Hoi An – 29th March

While Captain Caveman started his cycle ride from Phong Nha Farmstay on Friday 29th March, I was already begging for mercy a little bit. We’d woken up without any drinking water in the house so Caroline had ordered some to be delivered and gone to 9 Grains Bakery. She wanted me to join her but I needed to shower and I wasn’t ready. Off she went while I revisited Day 2 of the 3 Day Canva course I had started. I was quite happily getting in to it when Caroline returned and started taking her door knob and lock off. She had bought a door knob which only opens with your thumb print and she was looking at how to fix it on. I remember thinking it would be a nightmare for me, my fingers often can’t turn on, off, up or down a ring on the electric hob in Turkey, never mind let me in to my own home when I’ve had a few drinks and am desperate for a wee.
Caroline gave up faffing after a bit and insisted we go back to 9 Grains for lunch. I was hungry as it was almost 2pm so off we went. Jake, a friend, had returned from Cambodia and she’d offered him the use of her motorbike. He’d left his bicycle at 9 Grains and it needed riding back to Caroline’s place. After a chicken, cheese, lettuce and onion sandwich on sourdough, some fruit and a berry juice I tackled the ride back on the busy road. I’m not very confident around traffic and we had a lorry in the way which meant a diversion through the fields, but I made it.
By 4.30pm I was back at the Chiropractor for another session with Dr An and is team. This time they used a giant vibrator on my back, which was pretty nice and I was stretched on the decompression machine, yet again. I was now 2cm taller than I was when I got to Hoi An. Maybe this was a good plan; to report to Fat Club that I’d grown instead of becoming any lighter!

I got changed in to a frock in the toilet after my final chiropractor session. The chiropractor had cost just 250,000VND (£7.90) per session but I’d paid only £15 for about 5 hours’ worth. The crux of my issue was that my thighs and hip muscles were too tight! There wasn’t much time before our next bit of excitement as Caroline picked me up in a golf buggy to drive us to Apggujung Korean BBQ restaurant. Joining us were Dr An, the chiropractor, a customer of his, Hawk and his wife, Hong. Caroline and I were the first there as it started to rain heavily just as we got there and the others were delayed. By the time the 6 of us were seated I’d come to the conclusion that I disliked grape soju, a Korean rice wine. I was also feeling a bit out of sorts after the therapy and was extremely tired. While I was feeling jaded from laying down or resting for most of the day, Captain Caveman had made the 135km from Phong Nha to Dong Ha and was having a beer and some food. Our Korean BBQ was fantastic and definitely one of my favourite meals. I’d paid 850,000VND (£26.87) which included Caroline and I paying for the chiro and his friend’s rice wine. Hawk and Hong, who don’t drink, sensibly left after the meal but the remaining 4 of us went in to town for a bit of a knees up.

I was conscious of money so was going to take it easy. We went to a trendy little cocktail bar next to a temple, where Caroline and the 2 fellas had a few mango daiquiris and I nursed a glass of white wine. They decided to try a new cocktail which Nick (not his real name) and his bar man performed for the customers. It was a red concoction, where fire and gold leaf were involved. My stomach can’t handle normal food so I wasn’t up for swallowing precious metals. We all had a laugh that they were covered in glitter and would be having sparkling shits tomorrow. Dr An picked up the tab for the drinks so I needn’t have restricted myself to 2 drinks, but I didn’t want to be cheeky.
When we tried to get a Grab home, Caroline was a bit tiddly and got a bit annoyed with the Grab motorbike driver who wanted to charge us an expensive 100,000VND (£3.16) and get both of us on the bike at once. Dr An and his friend had a car and tried to offer us a lift which Caroline, for some unknown reason, had declined.
In the end, we couldn’t get another Grab so we both got on the motorbike with (surprisingly) enough room. When we got to her’s she gave him 300,000VND (£9.48), well over the odds, and some words on not ripping foreigners off.
The night didn’t end there, Caroline and I stayed awake, talking, until 4am! We’d had an amazing day and night but tomorrow was my last full day in Hoi An.

Hoi An – 28th March

Caroline and I woke up on Thursday 28th March with Vee still between us on the bed. She’d obviously decided her mom needed guarding or that she was not missing out on the girls’ sleep over. Caroline had no specific plans, as she was feeling unwell still, so we headed to 9 Grains Bakery so that I could have breakfast and she could go to the chemist.
I had an earl grey tea and a fruit salad with yoghurt and granola. While Caroline brought back dehydration sachets of industrial strength and some charcoal tablets, we watched the flour delivery. It looked like a scene from a Pablo Escobar documentary.

Our next stop was for some pampering at Golden Girls Spa, on Phan Boi Chau street in Hoi An. As Caroline (and Vee) are friends with the owners and frequent the place regularly we were given the royal treatment at great prices. Even without mate’s rates, though, the prices and services were good and a pedicure with normal polish was 125,000VND (£3.95). I really enjoyed my pedicure and the leg massage that it included. Vee even got a cute and quick massage too while Caroline had a manicure, a leg and a shoulder massage.

In the late afternoon we were at the Chiropractor where I got more of the same treatment but a bit more of the machines, including an exercise one where my legs were worked.
While we were doing all that, Captain Caveman was over at the Phong Nha Farmstay getting ready for a practice cycle with some of his fellow Saigon Children’s Charity cyclists.
Caroline had needed to pick up her glasses and a pair of trousers she’d had made, which hadn’t been ready yet so she popped off to drop Vee back at home.

The 3 Dragons pub was our choice for a bite to eat, another one on the list of places we’ve visited often. It is a sports bar so we sat outside, hoping to avoid whatever sporting event was on the big screens. I was quite hungry as we hadn’t had time for lunch and it was almost 5pm. I ordered the pork ribs with BBQ sauce and fries and I had a small San Miguel beer which came to a total of 335,000VND (£10.59) and was rather good. Caroline had an Aperol spritz and a burger.

By 7.20pm we had gone to see Caroline’s business partner, Le, at one of his other business ventures. Pho May is a small Vietnamese restaurant, popular with Koreans, where we had a beer each and I had to try the prawn and pork wontons. They were amazing but very filling and our bill was paid for by either Caroline or Le.

Caroline had insisted that Le come meet us after he finished work so, after a quick drink at The Box, we went to Salt pub to meet him. It was very nice, Caroline knew the owner so we chatted for a bit, we had a go on the seesaw (as you do), before going to sit by the beach. We tried to order frozen margaritas but we had a bit of trouble so settled on normal ones. Caroline insisted on getting the bill again which came to 625,000VND (£19.76) for 4 margaritas and a bottle of Huda.

Hoi An – 27th March

In the absence of scales I got up and fished out my trusty tape measure on Wednesday 27th March. Today would be the 3rd Dalyan (Not so) Fat Club I’d not attended, since being in Vietnam. I was missing it but we had a group chat on Messenger that was keeping me going with support from other members and Carol. My pee was the colour of treacle and I was severely dehydrated after yesterday’s overly long journey and the amount of wine I’d had last night. This week my total syn consumption was 352, more than 3 times my allowance, and 197 of those syns were on alcohol. So, I was very surprised with my results this week;
Bust no change and still 1cm under target,
Waist -2cm and back at target,
Hips -1cm and back at target.
It was a miracle but I was already aware this could catch up with me next week!
Captain Caveman topped up my SIM card from Phong Nha but I didn’t know how to get a phone package on so Caroline booked me her Grab driver to come get me. She also met me outside the hotel and we then changed plans. She gave my bag to the driver and asked him to put it in her apartment, he had a key. Then I got on the back of her scooter and we went to 9 Grains Bakery, which she co-owns. Once there, I was treated to a pot of earl grey tea and an amazing pain au chocolat for breakfast. While there, the Grab driver sent a photo of my bag in her house which was so nice. I met Le, Caroline’s business partner, who helped me put a package on my phone. We also met up with Hawk, a fitness guru and motorbike tour guide from the Uk. He and I met years ago through Captain Caveman, we get on well and he’s now one of Caroline’s best mates. It was good to see him and have a bit of English banter. At 11.30am I also got a great cheese, lettuce and onion sandwich on sourdough and a peppermint tea for an early lunch.

Our next adventure was a trip to Mommy Shark, my favourite swimwear shop in Vietnam. Here I bought some more of the cycling shorts with secret pockets at only 245,000VND (£7.73), a green baggy t-shirt at 250,000VND (£7.88), and a black lightweight top for 300,000VND (£9.46). A total of 795,000VND (£25.06) was expensive for my unemployed budget but also necessary if I was going to be travelling by motorbike more often.
We got back on the motorbike and went to Caroline’s house which was really lovely. Vee, the dog, was super cute too and as we walked her, we met the neighbour’s puppy.

Caroline took me with her to her chiropractor later in the afternoon and, while I was there, she paid for me to have a session. It was definitely strange and I had about 90 minutes of Tens machine, manipulation and back stretching on a decompression machine not unlike some kind of horizontal electric chair. Dr An, the chiropractor, recommended I come back for 2 more sessions and could tell I wasn’t quite back to normal from my injury 3 years ago.

That evening we ate at Blue Fin restaurant in An Bang where it was my turn to pay. Here’s what we had;
6 frozen margaritas 380,000
Pulled pork tacos 190,000
1 truffle and mushroom pizza 220,000
1 burger patty and fried egg 75,000
+ Vat 76,800
Total 941,800VND (£29.72).
The food was really good and I really enjoyed it. The burger and egg was for Vee, the dog, who snaffled it down super quick with it being her favourite meal there. Unfortunately, a horny street dog came over and was being a pain so Caroline had to take Vee home and come back. She also wasn’t feeling too good and had a bad stomach. The food and cocktails were excellent but it wasn’t a late night. Caroline and I shared her bed, which was pretty big and we had our own quilt each (game changer when sharing a bed). Vee came on to the bed for a snuggle with an expectation that she would go to her bed after a while but we all fell asleep together.

Phong Nha – 17th March

There was no celebrating of St Patrick’s Day for me in Phong Nha on Sunday 17th March. Captain Caveman, Andrea and I started the day with a lovely breakfast at The Villa’s. The 2 of them had Eggs Benedict and coffees while I had my favourite Vietnamese breakfast, Pho Ga, with Jasmine tea. Here the chicken noodle soup was only 60,000VND (£1.90) and I think it tasted better than others I’d had recently. After breakfast, Andrea checked out of Lucky Homes where we had all had a good stay. We waved Andrea off then went back to bed for a lay down and some forward planning for the rest of March. We had put some laundry in and it was already back, folded nicely too. Captain Caveman booked me a hotel in Hoi An, which was near to the bus station so that it was convenient. I was off to visit Caroline for a week later in the month and was going to get the bus from Phong Nha to Hoi An. Captain Caveman would meet me in Danang after completing his Saigon Children’s Charity cycle event, over 3 days.
Around 4pm we had a saunter by the river to The Villa’s to meet up with our mate, Tatas. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop long as we had been invited to a family dinner with Mr & Mrs Lucky Homes and 2 other guests. We had a feast and I got to drink fizzy grape juice while Captain Caveman took the rice wines in his stride. We had a lovely evening with great home cooked food and I even got acquainted with Lu and So, the homestay dogs.

Dong Hoi to Phong Nha – 15th March

Captain Caveman and I had plans for Friday 15th March which included our friend, Andrea. She was due to fly from Saigon on the same flight I’d taken 2 days ago, arriving in to Dong Hoi at 9am. We had arranged to meet her at the airport to pick her up and go to Phong Nha. But first, for breakfast we went to Mr Bull’s for Bo Ne again and, while we were there, Andrea messaged to say her flight was delayed. We thought it might be, as there was fog in Dong Hoi.
At 10.15am we were sat in Dong Hoi airport waiting for the flight to come in. I noticed that the cafe sold pho for only 55,000VND (£1.73), which is reasonable.
Once Andrea had arrived, we drove the 50km by private car, which Captain Caveman had booked through Oxalis, to Phong Nha. Captain Caveman had also booked 2 rooms at Lucky Homes for the weekend and we were able to check in before 12 noon, which was nice.

We were given a downstairs family room which was lovely with a massive bathroom. Andrea had an upstairs triple room and I gather we got the last 2 rooms of this perfectly located homestay. We have known Mr and Mrs Lucky Homes for 7 or 8 years, have eaten and drank at their riverside restaurant quite a lot but we’ve never stayed in their homestay. Captain Caveman already rents a room at the Glass House but it wasn’t in an ideal state for me to stay there at the moment so he preferred we stay in other places during my visit.

By 1.30pm Captain Caveman and Andrea were on the Huda beers at The Villas, which is a restaurant within Victory Road Villas hotel, owned by our friends Ben and Bich. I had a jasmine tea, determined not to have beer. The drinks were 30,000VND (95p) each which was still very reasonable given the location and quality of service.

Back at Lucky Homes we borrowed the free bicycles for guests and cycled to Tree House in town. We shared some wine; a bottle of the Francis Gillot red was 400,000VND (£12.79) and the Benjamin Mendy 450,000VND (£14.39) so quite reasonable. I preferred mine warm but Andrea and Captain Caveman popped ice in their red wine!

We cycled back to Lucky Homes to unpack and freshen up but then cycled back again to go out for dinner. Captain Caveman had chosen Ganesh, the only Indian restaurant in Phong Nha, and a massive favourite of ours. We had a feast to share between the three of us. These are the dishes and drinks with prices in Vietnamese Dong;

1 Huda beer 25,000
1 soda water 25,000
Saffron rice 49,000
Vegetable Samosas 60,000
Garlic Naan bread 60,000
Onion bhajis 85,000
Taka Dahl 98,000
Chicken 65 115,000
Chicken Tikka 120,000
1 bottle of red wine 270,000
Total spent 907,000VND (£29.00)

I’ve not had an Indian meal for a while so I wasn’t sure if that was good value but it seemed it to me and there was more than enough food for the 3 of us – we even took some back to the homestay.
On our way back we had to have a couple of drinks at The Villas again for good measure. Andrea and I had margaritas which were still as good as I remembered them, 180,000VND (£5.78) each. Captain Caveman had gin and tonic. It’s worth noting that the bar closes at 10pm and we were certainly pushing that deadline a little as we paid up and went off to get some sleep. I didn’t know it at the time but Andrea and Captain Caveman had plans to wear me out tomorrow.

Dalyan – 5th & 6th March

I had quite a few plans on Tuesday 5th March; a hair appointment, Leanne coming over to video the apartment and meeting Becky for a leaving drink.
As I went to Emrah’s for my hair appointment it was getting a bit blustery outdoors. I was nearly late on account of going back for an umbrella and me carrying a bag full of jars for Drew to pop his kumquat jam in. My hair looked good, until I stepped outside in to the wind as a huge storm was likely on its way. I had tea and a banana for breakfast and made a Slimming World friendly lasagne for lunch. I didn’t go to Zumba as it started to rain and I had a leak in the bathroom to sort out. I’d just repainted the bedroom wall but then some water came in through the Air Con and ruined it. Leanne came over and we had a chat for quite a while, she took the video for the new tenants moving in so that she could see everything was in good working order. We were using King Emlak for our long term rental and Leanne was going to be overseeing that as well as some repairs prior to the tenants moving in.
I arrived late at Mono and More where I was pleased to see Becky, Jamie, Barney (Jamie’s brother), Norman and Edna. I was also glad to find that the new coffee shop now sold alcohol and I ordered a nice glass of white wine. Edna was funny as the glass table top confused her when she could see my wine but couldn’t get to it. It was nice to sit out and it was actually quite warm. The Aussies, Greg had to meet a friend but Amanda joined us. Basrı also joined us and then after it got a bit cool we all said our goodbyes, apart from Amanda who was waiting for Greg with the keys and the money. It was at this point that we wanted to get in touch with Greg to find out where he was, when the whole Facebook and Social Media crashed. We walked to their villa but no one was there, Amanda managed to call Greg who was in the barbers. Amanda invited herself over to mine to wait for him there, on account of not having her keys. We waited a while at mine and then the rain came just as Greg was walking to my place. We chatted a bit then they decided they needed some food, I only had my Slimming World friendly meals in as I was leaving in a few days. Greg decided he fancied Hatay kebabs, Amanda did too but I said I really wanted to avoid temptation. Hatay kebabs are one of my favourites but I had Fat Club weigh-in tomorrow and I had been quite good all week – the last kebab I ate gave me a bad stomach. Greg got up and left the apartment just as the rain absolutely trounced it down. He arrived back at the bottom of the stairs with 2 kebabs, chips, cokes and a massive cramp from running in the storm. Amanda had to help him as he couldn’t get up the stairs and I got him a towel out as he looked like he’d had a shower while fully dressed. It was hard watching them eat their food, but I was determined to lose weight this week. The rain got worse as I listened to their travel plans for the next month, until they arrived in Vietnam in April. It was 11.15pm when they left having invited me to join them for a Turkish breakfast tomorrow morning. I explained I was eating healthily and had Fat Club tomorrow afternoon so didn’t want to eat a big breakfast beforehand. They said they would call round first thing in the morning to say final goodbyes and pick up the paint I had borrowed as they were leaving Dalyan for a few weeks. I ate some reheated leftover Slimming World friendly lasagne then went to bed. This week I had consumed 241 syns, of which 79 were alcohol so I was really hoping I’d done enough to get a loss this week. I wasn’t confident I’d have reached my next milestone of one and a half stone loss though.

I’d got up early on Wednesday 6th March to apply another coat of paint on the bedroom wall beneath the AC unit. The Aussies were planning on going for breakfast at Kefal tea gardens and said they would call round to pick up the paint they loaned me. I got on the scales at home and the result was good but I wanted to wait and see what Carol’s scales said this afternoon before I got too excited. My measurements were really good as I’d lost 2cm each off my bust, waist and hips this week and I was now quite a bit under the measurement targets I had set. After strawberries and 2 bananas for breakfast I did a bit of packing and tidying up, while waiting for the Aussies. Bonnie popped round at 10am and we had a little chat. The Aussies turned up while Bonnie was there having not had their breakfast yet. I gave them the paint and gave them hugs goodbye. They would land in Vietnam in 6 weeks and were heading to Phong Nha. I helped Bonnie downstairs with a charity bag and then popped to the bank and stationers to finish off my errands. I went to have my last catch up with Adele at the Kefal tea gardens where I had several Turkish teas and some peanuts before going straight to Fat Club. Unfortunately, it meant that I had forgotten to take some of the food I was clearing out before I left for Vietnam.
This was the last Fat Club before my trip so I was so glad when I had lost 1.7kg (3.7lbs) on Carol’s scales this week. I was so happy that I’d now lost a total of 10.5kg (22.7lbs) which meant that I had finally got my 1.5 stone loss sticker! I was just under my original target weight but I’d adjusted it more recently so that I still had 0.7kg (1.5lb) to lose to hit target. From now on, the group would have to be known as the Not So Fat Club, especially as lots of others were all doing well and losing weight. I’d been so grateful to have managed to lose so much and Carol had been a massive help.
To celebrate I went to Ozzy’s for a bit of wine with Jamie, Ghislaine and Christine. We bumped in to Kate, Pamela, Andrea and John and I had a few celebration last drinks.
That evening I joined Jamie, Barney and Nanny Kay at Mahir’s again. This time I ate the batter off the fish and thoroughly enjoyed my treat night. After dinner we had one more in Ozzy’s and I gave Kate the dress I’d been wearing as she liked it.
I said goodbye to Mark and Kate who were going home on their mobility scooter. Tomorrow was my last day in Dalyan and so I planned for an uneventful, but productive, day.

Dalyan – 1st & 2nd March

Before I left home on Friday 1st March I had 0.5 litre of water, and a banana. I was meeting fellow Sunday walker, Debbie, for an impromptu Friday walk, just on our own. I was early to meet at Migros so I bought and ate a croissant. It was 21.95 lira (55p), a bit too many syns but delicious. The walk was very nice and Debbie had kindly downloaded an old walk of Captain Caveman’s so we could just follow something and not get lost. We walked for about 3 hours and later Debbie confirmed it was about 15,000 steps and 10km. It was our farewell walk as she was off to the UK and I was off to Vietnam very soon.
At home I had another 0.5 litre of water and a cup of Yorkshire tea. My lunch was potato and broccoli soup with a bit of cheese in it. I needed something to line my stomach late afternoon as I was off to a soirée. I had more of the leftover chicken stir-fry with egg rice, more water and a rose tea. I was only on 27 syns so far this week so I was ready to treat myself at the first 3G night but first, I managed to fit in a video call with Vanessa. She was recovering from surgery on her hand so it was good to catch up and see she was making great progress.

I arrived at Jamie’s with a bag full of bottles, instead of the requested gin. Even though it was 3G (Gin, Girls and Gays) night, I’d checked it was ok to bring drinks I already had in the house, to get them finished before I left in just over a week. I arrived a little late for the first Gin night feeling quite warm and with a loaded bag. I simultaneously said hello to people and dogs while emptying my rucksack of the tonic, bitter lemon, coke, pink grapefruit, vodka and rum. I was poured a vodka and coke which must have been extra strong as I could definitely taste the vodka. I had a lovely evening with our newly formed 3G attendees; Jamie, Drew, Nanny Kay and Ghislaine (and the dogs of course). For dinner we had a gammon joint with carrots, broccoli and dauphinoise potatoes which was amazing! Lots of drinks were had and I don’t remember putting the dogs to bed with the nice soft blanket. I don’t even recall the end of the night after Ghislaine called a taxi.

Saturday 2nd March was a struggle as I woke up not even knowing where I was. I’d slept over in Jamie’s spare room as Drew had thought it safer for me not to walk home drunk. It was only when I got up for a pee that I realised I couldn’t find the bathroom in the place I thought it was. The first Jamie knew I had stayed was when Drew told him to put clothes on if going out of the bedroom because I was still in the house. I left there about 10.30am and headed back to mine to sort myself out a bit before meeting Jan. I had arranged to meet her at Lukka bar to buy some sunbed cushions and I hoped I didn’t stink of booze. I got home and got ready, making sure I was on time. Jan was already there with a coffee and she kindly bought me an orange juice. Luckily, she seemed not to notice I may still have been drunk and we had a good chat. At noon I had to leave as I needed to get to the market. I bought the 2 cerise pink cushions for 700 lira (£17.63) and they were like new so I was pleased with them.
As I walked to the weekly Dalyan market, I knew I’d not be making the Zumba party tonight at Ozzy’s bar as I was feeling quite delicate. At the market I couldn’t focus on buying what I needed so I just bought the following (prices in lira);

Bananas 35
Strawberries 100
Gözleme 75
Total spent 210 lira (£5.29)

On the way home, I saw the stork for the first time this year. Back home I’d only just made it in time from a storm that was brewing.
For dinner I still wasn’t feeling too good so I cooked some sausages to make a casserole. I ate one with a wrap and then had a really bad stomach straight away. Needless to say, I didn’t make it to the Zumba party that night, but Nanny Kay did – what a legend! I had an early night as I had a mega busy day tomorrow.

Dalyan – 26th & 27th February

Monday 26th February was another busy day in my Dalyan world, the last day of looking after Norman and Edna who I was going to miss. They had been a great tonic for me while I did my best to stick to a tough budget and my healthier lifestyle. I was certainly feeling the benefits of being over a stone lighter too.
In the morning I had my cup of Yorkshire tea in bed and the dogs came back to bobos for one last time. They snored away until almost 11am when I got up for a fruit salad while I started to make a list for my course preparation, which started at 1pm (Turkish time). I had pasta Bolognese for lunch and got myself ready to hear what Lisa Johnson had to teach me about Recurring Revenue. It was only for about an hour but it was really interesting and insightful. I took lots of notes and we even had some homework to do. I had some gold bear jellies while I pondered over my answers but managed to complete the first task of the challenge. At 4pm I joined another live session which focused on Mindset and seemed to be quite obvious at first. Renée, the speaker made a lot of sense and it really peaked my interest even further.
After the dog walk, I took some stuff back to my place and called at the shops, here’s what I bought (prices in lira);

Migros Supermarket

Biscuits 9.50
Jelly teeth 15.50
Wet wipes 72.47
Total 98.47 lira (£2.49)

For dinner I had another Slimming World style pizza made from a wrap, a couple of glasses of wine to finish the bottle off and some chestnuts.
There was a recap session from Lisa at 7.30pm which was useful for us to check we were on the right track and I was already feeling inspired. Meanwhile, Jamie and Drew were leaving Thailand to return back home. It was hard breaking the news to the dogs but I thought I’d better prepare them for being less spoiled.

Much to Norman and Edna’s disgust, we were all up early on Tuesday 27th February. I did the usual stuff of stripping the bed but didn’t put a wash on as it had been raining yesterday and I wasn’t sure if it was going to stay fine enough to dry it. After an almost 2 week holiday I also thought Jamie and Drew would need to wash their clothes and they were due back before 10am. Nanny Kay was picking them up so we had to assume she wouldn’t sleep in! After feeding the dogs their breakfast I decided to video them both as I let them know Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew were on their way and would be home soon. Edna was a good listener and was in the armchair looking out, Norman didn’t give a toss. After my cuppa and overnight oats, I packed my belongings up, leaving some things I couldn’t carry, behind. I had a ginger tea and half a litre of water before saying bye to little Norman and Edna, perhaps for the last time.
At home I unpacked and then went to Zumba, which was good. I rushed back to log on to the second day of the Race to Recurring Challenge with Lisa Johnson where we took our knowledge lists from yesterday and started to look at how we could share that knowledge with others. It was really interesting to me and I cracked on with the homework straight after, feeling motivated.
At 4pm I joined another mindset session with Renée who was definitely good at helping build my confidence. For my lunch I treated myself to chicken nuggets and chips as I was rather peckish. At dinner time I cooked a healthy veggie stir-fry with bulgur wheat and had strawberries with kaymak for a pudding. At 7.30pm I was back on a live summary call with Lisa and things were starting to come together nicely. It was also good to be back home in my own bed, even if it was just for 9 more nights!

Video of Edna being told Jamie and Drew are on their way home

Video of Norman’s response to being told the same news

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.