on Vanessa, now that I was back home. I paid 259 lira (£6.74) for 2 bottles of Rituel white wine and walked the long way round. I passed my parents place and had a quick check to see it looked well. Brinny, Debbie (Darling)’s dog, said hello as I went past her house.
Vanessa and I had a good afternoon and even sat out in the sun on the balcony as we drank wine with soda and chatted.
When I looked at my phone about 7pm, I saw on Facebook that there had been a Sunday Walk today but I had not known there was one and missed it. From the photos it looked good and quite a few of my friends had gone, including Fat Club Carol! There was a note that Bev (a new lady in town) would take the walk next week so I was determined to go on that one. Vanessa had made a shepherd’s pie so we had some of that and more wine. When Matt got back from the pub, Vanessa and I were very merry, we had not even noticed the weather outside. I had to borrow a raincoat and an umbrella to walk home and Vanessa said I turned the wrong way out of the gate when I left, as I turned left but they expected me to go right. I knew a shortcut on to pomegranate lane but I probably shouldn’t have gone that way drunk and in the dark. The arık (small canal) was full of water and no one would have found me if I’d slipped and fell in it! I didn’t recall getting home, going to bed or setting an alarm for the trip I’d been looking forward to for tomorrow!

Dalyan – 20th January

I woke up early on Saturday 20th January and checked my messages; Jamie was coming home today and would be back around 4pm. He didn’t need me to be in when he got back, he had a key, so I said I’d leave about 2pm. I had a cup of tea and dog cuddles on the sofa, I just had a banana and tangerine for breakfast. I packed my bags, stripped the bed and had a general tidy up after feeding Norman and Edna. I made a quick trip back home with food stuff that needed putting in the fridge, then called at the shop. As I’d been leaving, Norman had been unsteady on his legs but wouldn’t settle in his bed. He was trying to walk around but fell over and I was worried he would hurt himself, so I hurried back. Here’s what I picked up at the shop, with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Jellies 10.50
Pot noodle 15.25
2 packs of tuna 139.50
1 pack of pistachios 74.50
Total spent 239.75 lira (£6.24)

When I got back, poor Norman had took a little tumble, only sideways on the floor, but he couldn’t stand himself back up. Edna was a little distressed and tried to tell me what had happened. I scooped Norman up and gave him a check over to make sure he wasn’t in any pain. He was very pleased to see me and I was glad I was gone for less than hour. I had the pot noodle and jellies for my lunch, given I had taken all my food back home already, but I didn’t want to leave Norman.
I had a video call with Captain Caveman who had checked in to the new Minh Quang hotel in Dong Hoi, a contender for somewhere for me to stay when I got to Vietnam.
I got a message from Greg to ask if I was back home yet as they wanted to come to get their table. We’d had it for a year when they were selling it last year and it hadn’t sold before they went back to Australia. I’d since been using it as a desk for work but Captain Caveman, unbeknown to me, had told the Aussies he didn’t want it and to come get it. I said I’d be home by 5pm for them to collect it, they were taking it to their villa so wanted me to come with them to see it.
I left Norman and Edna, putting their bed near the door so that Norman wouldn’t fall again, and rushed back to meet Amanda and Greg. I left my coat and some dirty washing as I couldn’t carry everything in one go and didn’t think I had time to make 2 trips. Back home I moved things from the table and moved the furniture around so that the table was near the door, ready to collect. All that with a minute to spare, it was Saturday and I’d not even had chance to go to the market today.
By 5.30pm I was still waiting so I messaged to find out where the Aussies had got to. They were downstairs in their apartment, doing some DIY, when they came up they decided that they didn’t want to take the table tonight, but at last I would be getting to see their new villa. Greg poured us all a gin and tonic with edible floaty beads in, Amanda had been baking biscuits (actually scones in England) which were healthy and tasted really good. The place looked amazing and it was much bigger than it looked from the outside with a really lovely feel to it. I didn’t stay too long ( 2 biscuits and 2 gins!) because I got a text from Jamie saying he needed me to go back to his, something I had to get tonight from his place which was edible. Bless him, he is such a good friend and it meant I could pick up my coat too as it was rather chilly! I said my goodbyes to Amanda and Greg, arranging for table moving tomorrow.
It was 9pm when I got in, I made overnight oats, ready for my breakfast and was determined to have a lay in tomorrow. That night, my bed felt like the comfiest place I’d ever been and I was glad to be home, for the next 13 nights anyway.

Dalyan – 18th & 19th January

I spent most of the day with Norman and Edna on Thursday 18th January, starting with selfies and breakfast, sofa snoozes and short walks. It was pretty cold but there was a glimmer of sunshine at one point, before it looked like it might rain. I remained eating healthily; tea and toast for breakfast, pumpkin soup with pasta for lunch and a chicken stir-fry with bulgur wheat for dinner. I managed to also batch cook some potato and broccoli soup for another time.

At 3.30pm I heard from Greg, who was back from a fishing trip with Sonuç, he sent me directions to their new villa, which I still hadn’t found the time to visit yet. I was on my way to pick up my laptop, ready for work tomorrow, and to grab some things from the supermarket which I had seen on offer. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Mung beans 14.17
Black eyed peas 16.12
Bulgur wheat 18.56
Chickpeas 22.42
700g chicken breasts 118.98
Total spent 190.25 lira (£4.97)

Şarküteri
Black bean sauce 85.00 (£2.22)

Carrying the shopping, my laptop, charger, and some stuff from home, I decided I would walk the route back to Jamie’s via The Aussies’ new villa. They had been wanting me to see it since their arrival on New Year’s Eve and I still hadn’t got round to it. The directions seemed easy but with no WiFi on my phone, I wouldn’t be able to check. I got to the location and I took some photos of where I was, I couldn’t see the villa but I watched a woman argue on the phone as it started to rain and go dark. I walked back to my temporary home, got wet and cold and was disappointed I couldn’t find it. When I checked my messages, Greg was in Lukka drinking tea and Amanda had fallen asleep so the villa viewing was postponed for another day.
I cooked and ate my stir-fry then watched a bit of TV with the dogs, while having a glass of white wine and a small piece of fruit cake.

I started my day on Friday 19th very early with tea and toast so that I could get on with my 8 hour working day. After breakfast, Norman wanted to go back to bobos with me but there was no time for that, instead he and Edna had sofa cuddles under a blanket while I worked.
Mid morning I let the pooches out on the garden and I had a banana and some water. At lunch I sat outside for a bit while my pumpkin soup with pasta warmed up.
I finished work at 6pm, emailed my boss with an update then walked and fed Norman and Edna.
I had the same meal as last night again for dinner; chicken stir-fry with bulgur wheat and chickpeas. Later, I resisted the urge to drink wine or go out, with it being the weekend, but I did have some chestnuts for a mini treat. Jamie was due home tomorrow so it was my last night with Norman and Edna – I’d not told them yet though as I didn’t want them to get too excited that Little Daddy was coming back.

Dalyan – 17th January

I got weighed at Jamie’s on Wednesday 17th January but I was quite a bit heavier than I expected and I hoped it wouldn’t be as much of a gain at Fat Club later. I did my measurements and found I’d put 1cm on my bust and waist, my hips had remained the same. I had tea and toast with 2 cheese triangles for breakfast then got peckish mid morning and ate a small wrap!
I was very jealous, and proud, of Norman when he did a massive poo right outside the back door, all on his own. I managed to catch him before he stepped or fell in to it which saved cleaning up what could have been a terrible mess. He was almost out of tuna so I popped to the shop to get some, along with some essentials. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Milk 23.00
2 Quark 39.90
Tuna 69.75
Grated mozzarella cheese 69.90
Total spent 202.55 lira (£5.30)

At Fat Club I was so pleased to find that Jamie’s scales were wrong and I’d actually lost 0.4kg (0.9lb), definitely not to be sniffed at. Obviously, I then had to go and ruin my luck by eating 62 syns in a couple of hours of my new week! Ghislaine and I decided to nip to Ozzy’s bar for a cheeky drink after Fat Club. I’d already had my 1.5 litre of water at the group which hopefully meant I wouldn’t shovel food and drink down like it was going out of fashion. Vanessa, Matt and the Aussies also came to join us for a drink or two. I ended up having 3 white wines and tucking in to the free crisps which Ozzy always makes sure are topped up. It was amazing to see that he had now refurbished the bar, and made the whole entire inside area, no smoking. Ozzy had put up a sign and was telling people to smoke outside only. I was really liking that he’d took the advice on board and acted on it.
Back at Jamie’s for dog walking and feeding, Norman managed to eat from the bowl on the floor, instead of me holding it – another improvement to his health.
As it was treat day, I had a burger for dinner with cheese and sauce! I really enjoyed it but tomorrow I had to focus. I only had 2.4kg to lose to hit my target!

Dalyan – 15th & 16th January

I woke early on Monday 15th January, and stayed in bed for a bit. I’d took to writing in my 2024 diary everything I spent (as well as having a list of everything I consumed). I’d temporarily set myself a budget of £10 per day which was probably the tightest budget I’d tried to stick to in quite some time. In the first week of January I had spent 1,436 lira (£38) then in the second week I’d spent 3,847 lira (£100). I was impressed to be £2 under budget at almost halfway through the month and it reassured me that I could manage on very little, if I had to.
As I had my cup of tea, I had to explain to the dogs that it could be a sofa day, as it was raining. I finally got a passport photo with ears to Captain Caveman, without a radiator in the background and he would apply for my Vietnam visa before he went to Son Doong. As I was waiting to get paid, I was not doing any work today and I’d be having Mondays off from now on. I had a healthy day; overnight oats, more of the pasta bake for lunch and another wrap pizza for dinner. For snacks I had chestnuts and some pistachios which meant I was already on 271 syns for the week so far.
I had a call from Captain Caveman, 3 in a row! He’d been to his briefing and he was looking forward to his trip to Hang Son Doong tomorrow.

I finally got paid on Tuesday 16th January for the work I did in November and December. It was 6 weeks and 6 days since my last pay so, as you can imagine, it was very welcome. I decided, though, that I wouldn’t go out spending it all today and would be very careful.
When Norman and Edna went out in the morning, it was still very overcast and chilly. Norman wasn’t impressed and was soon back to the sofa for snuggles while I drank my tea. I had toast with butter for breakfast as I’d forgotten to make my overnight oats and a healthy banana. Captain Caveman had gone in to Son Doong but would be back out on Friday with some days off.
I wished my sister, Gayle, and my oldest friend, Ingrid, a happy birthday and looked up some recipes that were Slimming World friendly.
The never ending SW Hunters Chicken pasta bake was for lunch again, but I wasn’t yet sick of it, which was fortunate. The afternoon dog walk wasn’t a long one and I had to take Norman in his pushchair which he loved. For dinner I had cabbage rolls, which had been defrosted, they were surprisingly tasty and I was getting used to using lots of lentils in my food. I had more chestnuts as a snack while watching a bit of TV with the dogs.
Tomorrow was weigh-in at Fat Club and, although I had consumed fewer syns (43) than the previous week, I’d still totted up 291 which wasn’t good. Only 56 of those were alcohol so I couldn’t blame that as a reason, either.