Dalyan – 18th & 19th January

After a couple of exciting nights out this week, it was time to take it steady on Saturday 18th January. After a dog walk and beans on toast with a cup of tea for breakfast, I decided to do something similar to last week. I had just a bit of editing and the summary of my ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle…’ book to finish off so I decided to crack on with it. Unfortunately, Amazon seemed to think I already had an account so I couldn’t log in to attempt to upload the book! It also kept sending codes to a phone number that I didn’t have and was annoying. I had more cake for lunch as I didn’t have any time to make something and then I did quite a long walk with Lady C and Chico.
Back home, I had a chicken and chickpea curry with steamed rice and then taught Lady C a new trick. She wasn’t keen on the biscuits in her bowl so I was trying to encourage her to eat 5 before she was allowed a piece of chicken sausage as a treat. I lined the biscuits up on the step but she wouldn’t take them. I lined them up on the carpet but then she decided she wanted to get her own biscuits from the bowl. After some perseverance she managed it and was so excited to get the treat.

Gratitude List
1. Seeing Lady C and Chico getting along on the walk
2. Lady C learning the biscuit trick
3. Having enough discipline to not quit, when Amazon tipped me over the edge (for the first time).

I was meant to be going on a walk on Sunday 19th January and I hadn’t thought I would need to set an alarm! Unfortunately, I woke up 15 minutes before I would need to be setting off and hadn’t had chance to walk Lady C. I messaged to cancel and said I would head to the Kaunos tea gardens for after they got back so that I could catch up with the Secret Squirrel Sunday walkers. After a dog walk, I had orange and pink grapefruit, tea and toast. I got invited to an online networking event for free which Lisa Johnson, a famous online business strategist, had recommended, so I signed up to do that tomorrow. I did make it in time to meet the walkers and was surprised to see so many police at and around the tea gardens but I wasn’t sure what for. On the way back I went to the bank and then the shop, here is what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 Dido chocolate bars 27.00
Wholemeal bread 49.95
Mushrooms 54.95
3 Quark 59.85
2 Bechamel sauces 89.90
Total spent 296.67 lira (£6.74)

When I got back, I sat down with a cup of tea and a Dido chocolate bar while catching up on some admin. It was lovely and sunny out, so I took Lady C out for an early walk and decided to try her off the lead for a short stretch just to see what she would do. She surprised me and was quite good. That evening I got invited round to Jamie and Drew’s where we finished off the roast chicken dinner from Wednesday (it had been frozen) but we decided to do it without any boozing. Edna was not impressed that I was on water and she had a little sulk. When I got home I did a bit of work before bed as I had an important errand to run tomorrow morning.

Gratitude List
1. Having an unplanned lay in on a Sunday
2. Having tea with the Secret Squirrel Sunday Walkers
3. An impromptu dinner with Jamie, Drew, Norman and Edna.

Photo credit – some of the Sunday walk from Debbie

Dalyan – 17th January

On Friday 17th January I had to knuckle down and make up for being a bit slack yesterday and I was on a mission. I had my early morning 2 cups of tea while waiting for Lady C to wake up so we could go for a walk. She was a bit reluctant but we managed it and she seemed to be getting a bit keener to go the way I wanted and to walk for longer. I had a disagreement with a bloke on Facebook who didn’t like a holiday I’d posted and was challenging the photos which I had shared from an easyJet booking at the Binlik hotel. I was only round the corner from the Binlik Hotel and decided to go take my own photos. When I got there the builders were there but the man let me have a look and was happy for me to take photos. It looked like they were doing a good job actually and I was pleased I’d been to check. For brunch, mainly as I had forgotten to eat breakfast, I decided I wanted to have beans on toast. I was so happy to have found them the other day at the shop next to Waterfall bar for only 57.50 lira (£1.31) and I wish I’d bought more as they are almost double that price in Migros and they don’t always have them in. I also had another piece of birthday cake for afters but then I got on with more work as I had big plans for tonight – I was actually going out out!!!
After completing all my work and doing all my Friday Follow ups, I decided to finish at 3.30pm so that I could go to buy a frying pan from a woman selling lots of new kitchenware (as you do). As luck would have it she had some cute dogs which I also got to pet a little. I also had to nip to the shop, walk and feed the dog, get a shower and get ready for a night out with friends – more belated birthday celebrations! At the shop I just popped to Migros for wholemeal bread and some chickpeas which cost a total of 80.90 lira (£1.84). On the evening walk Lady C was getting a bit confident with Chico, who had taken to joining us on most walks, and was definitely listening to my commands more. I really liked her but she definitely needed far more exercise and a diet. I said this to her and she just looked at me with eyes that said she wasn’t the one polishing off birthday cake instead of a proper meal.

I arrived at Duble restaurant just before 7pm and was warmly greeted by the owner, Ibo. It is one of my favourite places to eat in Dalyan as I think the food and drink is reasonably priced, it’s clean, has a great selection of food but most of all I really like the owner and his wife. It’s located in the old market square and is only small but Ibo has done a lot with it since opening. There’s always a good mix of nationalities and many Turkish friends go there to eat. It just so happened that Debbie and Mike also really like Duble and had chosen it for tonight’s belated birthday celebration. When we arrived there was someone smoking but Ibo asked them to stop and the rest of the evening was smoke free. We decided to choose mezes to share and went to the counter to have a look at the substantial selection. It was a hard choice but we opted for red cabbage, haydari (garlic yoghurt with herbs), mushrooms and something none of us had tried before; sea beans. We ordered a bottle of red wine and some water, we got plenty of warm fresh bread to accompany the mezes which were so fresh and delicious. Surprisingly, the sea beans were fantastic; like samphire but better! They tasted a little bit like artichoke in brine but with the texture of some shrubbery. Ibo had recommended them to us so I think he was pleased we liked them. He knows I’m fussy! After wine, chat, laughs and trying to pronounce the Turkish for sea beans (deniz fasulyesi) we decided we had better order some mains. I was in two minds whether to try the chicken dish with a sauce which Debbie ordered or copy Mike on my usual choice of chicken shish. Having had quite a lot to eat with the mezes and bread already, I decided that I would order the liver as it is one of the best dishes that Duble does, in my opinion. It comes on a skillet with red onion sprinkled with herbs and sumac. For some reason we got a bit giddy and also ordered chips to share, not realising chips would come with the other mains. I had asked Captain Caveman if it was ok to share the news of him getting a new job in the UK and he said it was now official and I could tell Debbie and Mike. They were really pleased for him and we all did a cheers, sending him the photo of us all.

After the excellent meal, we all decided it would be a nice change to go and see the live band which is on each week at Nil Lounge. Debbie and Mike had not been before and I hadn’t been in quite a while so we were up for it.
At Nil Lounge it was fairly busy for a Friday night in winter but we managed to find a seat almost opposite the ‘stage’. We had a good view of the lead guitarist as he morphed himself in to a Jimmi Hendrix impersonator and contorted his face up like he was either aroused or needed a poo! I don’t think Debbie, Mike and I had laughed so much but then Jimmi came over to our table, thrusting and fingering his guitar from behind his head, like something possessed. I got dragged up on to the ‘dancefloor’ by Sue who was in her element and having such a good time! It was so funny and we did have an amazing night. The band was great and the female vocalist had such a great repertoire of songs. Although Nil Lounge is not the cheapest place to drink, it was still just less than £20 for a bottle of decent red wine so definitely worth it if you don’t mind a free grind from the guitarist as he strummed in front of you and generally showed off. It’s worth going just to see the show he puts on!

Gratitude List
1. Beans on Toast as a treat
2. Buying a decent frying pan
3. A fantastic birthday night out with great friends and celebrating Captain Caveman’s new job too.

Dalyan – 16th January

When I woke up on Thursday 16th January it was apparent that I had been quite drunk last night – as I had cut down so much on the alcohol to lose weight and save money, I was a real lightweight! I hadn’t put my phone on silent and I saw what I had sent to Nanny Kay last night! OMG. Of course, the writing down 3 things on my gratitude list had not been done before bed, either. I felt terrible and my headache continued until well past dog walks and breakfast. While I made a cup of tea I tried to work out what had happened to the remaining birthday cake that I had come home with. When I put the tea bag in the bin I notice that the cake box was neatly folded and disposed of! Surely, I had not eaten half a birthday cake when I got home!?
I looked around the room and at Lady C for any clues, there were none. I was in the fridge, getting the milk, and noticed quite a few containers that weren’t there before. When I opened them, they were full of badly sliced birthday cake. Then it dawned on me that I had decided it would be safer to keep it out of harm’s way from Lady C by slicing and storing it. Oh dear, even drunk me was now making sensible decisions! I checked that I had remembered to also bring home my presents, which I had. In the afternoon I took Lady C on a very sunny walk, she even waited for Chico to join us and then I had a slice of cake for lunch! I had some strange message requests from some random men saying Hi on Whatsapp so I blocked them. When I spoke to Captain Caveman later on, I was able to congratulate him on his new job as he had officially got it, assuming all the HR and Medical outcomes were satisfactory. He was pleased, I was delighted and really proud of Captain Caveman for doing what he was doing. He would be working for an engineering company as a senior project manager, based in the UK. We looked at flights for me to perhaps pop to England to visit him around mid-February, and between the 2 stints of dog sitting for Norman & Edna. It was only £57 return but we didn’t book the flight yet as it would depend on where Captain Caveman would be working. That evening, I had the rest of the lentil and chickpea curry for dinner, did the bare minimum of work and went to bed early, swearing that drinking on a school night was no longer for me.

Gratitude List
1. Not offending 79yr old Nanny Kay
2. Finding the cake
3. Captain Caveman getting the job.

Dalyan – 15th January

I’m always busy on Wednesdays and Wednesday 15th January was no different. I started the day with tea and toast and a check of my measurements. I’d lost 1cm from my bust, but my waist and hips had stayed the same. I had consumed 228 syns this week so it was not going to be good on Carol’s scales this afternoon at Fat Club. I had so much on my To Do list that I was quite glad of the cancellation of Turkish class that morning so I could get stuck in, after the dog walk of which Lady C was going a little further each day. I nipped to the shop to get more ingredients for my dish for tonight’s meal. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Şevikoğlu Supermarket
1 Dido chocolate bar 15.00
Milk 29.90
1 pack of tortilla 54.90
Cauliflower 93.49
Total spent 193.29 lira (£4.39)

When I spoke to Captain Caveman he was very calm and collected and said he thought the interview had gone well and they were going to get him an offer and the contract out. Captain Caveman was waiting to find out more details in this paperwork before committing but it did sound like this was going to work out well for him. I was really pleased that things were going in the right direction as, despite being a positive person, I do worry more than Captain Caveman does. He also helped me install Maps.me on my phone so that I could find places easier when offline, perhaps on a Sunday Walk. Foolishly, I ate a chocolate bar and some peanuts for lunch, put my cauliflower cheese in the slow cooker and then went to Fat Club at Nish Caria hotel, as usual.
Unfortunately, I had put on 0.5kg so I was now exactly at my target weight. I was going to need to be careful this week with those ‘extras’. I finished Fat Club and rushed to meet a lady from the walking group who was going to be at Waterfall bar to return Captain Caveman’s walking poles.
As is often the case in Dalyan, that did not go to plan! I ended up paying 140 lira (£3.18) for a glass of red wine to sit on my own in Waterfall bar. I wasted 50 minutes and risked my cauliflower chees being spoiled to have to go find the lady’s house, when she called me with directions, then turned out not to be at home! She came running down the street in a flap with a tale about her ID card not arriving before she left for England.

I rushed back to a slightly overcooked cauliflower cheese and a dog who wondered what had kept me. We did the dog walk and I got ready for an evening with friends. Jamie picked me up, with Julia already in the car so she got to hold my cauliflower cheese (not a euphemism), which was precariously covered with tin foil and in a tray with handles on. We then went to pick up Nanny Kay, which meant she could join me on the wine. I’d brought a nice bottle of the Levissi stash over and my dish went in the oven. Jamie and Drew were the perfect hosts; as Drew took charge in the kitchen, Jamie poured everyone a glass of celebration fizz which was so lovely!!! We were celebrating quite a few occasions including Drew’s return, my birthday, several people’s departures and just being together for a laugh!!! Not only had Jamie and Drew put on the soirée and bought the Prosecco, they had also bought me a bottle of red wine. Nanny Kay had got me a card and a gift which I thought was a cricket bat at first, but it turned out to be a lovely hand painted paddle type item which you hang on a wall. I certainly didn’t already have one so she had chosen well and it was very kind of her. The drinks flowed, the music came from Alexa, which I didn’t even know they had, and our Sunday Dinner on a Wednesday (so wild) was delightful. I had no idea that Jamie and Drew had got me a birthday cake too and everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me. Even Norman and Edna tried to get a piece of cake, which was gorgeous and blowing out candles has made a comeback since Covid (who knew!?). I felt so lucky to be with such good company and of course we had a great time, laughing non-stop and even dancing. We ended up all shouting song requests at Alexa while keeping Fikri, our taxi driver, waiting a little too long at the end of the night! He was slightly miffed at having to wait for us so all 3 of us put in extra lira.
Jamie insisted I take the remaining cake home and I remember holding it in the taxi as I clambered out and wobbled about getting up the steps and indoors. It was late and I don’t recall what happened to the cake from that point. I do remember drinking one glass of water in an attempt to ward off the hangover I knew I would have tomorrow. I also recall checking Nanny Kay had got home ok, despite us all going in the taxi together. I also followed it up with a very crude post from Facebook which was a good job Nanny Kay had a sense of humour.

Photo/video credit – Julia and Drew

Dalyan – 14th January

I felt bad that I didn’t get to say bye to The Aussies on Tuesday 14th January because I hadn’t realised they were leaving for Istanbul today and I was so wrapped up in work. I was really pleased when they left me a big bag of ‘stuff’ at my door, which was kind of them. I had buttered toast, oranges and tea for breakfast and cracked on with my day. I had a massive To Do list as well as chores to get through and I was glad to be busy. Jamie’s partner, Drew, was on his way over to Dalyan so I was invited to a soirée at their place tomorrow night, which I was really looking forward to. When I walked past the currency exchange shop, I noticed the lira to pound rate had dropped a bit an was now showing 41.2 lira to the pound. Captain Caveman had been back in the UK for 2 weeks already and was still having to adjust to the cold weather there. At 2.30pm (UK time), Captain Caveman had a follow up interview in Warrington so I was also keeping everything crossed that all went well. At lunchtime I had soup and a cheese sandwich plus more peanuts and I had the leftover lentil and chickpea curry with steamed rice for dinner. It still meant that I had consumed far more syns than I should’ve, despite the extra allowances. I was really pleased when Lady C, joined by our new walking buddy Chico, managed a much longer walk and seemed happier. Chico got no love from her though but let me give her a chin tickle.

Gratitude List
1. Goodies from The Aussies.
2. Captain Caveman’s interview going well
3. Having a longer walk with Lady C

Dalyan – 12th & 13th January

It rained heavily all day on Sunday 12th January and I had trouble getting Lady C out for a walk. Once she was out though, she discovered she liked a bit of sploshing in puddles and I had to dry her off with a towel which the damp cats had been on. She was not impressed and demanded snacks! I had more juicy oranges and pink grapefruit for breakfast, vegetable soup for lunch and peanuts for snacks. I did a few enquiries for work but I had a feeling they were time wasters – it’s hard to tell. I defrosted a chicken casserole for dinner and had it with slow cooker cauliflower cheese as I had so much cauliflower. It was very tasty and I really enjoyed a wet wintery day indoors.

Gratitude List
1. Good homemade food
2. Being warm in the AC
3. Sploshing in puddles.

Monday 13th January was a busy working day and I was loving having the new Resort Experts quote tool. It was reducing the time I was spending producing quotes. I was up very early, it finally stopped raining and I managed to get Lady C out but she didn’t want to go far. She wouldn’t go in the direction of the bin, when I needed to put some rubbish in, so I hooked her on to the gate – she wasn’t impressed. We met up with a dog who had been abandoned, Chico, who started to join our walks. Luckily, a kind Turkish lady was feeding her and let her shelter on her balcony when it rained.

I was also playing catch up because of taking some time off at the weekend. Unfortunately, I got a message from The Aussies to say they were leaving at 7am tomorrow and wanted to meet up today to say bye but I just didn’t have time. I barely had chance to go to the corner shop to buy some provisions, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Fresh bread 10.00
1 Açma & 1 simit 70.00
1 tin of Heinz beans 57.50
Red cheese 133.00
Total spent 270.50 lira (£6.15)

I worked most of the day, had a couple of rain dodging short dog walks and ate the same as what I had yesterday for lunch and dinner – I do love a batch cook to free up time.

Gratitude List
1. Buying treats of baked beans and cheese!!!!
2. More genuine Resort Experts enquiries coming through
3. Time saving solutions.

Dalyan – 11th January

Even though it was my birthday on Saturday 11th January, I had made the decision not to celebrate it. I had a half finished handy travel tips book that I had been wanting to finish for ages, but it always took a backseat. I decided today that I would turn my phone on silent, take the day off work and get it finished. I no longer wanted to make it perfect and decided that I would do a series of them, meaning I could do short books which readers would be able to read quickly and even take on holiday with them.
I had gorgeous oranges and pink grapefruit on my doorstep so I had picked them and made juice which was so good. I had cheese spread on bread for breakfast and then took Lady C on a walk. I cracked on with the ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle……and other handy travel tips’ book and got quite far. I didn’t stop for lunch until 2.30pm when I had a feta cheese salad with my overpriced lettuce. I had the slow cooker out and made a very quick and easy dahl for dinner. I spoke to my parents who wished me a happy birthday and then I spoke to Captain Caveman who later sent me photos of Whernside and Pen-y-gent with snow on. I think he was just about getting used to how cold it was in the UK. When I came off the phone I had a delivery from good friends, some flowers, Dido chocolate bars and a birthday card – which I thought was really sweet and made my day.
After finishing all the chapters of the book, bar one chapter that needed changing, and taking Lady C out for a walk, I decided to sit and watch a film on Netflix as a break from my screen. I chose badly; ‘Mother of the Bride’ wasn’t funny and not my thing at all so I decided to watch a documentary next; ‘Avicii – I’m Tim’ was really good but rather sad, obviously. I got an invite to Nil Lounge tonight for the Cat Paws charity night. I politely declined as I was doing my best to be disciplined with my time. The Aussies were soldiering on too and had a barbecue which I also declined as I wanted to concentrate on getting the book finished. By this time it was raining but weather doesn’t stop a group of Aussies having a barbecue. I’d also been invited to Duble for birthday celebrations which we had already postponed too.
My lentil and chickpea curry was rather tasty but I didn’t even have a drink on my birthday. I did watch another film that was mildly entertaining called Carry-On. I went to bed without setting an alarm as I had nowhere to be tomorrow and knew I’d wake up early anyway.

Gratitude List
1. So many birthday wishes, plus cards and gifts
2. Fresh tasty food
3. Book Day – at last.

Dalyan – 9th & 10th January

My day started with overnight oats and frozen berries for breakfast with my Yorkshire tea on Thursday 9th January. Lady C, the dog, was still napping and wasn’t too keen to go outside in the cold. When we did get out for her morning walk she managed to get the whole way around the block. I left her at home while I went to run some errands which included going to the bank and picking up some bread and a cheese flavoured açma from the bakery, for 35 lira (80p). I decided to call at A101 and get some treats too. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

A101 Supermarket 2pm
1 Dido chocolate bar 16.50
Jellies 17.00
1 Pot noodle 22.00
1 Bounty chocolate bar 24.50
Total spent 80.00 lira (£1.82)

I bumped in to a friend in the town and had a bit of a chat and then had to dash. It was around lunch time by this point and when I arrived at our complex, two of The Aussies, were on the terrace waiting for the rest of the family to arrive back from a trip across the river. Another 2 were at home ill with Covid symptoms and Amanda told me that all but her, and 2 of their party of 9, had had Covid. I’d still not had it and I didn’t want it – I couldn’t afford to be unable to work. I backed away and said farewell as I had to get back to my laptop, just as the remaining 5 Aussies arrived.
For lunch, which was very late I had the pot noodle and the cheese açma then got on with my expanding To Do list again before another dog walk. For dinner I had a veggie lentil bolognese with pasta and a glass of red wine. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was back at his friend’s house in Sheffield and was planning some excitement at the weekend. In the evening I started watching Black Doves and did some blog editing at the same time.

Gratitude
1. A January self-care chart to remind me to look after myself
2. Bumping in to a friend for a chat
3. One of my Resort Experts colleagues, in Majorca, helping me with a list of 50 ideas for social media posts.

Now that I could have between 40 and 60 extra syns per week, plus up to 3 extra Healthy A & Bs per day, I was ready for more flexibility in my food on Friday 10th January. I was awake early and ploughing through my substantial To Do list while I drank my tea and ate my overnight oats with berries. There was dog walking, cat feeding and general animal stuff. Lady C was rather disgruntled that at least 4 cats were sleeping on her bed when we got back to her house. We had another short walk at lunch time as I wanted to keep her active while the weather was fine, I felt she was a little lazy and didn’t want her getting bored. When we got back this time, the cats were feeding and one had made a bed out of a spare box on the table. I ate an aubergine dip with bread and feta then had some peanuts as a snack. I also cancelled all my plans that involved other people, for the next 3 days. In Turkey if you have Covid, there are no rules to say that you must stay home but I checked with the friends who I was meant to be visiting today, one was an ex medical professional who was at risk, and they definitely didn’t want me to join them, for up to 5 days, just in case I had caught it. It was unlikely, as we had been outside and at a distance, but I’d been feeling under the weather with aches and a bit of a sore throat. Rain was definitely forecast this weekend so I decided that I would use the time to be productive instead.
For dinner I had leftover lentil bolognese with potato wedges which I did in the air fryer and topped with cheese, since I was allowed extra now. As it was a Friday and I was not going out, I decided to have a glass of wine. I spent Friday night totting up my finances to make sure I would have enough money deposited in to the bank for the new residency rules. For me to stay as a resident now, I needed to deposit at least 33,156 lira per month, which was about £755 at today’s rate. I was short by £170 but with still enough time to sort it out. I finished watching Black Doves in the evening, which I wasn’t massively impressed by. I started watching Breakthrough but couldn’t get in to that either. At 11pm, Captain Caveman called to say he was on his way to the Yorkshire Dales for the weekend and that he would call me tomorrow. I told him to message me first as I had planned to turn my phone off and get on with something important for the day.
Before I went to bed, I got a message from the bank to say that my parents had put me some birthday money in to my Turkish bank, which was really kind of them and would be nice to get myself something nice, or maybe have my hair done at last.

Gratitude List
1. That the cats were outdoor ones and I didn’t have to do much with them
2. Having time to watch some TV
3. Deciding to stay home tomorrow and make time to do something I had been meaning to do for a while.

Dalyan – 7th & 8th January

I’d arranged to look after a cute dog from Tuesday 7th January. I had my Yorkshire tea and overnight oats with grapefruit for breakfast. I packed up my work stuff and some food for lunch and dinner, plus wellies as it looked like rain later.
Around the time I was waiting for my friend to pick me up, the power went off and so I had no internet. We drove to hers and the little dog, who I affectionately renamed Lady C, seemed a bit sad that the big suitcases were out. The lovely neighbours popped round and I met them and a few of the regular cat visitors who I would also be feeding and keeping an eye on. While I was saying bye to my friends, Captain Caveman was in a Premier Inn in Sheffield, preparing for an interview. He’d decided to check in there for a couple of nights so that he had no distractions and had somewhere nice and comfy to stay. Meanwhile, Lady C was out on her dog bed, having a snoozy sunbathe while I caught up with some emails. I made the kitchen island in to my temporary desk. Unfortunately, I got a message to say that the flight was delayed and then later that it was cancelled due to a medical emergency on the inbound fight. Luckily, my friends were offered a room in a hotel for the night so Lady C was stuck with me.
I’d only had a cheese spread sandwich for lunch with waiting to see what was happening with flights etc, but, after a very short dog walk, I had chicken and vegetable stir fry with egg noodles for dinner. That evening I started to watch the latest Harlen Coban series ‘Missing You’ and I waited for a video call from Captain Caveman. When we spoke, Captain Caveman seemed optimistic and I was a bit relieved. In between all of that I still managed to do some work and I was tired, looking forward to some much needed sleep, before a busy day tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Captain Caveman having an interview lined up
2. Captain Caveman finding somewhere nice and comfy to stay in Sheffield
3. Watching TV.

I was meant to have been going on a fabulous Princess of Ekincik boat trip on Wednesday 8th January and had done my best to move my working day around, however it was not to be and I had to let The Aussies down. I wasn’t feeling too great and had been up since 5am. I tried to go back to sleep but we had the new Resort Experts Quote tool to test so I started that. When I took Lady C for a walk she was very stubborn, she wouldn’t go in the direction I wanted to and she was really funny and cute. I didn’t do my weight but I did take my measurements and I had stayed the same on my bust, put 1cm on my waist and 2cm on my hips – this was not boding well for Carol’s scales at Fat Club later. I spoke to the dog’s owners and they were eventually heading off on the new flight to Gatwick after a disappointing stay at the Ramada Hotel in Dalaman. I had just an orange, which I picked from the garden, for my breakfast – it tasted delicious. At 2pm I should have been meeting a walking group friend to go to Ortaca. She had arranged for free Turkish lessons if we could get a group of 20 people and now we needed to go to Ortaca with our residency permits to register. I didn’t have the time to break off what I was doing, so I sent her a photo of my ID and she agreed to take it for me.
When I finally got on the scales at Fat Club, I was surprised to find I had lost 0.3kg (0.7lb) which meant I was now 0.5kg under my target. I was very pleased and only having consumed 167 syns this week had really helped. Carol loaned me a Slimming World book which was about how I managed to maintain this healthier weight from now on and I took it home to digest the information. What I had not realised is that once you hit your target weight, you can have extra Healthy A & B options as well as a few more syns, although you are meant to use them for healthier fats rather than crisps. If I’d known that at the beginning, it might have spurred me on a bit faster!!
I had soup, then cheese and crackers with 2 glasses of wine as my little treat and got ready for a busy evening. I had a video call with Captain Caveman who had been to another online meeting/interview and things were progressing on the job front. As he was staying in a hotel, he hadn’t got weighed but he hadn’t been over indulging since he got back, too much. My next appointment was at 8pm when I attended the Resort Experts team meeting and found out we were able to match On the Beach quotes using Classic Collection – this was really good for people looking online at cheap package holidays. The Quote tool was working and we were able to use it for more operators later this week. I finally got sat on the sofa about 10pm and finished watching the rest of ‘Missing You’. It was a late night and I was quite tired so I decided that tomorrow I needed to take it a bit easier.

Gratitude List
1. Captain Caveman having a second interview
2. Losing weight
3. Having the opportunity to test the Resort Experts’ new quote tool.

Dalyan – 5th January

There was no official Sunday walk on Sunday 5th January, as Captain Caveman had now left Dalyan and there was no one else willing/available to take on the task of organising one this week. I’d decided I would not always be free as I worked some weekends and I also was a bit of a fair-weather girl who couldn’t read a map. The sun was out and so when I got up and had my cup of tea, I messaged Debbie and Janet to see if they were going on a walk. They said they were up for a short stroll and Debbie let Sezgin and Nur know too so we could meet at the tea gardens at 11am. It turned in to a bit of a Secret Squirrel Sunday walk, quite by chance. We all started off togged up in many layers, as it was a very cold morning despite the sun. We had lost one walker before leaving the Mosque Square and we watched some stand up paddle boarders on the river. One of them fell in, which must have been a bit refreshing for them. By 12.45pm I had taken so many layers off that my bag was full of clothes and I had very hot feet. I was wearing Captain Caveman’s wool socks with my wellies to make them comfier. We went to the tea gardens afterwards and had a hot beverage and a bit of a laugh.

After the walk, I went to the shops to stock up, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Bakery
1 fresh loaf 10.00
1 açma 15.00
Total spent 25.00 lira (57p)

Migros Supermarket
2 red onions 10.72
1 chocolate bar 14.40
Spring onions 34.94
1.2kg carrots 64.84
720g sweet potatoes 71.96
3 Quark 89.95
Spray olive oil 129.95
705g chicken breasts 105.72
912g chicken thighs 184.64
Total spent 707.15 lira (£16.07)

When I got home, Captain Caveman had been busy setting up a Facebook Group and had invited me to be the admin on it. I treated myself to the açma with kaymak and jam for my brunch and made a chicken casserole in the slow cooker for dinner. The weather forecast was looking bad again for next week so I got on with work and then started looking at my own holidays. I had a quick look at costs of package holidays to Marrakech in February and saw one at £229 per person from Gatwick, hand luggage only but staying at a nice place with a pool. Captain Caveman thought this was a bit pricey and I looked at flights which came up at a bargain £35 return from Gatwick. I would still have to add my flights from Turkey to the UK on top of that, though. I went to bed thinking of a weekend in Marrakech and knowing the sales course I was on tomorrow had come at a good time.

Gratitude List
1. The Secret Squirrel Sunday Walk
2. Bargain chicken from Migros
3. Captain Caveman including me in his projects and plans.

Photo credit – some photos by Debbie W

Dalyan – 3rd January

I stayed in bed writing my blog on Friday 3rd January as it was too cold to get out. I put the AC on warm but it took a while to warm up the room. I had Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup), with the rather pricey lettuce in, for breakfast and got on with some work.
At 12.30pm a friend arrived to pick me up as I was going over to her place for a quick cup of tea and a catch up. It was nice to have an hour out and I went to the supermarket afterwards where I picked up a couple of bits. Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

BIM Supermarket
Frozen sweetcorn 42.50
250g strong cheese 79.50
2 X 1kg basmati rice 110.00
Total spent 232.00 lira (£5.27)

While prices in general had gone up for the new year, basmati rice was on offer so both me and my friend bought a couple of bags as it’s not always in stock.
I had a cheese sandwich for lunch and decided I would have a curry for dinner. In the afternoon Jamie and I had a Resort Experts meeting at mine over a couple of cups of tea and we talked about what was working and what wasn’t. I’d already set my targets for the year and was on a bit of a mission.
I made a Slimming World Mauritian curry with leftover chicken kebab from the prison and almost gave myself food poisoning. When I cut it up, it was still still raw in the middle which may have accounted for why I had a bit of a dodgy tum as soon as I got home after dropping Captain Caveman off at the airport. Still, I had chopped all the ingredients and made the curry base now so I had it anyway. It tasted amazing but it was probably a little foolish. As it was a Friday I also had some wine as a bit of a treat. My stomach wasn’t great afterwards but I wondered if that just meant that the sun’s I’d counted for tonight, would no longer be contributing to my total.

Gratitude List
1. Being able to have a cup of tea with friends and their dog
2. Having Jamie to bounce ideas off
3. Speaking to Captain Caveman who was busy on the job searching front.

Dalyan – 29th December

Captain Caveman was really looking forward to the Sunday Walk on Sunday 29th December, and it would be his last one in Dalyan for some time. This also meant that he didn’t care if it was going to be raining or if he had to do it alone. I, on the other hand, had hoped to join but still had a bad back and was super tired so I decided the wet weather was going to put me off. I felt bad as I had said to people I was going to go, even if I had to do the adapted easier route. Captain Caveman left and I decided to clean the house and wash the sofa throws, as they still had dog hairs on from Norman and Edna’s visit. After that, I spent time in my new office, sipping sage tea and looking out at the clouds. Before midday I decided to venture out and go to the Kaunos tea garden to meet Captain Caveman and any fellow walkers. As I went to leave, the heavens opened and I had to retreat to get an umbrella. When I arrived, I met a couple of people who had also missed the walk as they mistakenly thought it had started at 10am and we had a cup of Turkish tea and ordered some lunch. I decided to have a spinach gözleme and it was really tasty. When Captain Caveman and his fellow walkers arrived they were wet and very cold looking – I was also surprised at how many people had turned up. Captain Caveman ordered a large tea and a mixed toastie and I think he was relieved that I had already had a Turkish pancake so that he didn’t have to share. I paid the bill at the tea gardens and said goodbye to the hardcore walkers. Here’s the prices in lira;

Kaunos Tea Garden
2 large Turkish teas 30.00
1 mixed toastie 100.00
1 spinach gözleme 150.00
Total spent 280.00 lira (£6.35)

Back at home, Captain Caveman had a hot shower and I had to get a spare quilt out for him to have on the sofa, as he was still shivering. It also meant that he was out of action to help with the rest of the cleaning – highly convenient when he had invited a couple of friends over to say farewell to tonight.
At 7pm our guests arrived; bringing chocolate cookies, wine, beer and nice wintery wine glasses. We did a little buffet with pastries (börek), veg, dips, crisps, nuts, olives, cheese and crackers which went down well but I got laughed at by the Turkish guests for not making my own Turkish pastries and dips. Captain Caveman was sad to be leaving, he had made some lovely friends from doing the Sunday Walks and Bridge club. It turned out to be a really nice evening, although we only just had enough chairs for everyone.

Photo Credit – Captain Caveman and some of the Sunday Walk group

Dalyan – 27th & 28th December

I had another day ‘in the office’ on Friday 27th December and Captain Caveman helped me turn our spare room in to my new office. We took a table from one of our balconies to the spare room and put it under the window. The room overlooks a new building which was still being worked on but it did have sun coming in through the windows. We used a spare wooden dining room chair but Captain Caveman thought it needed a bit more support on my back. He used a jacket he was leaving in Dalyan to cover the back of the chair and it was super comfy. I cracked on with work, while Captain Caveman went to the barbers for a haircut and shave. He looked like a new man when he got back!!
At 12.30pm we walked over to Jamie’s to say hi to Norman and Edna before Jamie, Captain Caveman and I had a trip to Fethiye and Göcek. Edna was excited to see us, as always Norman was not particularly interested. Jamie wanted to take advantage of the wine in Göcek which Janet and Ian had introduced us to, so we went there first to pick up wine. Captain Caveman decided it would be a good investment for him to buy more wine and so we also bought 12 more bottles. This time, we chose our preferred wines and bought 4 each of the Gamay, Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon at 150 lira (£3.40) per bottle so a total of 1,800 lira (£40.82) – an absolute bargain! We also called to collect something in Fethiye then headed back to Dalyan. That evening, Captain Caveman cooked some pasta for dinner and we had more wine!!

I had several plans for Saturday 28th December; get up early to go to the market, work until midday, go to the beach for the afternoon, clean our own house and go shopping. The weather was cold and cloudy and didn’t look like it might stay dry enough for a beach visit today. So instead, Captain Caveman went dogging and I worked, we didn’t bother with the market. As Captain Caveman was leaving in a few days he thought it was pointless to get anything from the market and we could make do this week. I worked through some travel guides for top things to do in Vietnam in Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Hoi An, Danang, Hue, Ho Chi Minh and Phu Quoc. I was becoming so much more aware of other Travel Agents not promoting Phong Nha in their Vietnam itineraries and trying to shove the whole country in to one short trip – which was too rushed and unreasonable. I absolutely loved my new office views and the skies were very atmospheric. The AC in that spare room certainly made the room very cosy and I thought I might move in to that bedroom when Captain Caveman left, if the nearby building work wasn’t too disruptive.
I finished work for a soup and cheese on toast lunch with Captain Caveman then suggested that we go do the shopping. Here’s what we bought, prices in lira:

BIM Supermarket
Salt 6.25
Carrots 14.75
2 Dido chocolate bars 27.00
Atom dip 29.50
Aubergine and tahini dip 29.50
Toilet rolls 39.00
Mushrooms 44.75
Fairy washing up liquid 74.75
15 eggs 75.00
Total spent 340.48 (£7.72)

Migros Supermarket
Hummus 39.75
Total spent 39.75 (90p)

After unpacking the shopping and putting it away, I suggested we check out a café/bar I had been meaning to visit. O Filo is a lovely little place with a good selection of craft beers so we decided to treat ourselves to a beer each, I also wanted to suss it out for a place to work from if I fancied ‘working from home’ somewhere in Dalyan. It was ideal for that, although I wouldn’t be splashing out on craft beers until the money was rolling in quicker. My honey and pepper beer was really good and Captain Caveman chose a nice Gara Guzu Red Ale. We paid 500 lira (£11.34) for 2 craft beers and that included a discount, but I would definitely recommend it for a really nice place to sit and enjoy a quiet drink. As we were walking back we noticed Penny & Phil were in Tez Bar and so we decided to see if we could join them for a drink. It was lovely to catch up and I got to cuddle their dog, Caramel, too. It cost us just 440 lira (£10) for our 2 drinks each and then we had to leave as we needed to get ready for tonight’s party. We had been invited to The Aussie’s for a BBQ at their villa and we decided to take a bottle of wine to drink. It was a good job I had given myself permission to eat and drink whatever I liked without taking note as I ate so much delicious food. I had lots of bread, köfte, some salad items and I even had Australian fairy bread. If you’ve not had this before it is white sliced bread with butter (in this case Lurpak) and topped with coloured sprinkles (hundreds and thousands, I think we call them?). It started raining but, in true Aussie style, that did not put anyone off and we continued as Captain Caveman went on to gin. Amanda and Greg were so kind to have also brought us some gifts; 3 lots of high factor great quality sun cream, Lurpak butter and some Shapes crackers. It was a great night and we walked home quite merry (again), despite knowing we had to be up early for the Sunday Walk tomorrow.

Dalyan – 26th December

I was straight back in to work on Thursday 26th December, as I was thinking that it could be busy with enquiries for people who were off work and were wanting to book holidays or accommodation. Quite frankly, I was hungry for the business and to get on top of the January sales – there were so many discounts available on package deals with EasyJet, Jet2, Classic Collection, TUI, Gold Medal, Intrepid and the Adventure People – all of who had sent me their promotional offers email to have a read through. Captain Caveman had brought me buttered toast and a cup of Yorkshire tea in bed. I’d already decided that I wouldn’t continue my food diary for the rest of the year and I had blocked out my calendar to get on with as much Resort Experts work as I could, while still trying to spend time with Captain Caveman in his last week. It was a bit of a balancing act but now we didn’t have dog duties, it felt like I had a little bit more time.
After work, and before it got dark, Captain Caveman and I took a walk to Kaunos Tea Gardens where Captain Caveman had an Efes Malt and I had a large tea. It came to 160 lira (£3.63) and it was quite pleasant until the sun went behind the mountains. Next, we went to the green grocers to stock up on fresh produce, where we bought carrots, garlic, red peppers, onions and tomatoes for a total of 213 lira (£4.83). I also spotted some sage which I thought was a bargain at 30 lira (68p) for quite a lot – I love a sage tea.
At the pharmacy I bought 1 month of contraceptive pills for 329.18 lira (£7.46), which I think is pricey (but cheaper than a child), then we walked round to the supermarket where we bought the following;

Şok Supermarket
Chilli Dip 27.50
Aubergine Dip 29.90
Washing powder 64.95
Cheese 72.50
Total spent 194.85 lira (£4.42)

There was just 5 nights left of Captain Caveman’s stay so we drew out 3,500 lira (£80) for going out with, during that time. It was a tight budget for the 2 of us but it would be doable if we were careful.
We had chicken casserole for dinner and Captain Caveman made some airfryer roast potatoes which were really good. We had Merlot wine and then got ready to go out to the Jiks fun quiz, which Jan was running. It started at 8pm but The Aussies are often late so I wasn’t unduly worried when we arrived and they weren’t there. A lovely lady who had joined the Sunday walk was there with her husband and they were just about to leave when we roped them in for the quiz. They were on their holidays but have been to Dalyan before and were really nice people. We joined their table to make a team of 4, figuring The Aussies, when they arrived, would already be a team of 4 too. Unfortunately, they didn’t turn up and we weren’t sure why at the time but, by this time, it was too late to call them as the quiz had commenced and I didn’t want to get disqualified for having my phone out. The next day we found out Amanda had been quite sick with a bad stomach for the last 2 days so we were grateful she’d not shared that with us.
Jan did a very thorough Boxing Day quiz at Jiks with some laughs along the way and I actually really enjoyed the night out. All 4 of us contributed and it did make a nice change, as I don’t usually like quizzes which are more Captain Caveman’s area of expertise. At half time we got served Jan’s homemade warm mince pies and gingerbread men, we had a few as they were delicious! The quiz was an all-rounder which was good and we ended up winning which all but Captain Caveman were surprised about. Our team name was conveniently Albino Buffalo which was what was on our new t-shirts. We paid cash for our drinks; Captain Caveman had Efes Malt and I had red wine, which came to 250 lira (£5.67) per round and we just had a couple as I had work in the morning.

Dalyan – 24th December

The weather had definitely meant that the planned Christmas Eve beach party was cancelled on Tuesday 24th December. There was an alternative which had been organised; people were invited to a bar/café over at the other side of the river to bring their own food and drinks and have the party there. For a low price, boats were being put on to take people over and back as they needed. I wasn’t going due to doggy duties and Captain Caveman decided it wasn’t for him. I started the cleaning, my back was still hurting, and had been for a month now, so I hoped Captain Caveman would be able to at least hoover the stairs to help me. He was lucky as the power cut out as I was hoovering downstairs. I had to use a sweeping brush with a broken handle and a dust pan to do the rest. I took painkillers and soldiered on to get it done. I had no time to do any work so it was a good job I had got ahead yesterday. We walked the dogs in the rain and Jamie’s garden was temporarily flooded so Norman got his little legs soaked when I found him in his usual spot, paddling about in rain water. We had Slimming World style pizza wraps for lunch and cracked open a bottle of the Levissi merlot to celebrate Jamie’s return. Edna was excited to hear that Little Daddy was on his way but Norman chucked a deaf ‘un, acting like he wasn’t bothered. We tried to take a few last selfies with the dogs but Edna just wanted to know when she could have some wine and snacks, Norman just wondered why we had started day drinking.
Jamie returned to only half of his power being back on and I thought I might have broken his hoover so I ‘fessed up. We drank the rest of the merlot with Jamie and we all agreed it was a very nice drop as we shared the source of our latest wine purchase with him.
We were back at our place by 5pm and we were glad to be home! Captain Caveman opened a bottle of the Levissi blush wine to celebrate and we had it with some cheese, crackers and olives. That was where I was more than happy for our Christmas Eve to end, I was knackered from cleaning (without electricity or hot water for most of it) and could quite easily have put my pyjamas on and gone to bed – that was not to be, though!

In the evening of Christmas Eve, despite the weather, we ventured out to meet The Aussies. Amanda, Greg, Jason & Maddie were waiting for us in Ozzy’s Bar and they were all wearing matching T-shirts. Greg and Amanda had made them with a logo we had thought of for a potential new business idea that we had discussed the last time we had met up in Dalyan. They had Captain Caveman on a buffalo and they looked great – they even chose red for his and orange for mine, which we loved. I had a couple of glasses of wine, Captain Caveman had a couple of beers but the others were enjoying hot/soft drinks and ordered some food. It was great to catch up and they did invite us to meet up with them tomorrow, Christmas Day. Captain Caveman and I had already decided we needed to spend the day together and we were going to have cheese on toast and drink wine for our Christmas at home on a comfy sofa and watch Netflix. While we were there, we bumped in to a few Dalyan Dwellers and I joined in on the karaoke with them, as you do! Our bill for 2 wines and 2 beers came to 500 lira (£11.36) including the tip and, although reasonable, made me think how careful we needed to be with going out.

We said our farewells to The Aussies with plans to reconvene for the Boxing Day Fun Quiz at Jiks. As we left Ozzy’s, the storm worsened and we didn’t even get more than 50 metres away. Captain Caveman and I sheltered in Jiks where we were pretty soaked, the fire was on and there was only us in there so it was really cosy. A wine and a beer (without a tip) came to 250 lira (£5.68) and eventually it eased off enough for us to rush home.