Rhodes – 1st July

I woke up in Lardos at 3.45am on Saturday 1st July as it was 7.45am in Vietnamese time. I got up, had a pee and then tried to go back to sleep. I woke back up at 8.50am and checked the weather for my stay in Rhodes, it looked nice and sunny.
July’s plans were already looking good (not for the diet, though) as I would be spending time with friends and family, continuing to make the most of being able to go on boat trips and live like a tourist for a little bit. It was also the month when Captain Caveman and I would start to get back to how we used to be before Covid, and be able to plan for the rest of the year and in to the next. There was so much to do, so many people we wanted to see that we really needed to get organised. I was also on the look out for a 2024 diary as I had already started to agree to some more pet and house sitting stints, but only for friends or reliable pet owners for short periods. I was looking forward to spending the next 9 days at Steve and Michelle’s house and I hoped that I could get back on with eating healthier before I went back to Dalyan, where I’d catch the last 6 days of my parents’ holiday.

As it was the weekend, Steve and Michelle were not working in their office but they did have some work to do later. I was still so tired as the last time I went to bed was the equivalent of their Wednesday afternoon!

Michelle drove the 3 of us to Pefkos and we went to the Irish pub for breakfast. We all ordered the full English and I gave my eggs and tomatoes away. The food was nice and just what I needed to sort me out. It came to about €16 (£13.68) each, including coffees and orange juice. In the late afternoon Steve and Michelle had some business to attend to in Rhodes Town so I went along for the ride. They also needed to grab a couple of bits so we popped in to some clothes shops where Michelle and I got a couple of garments each. In Zara I bought a black and white polka dot dress which I thought might be nice for Pamela’s hen party and I also saw a knitted vest which was unusual. I wasn’t going to try them on but thought the queue wasn’t too big, it turned out to be quite a long wait but both items did fit and I bought them for just under €30 (£25.66). Finished in town and each of us with a bottle of water, we set off back towards Lardos, stopping at Intersport for some holiday essentials for Steve. I spotted some canvas pumps which looked like Converse but were comfier and only €14.99 (£12.82) in the sale, so I bought them. On the way back we called for a gyros and a quick beer at a lovely cafe on the main road, Augustine’s it translated to on my phone. The food was amazing and I enjoyed the Alpha beer too.
I paid the bill and here’s the prices in Euros;
1 Alpha 500ml beer 3.90
2 Corona beers 8.80
3 Pork Gyros 10.50
Total spent 23.20 Euros (£19.80)
I thought the prices were very reasonable for Rhodes but still a little over the prices of similar in Dalyan.

Back home at Steve and Michelle’s, they had a work event that they needed to quickly shower and change to go to, I was begging for mercy with jet lag and said I’d stay in to look after the pets (even though they didn’t need it). I had a lovely night in front of the TV watching something I don’t remember while playing with Xena, Milo, Trixie, Lulu, and Bella. By 11pm I was in bed with a fan on as it was nice and warm. I knew I needed to be up and about early tomorrow as Steve and Michelle had invited me on a day out.

Doha to Rhodes – 30th June

The flight from Doha to Frankfurt left on time at 01.40am on Friday 30th June. I was tired and tiddly on account of a 4 hour lounge and my head thinking it was 05.40am, which was Vietnamese time. I was in seat 45F but it was irrelevant as I dozed off before take off and woke up not knowing where I was. I watched a film and got more free food and drink on the plane but I was so tired I couldn’t tell you what I watched.
I landed at 7.15am in Frankfurt, which was rather a shock to my system. I had 7.5 hours to kill before my next flight and my first impressions of Frankfurt airport weren’t very good. I had 3 pieces of luggage and the trollies could only be accessed with a Euro, which were in my cases somewhere. I found one, went to get a trolley and the machine didn’t work. It was also only 19°C so I had to unpack to get out the only fleece/warm clothing I had with me. Feeling very tired, I decided to see what time I would be able to check my luggage in, as all the cafes were upstairs and the airport was mega busy. The airport looked quite grubby too but the staff at check-in made up for all the shortcomings. I was allowed to check in straight away and was so relieved to get rid of my luggage and get row 5C on my Condor flight. Once through to the other side, I saw a sale in a shop, called More and More. There was a nice dress which would be ideal for Pamela and Glynn’s wedding next month so I tried it on. It was only €20 so I decided to get it and went to the counter. Upon paying, there was a further discount which meant it only cost me €13.99 (£11.97) so I was very pleased and even went back through the sale rack to check if there were any more suitable items – there weren’t.
By 10.50am I was a bit peckish and decided there was only one thing to do, when in Frankfurt. I paid €6.50 (£5.56) for a big Frankfurter hot dog from a mobile stand – possibly the most expensive hot dog I’ve had but it was so good. I’d have probably enjoyed a second one had there not been a massive queue. I decided to buy some snacks from a shop in Terminal 1, Level B so I spent €13.14 (£11.24) on a juice, a KitKat and a packet of tapas style meat and cheese. Just before it was time to board my 3rd flight, to Rhodes, I bought a small bottle of wine and a cheese pretzel at a cost of €11.59 (£9.91). I boarded at 2.30pm and by 3pm we were off and I was nodding off.

I arrived at Rhodes airport at just after 7pm on and went to get my bags, I didn’t even bother with a trolley this time. My journey had started 41 hours ago and I was very tired but excited to be seeing Michelle and Steve again. Rhodes airport was extremely busy so I waited outside for Michelle to pick me up, as arranged. Without any WiFi or a phone that works in Europe there was no way to contact anyone so I decided being at the front of the airport near to the exit was a good spot. Michelle arrived, I shoved my luggage in to her car and we set off on the drive south to Lardos. Steve was out working and was going to join us later as it was Friday night and we were off out.
By 10.07pm I was out of the much needed shower and saying hello to Trixie the cat who was waiting for me in my room. Xena, the dog, remembered me and went giddy for attention as well as wondering how much luggage I had. I was so thankful to be in a country where I wasn’t sweating profusely and even went out in jeans and a shirt. It looked like Dalyan would be a lot hotter than when I left but still manageable compared to Vietnam.
Michelle and I were in Cuckoo’s Nest having a cocktail by 11pm and I really was flagging from the long journey. In my head it was already 3am on Saturday but at least I’d sleep tonight.

Phong Nha – 15th June

‘Once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern’ is one of those quotes you read on a friend’s Facebook status. On Thursday 15th June I thought of this quote when I foolishly ended up on another outing I’d not properly planned for!
Captain Caveman had to be at work at 6pm for his Oxalis briefing so we had a last free day to have more Phong Nha fun.
It was before 8am when I suggested that Captain Caveman and I go for a walk to the hidden lake and take a picnic, the forecast looked like it might be a bit cooler. I knew the way but, as we didn’t have a cooler bag, Captain Caveman suggested doing the walk then coming back to eat food and perhaps opening the champagne we bought at Chiang Mai airport. We got ready for a walk, the sun was shining but there were still some clouds.
When we got downstairs, Bluey was there and I couldn’t walk too well so I suggested it would be quicker to cycle, especially as there is no shade whatsoever at the hidden lake. Of course we cycled the long way round and Captain Caveman seemed unsure of whether I would get us lost but I remembered the way. It was scenic, steamy hot and further than I’d remembered, plus Bluey seemed sluggish after the last 2 days of exertion.

Just as we had finished admiring the view and I set off back, Captain Caveman decided to cycle round the lake. It’s fenced off on the far side so I tried to call him back. He was having none of it and carried on, I couldn’t stand the heat and cycled towards the ‘road to nowhere’ hoping for shade. There was none and I was getting a bit moany! When Captain Caveman caught me up I was hangry so we called at the Winmart for some extra provisions and we planned to cycle back for a picnic brunch on the bed.
Here’s what we bought;

4 oranges 17,077
4 sugar free yoghurts 25,600
6 apples 151,585

Total spent 194,262vnd (£6.41)
I was that hot that I didn’t realise how expensive those apples were – more than the last lot I bought.

I got a bit crotchety and needed a break so we stopped for a coconut at a roadside cafe by the river. It took me less than 30 seconds to polish it off and the cute dog came to check on me.
Back home we enjoyed our picnic and a rest in the AC but we didn’t bother with the fizz as I was too dehydrated once again. I had double Oresol and did an hour of work while Captain Caveman packed for his tour tomorrow. He left at 5pm to go to Oxalis and I worked for a few hours.

At 8pm I met him and Tatas at The Villa’s restaurant where he and I had pizza and we all had red wine.
We cycled home and I was actually looking forward to working from home tomorrow, I told Bluey she could have a well earned rest. We had cycled another 10km or more today so over 60km in 3 days – that was a first for me!

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman

Phong Nha – 5th & 6th June

Of course we were up early on Monday 5th June and it was another hot day. The forecast said clouds but we could only dream of them. We didn’t have any breakfast and I walked round the house in my bikini all morning. Captain Caveman had his Oxalis briefing tonight so we decided to cycle in the hot sun to The Villas for lunch. Our efforts were unexpectedly rewarded when we arrived, as our Czech friend, Lucie, had left us a bottle of champagne as a gift. What a lovely treat that was and we decided to drink it with our pizzas.
When Captain Caveman went to work I went home as Tatas had cancelled our meeting up for Margarita Monday due to work. I was also glad of a rest as I hadn’t fully recovered from the dehydration/hot bus fiasco yesterday.
When Captain Caveman returned we looked at flights for my return to Turkey and found some interesting routes which may work out cost effective. I would research more while he was in the cave for 4 days.

Captain Caveman was off in to Hang Son Doong on the morning of Tuesday 6th June. He would be back on Friday afternoon then had 5 more days off. I was very pleased that he’d managed to get a schedule that allowed for this, especially as his supervisors were in England for a couple of months. I had planned a steady day of work and not much else but, as is my life, I was in for a bit of a spontaneous surprise later.
Captain Caveman wanted to eat at the noodle cafe across the road for breakfast and I agreed to go with him. I seemed to recall that the last couple of times I’d been there, the food was very spicy. Captain Caveman said it wasn’t, so I was up for giving it another try. When the food came, it was fish with rice noodles and lots of chillies so I declined breakfast and gave mine to Sexy Quang. We bumped in to Vinh of Highway 20 Homestay and we had a chat, he was selling a wooden house and was also building a new homestay near a hidden lake in Phong Nha. He showed it to us on a map and I had no idea where it was but Captain Caveman thought he knew the location.
Next, we walked home and picked up our bicycles for a ride to Oxalis. Captain Caveman had a couple of errands he needed to run in the office while I had a bowl of pho ga, chicken noodle soup!

After saying bye to Captain Caveman at Ho Khanh’s homestay, I had a look around and took some photos by the river. It looked like it was no longer being used as a cafe and the daughter, who used to run the place, was 1 week off giving birth to her second child. I didn’t see any homestay guests which was a shame as, before Covid, June was a busy month.
Captain Caveman called me from the village on his tour to say a storm was coming and to batten down the hatches. I worked from 10.30am to 3.30pm, taking a lunch break to watch the heavy rain that we desperately needed. As it was too wet to venture out and I was enjoying being cooler, I just had cheese and crackers for lunch. Kat and Buu had invited me to join them on a dog walk with Muc (the dog the were looking after from Dong Hoi) at 5.30pm.

Video of the rain – it was needed and I even could put a fleece on in the AC but I didn’t turn it off

I cycled Bluey to Kat and Buu’s house, opposite Funny Monkeys, and parked her up. Luckily, the rain had not lasted long, although the road was still full of large puddles. Both Kat and Buu were wearing shorts and a top, Buu had shower shoes on so I made the assumption we weren’t walking too far and that the terrain would be easy.
I couldn’t have been more wrong as we took a wrong turn in search of Vinh’s hidden lake. Halfway along we had to cross a stream with leeches in which was low on our side but a steep banking on the other. I had a dress and slippy trainers on, while carrying my overfull bag. At first I said I couldn’t cross but Kat and Buu insisted I could make it and helped me, with some dithering on my part. Next, we were walking through very wet rice paddies and trying not to get out feet wet, bit by leeches or (worse) find any unexploded bombs! We eventually got to the hidden lake, only to be met by Vinh on a motorbike pulling a trailer! There was a much easier route, obviously.
We took that way on the way back and it was getting dark. Instead of drinks and dinner which normal people might be enjoying on a Tuesday evening at this time, I was drinking water and being laughed at by Buu’s landlord.
Needless to say Muc, the dog, loved our adventure and shot off up the stairs for a nap. I cycled home, had a Snickers and some marshmallows for dinner, then did another couple of hours work!

Photo Credit – Kat for the rice paddy rescue ones

Lardos – 10th May

When I got up on Wednesday 10th May I did my weekly measurements. My bust and waist had remained the same but my hips had increased by 3cm. This was not surprising, given the amount of calories I’d had this week. When I stepped on the scales, albeit they weren’t Carol’s scales, I was 0.5kg heavier than last week. I had tea and toast for breakfast then pottered about while Steve and Michelle were working. For lunch Michelle made us a nice mushroom, ham and pesto pasta which none of the pets got to eat any of. Strangely, I was starting to miss doing a bit of work so I decided to get the laptop out and do a few hours. Pixie decided to keep me company but she soon fell asleep when she didn’t get much attention.
That night, after one of the finest spaghetti bologneses that I’ve had the pleasure to eat, (another of Michelle’s talents was definitely her cooking) we were off out. Steve and Michelle had arranged for us to watch the football and have some drinks at a lovely bar in Lardos, called Yamas. We met up with their friends who were great fun and we all had a really good laugh. The Milokleftis ciders were getting a bit moreish and I could definitely get used to those.
I didn’t actually watch any football as we were all so busy joking, chatting and laughing. After several ciders, we all went to another bar, close by, called Cuckoo. They were also going to be opening a cocktail bar across the road very soon and we discussed a potential night there on my return from Vietnam. The night ended up with (some of) us playing air guitar on a walking stick and making our own dancefloor. I do love a dance so I needed no encouragement as some fantastic rock songs kept being played. It was gone midnight when we got back to Steve and Michelle’s. Steve went to bed but Michelle and I had a cuppa and a piece of Kate’s lemon drizzle while having a good natter.

Video and photo credit – Steve

Lardos – 8th May

Having not managed to do my plank or squat challenge yesterday I made the effort when I got up on Monday 8th May. I completed 50 seconds of squats but only 60 seconds plank then Carol, from Fat Club, reminded me that it should’ve been 60 seconds of squats so I did it again. I had an impromptu day off, had slept really well and had a slice of leftover pizza for breakfast. Xena, Steve and Michelle’s dog, was super excited to see me – Trixie, the cat, less so. My hosts were already in the office and were working hard while I unpacked and pottered about.
At 12.30pm we all went to Yamas Cafe in Lardos, which was a short walk from the house. Steve and Michelle had coffees while I had a hot chocolate (the diet was not going too well). We all had a fresh orange juice after that and then it was time to get back for lunch and back to work for some. We had left over pizza with salad and it was pretty tasty – I think the €45 was money well spent on all that pizza.
In the afternoon I met one of the other cats, Pixie, she was friendly but a little shy. There were quite a few outdoor cats which were going to take a while to learn the names of.
While Michelle whipped up one of my favourite dinners, I offered to go to the shop to buy some cheese and wine. We were having pork products, cheese and wine for dinner and I was so excited. Xena and Trixi had also heard about it and were hoping there would be some sharing going on. At the shop, I found the cheese easy to pick out and it wasn’t too expensive (compared to Turkey). The wine was very reasonably priced but I had no clue which one to pick as most only had the tasting notes written in Greek. I opted for one that had it also translated to English, sounded nice and was a Merlot.
For those of you who like to know what’s in my shopping basket and how much it cost for cheese and wine in Rhodes, look no further:

Lardos Supermarket:
330g Edam cheese 2.15
100g Blue cheese 2.58
200g Cheddar cheese 4.72
1 bottle Merlot 8.87
Total spent 18.32 Euros (£15.67)

The food was absolutely superb and I had to remind myself not to be too greedy with the pork products as I snaffled my way through the different ones! Even the selection of crackers was fantastic. Unfortunately, the wine I had bought was pretty disgusting – in fact it’s unusual for me not to be able to drink iffy wine but this was pretty rank. None of us could drink it so Michelle and I went back to the shop for another bottle of something better. This time she was able to help me pick out one of the Greek ones which she recognised as being good. It was the one I had picked up first but put back because I couldn’t read the Greek label. The new bottle was €10.45 (£8.94) and was much better! It was a lovely night and even Xena and Trixi got a little cheese treat before bed time.

Dalyan – 3rd May

It was Fat Club day again on Wednesday 3rd May and what a day it would turn out to be for my last Wednesday in Dalyan. It was less than 13 hours until my parents landed at Dalaman airport, less than 4 days until I would be on my way to Rhodes and 10 days until I arrived in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, to meet Captain Caveman.
I took my measurements; I’d lost 2cm from my bust, 1cm from my hips but my waist (where I needed to lose it the most) had stayed the same. In another last ditch attempt to lose weight today I did 70 seconds squat, 90 seconds plank, 30 crunches and 20 leg lifts – it was very difficult! For breakfast I only had chickpea biscuits and courgette tortilla with a cup of Yorkshire tea. At 12.30pm I had an appointment with Emrah, my hairdresser, for a cut, colour and styling. I ended up having my hair washed by Mehmet instead of one of the girls, as it was busy and he did a great job. After finishing my hair, Emrah took a few photos for me and I couldn’t help thinking that Edna would be pleased I still had the cavalier look to match her.

I decided I would wear one of my newly acquired dresses to Fat Club as I had a feeling I’d be going out after, to meet the pool gang for the last time in a while.
When I got on Carol’s scales I had lost 0.5kg (1.1lb) so I was pleased with that. I had now lost 8.2kg (18lb) in total and it was definitely noticeable. I got a lift round to Rehab bar with Carol where I proceeded to have 2 celebratory draft beers. I bumped in to Dan, who I’d played pool with before, and he was having a daiquiri at the bar. He’d gone for a red fruit one to detract from his rather pink and painful looking sunburn. Carol and I joined Kate, Pamela, Gareth and Julie, sat outside Rehab until the sun went in. Carol was a bit giddy at how much weight I’d lost and insisted we took photos in the street. Kaan, the Tequila boat captain, stopped by to say hello and liked my new leopard print dress and my new weight loss, he even asked if I still had a husband! I obviously let him know I was still very much with Captain Caveman and was off to see him soon. After getting chatting to Gareth and Julie I was almost late for my next engagement of the day. I had been invited by Ann to her daughter, Jacqueline’s birthday celebration at Sofra bar and I was looking forward to it.

I joined Ann, Jacqueline, Lee, Jamie and Drew at Sofra bar for birthday celebrations at 7.30pm. My parents were currently on their flight to Dalaman and would arrive in a couple of hours but planned to go straight to their apartment. Jacqueline and Lee had flown in from Manchester earlier today and Ann had organised a cake from Louize as a surprise. I wasn’t going to have any cake due to the fact that I was meant to be on a diet but I was ‘forced’ in to it and it’s one of the best ones of Louize’s I’ve had. I had picked up Daisy’s sunglasses when I left Rehab bar, and had them in my bag. She messaged to ask the whereabouts of them which gave me the idea to send her photos of everyone around me wearing them. My reply to Daisy being ‘do you mean these?’ Even the staff, the dogs (including a stray that wanted in on the fun), and some other friends got involved. Şükrü made Jac do a birthday shot with him and she chose apple sourz! By 10.30pm the birthday celebrations were over and everyone paid up and got ready to leave. I, on the other hand, and not had my hair done and put a frock on for me to go home early. My Mom had messaged to say they had arrived but weren’t coming out as they were tired from travelling. Mom said she would message tomorrow so we could finally see each other again.

I went to meet Wendy, from Sheffield, and friends in Rodrigo’s bar and ended up giving the ball a right kick with Wendy, Jackie, Turgay, Kirsty, Sally, Sandra, Mal, Alice, Savaş and Ozzy. It must have been about 3am when we got turfed out and made our way home.
I didn’t cook myself any random meals when I got in but I did set my alarm so that I’d be up and ready to see my parents in the morning.

Dalyan – 20th & 21st April

After a rather boozy and cheesy last night, I decided that Thursday 20th April needed to be a good day. I made pancakes from banana and egg (nothing else) and had them with a fruit salad and chickpea biscuits for an amazing and healthy breakfast.
By lunch time I was tucking in to a warmed up chicken, lentil, aubergine and cauliflower curry with steamed rice, which was also syn free and tasty.
I decided that while I was in the biscuit making mood to nip to the shop to restock on ingredients. I drew more money out of the bank and popped to the A101supermarket where I bought the following;

Becel spread 17.45
Mushrooms 17.50
2 lots of chickpeas 47.50
1 pair of orange shoes 79.95
Total spent 162.40 lira (£6.70)

When I got home and put on my new jazzy shoes, then I sent a photo of them to Jamie, who had always wondered who on earth would wear such shit! On my way in, I had noticed how tidy the outside area was looking for the guests at B1.
I made chicken with black bean sauce and steamed rice for dinner, another low syn meal with extra veggies in. It was an early night for me as I wanted to be up early tomorrow.

On Friday 21st April I attempted what is known in Slimming World terms, as a Speed day. This involved eating only certain veg, meat, dairy and grain – no carbs were allowed. I had an apple, an orange and some strawberries with a cup of tea for breakfast. I had leftover chicken in black bean sauce with bread for lunch and then looked in to what I could have that would fill me up for dinner. I decided to make a courgette grilled cheese ‘sandwich’ type of thing; grated 2 courgettes, and added an egg then mixed it together and put it in to pancake shapes, cooked in the oven so no oil, then melted cheese in the middle. It was so great to say I’d managed no potatoes, rice or pasta today.
I collected some jars from a lady called Michelle, who was giving them away, as they come in handy. Then I went to Jamie’s to borrow his phone again to call my English bank, the complaint I had was turning in to an absolute joke and no one seemed to be able to help at all.
Later, I had a walk with Jamie, Drew and the pooches where we called for a cold beverage at Bistro Blue. I had a diet coke as a treat but when we got the bill I realised soft drinks were 50 lira (£2.06) but a beer was only 60 lira (£2.48) – I won’t make that mistake again in a hurry. Of course, Norman and Edna got free water and we were all made welcome by Selahı and Annie, the owners. We bumped in to Mark and Kate who’d been out and about, both wearing summer wear. I commented on Kate not feeling cold in her short shorts and Mark asked why I was dressed for skiing, which was funny. My clothes were starting to look too baggy on me because of me having lost a total of 7.3kg (16lb) now, so I didn’t have many options of what I could wear. Back home, I was still hungry not having had any carbs, so I snacked on turkey, lettuce and gherkins before bed!

Dalyan – 19th April

The home scales were favourable on Wednesday 19th April, when I got weighed first thing. My measurements were a bit disappointing as I’d lost 2cm from my bust, increased 1cm on my waist and 2cm on my hips! I still had to wait until 3pm for Carol’s scales at Fat Club so I had a banana for breakfast and checked my emails. My boss, had booked my flight from Rhodes to Athens for the 13th May, I was off to meet Captain Caveman in Saigon. The gaffer has also asked if I would mind bringing him some coffee and some lube over when I arrived by ferry on the 7th May! It’s one of the more unusual requests I’ve had from a boss but I had to clarify what kind of coffee it might be; Nescafe Gold and strawberry lube! Of course, I immediately messaged Jamie to find out where was the best place to get lube from in Dalyan and they sell it in Migros, apparently. I could just imagine the wagging tongues eager to gossip from anyone who glimpsed my shopping basket on that trip! Incidentally, strawberry lube is syn free, in case anyone wondered!
There was more waiting on the complex residents to agree the light and filter situation as I went off to Fat Club. I was disappointed, but not surprised, to find I had put 0.2kg on this week on Carol’s scales. One of the ladies was going back to the UK for a few weeks and had brought her surplus vegetables in, which she very kindly gave to me. There was news that local rock band, The Bengisu Boys, had a gig lined up for the 4th May at Jazz Bistro and I hoped I’d get to go with my parents.
In the afternoon, I made some chickpea biscuits using drained chickpeas, mustard powder, seasoning, egg and parmesan. They turned out really well and were syn free so I decided I would take them with me to the cheese and wine evening at Jamie’s. He and Drew had invited me, Ann, Nanny Kay and Katrina over for a soirée and I was taking Jacob’s Cream Crackers, red wine and the freshly baked chickpea biscuits.
Drew had brought some fantastic cheeses over from England and the spread was an absolute delight. Even my chickpea biscuits went down well and, of course, so did the wine. The chat started sensible but I was shocked to find out there is a sex shop in Ortaca and loose plans for a visit were made. I didn’t get in until 1.30am, a little merry and stuffed full of cheese!

Dalyan – 5th April

The Aussies were leaving for their road trip early on Wednesday 5th April so I’d been invited to have breakfast with them before they set off. The Turkish people here, tend not to get up early for breakfast and I thought we might struggle to find somewhere open.
I went downstairs, as planned, at 8am, it had rained in the night and there were checks being done on the woodwork outside, which looked great. I also had to have a look at the improvements they had been working on last night. Greg drove us to Ekin around 8.30am where we were met by a rather large slobbering black dog, called Negro, who was super friendly. The owner asked us if we could wait for half an hour while he got set up and so we walked about a bit, taking some photos of the beautiful lake.
I wasn’t going to eat the Turkish breakfast for 2 reasons; 1, it often gives me a bad stomach and 2, I had Fat Club weigh-in at 3pm. I realised it would be considered rude to just watch Amanda and Greg eat so I decided to go for it. It was my first Turkish breakfast this year! Just as it was served, it started to rain and we had to move inside. The scenic views were now no longer picture perfect and we were lucky to have seen the lake views we did, before the rain came.
The breakfast was amazing and I really enjoyed it but I knew it would mean a gain on the scales. I ate cheese, jam, honey, bread, cheese rolls, olives, chips and 2 types of savoury gözleme (Turkish pancakes), washed down with Turkish tea and a fresh pomegranate juice. We couldn’t finish it all so Amanda packed 2 small Tupperware boxes up (that’s why I love her) and gave me one with the cheese in. The total bill came to 585 lira (£24) which, considering how much food is provided, was a bargain. Of course, before we even got back in the car, I had stomach issues. Back home we packed the car up with luggage, in the rain, then said our goodbyes. Even Kitler, the abandoned cat, came to say farewell.
I almost didn’t go to Fat Club because I knew it would be disappointing but I forced myself to find out how much damage a Turkish breakfast on weigh day could do.

At Fat club, the inevitable happened; I had gained weight! It was only 1.1kg (2.4lb) but that was enough to undo the previous losses and I only had myself to blame! A more sensible person might have then decided to rectify the bad result by being really good. However, as some of you could have predicted, that was not what happened and I got a lift up to Rehab bar with Carol. I ended up ordering a bottle of wine, as it works out a bit cheaper than having several glasses. I didn’t finish it all as I had to leave to meet Jamie and Ann at Aşkın’s bar. Tay wrote my name on it and said he’d save it for me.
When I arrived at Aşkın’s, Jamie and Ann were already there and had been joined by Mark and Pamela. I ordered a red wine and we all had a nice drink, it’s one of my favourite bars to sit and people watch usually. After a drink there we moved on to Sofra bar for a bit more refreshment.
By 10.30pm, I was leaving Sofra bar with Jamie to go to Umit’s birthday drinks at Sunset bar. Our friend Annie had invited us along and Pamela was already there, as was Yusuf the pharmacist and the flower girl. I had a glass of red wine, Jamie had a glass of white. We thought we were only there for 30 minutes, saying hello to Annie and her friends. Jamie and I do not remember dancing there, having more drinks or leaving but it turns out we were there 90 minutes and had 3 drinks.

We were back in Sofra by midnight, Mark had rejoined us too, and it turned in to quite a night – not that Jamie or I could remember much of it. The photos were a big help to work out the rest of the evening but it was a little concerning.

Photo credit – Greg Le Couteur

Dalyan – 31st March

I met Jamie on Friday 31st March for a dog walk and a bit of a treat. At the bank Halıl, the security guard, let Jamie go in to the branch with Norman and Edna. Edna loved it and went over to the counter for a good nosey. Norman sniffed out the resident cat who was not phased in the slightest. After a walk through town, we went to Ela’s Kitchen for breakfast – I’d missed it there. This time, I just had the small sized English breakfast (without egg or tomato), not the large, as I would usually. Jamie loves the Menemen there so he had that and he ordered an extra sausage for the dogs to share. The food was fantastic and meant I would only need a small lunch. The small set breakfast was 140 lira (£5.90) and Jamie’s menemen with chips was 130 lira (£5.50). The English tea (Yorkshire or Tetley’s) is 40 lira (£1.68) per cup and the freshly squeezed orange juice is 55 lira (£2.31). It’s been 15 months since I was able to go back to England so I like to have an English breakfast from time to time as a treat. I would say Ela’s Kitchen has one of the best breakfasts in town. Norman and Edna can definitely recommend Sev’s sausage and they could hardly wait for it to cool down. I pretended to eat some of it and Edna was cross with me.
Back home, I found a ribbon to tie up my bike stand, which meant I could use it again. I ate stuffed vine leaves and 5 walnut halves for lunch then, at 2pm I went to my weekly Turkish class, which was good. In the evening I made myself some veggie steamed rice then went downstairs to call for Amanda and Greg. We ended up going to Sofra bar where we met up with Carol, of Fat Club fame. She was a temporary football widow as her fella and the lads watched the match. Jamie, who was out with his neighbours (Christine and David), came to join us too. The Aussies decided to go home after the one drink, maybe they had heard about my karaoke skills. Not one to be put off having a good time, I carried on without them. Jamie’s neighbours were absolutely lovely and I got myself a third red wine to join them. The red wine is 65 lira (£2.74) a glass in Sofra bar and is a decent one. It again turned in to one of those nights where I sang karaoke; ‘Simply the Best’ definitely wasn’t, as I didn’t know it very well but it’s Jamie’s song and I had to oblige. I murdered Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ then roped Nigel into ‘Islands in the Stream’ which definitely wasn’t our best song.
I got in after midnight and accidentally ate some Easter egg chocolate because I’d not had a proper dinner and was hungry. The good thing is, though, I’d only spent 200 lira (£8.25) and was still drunk but under today’s budget. As it was the last day of the month I’d already worked out how I was doing on the March budget goal that I had set for myself. It was a miracle but I was under by 993.18 lira (just over £40) and I was delighted with that. I had survived a whole month spending less than £10 per day average – it had not been easy! My weight loss for March had not been as successful as I had hoped, I was only 1.6kg (3.5lb) lighter than at the start of the month. It was still twice the amount I lost in February but I needed to try harder in April. With the start of the holiday season here now, there was going to be even more temptation and opportunity and I wasn’t sure my willpower was up to it.

Jamie’s video of me singing Tina Turner in Sofra bar

Jamie’s video of me singing Adele in Sofra bar

Dalyan – 20th March

I’d like to have been writing that I had stuck to the diet a little more on Monday 20th March. I’d consumed 86 syns in one day yesterday but today was definitely no better. For breakfast I had strawberries and then a second breakfast of homemade masaman curry with steamed rice.
At 1pm I joined a free course which was about setting up an online business. It was interesting and I quite enjoyed it, although timing-wise it wasn’t going to be something I could pursue immediately.
I noticed the gardening company had made a big difference and I even took photos and video so that I could show Captain Caveman and The Aussies. Just after 3pm, I got a message from Kate to say her and Mark were having a beer at Okyanos with Jamie and Drew if I fancied it. Drew had been to collect some seeds from Kate and, as it was sunny, they’d decided on a cheeky beer in the sun. This was my last Monday of not being at work so I think subconsciously I’d decided to go mad!

I turned up looking very tired from last night’s antics and had to have a shandy to drink. We decided to go to Aşkın’s bar as Kate thought it was open, but we were a bit premature. Mark and Kate went to Tez’s instead but I needed to pop back home and change my top. By 5.30pm Jamie, Drew and I were sat outside at Waterfall bar having another beer or 2 in the sun. Drew went to get Norman and Edna because Skippy was in and Edna would be mad if she didn’t get to see him. Mark and Kate rejoined us for one but they weren’t staying out much longer on account of them wearing summer wear and it turning a bit nippy once the sun was in. Janet and Kev came to join us and there was quite a crowd sat outside. Instead of being good and sticking to my diet and my budget, I decided to join the boys for a treat. Because I’d finally got some more money I’d been owed for a while, I agreed to tag along for a meal at China Town with them.

I ended up having 90 syns in total today because I shared Jamie’s bottle of white wine, ate prawn crackers, a spring roll, a piece of prawn toast, a chicken wing and half of my sweet and sour chicken with chicken fried rice. It was so lovely but I knew it would mean a bad result at weigh-in this week. The meal with drinks had cost me 600 lira (just over £25) so it was rather pricey for my tight budget, but it tasted amazing!!!

Dalyan – 16th March

On Thursday 16th March I had 1 slice of buttered wholemeal toast, and a linden tea for breakfast. Outside, there were signs of a gardener here, Elite Maintenance had started work on our communal garden!
I had decided to be extravagant and treat myself to a very much needed hairdresser appointment as I’d not been since September. Because it’s a luxury and I’m on a tight budget, I didn’t want to spend money on my hair but it really needed sorting out. Some of the ladies at Fat Club had been talking yesterday that prices were due to go up again in April so it was urgent that I got in. Emrah’s very busy but he’d got me an appointment for noon and I could see he couldn’t wait to tackle my grey roots! I had a full hair dye, a cut, and curls (even though I said there was no need for the curls). It cost 600 lira (£25.53) which is very good value but had gone up by 34% in 6 months.
Once home, I packed and got ready for my pick up from Lukka bar as I was leaving Dalyan for a couple of days or so. I’d arranged to meet Mark at Lukka bar for a quick drink.
I was just drinking water but my lift was running late so I decided to have a beer. Of course the driver turned up before I’d had much of it so I gave my beer to Mark and said my goodbyes. I would be away until Sunday so my blog posts would have a little rest for the next 2 days.

Dalyan – 11th & 12th March

I was starting to really like feeling fresh on a weekend after not having boozy nights out. Saturday 11th March was one of those times, which was lucky as I was off for a bit of house and dog sitting for Jamie. He and Drew were off for a cheeky night away in Fethiye. I had a banana and a linden tea then popped over to Jamie’s with my overnight bag. Norman and Edna were of course pleased to see me but they were both still a bit snoozy. The weather wasn’t good and the dogs weren’t too bothered about going out in the rain. This was good news because we were waiting for a delivery to arrive any time from 10am. I had taken over some chicken, aubergine, cauliflower and lentil curry to have for lunch and I had a treat of some nan bread to go with it. It tasted really nice and was very healthy too.
I took all the ingredients to make a chicken casserole, which I did ready for dinner, with jacket potatoes. I made enough to have some another day while I had the oven on.
My dinner was nice, I resisted any wine but did have cheese on toast for a snack before bed. I still had 3 days left until Fat Club but had already consumed my weekly syn allowance – I hoped a bit of dog walking would help.

There was no chance of sleeping in on Sunday 12th March. Norman and Edna were awake at 7.20am and Norman was particularly wriggly. We went downstairs for pees and poos (the dogs, not me) then I made a cup of tea. It was raining out so I didn’t take it back to bed on account of the dogs now being a little damp. The weather forecast showed it was due to rain for the next 5 days. I had strawberries, banana, fat free yoghurt and honey for breakfast with a linden tea. Norman and Edna got lots of sofa cuddles while watching TV and I didn’t even get dressed until gone 11am. The dogs looked tired and were reluctant to go for their walkies because of the rain.
When we did go walking we found ourselves caught in a heavy rain shower. Norman wasn’t too bothered by it but I could sense Edna was all ready to complain to Jamie about the state of her curly ears! I got towels and dried them both but Edna did look kind of bedraggled. I gave them a treat for being good in the rain and we watched a bit of TV. I’d just warmed up a jacket potato for my lunch when Jamie and Drew arrived back. They had really enjoyed their break away too and they filled me in on their evening shenanigans. I ate my lunch while Jamie told me they had found a lovely Gay Bar in Fethiye and when I asked where it was they told me it was the Deep Blue Bar! Well, this was our favourite haunt in Fethiye where the Deep Blue Leg-ends group was formed. I was looking forward to letting fellow members Steve, Michelle, Vanessa, Matt, Mark, Kate, Ma & Pa know about it now being a Gay Bar!
I packed up all my stuff and went back home, the rain wasn’t too bad and I noticed there was going to be a new fish market in the square, opposite the shoe man. It was a bit chilly back at our apartment as I started making a vegan lasagne with the left over vegan bolognese – it’s surprising how far lentils go! I also put the leftover chicken casserole in the fridge and would have it another day. The lasagne looked shoddy but it tasted really good and was filling. I was really pleased to have had a super healthy weekend and today I’d only used 1 syn for honey. Before bed, I decided to do a quick recky of where I was with my March budget so far this month. I was feeling proud of myself for having a whole weekend where I had not spent any money whatsoever. In these 12 days I’d set myself a tough target but I was so chuffed to be 297.29 lira (£12.65) under budget. I just hoped I could maintain this level of frugality and still enjoy the challenge, as I had been doing. For doing so well, I decided I was going to allow myself to spend money on something I really wanted next week, a luxury! I was so wrapped up in my frugal and healthy goings on that I almost didn’t notice that my parents had not returned from their holiday, as they should have, today!

Dalyan – 5th March

Captain Caveman was back in Son Doong on Sunday 5th March, it was 7 years today since I did the cave trip with him! Here in Dalyan, the weather was meant to be terrible today but it wasn’t actually raining (yet). I had my cup of Yorkshire tea and strawberries with Quark for breakfast. I was also planning ahead because I’d been invited for Sunday dinner with Jamie and Drew at their villa later. Thoughtfully, they had even checked if I still wanted to have roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding due to me ‘being good’ and I obviously said that I did. I was still on half as many syns than I used to be so I figured I’d chance it. I did say I wouldn’t be joining them in drinking wine though – that would test the willpower.
For lunch I had the vegan spaghetti bolognese which I was really into now, but no parmesan as I was hoping for cauliflower and broccoli cheese at Jamie’s.
Just as it was time to get ready to go out the torrential rain came, Jamie offered to come and get me in the car but I borrowed Captain Caveman’s waterproof rain jacket and walked over there. I had a couple of gin and sodas but resisted wine. Jamie had been busy decorating ‘my’ bedroom and so I went to have a look. If he’d asked me my opinion on the colours pink and grey, before he started, it wouldn’t have been my thing, but it did look very nice. The Sunday dinner was devine. The starter was a really healthy soup made from broccoli, cauliflower, potato, onion, garlic and was well seasoned. For main we had chicken, the skin removed and waiting for Norman and Edna to get their chops round. I had 3 roast potatoes, 1 Yorkshire pudding, a big spoonful of cauliflower and broccoli cheese and a good portion of carrots. I really enjoyed it and we had a good laugh. Drew got rather tipsy and ended up going out to the the corner shop for more wine in his slippers, in the rain!
I came home at a reasonable hour and had an early night. I’d also managed to have a really lovely Sunday, only drinking 2 gin and soda waters.