Dalyan – 11th & 12th March

My weight on the home scales on Wednesday 11th March showed no change and I hoped that was because the battery was low on them. My measurements were much more favourable as I had lost 1cm from my bust and waist and 3cm from my hips. I just needed to lose 3cm more from my waist and hips to be back to target.
After a couple of hours work, I did day 3 of The Signal, the free course which was really opening my eyes to how I write content and how I might want to improve it in the future. At 1pm I was on a zoom call with the publisher, Claire Clarke, and the Create, Publish, Grow group that I’m part of. We started to discuss advertising and getting our books in to actual bookshops which is what I really needed. I still wanted to do more book sales as I knew my handy travel tips and the handy travel planner could certainly help more people have better holidays.
At Fat Club I had a bit of a surprise when I got on Carol’s scales – I had lost 1.9kg (3.8lb) so, naturally, I was pleased. The swimming pool and the garden area at Ren was looking good, ready for the tourists coming soon. It was colder than it looked out so I was regretting wearing shorts! I spent just 30 lira (51p) on a water, although I was meant to be on a zero spend day today. I rushed back home as I had more work commitments booked in which meant I couldn’t make it to Matt’s birthday meal at the new fish place in town. I’d decided I might meet them after for drinks but I didn’t go in the end. I’d not been paid yet and I was keen to wait until I knew what I was getting, before I spent money on going out or alcohol, plus I was absolutely knackered. Most of the people out had gone to Corner bar, some had gone home. I had an early night, ready for another busy day tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Free help with courses and zoom
2. Losing weight
3. A very low spend, zero alcohol day.

It was a busy day in Dalyan on Thursday 12th March. I did a couple of hours work while having tea and toast. At 10am I attended the 4th session of The Signal with Georgina Chapman.
In the Resort Experts team meeting at 2pm there was no apology or mention of the late pay day so I asked the question (again). Luckily, we were reassured that it was being worked on as we spoke. It was likely we would get paid tomorrow but definitely by Friday! I was fine with that, I just wanted to know how much I was getting and when, so that I could make sure my money was in the Turkish bank account before the Bayram bank holidays. It was hot today so I sat outside and got sunburn through my black trousers. I ate left over curry for lunch, outside on the balcony.

At 6pm I decided to go for a walk and take some photos by the river, go to the bank and call for some wine. I bought 2 bottles for 560 lira (£9.49) and took them over to Jamie & Drew’s where I had been invited for dinner.

At Jamie’s I sat outside with a glass of red while chatting to Lucy (Drew’s sister-in-law) and getting to know Scott (her friend). They are really nice people and we had such a laugh. Nanny Kay arrived shortly after and more wine and more laughs were had before enjoying a delicious chicken dinner.
It was late when I got home and I was a bit tipsy!

Gratitude List
1. My new phone and camera
2. A great night at Jamie & Drew’s.
3. Wine.

Dalyan – 10th March

I was so busy on Tuesday 10th March, the day started with the banana cake and tea and then I was in the office until 3pm.
I bought Captain Caveman’s annual Earthquake Insurance for 1,797 lira (£30) as well as the annual home insurance for 10,723 lira (£182). I now use Aytaç Burçak of Saraymine Sigorta for all our insurances as he knows what he’s doing and is easy to do business with.
I needed some essentials and some lunch so, at 3.30pm I took a break and went to the shops. Here’s what I got with prices in lira;

Parlak Bakery
1 Bread 15
1 simit 15
Total spent 30 lira (51p)

Migros Supermarket
Bin Liners 29.95
4 Quark 180.00
Total spent 209.95 lira (£3.56)

I got as many Quark as I could because they were on offer. Back home I ate the simit with cheese, olives and gherkins for a very late lunch, before getting back to my desk.
There was still no email or sign of pay from Resort Experts but I was reliably informed it could sometimes be as late as the 14th so I waited patiently.
I arranged for some quotes for home repairs to be done by Leanne at King Emlak and then I finished a busy day around 6.30pm.

I went to meet friends who were back from the UK and had brought me butter back. When I got to Corner Bar, I ordered a red wine, and found out my friends had forgotten the butter! Still, it was nice to see them as I don’t get out an awful lot these days and they always make an effort to check on me, which is nice.
I paid 170 lira (£2.88) for a glass of wine, but limited it as I had Fat Club tomorrow!
Jamie walked past and was with Norman, the dog, Drew and his sister-in-law and her friend so we all did the usual hellos and Norman got a stroke.
Back home I had curry for dinner and then did some writing. I hoped I’d done enough this week to lose some weight at Fat Club tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Getting boring tasks sorted
2. Seeing friends
3. Nice food.

Dalyan – 8th & 9th March

I arranged to meet a friend on Sunday 8th March, at Kaunos tea Gardens. I couldn’t take the whole day off so we decided to meet at 9.30am with the intention of having a bit of a walk too. As I walked past the River House I noticed they had sea bream and bass on special for £10.
We ended up sitting inside as it was still quite chilly. I had 2 large Turkish teas and a cheese toastie for 195 lira (£3.30). We had a good catch up and then a walk along the river, stopping to speak to the owner of the new fish and chip place between the Zabıta office and China Town. It looked really good so my friend and I added it to our places to try out soon. I went back home with the intention of getting on with my next handy travel tips book, which I needed to start again as the document had disappeared. That didn’t happen as I had emails to reply to and I ended up working until gone 5pm.
I had bacon and asparagus for dinner, with parmesan on. It was so good and rather extravagant. For afters I made strawberries with quark and mini meringues.
I was going to bed when I got a message from Vanessa inviting me to Matt’s birthday at the new fish and chip place on Wednesday at 5pm.

Gratitude List
1. Fresh air and a walk
2. Catching up with a friend
3. Asparagus.

I had some overripe bananas that needed eating up on Monday 9th March so I made a flourless cake. Moshed bananas, oats, egg and blueberries in the air fryer (or oven) for 20 minutes – and Slimming World friendly too.
I worked all day and was impatiently waiting for the pay day email to come through to show what I was getting paid. Usually we get a statement which shows the top line amount then less any fees and charges. It is broken down by customer name and I cross reference it with my spreadsheet. I was particularly looking forward to this pay day as it was my first one from Resort Experts in 2026, my last pay day had been in December. Because I have more bookings in for spring & summer it means my first pay was due now.
I started The Signal, a course about writing, with Georgina Chapman at 10am and it took my mind off it for an hour. I had plenty of tea and wrote my content for the rest of the week.
At 6.30pm I made myself a Slimming World style pizza and did some blog writing in the evening. It was a zero spend and a zero alcohol day.

Gratitude List
1. Something different for breakfast
2. The Signal, a free course I’d signed up for
3. Eating healthy.

Dalyan – 5th March

I was in my office by 8am on Thursday 5th March, writing Resort Experts content and catching up on more free training and courses. Today marked 10 years since I had done the trip to the biggest cave in the world, Hang Son Doong, in Vietnam. I bet I couldn’t do it now!
I noticed a woman I had been following on Facebook for a while, was doing a free challenge next week; 5 days of using your voice in a market that’s stopped listening. It peaked my interest and I decided to sign up, I even decided to share it with lots of other Facebook friends who worked for themselves or had side hustles. There was a prize to be won if we got chosen, for sharing the link so I asked everyone I could think of, including my Resort Experts colleagues. I had a quick walk round the block and to check if my parents’ trees had started to grow back after a rather over zealous winter prune – they weren’t but it had been a pretty cold and wet winter, here. I let my mom know and tried to reassure her they would be in full bloom by the time they arrived.
At 2pm I attended the team meeting where more talk about new improved systems were coming our way and things were business as usual, despite the Middle East conflict.

After a busy day I decided I would have chicken fajitas for dinner, only to realise at gone 6pm that I didn’t have any peppers or onions. I took it as an opportunity to leave the house for some fresh air to go get some and have a walk by the river with my new phone. It was also a good opportunity to get a selfie of me wearing a music related t-shirt in memory of an old Aviva friend who had died 1 year ago today.

I tried doing sunset photos and videos to have a practice with my new phone too, appreciating the beauty around me. It was quite a warm evening until it got dark.

Here’s what I bought at the shop, prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
2 Onions 4.27
2 Green peppers 24.79
2 Red peppers 25.89
8 Satsumas 26.63
Total spent 81.58 lira (£1.38)

Seasonal fruit and vegetables are still quite cheap here in Dalyan but I’m always careful not to buy out of season produce. I was tempted to pick up a bottle of wine but decided to enjoy a 3rd day this week without any alcohol. I also thought I might try to avoid alcohol for the rest of this week.

I walked the long way round to take a photo of a couple of local hotels which I was recommending to friends who were coming later in the year. They were closed for the winter at the moment but would open next month. I made sure to say hello to my regular doggy friends, the usual white two were excited to see me and came over for belly rubs.
Back home I made fajitas which were really tasty and I got ready for a busy day at my desk tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Being busy from getting out of bed to getting back in it.
2. Appreciating a walk while using my new phone
3. Good food.

Dalyan – 1st & 2nd March

Over my morning tea and toast on Sunday 1st March, I checked my blog stats. I had just 1% more views in February than January. Interestingly, I had viewers from a country which wasn’t previously on my viewers list, let alone at number 4:
1. UK
2. USA
3. Türkiye
4. Israel
5. Australia
6. Vietnam
7. Hong Kong
8. Ireland
9. Canada
10. Sweden

Because I had taken Friday and Saturday off to accommodate Captain Caveman being here and the postponed boat trip, today was spent in the spare room/office catching up and drinking tea which I made with my new kettle! I loved the new kettle but I did think I might need to be careful about increasing the amount of caffeine I consumed. I consciously made sure today was a zero spend and zero alcohol day but tomorrow I did need to go food shopping as I didn’t have much in, especially as I had missed the Saturday market yesterday. I decided to set my budget for the first week of the new month at just £50, although strictly speaking I could have put it at £140 – I chose not to so that £90 could go in to my emergency/travel fund.
Captain Caveman got back fine and I had my first proper meal of the day at 8.20pm, just a pasta dish that I knocked up. I’d not even left the house today.

Gratitude List
1. Catching up on stuff after 2 days off
2. Having good blog stats
3. A zero spend day to get me back on track.

After tea, toast and a couple of hours of work on Monday 2nd March, I decided to pop to the shops to stock back up. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
4 small milk 51.60
Bananas 52.36
Olives 61.50
1 Sweet potato 64.17
Chickpeas 69.95
Rye loaf 85.00
Soy sauce 89.97
Mozzarella cheese 169.90
Total spent 644.45 lira (£10.92)

I’ve been buying my milk in small cartons to reduce waste. If I buy a normal sized carton, there’s a chance I don’t use it all before it goes off and I don’t like to waste it. I had tried putting it in to ice cube trays but I’m not convinced it’s as good with my Yorkshire tea. There was also a shortage of meat on the shelves so I would have to try again later or tomorrow.
While I was looking at my copy of ‘The Handy Travel Planner’, which I’m using a lot, I noticed I’d already added Israel and Iran to countries I wouldn’t visit, before any war started. The planner was proving to be better than I thought for mult-trip planning.
I had a check of flights to the UK to see Captain Caveman when he returned from Vietnam at Easter. I could get a one way without luggage for £30 and I almost booked it. It’s a good job I didn’t as Captain Caveman said not to bother as he was down to work on site over the Easter weekend. We toyed with the idea of me going back at the end of April/beginning of May but the flight prices were higher, my parents were arriving in Dalyan around then and I was looking forward to seeing them. I didn’t book anything and decided to see how things went.
That evening I had been invited round to dinner with Jamie, Drew and Nanny Kay so I called at the Yaman Büfe 2, off licence, and picked up a bottle of wine for 300 lira (£5.08). When I got there Jamie ordered me a phone case from Trendyol as he’s got an account and I gave him the 400 lira (£6.78) cash for it. I had no idea if this was a good deal but to me it felt like an absolute bargain to not have a broken phone if I should drop it. Norman was pleased to have visitors and he was keen to get a snaffle of something, as usual. We discussed requirements for his 15th birthday and Nanny Kay very kindly agreed to make a carrot cake for the occasion.
We had a lovely homemade meal of shepherd’s pie and plenty of wine. It was pretty late when I got home having had a good day where I’d spent a total of £22.78, mainly as I had only done half a good shop.

Gratitude List
1. Allocating more budget in March
2. A walk and a shop for fresh air
3. Dinner & wine with friends

Dalyan – 25th & 26th February

There were plans for an after work outing on Wednesday 25th February and I was looking forward to it. I was also quite tired on our morning walk round Dalyan where we saw that the water levels were back down. The Dalyan Dwellers who had been having to use the back door only, for drinking at Tapa bar would be pleased with that progress.

Before breakfast I did my measurements and got weighed. Despite putting 1cm on my bust and waist and losing 1cm from my hips, the home scales said I had lost 0.4kg (0.9lb), which I was surprised about. I felt sure I would’ve put on some.
After work and soup for lunch, I popped off to Fat Club where I had unfortunately put on 0.25kg (0.5lb) on Carol’s scales, so that was disappointing but better than I had expected, plus I was about to ruin it with a night out. I finished more from my to do list and left Captain Caveman working until late but he would join us later. I met Nanny Kay, Jamie and his Dad, Geoff, at Ren Garden for a drink before dinner. I just had a red wine for 150 lira (£2.54) then it was time to go for food.
Captain Caveman joined the 4 of us at Jik’s pub where we ordered food. All of us except Jamie ordered pizzas, Jamie chose a chicken curry. Jik’s is one of those places that is consistent and has friendly staff. The wine and beers flowed for a weekday night too.
Captain Caveman paid our bill of 1,760 lira (£29.83) which included red wines, beers, pizzas and chips. I thoroughly enjoyed our evening out and didn’t think about having to get up early tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Seeing Dalyan being dryer
2. Being lighter on the home scales than at Fat Club
3. An excellent evening out with friends.

Disaster struck on Thursday 26th February when our kettle started to leak! It turned out that the calcite in the tap water had finally made the kettle come apart where the measurement level section was. We didn’t have a walk as we both had work and laundry to do. While Captain Caveman had a meeting, I went to several shops to see if there were any kettles. They were very expensive in the electrical shops although there was a Turkish style kettle and tea pot in Migros for only 800 lira (£13.69) but I wasn’t sure it would be good enough. I decided to wait as tomorrow I was taking the afternoon off to go to Ortaca and I might find one there.
For our dinner, Captain Caveman had insisted that we go out to another one of our favourite restaurants in Dalyan. We arrived at Duble just after 8pm when Captain Caveman finished work. Ibo welcomed us and we sat at a nice table inside. We decided to order a bottle of red wine, 2 soups for starters and 3 dishes to share for main; cheese rolls, liver and chicken shish. It was all very tasty and the liver there is my absolute favourite. We had a great night and we ended up paying just less than £40 for the 5 dishes and a bottle of red wine.

Gratitude List
1. Still finding time to go out after working a long day
2. Captain Caveman suggesting Duble for dinner
3. Great food which was such good value for money.

Dalyan – 22nd February

Our first day together on Sunday 22nd February was lovely. Captain Caveman and I had been due to go on a boat trip but, due to the water levels and it not being safe for getting on and off the boat, it had been postponed. This meant we had a free day and I needed to make sure that Captain Caveman didn’t regret not having arranged a Sunday Walk. We decided we would go for food at Kefal tea gardens then have our own short walk, and a leisurely Sunday.
I took my new phone to try out the camera but I didn’t yet have a case for it so needed to be super careful. I took a selfie and the quality of the camera was good, you could see every wrinkle!
Our first stop on the walk was to check out the river levels outside Tapa bar. This was the highest I’d seen it – Captain Caveman and I had to walk round the road way to the Kefal tea gardens as, even with wellies on, it was too deep. When we arrived at Kefal the sun was out and they had the windows open in the indoor area. Here’s what we had and the prices in lira;

Kefal tea gardens
2 Turkish teas 50.00
1 cheese toastie 150.00
1 Turkish breakfast 360.00
Total spent 560 lira (£9.49)

The food was really nice but my Turkish breakfast was so big that Captain Caveman had to help me eat it.

After breakfast we had a meander, we called in to see Jamie and Norman and had quite a walk around Dalyan while the sun was out. As it was a Sunday, there was nowhere open to exchange currency so I paid £100 cash in to my Turkish bank and moved it across so we could draw out some cash to spend. By 3.30pm we were treating ourselves to an alcoholic beverage in the sun outside Public bar. Captain Caveman ordered an Efes for 190 lira (£3.22) and I went mad with a pint of shandy for 220 lira (£3.73). While Captain Caveman didn’t flinch at the costs, I thought it was a little more than I would usually pay for 2 beers but nevertheless, I enjoyed it – my first beer of 2026. It was the first time we had visited this bar and I liked the interior, there were quite a few Turkish visitors too which was good to see.
Next we went to the Kaunos tea gardens where we met a friend for a bit of a chat. We paid the bill and here’s what we had with prices in lira:

Kaunos Tea Gardens
1 water 20.00
1 lemon soda 40.00
1 Tuborg beer 200.00
Total spent 260 lira (£4.41)

It was gone 6pm by the time we left the tea gardens and it was getting a little nippy so we decided to call in to Waterfall bar to say hello. We had a couple of drinks in there and had texted friends who we thought were calling in, but they didn’t arrive. The bill came to 600 lira (£10.17) for 2 wines and 2 beers then we walked towards home, shivering by this time as it had turned cold.
We decided to eat dinner at Çağrı, an old favourite of ours. Here’s what we had with the prices in lira;

Çağrı
1 large water 50
1 Lahmacun 180
1 Mixed salad 200
1 Efes Malt 200
1 red wine 250
2 lentil soups 300
1 pide 320
Tıp 200
Total spent 1700 lira (£28.81)

The food was fantastic and the service super quick, the perfect end to a boozy and relaxing day together. We’d spent around £60 between the 2 of us in just one day and we did comment how good value that was compared to what we’d have spent in the UK on a Sunday, out and about.

Gratitude List
1. A day off with Captain Caveman in Dalyan
2. Having a super new phone that worked, even if I didn’t know how to use it yet
3. Great food and drinks.

Dalyan – 15th February

There was a bit of excitement on Sunday 15th February as the flights for Poland and Brussels were going to be booked today. Captain Caveman had already said he would book our two and our good friend, Louisa, was going to be booking hers as we had invited her to join our adventure. Captain Caveman was going to Poland for 5 days of Bridge so this meant Louisa and I could be off exploring without him during some of the trip and then in Belgium we planned to introduce her to the Brussels Beer Festival and our favourite kebab place. I was so excited that I went for a walk outside not realising how bad the floods had been, the Dalyan river was now starting to overflow. The worry among the Dalyan Dwellers, who like to drink in Tapa bar, was if they would still be able to get in the front door! I stopped to take some photos, my phone was still playing up and kept deleting stuff but today I managed to get quite a few that saved. I always say hello to the street dogs who I’ve called Bowie and Dexter, they are friendly and love a little stroke.
I decided to go to the shops, despite already having almost blown the budget by spending £37 on food and drink out this weekend. So that I wouldn’t throw in the towel on Frugal February, I cheated a bit and isolated that particular expense to see if, without that, I would still be able to save money. Otherwise I knew I’d just admit I’d failed and not continue to be frugal.
I took the day off while it had stopped raining and wanted to buy some things in readiness for Captain Caveman arriving next weekend. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Onions 6.33
Bleach 45.95
6 Eggs 59.95
Olives 61.50
Wholemeal bread 99.50
1.5kg whole chicken 124.24
3 Quark 167.85
Mouthwash & shower gel pack 259.95
Total spent 825.27 lira (£13.99)

Parlak Bakery
Bread & Simit 30 lira (51p)

I’d not heard back from Captain Caveman about the flights so I set up a Facebook group with him, Louisa and I so that he could post any instructions on which flights to book. I’d already let him know that I would be meeting a friend at 2pm at the tea gardens and wouldn’t have WiFi. I spent less than 50 lira (85p) on tea and we had a good chat. My friend had organised a boat trip for next Sunday which we were going on and she was looking forward to seeing Captain Caveman.
It was 5.30pm when I left and walked home to see a load of activity in the Poland/Belgium group chat, plus a missed call from Louisa. Nevertheless, it was all booked! As I scrolled through the updates and screenshots I still wasn’t convinced we were all on the same flights but Captain Caveman and Louisa seemed to have it all under control. I was really looking forward to it, especially as this would be my first visit to Poland.
While I chatted to Louisa I prepared a Sunday dinner, she was also excited and had been to Poland before but not the Beer Festival. We laughed as I think Captain Caveman had been a bit vague on his plans for me to be a Bridge Widow, although it had all worked out well now that I had a friend to keep me from moaning at him for playing too much Bridge! My Sunday dinner was lovely and after that, I spoke to Captain Caveman who was also excited to have got our trip booked. This time next week he would be here in Dalyan with me.

Gratitude List
1. A morning walk
2. Catching up with a friend at the tea gardens
3. Finalising the Poland/Belgium plans.

Dalyan – 8th & 9th February

On Sunday 8th February Norman’s tummy was much better and he’d not had any mishaps, which I was grateful for. I did some work first then did breakfast and tea. I worked all day and just had a warmed up sweet and sour chicken with rice for a late lunch/early dinner.
It was now less than 2 weeks untill Captain Caveman was arriving. Even though it was a Sunday, I still worked and and only popped out when I walked Norman. I forgot I’d opened the wine yesterday, so it ended up being a zero alcohol and zero spend day.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Zero spend day
3. Nice food.

Monday 9th February was a busy day which started with me catching Norman chomping on cat shit which he’d dragged out of the gravel. I had my usual tea and toast then shoved some ingredients in the slow cooker to make a curry for lunch. I worked all morning and in the afternoon I spoke to a couple of customers and a colleague before having a late lunch.
As it was the Tet holiday in Vietnam, and the year of the horse was about to begin, I found a photo of me on a horse so that I could wish all my Vietnamese friends ‘Chúc Mừng Năm Mới’, next week. The photo was taken by Murat from when I’d joined my sister, brother-in-law and 2 nieces on a horse riding trip, not far from Dalyan. Not only was it the year of the horse starting on the 17th of this month, but it was a Fire Horse. Here’s some info about what that mean if you believe in the zodiac signs;
Key Themes & Predictions for 2026
The Fire Horse Energy: The rare combination of Fire and Horse signifies rapid progress, passion, and intense, sometimes volatile, energy that can feel like a “wildfire” if not managed.
Career & Finance: A strong year for leadership, creativity, and ambitious, fast-moving, and risky career moves, particularly in tech or media.
Relationships & Health: While a year of high excitement, it is also a “clash” year for Horses, which may lead to instability or break-ups in relationships. It is crucial for everyone to practice emotional steadiness, manage stress, and avoid overthinking.
Advice: Focus on calculated risks, and “control the changes” by celebrating milestones like weddings or new babies to counter potential instability.
Lucky Elements: Red is a favourable colour; incorporating “cool” elements (like travelling to colder, northern, or western regions) may help balance the fiery energy.
I finished at 8.30pm and it had been a long day so I decided to eat cheese and biscuits for dinner with a couple of glasses of red wine to finish off the wine I’d bought on Saturday and forgotten to finish. I’d had another zero spend day which I was pleased about and was hoping for another one tomorrow too.
Tonight was my last one with Norman as Jamie & Drew were back tomorrow afternoon.

Gratitude List
1. Good food
2. Another 5 Star review
3. Norman.

Dalyan – 6th & 7th February

I woke up early on Friday 6th February and it had been raining all night. Norman had to go out in the rain in the morning so he was a bit miffed. The pool was almost overflowing and it was very blustery out there. I worked all day and got another review for Resort Experts which I was pleased about as they can definitely make a difference and help customers who don’t know me decide on whether to come to me to book.
For lunch I had leftover teriyaki chicken with steamed rice and then decided to take Norman for an early walk while the rain was temporarily stopped.
We didn’t go far and once we’d got past my parents’ place, Norman insisted we turn round and go back. He knew the rain was coming and we got in just before another massive downpour. I made halloumi pasta with pesto for dinner and then did some blog post scheduling while Norman snored loudly next to me on the sofa. I’d had another no spend day and I was under target if I managed not to spend anything again tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Good food
2. Another good review.
3. Norman.

Saturday 7th February didn’t start in the best way that it could have but I was glad I’d not had to deal with it hungover! I’d come downstairs just after 7am and was greeted by quite a bit of doggy diarrhoea. Poor Norman had gone back to bed after attempting to spray ‘paint’ the living/dining area with runny poo. It smelled disgusting and I had to put him out on the terrace while I donned the rubber gloves and cleaned it up. Poor Norman watched as I got to work and seemed a little regretful that he’d managed to get a bit on Dennis, the doggy doorstop.
I was convinced it was due to him having licked and tried to eat cat shit, plus it was the first Peanut Paw snack he’d had in a week yesterday. Norman came back in to a wet wipe wash down and a spray or 2 of cologne before he was allowed his breakfast. I put egg in his breakfast to try to rectify the runs. As he’s nearly 15 years old, he didn’t get a telling off just a reassurance of not to worry and a video for Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew who were still enjoying the last days of their cruise holiday.
I worked in the morning on quoting a customer on a Wendy Wu escorted tour, there was a sale on so it made the prices pretty good for February bookings. I was definitely getting more traction on enquiries and bookings in February 2026 were already more than last year’s.
Around lunch time I nipped to the shop and bought a bottle of wine for later at 300 lira (£5.08), and a loaf of bread and an açma for lunch as a treat. I spent just 30 lira (51p) in the bakery and decided not to to go to the market today. I did this for several reasons; I had food in still, it was peeing it down with rain and I wanted to stay on track for spending less than £30 this week. I totted up my spending for the week and I was doing fine. So far this month I had spent 1,532.14 lira (£25.97) and I had £65.03 left to last me until the end of the 21st!
I had another call with a potential customer in the afternoon and I used a page from The Handy Travel Planner when they asked me what information I needed to know to find them a suitable holiday for the family.
I ended up working until gone 9pm on a Saturday night! Then I watched something on TV while eating bread and cheese for dinner with some red wine.

Gratitude List
1. Norman not shitting on the rugs
2. Wine
3. Cheese.

Dalyan – 4th & 5th February

The home scales on Wednesday 4th February showed I’d put on 0.6kg (1.3lb) which wasn’t good. My measurements also were not great as my hips and waist had remained the same but I’d put 2cm on my bust! I had tea and toast then got on with work before it was time to go to Fat Club.
I should really have had another no spend day yesterday and used today for the shopping day, as I knew I was going to be having a drink at Fat Club today. We’d changed venues to try Ren Garden, given that the prices of drinks at the Caria Hotel had increased. I got weighed to find Carol’s scales were not kind and I’d actually put on 0.65kg (1.4lb). Ironically, I then decided I would have a glass of red wine for 140 lira (£2.37) and I couldn’t resist taking a cookie home which cost 100 lira (£1.69). Thus spending more than I would have at the old Fat Club venue.
I got back and took Norman out for a walk without it raining, which was nice and then he had his dinner with extra pasta in, as I had a veggie pasta dish and that amazing chocolate chip cookie. I did more work in the evening.
I spoke to Captain Caveman around 9.30pm and we were on countdown to his arrival in 16 days. Norman snored for the rest of the evening, comfortably on the sofa.

Gratitude List
1. Treats at the new Fat Club venue
2. Speaking to Captain Caveman
3. Norman.

On Thursday 5th February Norman had taken to finding and licking or eating cat shit in the garden. The water levels had gone down after a dry day, exposing quite a bit of cat shit in the gravel and Norman was like a kid in a sweet shop!
After tea and toast, I popped back to get the washing in I’d hung out yesterday, while it wasn’t raining. Today the skies were grey again and rain was forecast to start this afternoon until Tuesday, when Jamie & Drew were due back to Dalyan.
I worked all day, stopping off for a lunch break where I warmed up some leftover curry and read a lovely review from a customer.
At 4.30pm the rain looked imminent so Norman and I rushed out for a walk – it was quite blustery and Norman wasn’t that happy about it!
For dinner, I made teriyaki chicken with noodles which was very tasty. I worked in the evening and today was another zero spend day, which I was pleased about and I’d planned to stay in and work all weekend.

Gratitude List
1. Good food
2. Resort Experts review
3. Norman.

Dalyan – 3rd February

Amazingly, the sun came out on Tuesday 3rd February so Norman and I were both really pleased about that. I’d been doing well with the Frugal February so far and I had just 1 week left until Jamie & Drew came back. After a few hours of work, tea and toast for breakfast, my pen ran out just as I came to the end of my notepad – which was weird! I decided to go for a walk and call at the shops for new ones. Here’s what I spent, prices in lira, still keeping the budget in mind;

Dalyan Stationers

2 pens 100
2 notebooks 200
Total spent 300 lira (£5.08)

I could have bought just 1 of each but decided I would have spares for next time, even though I could’ve saved spending £2.54.

Migros Supermarket

Wholemeal bread 99.50
2 Quark 111.90
Fabric Softener 116.95
900g chicken breast 193.99
4 tins tomatoes 199.80
Total 722.14 lira (£12.24)

I decided to pop in to the supermarket as I wanted a sliced wholemeal loaf and some chicken. While there, I spotted they had fabric softener on offer for the 1440ml, large size (which I had run out of) and they had restocked the tins of tomatoes. Tinned tomatoes are like rocking horse shit here, in the winter, so I grabbed 4 – again, not an essential but I like to get them when I see them. I dropped the tomatoes and softener off at home and took the rest of the stuff back with me to Jamie’s.
Norman was loving being back outside too but there seemed to be a lot of cats around, which he wasn’t keen on. We had a lovely walk, with no rain too.
I worked until 9.30pm, including some stuff for my next book, and had a chicken, chickpea and spinach curry for dinner.

Gratitude List
1. Shopping for non essentials but still being within my budget
2. A walk in the sun
3. Norman.

Dalyan – 2nd February

I decided to have a no spend day on Monday 2nd February, I didn’t need to buy anything or go anywhere as I had a big to do list. I had not had much sleep as the storm during the night had kept me awake and there had been hail as big as marbles! Norman put in another complaint about the weather but he cheered up once he’d had a corner of toast, despite being rather damp. It was also very cold as I worked all morning with Norman in his bed beside me. I broke off at 2pm for lunch and had warmed up leftover sausage casserole. At 5pm Norman and I went for a soggy walkies through lots of puddles. In the evening I did some more work, sponsored a friend for a marathon she was running and had some messages from Captain Caveman who was getting prepared for a sponsored cycling (300km) event in Vietnam next month. He was paying for his own flights, fees and everything for the trip but anyone who sponsored him would have all of their money going directly to benefit children in Vietnam with Saigon Children’s Charity. They’ve already built over 200 schools, including one in the village where Captain Caveman used to work. You can read more about them here: https://share.google/FOjpUky4K5Ep3T3s2
It did make me think I should do something for charity in the future, as I didn’t really have the time or money right now but that was another goal for later in the year and definitely for 2027. I certainly couldn’t run a marathon or cycle 300km but maybe a 5km walk would be a start.
At 9pm I had a call with a couple of friends who were one of my favourite customers and had booked their third holiday with me. They were off to Morocco on my recommendation and we had a great catch up of things to do/see, what to avoid etc, to help them get the most out of their anniversary break to Marrakech.
Before bed I asked ChatGPT to do me a caricature picture or 2 of me that showed what I did for work and it was quite good. At this point I was unaware of the trend of using your actual face to do this.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Leftover sausage casserole
3. A call with friends to chat about Marrakech.

Dalyan – 1st February

It was the first day of my Frugal February on Sunday 1st February and I’d also planned to take the day off. I had given myself a mission to spend less than £91 (5,369 lira) in 3 weeks. The exchange rate throughout February would get nearer to 60 lira to the pound – the highest I’d known it. I’d already pretty much cut out non-essential purchases from my lifestyle for most of the last year or more, but now I was really going to test myself (hopefully). Captain Caveman would arrive for the last week of February and we would spend normally then – and have a bit of a treat or two.
I had another 10 days left with Norman and he was doing well despite the wettest winter I’d had in Dalyan. The forecast didn’t look much better for the next week and I could guarantee it would probably fine up, the day that Jamie returned!
After tea and toast with Norman, who promptly fell asleep after his corner of toast, I checked my blog stats. January had 24% more views than December and the top 3 views were from the UK, Türkiye and the USA, then followed by The Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Germany, Sweden, Vietnam and Ireland. I was pleased to see Vietnam in the top 10 for the start of 2026. It stopped raining but the skies were grey and another downpour was imminent.
I met a friend at the tea gardens and we had a catch up and a cup of tea – I splashed out and had 2 large teas for 40 lira (68p) and we were there for a while. We left just as it was starting to rain again but I managed to get back home in time to check on the leaks. Our pool on the complex had overflowed so it was a good job I had my wellies on.
By the time I was walking past my parents’ and to Jamie’s, the sun was out and I hurried back to take Norman out for a walk. I found him laying on the kitchen rug, basking in the sunshine. On the walk, the skies got gloomier and by the end of it, little Norman had quite a spurt on to get home before he got wet.
We got in just before another downpour and I had sausage casserole with veggies and potatoes for my dinner – it was delicious. I ended up doing a bit of work in the evening and decided to follow another one of those prompt sheets I often do but only get halfway through!
Norman came for snuggles on the sofa while I got excited over a Facebook recognition badge (sad, I know) and a video call with Captain Caveman who was in London.

Gratitude List
1. Tea with a friend on my day off
2. Norman
3. A video call with Captain Caveman.

Dalyan – 30th & 31st January

Friday 30th January was a busy day but I took a couple of hours off in the afternoon and I decided to take Sunday off this week. Pay day weekends, which mainly fall at the end of the month are usually my busiest times, so I was working tonight and all day tomorrow. It was still a bit damp out there and I was on day 11 of my 22 days of dog sitting Norman – half way through. Jamie and Drew were having a lovely time on their cruise and we got some photos and updates from Jamie in the WhatsApp group, making us all jealous of the amazing weather he was enjoying.
I continued to work as hard as I could at building my travel business and promoting my books. I even got an update from Facebook on my author’s page to say ‘Congrats! You’ve completed our ads academy’. This was more impressive in that I didn’t know I was trying to complete it. I still found it hard to grow an audience and, with how Facebook works with followers, it was frustrating. I had invited people to follow, which means they can see my posts on preview without actually clicking the follow button but then people just stay in the limbo position and I can’t count them as a follower (because they aren’t) to get the extra benefits from Facebook for having more followers. Meanwhile, I also can’t remove and re invite them either.
At 2.30pm I downed tools and headed over to speak to a friend of a friend, who needed a cat sitter. A mutual friend had suggested me and we’d arranged for me to visit them today. The cats were sweet and quite playful, the owners I knew from seeing them about town. I was there an hour and a half but then had to get back to walk Norman, I called at the shop on the way back and here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros
Plastic bag 1.00
Mints 23.45
Popcorn 34.95
Grapefruit drink 38.90
Olives 46.12
Dark chocolate 69.95
Feta cheese 149.90
Tofu 162.95
Total spent 527.22 lira (£9.25)

Unfortunately, there was no chicken left and I’d planned to cook a teriyaki chicken for dinner – I bought tofu as a replacement but wasn’t confident about that.
Norman was reluctant to set off for a walk but I made him, it was not raining when we left. When we returned home we were both absolutely soaked and had got caught in the downpour. Norman actually fell out with me and wouldn’t participate in a video to Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew. He then demanded he should get a treat for enduring such a wet walk!
By 7pm he was on the sofa snoring away as I shelved the idea of tofu for tea and had a make do dinner of cheese and biscuits with olives so I could carry on working.

Gratitude List
1. Working hard
2. Norman
3. Cheese.

I was a bit out of sync on Saturday 31st January, so much so that I completely forgot it was market day. It rained all day and I had lots of stuff to get on with so I was busy at my laptop and I made a soup in the slow cooker.
At 11.30am, Norman started begging for a snack and he’d already had breakfast, 2 corners of toast and 1 gravy bone snack. He was not snoozy in the slightest and it was pouring with rain outside so he couldn’t go for a walk.
I had a couple of calls booked in with friends and one of them was to discuss more travel arrangements for the end of the year. I didn’t have my lunch, of halloumi pasta, until gone 3pm and after work, at 7.30pm, I decided to tot up my January income v expenditure and how the monthly budget had gone.
For the first time in a while, I’d managed to survive without too much hassle, but I had been looked after by Captain Caveman for the first 16 days of the month in Morocco and the UK. I added the holiday and Sheffield trip up separately to Türkiye which showed I’d spent a total of £668 (£600 of which had been paid for by Captain Caveman giving me the money).
Once back in Turkey I’d spent another £178 in total (including bills) and had a whopping £91 to carry over in to February.
I was pleased with that but I was starting Frugal February tomorrow in an attempt to build up an emergency fund. I wanted to get to the stage where I had spare money so, although I was going to have some treats, I had decided I needed to prioritise.
Captain Caveman was due to visit me on the 21st of next month so I set myself a goal to see if I could get by on not spending more than that £91, carried over from January, in the next 3 weeks. If I could, it would mean I’d effectively managed a no spend 3 weeks! It was going to be tough and I actually thought it might not be achievable but I was going to do my absolute best. What do you think, could I do it? Could you live off £30 per week in Türkiye for 3 weeks, if you tried to?

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Holiday planning
3. Surviving and having an impressively good January.

joloyolo

The ramblings and observations of a fortysomething lady of leisure

Tag: dogs