I worked and packed my things up in the morning of Tuesday 5th August. Mom came in to ask if I fancied a roast pork sandwich for lunch from the shop and I’d not had one this visit so, of course, I said yes. All 3 of us went for a walk as I wanted to get Captain Caveman a tin opener. He’d declined to buy the £1 one in IKEA which was probably rubbish so I got him one for a whopping £7 from the Co-op. Ma left Pa with me while she went to the post office and cash machine but the sandwiches were ready before she returned. I had everything but dripping on, Dad had everything and Mom had her’s without apple sauce. I paid £14.60 for 3 sandwiches and a packet of pork scratchings which I didn’t think was bad and is cheaper than Beres. My sister, Gayle, popped round in the afternoon with Sumo, the dog, and we all said our goodbyes, hoping to see them in Turkey soon enough. I got the 5.30pm bus in to town for £2.60 and then I got the 18.49 train from Sheffield to Wakefield Kirkgate. There, it was after 7pm and the waiting room closes so I was really cold in the wind as I had to wait 20 minutes for the train to Pontefract Tanshelf. I ate a packet of salt n vinegar discos while I waited and wondered why I’d not been eating more crisps this visit. I didn’t realise there were no toilet facilities at the station so I was pretty desperate for a pee when I got on the train. Luckily the train had toilets and it meant I arrived just after 8pm to be met by Captain Caveman, without jogging about for the loo. He took my bag and we walked straight to the Robin Hood pub ready for the quiz. There were no seats inside and the huge beer garden was very smokey so we stood up next to the entrance. The quiz was a good one where we didn’t embarrass ourselves but we didn’t win. I had cherry beers and, at half time, they did sandwiches which were welcomed. I’m not usually a fan of a pub quiz, especially with genius Captain Caveman, but I did enjoy this one. I was tired by the time we walked home so it was straight to bed without even checking where all the IKEA items were.
Gratitude List 1. Pork sandwiches with my parents 2. Being able to say bye to Gayle and Sumo 3. Pub quizzing in Pontecarlo with Captain Caveman.
I had in my diary on Monday 4th August to start work early so that I could finish by 4pm. This was so that I could take time off to meet up with the friends I had promised to see while I was in Sheffield and before I went back down south. I only had 1 week left in the UK and I hoped to cram a lot in, especially as I didn’t have any plans to return for the rest of the year. I’d written in pencil the names Caz, Natalie, Becca and Louisa with a question mark and a note about tea and cake somewhere out of the city centre. I’d not heard from some of the girls so I’d added a Facebook event to suggest that I wandered over to Craftworks micropub (which do great cakes) in Mosborough for a spot of tea or hot chocolate. That way I could still have my laptop to hand as I had a few ongoing holiday enquiries that I needed to keep an eye on. What I didn’t realise is that I had written these plans on the wrong Monday and it should have been last week. Luckily, Louisa had the 4th in her diary and I didn’t realise my mistake until later on. Captain Caveman had been up and off back to Pontecarlo very early so I had started working by 7am. He’d got back and in his lunch hour sent me my train tickets to join him tomorrow night. I worked from a table next to the bar where the internet was as good as the Yorkshire tea. It was also fairly busy with people coming and going so I got to meet and fuss a few dogs while I checked out prices of hotels and last minute holidays. Louisa arrived, on time and with a new addition to her family. Her new dog, Bodhi, was only a little puppy – he was so cute and very well behaved. He had his own seat as Louisa and I chatted and ate cake. When Louisa went to the loo, which was upstairs, I got to have a little cuddle with Bodhi which was lovely. It was good to catch up and, at this point, I was still blissfully unaware that I had agreed the wrong date with Caz! Until I got a message to say she was on holiday abroad!! I said a sad farewell to Louisa and Bodhi and we mentioned she might pop over to visit me in Turkey as she had days booked off in September/October.
I had my last meal at my parents’, which was one of my favourites that my Mom cooks, sweet and sour chicken with spring rolls. I loved it and we had a nice relaxing evening. We even spoke to Captain Caveman who assured me that the bath mat was in situ and awaiting my arrival. Tomorrow I would be back to Pontecarlo and then heading back to London before my departure back to Turkey.
Gratitude List 1. Craftworks and cake 2. Seeing Louisa and her new pup 3. A last meal in the Uk with my parents.
Captain Caveman had meetings from 9am on Wednesday 30th July and I had them from 10am. My Giffgaff phone was not responding well to being a hotspot for me to work from so I volunteered myself to do the breakfast sandwich run. Tuck In (great name for a sarnie shop) was just a few metres up the road and I ordered a bacon and tomato sandwich for Captain Caveman and a sausage sandwich for me. The 2 staff in there were really friendly and were asking if I was new round here. I explained I was visiting my other half who had just moved in and that we hadn’t yet had chance to stock up etc. The lady there recommended we use the Olio app to get free or cheap stuff, which was really nice of her. The sandwiches were lovely and it certainly wouldn’t be our last time there. I took some photos of Captain Caveman’s new abode and then noticed I had a Resort Experts review from one of my close friends and now a customer. It was lovely and I was really pleased as, for some reason, it’s often more difficult to convince friends to support your business, while complete strangers are more likely to buy from you. I attended my last Substack Zoom training with Ade at 10am and added to my to do list to look at setting up a profile, next month. Hopefully, this would bring more strangers in to my online world for both holidays and my book(s). I made a shoping list for the house and then got on with more work until Captain Caveman’s lunch break. We drove to the supermarket and here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;
I was looking forward to being able to use my new clubcard but I only had an email with the number on. A member of staff had to come over and key it in as I hadn’t downloaded the app which had a pretend card on it. I was hoping I’d get sent a physical card but, apparently, not any more. We did get 28 club card points, though, but not much use to me in Turkey. For lunch Captain Caveman made himself something and I went to the shop for a sausage roll. It was a minimum spend of a fiver on a card so I treated myself to something I’d not seen before – a Ponte Pig. It’s like a gingerbread man but in the shape of a pig and was very nice. The shop staff were all friendly and I was really liking Pontefract, so much so that I’d started to affectionately refer to it as Pontecarlo.
At 1.30pm there was a delivery and I was so excited that it was for me! Captain Caveman had ordered me a new suitcase with detachable wheels, and small enough to fit under the seat on a plane! It was great and I could get more stuff than I thought I would in it!
To celebrate my new luggage we decided to have a walk through the area to a pub, The Carleton. It was one of those Greene King pubs and seemed to be very good with lots of different events on. A board advertised a monthly dog walk on the last Sunday of each month and lots of quizzes. We had a pint there which was less than £9 for 2 and then we walked back for Captain Caveman to cook us our first meal at home.
He’d already bought a big electric paella type pan so we had delicious chicken fajitas. He made his own tomato salsa and we were grateful for the 2 plates my Mom had given us. We drank white wine which I splashed out £9 on for a bottle, at the local shop. We didn’t have any wine glasses so we drank out of Mr & Mrs mugs, left by the previous tennants. The food was tasty and we had a great first full day in Pontecarlo – still no internet as Virgin are shit, but that’s too boring a story!
Gratitude List 1. Breakfast butties from Tuck In 2. A first try of a Ponte Pig 3. A lovely evening with Captain Caveman in Pontecarlo.
Saturday 26th July didn’t quite turn out as I’d imagined. Quite a few of our friends had said they would be at Tramlines festival over this weekend so we could meet up with them and I was looking forward to listening to live music. We hadn’t bothered getting tickets for the main events but we would just wander round the free stuff. Mom excelled herself by doing a cooked breakfast for everyone in the morning. I had beans on toast with bacon, while the others had eggs and tomatoes with their’s. Ma & Pa weren’t up to coming in to town for Tramlines so they were going to stay home. My sister had said she might join us but then didn’t as they had overdone it last night. A few of the people who went to see Pulp last night had also overdone it so weren’t up for today. We had arranged to meet Natalie and Paul in town and had chosen a pub on the edge of town, the Rutland Arms. It’s a cracking little pub with a great selection of beers and ciders, good staff and excellent music. We got the 1.30pm bus from Mosborough for £2.60 each and went straight to stock up on essential medication, here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;
Superdrug Ibuprofen 0.39 Imodium 3.39 Fexofendine 8.99 2 packs of cystitis tablets 12.28 Total spent £25.05
Our next stop off was rather ill thought out and neither of us had realised it might have been a silly thing to do. As Captain Caveman had moved in to his new home without any crockery or cutlery he needed to buy a sharp knife. In fact he got 2 that were lovely and sharp with pink handles.
Nisbets 2 knives £12.71
With hindsight, walking round a town centre with entertainment on and an increased reputation for stabbings of late, carrying knives may have been a bit daft! We met Natalie and Paul at the Rutland and had a couple of beers and a good chat. It had been quite a while since we’d all met up and, although we’d spoke on the phone, it was just great to meet in person. The chat flowed and we decided to walk in to town, nearer to where the action was. We wanted to meet up with Caz and the gang and also see Vanessa & Matt who were out with their friends too. Along the way we bumped in to a familiar face, another ex-Aviva colleague, Devon Francis, who was playing on stage later and we hoped to catch him. I messaged a few more friends to arrange where to meet and, although a few had sacked it off or were away, we had a plan to meet on Devonshire Green around 4.30pm. I’m not entirely sure what happened but as we got to the entrance to the Devonshire Green music event, we noticed a queue and bags being searched – Captain Caveman was wary his new knives would be an issue, or be confiscated. We decided an impromptu beer in The Bath (another old pub) would be wise. They had some music on inside but we sat outside as the sun was shining. Here we met up with ex-Aviva colleague and friend, Sara (Killer), and her fella, Mark. We had another round while we were all introduced or reacquainted and by this time, Louisa was on her way to join us so we waited at The Bath. Captain Caveman was buying our rounds so I wasn’t really taking note of the prices, they were certainly cheaper than London. We had such a laugh and Captain Caveman was on good form, enjoying being with old friends and meeting new ones. We even had a second Natalie join us when we sat at her table. Her friends had gone and she was on her own so we kind of got chatting.
By the time we were meant to be at the Devonshire Green we were already a bit merry and we decided we had better get a snack before we met the others. We tried to go to a pizza place but it was busy, Louisa had the idea to go to Cambridge Street Collective which is a food court style place with many different types of food. At first visit it can be a bit overwhelming as to what to choose but there is every type of food which makes it easier to please a group. Captain Caveman got on the app and ordered our food. I got the wrong end of the stick and thought he and I were sharing a pizza but he ordered Mexican for him and got me a slice of pizza from the top floor. I finally put my hand in my pocket and went to the bar, here’s what I bought with the prices in pounds;
Cambridge Street Collective (bar) 1 rum and coke 6.25 1 pint of Guinness 6.70 2 pints of Abbeydale Heathen 11.50 2 pints of Aspall’s cider 12.00 Total spent £36.45
When my buzzer rang for me to collect the pizza I don’t mind saying I was pretty disappointed with it. It was a deep pan pepperoni (normally fine) slice but it was dripping in honey. I ate it but I wouldn’t have it again and Captain Caveman thought his burrito was nice. After that, I wondered if my stomach would tolerate the bus ride home and if buying only 1 pack of imodium earlier was a little optimistic. I was now drunk, tired, cold and bloated and needed my bed! Unfortunately, we then had to say bye and go back to Mosborough but not before a cheeky visit to Sheffield train station for a toilet visit and some train tins. Here’s what we bought and prices in pounds;
M&S 1 porn star martini, 1 G&T, 1 limoncello spritzer (train tin deal) 8.50 2 large sausage rolls 1.20 Total spent £9.70
Our bus came at 9.50pm and it cost another £2.60 each to get home by which time we’d snaffled our sausage rolls but saved the train tins for home – we aren’t that wild! When my parents asked how we’d enjoyed the bands and we replied that we hadn’t even seen one band, we did feel a bit foolish. We’d gone all that way for Tramlines, not even entered the Devonshire Green area and missed seeing bands and some of our friends!
Gratitude List 1. Breakfast by Mom 2. Meeting up with (some) friends in Sheffield 3. Sunshine and nice pubs.
Claire had needed to be in London for work on Thursday 24th and, as luck would have it, so did Clare. This meant I could tag along and work from Claire’s office and sit with her daughter who was also tagging along in the hope of a shopping trip afterwards. I worked in the morning and then we took the train in to London, walking past a couple of places of interest. We met Clare at a nice spot for lunch where we braved sitting outside. The restaurant already had prepared for all weather with sunglasses and blankets, and we ordered quickly so that people could get back to work. Both Clare and I ordered a duck salad, Claire had a rainbow salad and her daughter ordered a burger with some duck bao buns to share. The food was fantastic and the waiter very good, we even got an extra portion of bao buns due to a mix up which we hadn’t even noticed. Typically, my dishes had tons of chillies in so I picked them all out, Clare who had the same, and likes chillies, had far fewer in her food. Here’s what we paid, in pounds, keeping in mind it was in London;
D&Ms 1 pint of tap water (free) 1 Elderflower cordial 0.60 1 tonic 2.95 1 diet coke 4.10 1 Homemade lemonade 4.95 Duck Bao Buns 10.95 1 Rainbow salad with Halloumi 18.45 1 Cheeseburger 18.95 2 Duck salads 33.90 12.5% tip 11.86 Total spent £106.71
Given that I was staying with Claire and had not paid for anything, I paid for the 3 of us at £81.71 and Clare paid for her share. I found it hard to get my UK phone to work in the centre of London and when I mentioned it, my 2 friends said they had the same issue. I missed the Resort Experts weekly meeting and ironically I’d also missed a zoom session on ‘Manifesting for Sceptics’.
Next, we said bye to Clare and went to the other Claire’s work. We had to get a pass, go through security to go in and up to a very high floor. The canteen was fantastic and I had a hot chocolate which was better than most cafes. Claire’s daughter shared her dried mango with me while her mom was in a meeting and was really well behaved while I did a bit of work. As we were leaving the office, I got a bit of a shock when I bumped in to an ex-Aviva colleague – the one and only Dan Holmes who now works in International insurance. What a small world it is. We walked back to London Bridge station, via buying a new jacket for Claire’s daughter, and then did a bit of food and drink shopping, here’s what we got with prices in pounds;
Holland & Barrett Diablo Dark chocolate 2.99 2 packs Gin Gins 7.78 Total spent £10.77
Gin Gins are great for seasickness, which I suffer badly from, so I was stocking up.
M&S Sour cream snacks 1.25 Apple & peanut butter snack 2.65 Sparkling water 3.10 Super nutty salad 3.20 Edamame beans 4.25 Tuna and sweetcorn salad 4.50 Prawn layered salad 5.25 Sushi selection 5.75 Cray fish salad 6.50 3 ‘Train Tins’ 8.50 Total spent £44.95
On the journey back to Otford, we got a bit excited as we had Train Tins – let me explain for the uninitiated; these are tins (or cans) of premixed drinks sold by supermarkets in train stations so that you can have a takeaway alcoholic beverage on your train ride! Genius idea and Marks & Spencers do a really good range at only £8.50 for 3. We chose a Pornstar Martini each and then shared a limoncello with sparkling wine. What we didn’t really account for was a pretty full train with commuters on and the fact that, while the child in our care dined on sushi, sliced apple and peanut butter washed down with a juice, we were downing train tins before 5pm like a couple of soaks! It was my last night with Claire and we had a nice relaxing evening with our salads and nibbles for dinner. I’d been well and truly spoiled at Claire’s and was going to miss them all, even Dave the cat and Reg the dog!
Gratitude List 1. London lunch with some of the girls 2. Going in to Claire’s office 3. Discovering Train Tins
I had to reign it in a bit on Monday 21st July as I had so much work to get through. I had enjoyed such an eventful weekend and was so grateful to have had the chance to be back in the UK. Both Claire and I worked all day; I had several zoom meetings/trainings including one with Matt Hall about audience growth and another session with Katrina Young about the use of AI in a more structured and professional way. I also managed to order a test notebook for my travel planner as part of the process to see how the cover looks, ready for my real travel planner and my next handy travel tips book. When Claire broke for lunch she made us prawn and avocado wraps which were delicious. In the evening we had a family meal of a chilli with rice but without the spice for me and the youngest child in the family. It was very tasty and we managed to avoid any silly singing antics this evening and had a sensible one. Before bed, I spoke to Captain Caveman who had moved in to his new home in Pontefract and seemed to be doing ok, although he looked tired.
Gratitude List 1. Useful and free training 2. Finally getting my test book ordered 3. Spending time with Claire and her family.
Claire was working in London on Tuesday 22nd July and I had initially agreed to go in with her and perhaps meet the girls. Liz and Clare often work in London on a Tuesday and although Kelly wasn’t going to be there it did mean 4 out of the 5 of us could catch up. However, it turned out none of them were in London today and I also had so much going on with work and my book projects that I decided to stay home and work from Claire’s office. Reg the dog kept me company and I managed to also squeeze in another session on audience growth with Matt Hall then a live group call with Lisa Johnson which was also interesting. At 5pm I went to meet Claire at Otford train station so that we could walk to meet her daughter from a friend. It had been the last day of school today so all the kids were giddy for the holidays and there was going to be a sleep over at Claire’s tonight. After meeting Claire’s friend with her daughter and grabbing a few of the school bags, we headed off to start the fun with an ice-cream to walk home with. The kids played in the garden while the adults tried to stop Reg from joining in on the trampoline. The kids had a Macdonald’s for dinner while we had a very lovely sausage and veg pasta with a glass of water – we were trying our best to be good! It was probably a good idea even though we had no clue, at the time, that the next 2 days would be busy with adventure. The kids were very well behaved and managed to put us on a show but they were still a bit shy so went back to practice more.
Gratitude List 1. Getting through a busy day 2. Ice-cream to celebrate the end of term 3. Another great evening with Claire and her family.
While Captain Caveman was due back to London on the morning of Sunday 20th July, I was settling in to my new home in Otford, near Sevenoaks, for the next 5 nights. It was cold, I wish I’d brought more clothes and Captain Caveman bought me a train ticket up to Sheffield for Friday so that we could see family, friends and go to the Tramlines music festival. Claire drove us to the station so that I could pick up my tickets and Captain Caveman could get his train back to Barnes. I was both sad to say bye to Captain Caveman, after 9 days together, but excited to be spending some time with Claire and her family, plus Reg the dog! Claire and I popped to Sainsbury’s where I wanted to pay for the shopping but she was having none of it as she grabbed some food for a Sunday roast. Of course we had to take a photo of us messing about at the scanner! I accompanied Claire and Reg to take her daughter to an activity in the afternoon, while Claire’s hubby, Mark, sorted out a roast dinner with help from his daughter who was on to Yorkshire pudding and cookies. The Go Active briefing was interesting and I even ventured in to the venue to go to the loo. While all the other parents got to chat on, Claire and I took off with Reg the dog for a walk. We’d just set off when it started to rain – thankfully I had left my raincoat there last time!
Back home, we had a nice cup of tea and sampled Mark’s daughter’s cookies – that girl is a talented chef! I was also treated to an amazing Sunday roast with pork and crackling, roast potatoes, plenty of fresh vegetables, gravy and the most amazing Yorkshires I’d had in a while! Of course, there was wine which then lead on to us having an absolutely hilarious and random evening! It started with the cheese slapping game – let me explain for those not familiar; 2 people take it in turns to ask each other questions about themselves and if they get a wrong answer they are slapped in the face with a cheese slice! It was my first time playing it with Claire’s daughter and my face hurt from laughing, everyone was surprised how many I got right and Reg the dog loved it when the cheese fell on the floor. There was much laughter and confusion when Claire did selfies on Snapchat and made us in to men – both of us decided we were much more attractive as fellas too! We played more games – this time there was Claire, Mark, the 2 daughters and me. It was so funny and I wasn’t as good at the next game.
I’m not sure who had the bright idea of getting the karaoke out (it was Claire!) at 9pm on a school night but – I loved it! It was so funny when I was being told off by a kid for not knowing the lyrics to a Taylor Swift song. Poor Mark was probably wondering what on earth he had let himself in for by agreeing to me staying!
Gratitude List 1. Spending time with Claire and her family 2. Roast Pork dinner with all the trimmings 3. Evening entertainment to rival a weekend at Butlins!
It was a fairly busy day on Thursday 10th July and I was up and a out early. My Mom had asked me to collect her key from the estate agents so I did that first thing. Luckily, when I got to King Emlak, just after 9am, the cleaner was in and was able to help me. She unlocked the massive key cupboards and asked me which one it was – you’d be surprised how many other keys with just one ordinary key and a small blue keyring there was! We eventually found it and I was on my way back to crack on with work. I noticed that our gardener was still not keeping on top of trimming the bushes and I also noticed that littering very close to the bins outside our complex seemed to be getting worse. It was getting hotter and people were getting lazier. I’d offered to pop over to Jamie & Drew’s villa around lunch time to let Norman out and give him some attention, while they were out of Dalyan. I managed to speak to Captain Caveman who was excited for my arrival tomorrow and had already bought food and wine for dinner in London. I attended the Resort Experts team meeting which was good, as always.
Norman was pleased to see me, even if he was a bit snoozy, when I arrived. I went outside with him to make sure he stayed in the shady spots and then I gave him a treat. We had cuddles and I sorted out his eye bogies, which used to be Edna’s job. She had a habit of licking Norman’s eyes to give them a wash and I noticed he was a bit crusty. He let me wet a tissue and wash them without any fuss and seemed quite happy about it. I checked in for my flight which was with Sun Express at 5.30pm tomorrow night. I didn’t pay to choose a seat but then it allocated me a window seat which I don’t like. Hopefully, the plane wouldn’t be full and I could swap to an aisle seat. After a bit more work, I left Norman around 4.30pm, once I knew Jamie was on his way back home. On the way I witnessed a man drive past a bin on a motorbike and then throw litter on to the floor! What is wrong with people!? I shouted out but he’s gone so I picked it up! That evening I had chicken fajita pasta which was rather lovely and there was plenty of the fajita mixture for tomorrow. As it was weekend eve, I poured myself a White Russian and finally had a sit on the sofa around 9.45pm, knowing I still needed to pack for my trip to England.
Gratitude List 1. Chatting with Captain Caveman 2. Seeing Norman 3. Fajita pasta and a White Russian for dinner.
Norman and I were awake early on Monday 7th July, both needing a pee. The temperature at that time of day was much cooler and comfortable. After tea and toast it was time to crack on with Resort Experts work for the day. I often get friend requests on Facebook from people I’ve not met and don’t know but this morning I got one from a lady called Liz. I never add people I don’t at least know, even if we haven’t met in person. We had a friend in common from Rhodes and I recognised her from posts on a group I’m in. However, when I looked at her Facebook profile, the last 3 posts were saying it was a fake/scam profile and not to share posts. I messaged the woman to ask what was going on and she seemed real and fairly normal. I still didn’t accept the friend request though. By 9am, Norman was fast asleep and snoring away again. At midday I attended a webinar session with Lisa Johnson where she was sharing some thoughts and knowledge which I thought might help me. It was only for 30 minutes but was useful. Jamie and Drew arrived back a little earlier than expected, I went back to Fire Opal as I had another webinar booked in. This next one was some training with a lady called Katrina Young who was delivering a session on AI. Primarily on keeping ChatGPT in check, powerful prompts, scaling up a business and automating certain tasks using AI. It was interesting, although most of it went above my head. I took lots of notes though. After the training, I put some of what I’d learned in to place and it was really good. I just needed more practice and more time to do it, now.
Gratitude List 1. Norman being so easy to look after 2. Insights from Lisa Johnson 3. Learning more about AI from Katrina Young.
I didn’t get up until 8.30am on Tuesday 8th July and then I got on with writing content for my various social media pages. I am an agent for a supplier called Classic Collection and they had some great deals on for city breaks as well as summer holidays so I got involved in searching those. I’d seen a couple of city breaks that I liked the look of myself, including a 4 star mini break in Nantes, France, in August for £199 and a 3 star weekend in Krakow, Poland, in January for £125. They also had some luxury 5 Star holidays in Greece which looked fantastic. After working until 3pm and not having had any lunch, I decided to take a break and walk around the town, calling at the shops. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket Green Peppers 13.99 Mentos 20.95 Haribo jellies 22.45 Biscuits 32.95 Salt & Vinegar crisps 48.95 Pasta sauce 52.95 2 croissants 69.90 Cooked chicken pieces 69.95 Total spent 332.09 lira (£6.15)
Jamie, Drew and Nanny Kay were off to Kuşadası on Sunday 6th July for a couple of days. They were staying in the same hotel Captain Caveman and I had stayed in on our last visit, Sunday Beach at Ladies Beach. I was in charge of Norman and I arrived at 8.30am, to a snoring Norman who didn’t even hear me come in. As it was a lovely sunny day, I decided to plonk myself down by the pool before it got too hot. When Norman woke up he came over for some attention and a lay on the sunbed for a couple of minutes. It was strange there only being Norman, now that Edna had passed away, and I felt a little bit sad. A white feather came down between me and Norman on the sunbed and, if you believe in things like that, it might have symbolised Edna. We moved in to the shade and got some water then I had mushroom and pepper pasta for lunch.
When it got too hot, Norman took himself off for an afternoon nap on the sofa, in the AC. By 6pm I decided I would have a swim. Usually, when I’m at Jamie’s, I don’t go in the pool but it was very hot today. I waited until the sun had gone in to take Norman for a walk and I’d thought we might go to Lukka and have a drink there. Norman had other ideas and, after a walk almost as far as Lukka, he decided he wasn’t up for socialising and wanted to go back home. I hadn’t brought anything over for dinner so I decided to have another walk, without Norman, and get some food on the way home. I called at the shop and bought the following, prices in lira;
I’d intended to buy something to cook for dinner but it was already 8.30pm and I couldn’t be bothered.
Sheche Burger was the last place I walked past on my way home so I couldn’t resist. I decided to order the original burger with french fries and a homemade lemonade to take out. My dinner cost 500 lira (£9.26) and was really tasty for a treat, which I enjoyed more than I thought I would. At bedtime, Norman was keen to come with me so he slept on my bed – snoring contentedly away.
Gratitude List 1. A bit of a rest day with only minimal work done 2. Sheche Burger for dinner 3. Norman, he’s just so cute.
Friday 4th July was my last day with Lady C, it was also just one week until I would be back in the UK. Penny and Phil were flying back tonight but didn’t land until almost 4am tomorrow. I spent the day working and making sure Lady C was ok. I had a sandwich then walked Lady C, she was fine and didn’t seem bothered from the dog issue yesterday. When we got back, she let me check out where the other dog had tried to bite her and there was a bit of a cut. I messaged Penny to let her know and described which street it had happened near but I had no idea where the young boy and the dogs lived. It was a pretty quiet day really.
Gratitude List 1. Last day with Caramel 2. It being a Friday 3. Being ready for Penny & Phil’s return.
On Saturday 5th July I had woken up early, my care of Lady C had come to an end and I’d arranged to meet Jamie. The neighbour opposite had closed the stair door so there were no more cat shit incidents, which was nice! I had a curry for lunch and then went to the shops to get some essentials and restock up on wine. It had slipped my mind to check if there was still wine in the fridge after the comings and goings of the week. Here’s what I spent with prices in lira;
A101 Supermarket Washing up sponges 22.50 Frozen berries 179.00 Total spent 201.50 lira (£3.73)
Yaman Büfe 3 bottles of wine 709 lira (£13.13)
After more curry for dinner, I walked over to Penny and Phil’s with the wine and we had a bit of a catch up. Lady C was happy to have her owners back too. Back home, I had a much needed early night after doing the washing.
Gratitude List 1. A quick catch up with Jamie 2. Being home to a cat shit free apartment 3. Home made curry from the freezer.
Lady C had an eventful day on Thursday 3rd July and we were both up by 7am. We even had a quick walk round the block, before the paths became too warm for paws, and an early breakfast. The rest of the morning was spent working and making sure neither Lady C or I were too hot. I managed to make a good start on the chapter titles for my second book ‘You Can’t Eat a Whole Blancmange and Dance….’ I attended the Resort Experts Team Meeting, had catch up with Dagne (the Majorca Resort Expert) and Helen (the Italy Resort Expert) and got quite a lot done in the day. I got a message from Darcy’s owner to say he was eating at Olivia’s and did I want to join him for dinner. I said yes but I couldn’t go too early as Lady C was insisting on some chopped sausage and a walk. Andy walked Darcy, then came over to walk Lady C and drink some wine before going for food. On the walk, we saw a young Turkish boy, no more than 11 years old, who was walking a big dog, off lead. Lady C isn’t keen on other dogs at times so I was watching closely. Suddenly, a smaller dog came running from nowhere and tried to bite Lady C on her back end. I had to shove the dog away and pick up Lady C, who was very scared and shaking. Both dogs were with the boy and he didn’t know what to do when the small dog kept trying to come after me and Lady C. Luckily, Andy was there to help scare it away but it was a little bit worrying. Back home, we had wine while comforting the dog and making sure she was ok – it could’ve been so much worse. I couldn’t see a bite but she wouldn’t let me touch her to check properly. She got some extra love and sausage as a treat and she seemed back to normal after that.
It was 8.30pm by the time we got to Olivia’s and I decided that we would have a bottle of red wine. Andy and I shared a pasta dish and pizza (both vegetarian) and they brought us the bread and olives to start too. The food was spot on and I really enjoyed it, we also established that Andy’s son knew one of my best friends from back home so we got him on the phone for a chat. In the restaurant was a family of 5 who came over to chat to me, having read my recommendation about Olivia’s from the first visit. The Mom of the family, Jane, was also a reader of my blog and she thanked me for recommending Olivia’s as all 5 of them had enjoyed their meal too. They were a nice family and we all chatted for a bit and I got a photo for the blog (with me pulling a face)!
While Andy called Karen to see how she was back in blighty, I ordered more wine and paid the bill. It came to 2,450 lira (£45.37) for 1 neapolitan pasta, 1 mushroom pizza and 2 bottles of wine, one of which we didn’t finish. I said goodbye to Andy and I took the rest of the wine with me as I called to say hello to a friend in town on my way home. I was back home before 11.30pm and gave Lady C some cuddles before bed.
Gratitude List 1. Getting lots of stuff done 2. Another lovely meal at Olivia’s 3. Lady C seeming to be ok after her ‘attack’.
July was going to be an exciting month! On Tuesday 1st July I updated each of my To Do Lists (I have 3; Resort Experts, My Book stuff and Personal). I was conscious that I only had 11 more days in Turkey before I would fly to the UK to spend time with Captain Caveman, who would be celebrating his birthday and moving in to a new home. I had not yet booked my return flight as I wasn’t sure if I would get a good price to travel back in the school holidays or not, if I stayed more than a couple of weeks. While I drank water and waited for Lady C to wake up I checked how my blog had done for last month. I was pleased to see it had 24% more views than the month before and was mainly being read in the UK, Turkey and the USA. Unfortunately, Vietnam readers were now way down the list and no longer in the top 10 so I did want to try to increase that again in July. It had been a year since I was there and over 6 months since Captain Caveman was there – we missed it! After doing some Resort Experts work in the morning, I spoke to Captain Caveman who was at his parents in London. There was a heatwave and he’d had to sleep downstairs so he was preparing me for a hot summer in England. At lunch time I had some soup and looked at a post from my colleague in Italy, which was to help us have a happy July with 31 daily prompts. When I had my tea break at 3pm, I noticed Lady C had chosen to lay on the hot floor outside to sunbathe! I let her know that at 4pm we had visitors coming; Darcy, the dog, was getting dropped off while her owner went out with a friend. And my friend, Bev, was coming over for a cup of tea and a chat. When Darcy arrived, she ran in to the conservatory and did a wee with excitement on the sofa and the floor. Lady C was not impressed by the little pup and was not sympathetic when Darcy started to sneeze multiple times. Poor little Darcy kept sneezing and wouldn’t stop so I picked her up to check her nose. She had a bit of a flower or plant stuck up her nostril so I had to get it out with my little finger nail. Bev arrived, after I’d cleaned the wee up and we decided wine would be a better choice so we had a couple of glasses each – Fat Club weigh in tomorrow was not looking promising! It was nice to catch up and we nattered on about all sorts. Bev didn’t stay too long and I fed both dogs in separate rooms as they were ready for dinner. It was after 8pm when it was cool enough for both dog’s paws on the pavements and they walked well together. I had a mushroom pasta about 9pm for dinner and then settled down with the dogs. I couldn’t watch TV as the TTnet still wasn’t up to it so I watched something on my phone. When it was time for Darcy to be collected, she was already snoozing away, next to me on the sofa. Lady C was happy when Darcy left as she does like to be the only dog in the house.
Gratitude List 1. Cute dogs 2. Busy with Resort Experts 3. Seeing Bev for the first time in a while.
My measurements were not good on Wednesday 2nd July. I’d put 1cm on my bust, my waist had remained the same but I’d put 3cm on my hips (that will be the fab Bakewell tart from Ela Bakes)!!! It didn’t look good for Fat Club weigh-in and I would have to wait until 3pm to find out my weight. I worked up until then and decided to walk, so that at least I was getting some exercise. It was very hot out and I arrived at Fat Club a bit sweaty. I was gobsmacked to find I had lost 0.9kg (2lb) and it made my day! There was a bit of a grumble at the group as the drinks prices had gone up. A small water had gone from 25 lira (46p) to 50 lira (92p) and that was the shock of the day. I didn’t think it was too bad to sit in a nice hotel and drink a cold water which they supplied a glass and lots of ice for, but doubling the prices was a bit of a surprise. Usually, each July there is a general price increase in shops anyway so I was expecting it. I went straight back to work and had leftover mushroom pasta for dinner – no alcohol. Once it cooled down I took Lady C out for her walk and she was happy to be let off the lead for a little bit on the back paths. At 9pm I decided to pop to the shops to get something for dinner tomorrow night. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;
Şevikoğlu Supermarket Onions 5.21 Peppers 8.22 Bread 15.00 1kg chicken breast 144.80 Total spent 173.23 lira (£3.27)
I meant to buy more wine but I couldn’t be bothered to walk all the way to Yaman Büfe and the Şevikoğlu was more expensive. I had an early night and didn’t even bother with any wine today, conscious I only had one more weigh-in before my UK trip.
Gratitude List 1. Losing weight when I didn’t expect it 2. Walking with Lady C off the lead 3. A no alcohol day on a Wine Wednesday.
Lady C was still asleep when I got up on Sunday 29th June. I topped up my Turkcell phone with a 50GB hotspot package for 425 lira (£8.02) which should last until I left for the UK. Lady C didn’t go for a morning walk as it was too hot but she did spend most of the morning searching for a cool spot. Most of which was found at the neighbour’s house, on their patio. The forecast predicted 38°C at the highest today so I was going to crack on with some writing and maybe have a dip in the pool later. By midday, Lady C had joined me indoors to benefit from the AC as I worked on my laptop. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was working in London and had enjoyed the concert last night. Around 7pm I took the dog for a walk and then got talking to the neighbours at the pool. Andy (Darcy’s dad) popped by and had some beers, I had wine and the neighbour joined us for a drink too. We all ended up in the pool with it being so hot but Lady C was not likely to be joining us for a swim, as she isn’t a fan of the water. Dinner was going to be noodles from Simple but it was closed so Ozzy’s were able to deliver pizza, chips and a bottle of wine. The Slimming World plan had gone out of the window (again)!
Gratitude List 1. Turkcell hotspot packages 2. Getting all my jobs done 3. Having a dip in the pool.
The last day of the month did not end well! On Monday 30th June I started the day feeling tired as I ploughed through my to do list. I had quite a few calls and emails to deal with and the day went so fast. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for an incident that had happened as a result of our neighbour opposite not closing a door! The door to the communal stairs was open and, as I started to walk up the stairs, I could smell an awful stench; There was cat shit all over the top of the stairs where the 3 apartment front doors are. Ours and the next door neighbour had cat shit all over the step and some of it was up our door. I was fuming and banged on the door opposite, to ask her to close the stair door to prevent the cats coming up. It’s not a common thing with Turkish people to get them to close a gate or a door, for some reason. She wasn’t in so I went inside the apartment to get some bin liners and cleaning products. I felt so sick and it really was disgusting, especially as it was dried on and took ages to get off. It was also difficult to wash because any water put down was going under the doors. I messaged Captain Caveman to ask him to let the other apartment owners know to close the stair door. While I was cleaning, the neighbour opposite came back so I showed it her and asked her to close the door from now on. She agreed but I wasn’t convinced she would remember. Needless to say I then had to have a shower and change my clothes. I walked Lady C and told her about the random cat shit incident, she felt my pain as she isn’t keen on sharing her home with stray cats either. I wasn’t in the mood to eat dinner so, instead, I worked out my June income and expenditure – which didn’t do much to ease my bad mood! In total I had spent a whopping £820.23 in June which was the most in a month so far this year. It did include Captain Caveman being here for 12 days and me going on 3 boat trips, 2 of them with him, and us going out far more than I usually would do! I did have zero debt, all the bills were paid including my credit card continuing to be paid off in full. As Captain Caveman had very kindly helped me out this month, I did still have £175 left to take in to the next month too. I was also due some royalties in the next couple of days from ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ sales in April.
Gratitude List 1. Getting on top of the workload 2. Eating a lot less than I would’ve, due to the cat shit incident. 3. Having money left at the end of the month!
Photo credit – Captain Caveman sent me the photos from the Iron Maiden gig
I had arranged to see friends on Saturday 28th June, before they flew to the UK. Their dog, Lady C, was going to be in my care while they were gone. I had beans on toast for breakfast and Captain Caveman sent me over an itinerary for our holiday at the end of August – it looked quite busy with 11 European towns in 2 weeks! My concern was that there might be too much moving about in a heat wave. I worked all morning until 2pm then I wandered over to Ozzy’s bar to meet Penny & Phil! Penny was on the phone when I arrived, so I ordered a shandy, at 120 lira (£2.26) a pint it went down very well and I had to order water and another pint. Penny came off the phone and the plan was we would go over to their’s to see Lady C and chill out before they left. I threw caution to the wind and ordered one of the Ozzy’s pizzas which was loaded with toppings and tasted really good. I paid my bill, then the staff gave the 3 of us a shot to drink. We thought it was an alcoholic one but it was a watermelon smoothie, of which they gave us a bottle to take home, too. Here’s what I spent, prices in lira;
Ozzy’s Bar 1 small water 40 1 Efes shandy 120 1 Efes draft 120 1 Chicken pizza 410 Total spent 690 lira (£13.02)
While Penny whizzed back on the ‘Madge-mobeel’ (her orange mobility scooter), Phil and I sauntered back and bumped in to Kaan (from Tequila boat) at his new villa. It was looking really good now that it was finished and he’d done a good job. Lady C was pleased to see me but was rather warm so she chilled out in front of the cooler in the sun room. By 6.15pm I was enjoying a cold drink and had my feet in the pool while Penny and Phil finished last minute getting ready and packing. I still didn’t know exactly what time they were flying but I had ascertained that it was late tonight.
A plan was formed to go out for dinner at Olivia’s, which used to be Yolo, and I was invited to join. They had a deal on any pasta dish with a glass of wine for 300 lira (£5.66) which is great value for money. It was my first time at Olivia’s and it might just become my new favourite place! They served Altıntepe and Isabey wine (currently 120 lira per glass) which I like. The place is cool in the heat with lots of seating indoor and outdoor and great staff – one I recognised but couldn’t place. I had the Four Cheese Tagliatelle (perfect for cheese lovers), Penny had the shrimp spaghetti and Phil ordered chicken and mushroom tagliatelle. The portion sizes were good and we got a free appetiser of warm bread with olives and oil – a nice touch. The shrimp spaghetti had a rather generous amount of capers in and Penny doesn’t like them. Even though it did say it on the menu in the small description, our waiter and chef changed the dish to redo it without issue when he noticed Penny picking them out. Phil didn’t realise his tagliatelle had chicken in so he picked it all out to give to the dog later. We were almost done eating our mains when Karen and Andy arrived and sat next to us. Andy ordered a non-pasta dish and Karen ordered the same shrimp spaghetti which Penny had but with capers in (you couldn’t make it up)!
We met the dessert chef and it would have been rude not to try the desserts which looked amazing! My friends had a roulade type cake which got devoured and I had a Dubai Chocolate Brownie which was out of this world!!!! The desserts were a work of art and also tasted fantastic. Here’s what our bill came to, prices in lira;
I’d ended up with 3 wines and a pasta that I wasn’t expecting to be paid for so I put 250 lira (£4.72) in as a tip. It equated to 14% but given that Penny had her dish replaced after the capers debacle, I thought it a good idea if ever we wanted to go again. Meanwhile, Captain Caveman and Vinnie were having a great time at the Iron Maiden gig in London, where some of my Sheffield friends were also in attendance, but separately.
Gratitude List 1. Great food at Ozzy’s and Olivia’s 2. The amazing dessert at Olivia’s 3. Having a lovely afternoon and evening with Penny & Phil.
joloyolo 