Captain Caveman treated the 4 of us to another cooked breakfast at White Cottage on the morning of Sunday 14th July. His family were leaving today but Captain Caveman had booked us in for 3 nights so we had the place to ourselves tonight. As part of the wedding celebrations there was a morning walk at 11am but I needed to work, as I had took tomorrow off, and I had a bit of a woolly head. The rest of the family decided not to go either as they wanted to avoid traffic, Captain Caveman didn’t go because of the rain (which isn’t like him). Everyone met at White Cottage to say farewell, with The Sprouts heading further north to Darlington. Then Ben and Lola joined Captain Caveman’s parents for the long journey back to London. By midday I was back on the laptop while under a blanket on the sofa, trying to keep warm. We walked across to the Queen’s Head pub for lunch where we shared a very good pizza and had a pint each for a total of £30 before calling at the local shop to see what we could get to cook for dinner. We bought pork sausages, an onion, a carrot and some crisps for £8 and Captain Caveman decided he would make a sausage casserole with the leftover tomatoes from breakfast.
While Captain Caveman got to work in the kitchen, I carried on with some work. When I finished and the slow cooker had done it’s magic, we opened the bottle of wine left by the owner and ate our lovely dinner. Tomorrow we had more excitement planned as we were meeting up with 2 lots of friends, both who I’d originally met in Phong Nha.
Captain Caveman’s cousin, Hugh, was marrying his girlfriend of 10 years, Maddi, on the afternoon of Saturday 13th July at Askham Hall, near Penrith. After a great night’s sleep at White Cottage, Captain Caveman got up to make me a cup of Yorkshire tea and start on breakfast. I was glad of the duvet and extra cover as it had been pretty cold in the night so I was reluctant to get out of bed. After a lovely hot shower, which I had started to get used to them being hot and powerful in England, I went downstairs. Captain Caveman had made a full English for me, him, Ben & Lola and it was lovely. Lola and I chatted about what we were going to wear as neither of us had brought warm clothing and it was cold and a bit rainy outside. Captain Caveman hadn’t told me that the theme was summery or flowery, obviously I had never seen an invite! Our cosy cottage supplied fleecy tartan blankets on the sofa so Lola read her book under one and I did a couple of hours of work under another. Anna and Captain Caveman’s dad had both said they would be over early to iron their outfits but by 12 noon they hadn’t arrived. I tried on all dresses available to me, including my new ones but in the end, after getting 4 ‘nos’ from Captain Caveman, Ben and Lola, I wore one I had for when I’m in back in Turkey. When The Sprouts did arrive we got a few photos of some of us. I even attempted a family photo outside the cottage despite it drizzling and me shivering a bit. We walked to the venue, it was probably only 15°C and we hoped it didn’t rain too much as none of us had an umbrella.
There was a bit of milling about as we were early and Captain Caveman isn’t good at introducing me to anyone. I sussed out the mother of the groom and said hello, she was wearing a lovely green dress and was with her husband, Paul, who I recognised from Aunty Marge’s funeral. Luckily we got to wish cousin Hugh luck and all the best, just before the ceremony. He looked very smart and my dress matched the pattern on his tie which reassured me I’d fitted the theme, after all. By 1.55pm we were all waiting for the bride, it was time for the wedding!
I had not yet met Maddi and she looked really stunning as she walked down the aisle. The service went well and was fairly amusing from the quite jocular wedding officiant. We were asked not to take any photos so I managed to make the whole day without taking one photo of the happy couple. After the ceremony, there was Pimm’s or beer and we were gathered on the garden for a group photo. We also got to chuck rose petal confetti on to the beautiful newlyweds, which was great. I managed to get a few photos of some of the family messing about and everyone was really happy. The canapes and champagne were very nice, then it was time to go back in to the hall for the wedding breakfast and speeches. We all were given a pair of sunglasses with our names on which we popped on as Hugh and Maddi came in to the room to a song from the musical, Greece.
The sit down dinner was lovely, we had a Turkish style köfte with salad and pitta for starters, lamb or veggie option for main and sticky toffee pudding for pud. I don’t like lamb or mashed potatoes so Captain Caveman went to ask if there were any spare veggie mains for me to swap. There was and it’s probably one of the nicest meals I’ve had in a long while; miso flavoured baked aubergine with roasted peppers, edamame beans and broccolini – amazing! The wine was provided too and we toasted lots of very funny speeches. Captain Caveman had chosen well with an extra wedding gift of Vietnamese coffee and phin cups for the happy couple. They both share a massive love of coffee and had even named their guests’ tables after their favourite coffee shops. We were given word puzzles on the table which Captain Caveman was keen to do and I helped. After dinner, we went in to another area for a hot beverage and were given a lovely piece of fudge. Captain Caveman and I continued with the wine from the table and then it was time for the live band. By this time Captain Caveman was flagging a bit as he was still on Vietnamese bed times. At 10pm pizzas were brought out so we had a couple of slices, they were really good. After a couple of glasses of water to try to keep Captain Caveman and I awake, we decided to walk back to White Cottage having had a lovely day.
Photo credit: Captain Caveman and the wedding photographer
On Friday 12th July the Turkish lira was now up to 42.7 to the pound, the highest I’d known it. We had to strip our bed and put fresh bedding on as Captain Caveman’s middle brother and his niece would be coming back down to London with their parents after the wedding weekend. Captain Caveman and I had a bit of an adventure planned until he returned next Friday. Captain Caveman ended up with feathers all over from the pillows and then was sneezing. I picked them all up by hand as best I could and then we packed our stuff for the long drive from London to Penrith. Breakfast was another family affair where I had tea, toast and cereal. Captain Caveman made sandwiches for the journey and the parents car set off before The Sprouts. I took a travel sickness pill, the expensive ones and I didn’t see anything until I woke up near the Birmingham toll. We had a stop at the services along the way and we ate our butties outside. When we eventually arrived in Penrith Captain Caveman and I were dropped off at White Cottage in Askham, where we were staying with Ben and Lola. Captain Caveman’s parents were staying at the Punch Bowl pub nearby and The Sprouts were staying at an Airbnb in Penrith. That evening, all 11 of us dined at The Punch Bowl together and the food was extremely good. I had steak pie with chips, gravy and extra veg instead of peas. I also had a pint of cider and 2 glasses of red wine. A few people had desserts but Captain Caveman and I shared a lovely cheese board. I was already on 195 syns for the week and we had the wedding tomorrow plus an extra night in Askham for Captain Caveman and I. I was quite glad that there were no scales around.
On Tuesday 9th July I got up early and positioned myself at the desk in our bedroom. I rattled through some work while Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone, his Mom went to tennis and his Dad was up a ladder pruning some trees. It felt nice to be back but I was a bit nippy and never took my fleece off. At 11am I broke off from work for Captain Caveman to walk me to the Virgin Active gym to meet his Mom. She had very kindly organised a gym pass for me so that we could enjoy a swim, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna together. Captain Caveman handed me over and then went to get the train to Fulham where he was off to the bridge club. On mentioning to his mom that he seemed to be getting rather obsessed with this new hobby of Bridge she put me straight. Apparently, he had been playing it since a child and obviously, he was somewhat of an expert at it! I loved the swimming pool and managed 20 X 25m lengths so I was pleased with that. The best bit was the water jets in the jacuzzi pool which were so good on my left buttock where I’d started to suffer with sciatica on my good leg. It was also really nice to spend time with Captain Caveman’s mom too. Back at home, she and I had some lunch of cheese sandwiches and an apple – easily one of my favourite lunch time meals. The bread was soft granary and there was a selection of cheese. There is nothing better than an English apple with that extra juicy crunch. I resumed work after lunch and then went for a short walk with Captain Caveman. It started to rain so we came home and I booked my flight back to Dalaman. I had decided I would stay until the 11th August and would incorporate a trip down south after I’d been up north. In the afternoon it continued to rain but we still managed a family trip to the local Sun Inn for a cheeky pre dinner pint. I had my first cider in a while and it was so refreshing. Captain Caveman’s Mom cooked a roast chicken with garlic, chips and salad for dinner. It was very tasty and it went down rather well. Just before bed, I noticed a friend from over 12 years ago had written on Facebook to say he was going to be in London tomorrow and was anyone about. Captain Caveman and I were already meeting Clare at Waterloo after she finished work so I sent Shaun a message to see if he wanted to join us.
Wednesday 10th July was weigh day and I should’ve been going to Fat Club, however I was in London and couldn’t. I had consumed 374 syns which was only 6 less than last week and still over 3 times the allocated amount. 156 syns were used on alcohol so the 0.9kg (2lb) weight gain this week was not unexpected. My measurements, however, were a lot more favourable; bust no change, both waist and hips -4cm! I had tea and toast for breakfast which Captain Caveman brought up to the bedroom so I could crack on with work. He was off to the Fulham Bridge Club for the whole day. His parents were off to meet friends for lunch and would probably be out all afternoon. At 12.30pm I broke off for lunch and decided to walk to the post office. My next stop was Marks and Spencer in Barnes where the security guard made me jump by greeting me, very pleasantly and calling me Ma’am. I didn’t even know M&S had security guards!!! I bought a sandwich, some pasta and a loaf of bread for £8.25 which I had to put on card but was served by an actual person this time. Back ‘home’, I ate the food and checked my phone to find I had a complaint from our Dalyan tenant. They had not seen the pool and garden man since they had arrived, 3 days ago, there was also no sign of the new hose which each of the 10 property owners had been charged £10 for so had cost us £100 in total! The tenant had told me she had cleaned the pool herself and then found some chemicals with the lid off that she was concerned for the kids around there. I messaged the maintenance company who told me they were there this morning and had been speaking to my neighbours. He said he didn’t get what my problem was and would be back there in 30 minutes. I messaged the tenant and told her to meet him. In a mood, the only thing to cheer me up was the frog toilet roll holder at Captain Caveman’s parents’ house, it is so cute! I went back to work knowing I needed to finish by 4pm to meet Captain Caveman, Clare and my old friend Shaun in Waterloo. Captain Caveman had told me the directions but that meant nothing to me, I got lost on the way to Barnes station as I followed the road sign, which apparently pointed the wrong way. Captain Caveman didn’t answer his phone or read his messages because he was at Bridge Club so I had to follow people with wheely suitcases along the road, in the hope they were going to the train station. Luckily, they were and I got on the train, which was absolutely rammed and people were squeezing themselves in the doors but they weren’t closing. There were delays as people wouldn’t move to let the doors close and I stood near the toilet trying not to feel claustrophobic. I got an update message from the tenant and the garden guy, they had exchanged phone numbers and she had given him what for – there is no messing with her! The maintenance guy, once again, agreed to go daily and had said he’d been told by one of the other residents that he couldn’t go in the mornings – what!? She had told him that was bullshit and to bloody get on with it! Luckily, I had set off early as, at Waterloo, I couldn’t find the King’s Arms and went the wrong way. Captain Caveman had to come out and get me and walk me back to the rather busy pub. I had a lovely pint of cider, Captain Caveman had a pint of IPA and I didn’t notice the cost. Clare arrived and she looked so lovely, I think she may even have lost a bit of weight since I saw her just shy of a year ago. I had another pint of cider, Captain Caveman had another IPA and Clare had a white wine spritzer which I think the round came to about £22. Shaun joined us shortly after and also chose cider and we enjoyed a bit of reminiscing. He fitted in ever so well with the 2 others, considering they had never met, but we had to keep our eye on the time as Clare was getting the train back to Southampton. It turned out that I had wrongly believed that Shaun had left Norwich Union when he moved to Capita to then go to KPMG. I had it completely wrong as he didn’t go there but he had moved to Suffolk. I also let him know that I once mislead people on a conference call when I had to leave exactly on time to sell my French Horn. Everyone had misheard that I was rushing off to sell my Friend Shaun – you can see how the confusion may have arose. We had one more drink after Clare left the King’s Arms but then Captain Caveman got peckish. He’d located a restaurant not too far away called Flat Iron and the 3 of us went there. The food was amazing, I had one of the best steaks I’d had in a while and we shared some sides including mac n cheese and creamed spinach. I was very impressed with prices and service. The steaks (we all had the same) were £14.50 and were fantastic, the sides were all £5.50 each and weren’t massive but they were delicious. We also had a lovely bottle of wine, the bottles of red wine ranged from £22 to £39 but I can’t remember which one Captain Caveman chose. After our mains, we got given a tiny silver cleaver at the end of the meal. This was a token to be redeemed for an ice-cream at the counter on the way out. Captain Caveman and I are not fans of ice-cream and weren’t going to bother but it was free. I’m so glad we did as they were so good and really finished off a lovely evening. We said our goodbyes to my Friend Shaun around 10.30pm, it was a school night after all and he had work meetings in the morning. We didn’t get back to Barnes until 11.30pm and it was very cold on the way back. Captain Caveman also fell asleep on the train and we were both a bit squiffy. I had been using my Turkish bank card as an Oyster card and today’s transport had cost me 304.98 lira (£7.26).
On Thursday 11th July I had tea and toast in bed then cracked on with work. Captain Caveman pottered about a little, as did his Dad while his Mom was at tennis. Some news came in mid morning that some family plans had changed so The Sprouts were on their way. I was working as Captain Caveman was updated that his youngest brother, sister-in-law and 3 nephews were on their way over from Brussels, they were no longer going straight up north as planned. I hadn’t heard their nickname before but it was amusing and obviously very fitting as they live in Brussels and were affectionately called The Sprouts. We had meant to be meeting them at the wedding in Penrith but they were going to stay in Barnes tonight instead. Tomorrow The Sprouts and the rest of us would drive up there and meet the other brother and Captain Caveman’s only niece. Captain Caveman popped to the shop to get some travel sickness pills for me which cost £7.59 so had better be good. When Captain Caveman’s Mom returned from tennis it was all systems go while she made all the practicalities happen for putting up the 5 extra guests tonight. We had lunch of quiche available which I’m normally not a fan of so I had a cheese sandwich but I did try the 2 different quiches to find the feta and spinach one was rather good. I carried on working in the afternoon until The Sprouts arrived only stopping for a quick walk to the shop for travel provisions. At Morrisons we bought a lucozade, midget gems, tic-tacs and a twirl chocolate bar for £5.70. back at home, we all sat in the garden with wine and nibbles and had a catch up in what was actually quite a sunny spell. The kids found the cherries were almost ready and ate a few but they were still a little sour. That evening, we were spoiled with a feast for the whole 9 of us; there was a ham joint, potatoes, carrots with a white sauce, broccoli and green beans and it was an absolute delight. It was lovely to sit at the table for a family meal together as it’s a rare event for Captain Caveman. The excitement must’ve got to him though, as once on the sofa he instantly nodded off. We were in bed by 10pm and had the alarm set to get up early for our family road trip up north!
I managed to go without buying any food or drink at Dalaman airport in the early hours of Monday 8th July. I absolutely begrudged paying the ridiculous rip-off prices but with a 2 hour delay to the flight and the AC not being particularly cool due to how crowded it was, it was tough going. By the time I got on the plane, I was thirsty so I bought a cup of tea, a water and one of those vegan snack boxes which had hummus, oatcakes, dried mango and chocolate in. I paid on card and got no receipt but later checked to find it had cost me 345.44 lira (£8.22) so was much cheaper than buying at the airport. The flight went ok but of course, we were later than planned and I was meeting Captain Caveman in London. We were meant to have landed at 3am in Gatwick but at 4.20am we were still in the air, although I could see land. When we landed, I had no working phone but managed to log on to the free WiFi. Captain Caveman had tracked the flight so wouldn’t be waiting the extra 2 hours for me in a 24 hour cafe in Farringdon, where we had arranged to meet. At the airport I was peckish and thirsty again so I went to the shop and here’s what I bought, priced in English pounds;
Marks and Spencer 2 pack of sausage rolls £1.10 1 pack of Salt & Vinegar crisps £1.30 Water £1.65 Total spent £4.05
There were staff stood chatting but not allowed to serve me and I had to scan my own items. This turned out to be a bit of a faff but I did manage to pay with a £50 note, a feat that would prove more and more difficult the further north I went. I made my way to the train station where I managed to buy a £14.40 one way ticket to Farringdon station. Nowhere would allow cash so I had to pay on my Turkish card. I followed explicit instructions from Captain Caveman on how to get the 300m to La Forcetta cafe, including the walk with the Pret a Manger on my left. It turned out that there was quite a few Pret a Manger shops on that stretch but I finally found it. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman’s idea of a 24 hour cafe so that I would have somewhere to go on arrival did not have a toilet and I was busting for a wee. I ordered a cup of tea but the breakfasts weren’t ready to order yet and Captain Caveman had much more pressing issues to deal with. He’d hardly welcomed me when he was insisting on inserting my Giffgaff SIM card in to my phone so that I had credit. He had ordered it to come to his mom’s and all I had to do was top it up with £10 credit. The current exchange rate was 41.9 lira to the pound but my £10 top up took 428.84 lira out of my Turkish account. Finally, we ordered the Full English Breakfast and I was so pleased with the buttered white toast. The breakfast came with chips and lots of baked beans, my bacon was too salty so I gave that, along with my eggs and tomatoes, to Captain Caveman. I did wonder if I was doing the right thing eating it when I needed the toilet and I had an appointment for my passport renewal this morning.
There were so many coffee shops in the area and I really needed the loo so badly, I’d not been since on the plane and it was already 8.20am. I had taken the day off work today as I needed to be at the passport office at 11.50am. Captain Caveman felt certain if we headed to a Macdonald’s there would be a toilet but I was concerned there would be a big Monday morning queue and that we would have to buy something to get a code for the toilet door first. MacDonald’s didn’t have a toilet so we nipped in to a nearby Cafe Nero and Captain Caveman got himself a second breakfast of juice and a croissant. I didn’t ask how much it cost but those places aren’t cheap. Our next stop was a walk through Bloomsbury and on to a Wetherspoons where Captain Caveman left me with the bags while he ran errands. I was delighted with a hot beverage refill for only £1.56 a cup and proceeded to have 3 hot chocolates and an earl grey tea plus 2 more toilet visits – bargain. This would not be my first visit to a Wetherspoons and I was rather impressed with this one. We walked to the train and went a few stops to the passport office at Warehouse K and it has The Fox pub almost next door. I left Captain Caveman having a pint of Guinness while I went for my appointment. The queue to go in was only about 10 minutes and that was the longest part of the whole thing. I was a total of 15 minutes and I had my new passport. I wasn’t impressed that the passports aren’t as firm as the old ones and they feel rather flimsy but, for an outrageous £220, I now had my new extra pages passport and could travel abroad again. I got myself a Guinness which was £6.75 and thought that would equate to about 280 lira if I was in Dalyan. In the afternoon we went to an Indian restaurant which was rammed full. Captain Caveman got us a tali to share but I could barely eat any of the mains due to the chillies. I ate bread and rice then we left to wander through a strange exhibition with butterflies before getting the train to Barnes. I got a lovely welcome from Captain Caveman’s parents who I probably hadn’t seen for about 4 or 5 years. They hadn’t changed a bit. It was 3pm and I hadn’t slept since Saturday night so I had a little nap before dinner. Captain Caveman’s Ma made a lovely risotto for dinner and we had a glass or 2 of wine with it. At bedtime I unpacked and Captain Caveman had bought a lightweight down jacket from Uniqlo which he said I could have when he left. London felt extremely cold to me but it probably wasn’t too bad – passengers had been wearing coats and jeans at Barnes station though. The bed was super comfy and I think I fell asleep immediately!
I woke up after 8am on Thursday 23rd May and had messages from Chung and Hoan asking how I was. I felt loads better and actually felt hungry, which was a good sign that I was getting over the sickness. I got to the Phong Nha Vegan at 11am, said hello to May, the dog, and got on the scales. I’d lost a whopping 3kg (6.6lb) since last week and I could tell. I was also surprised to find that the entire kitchen had gone through a total deep clean. Chung, once she had heard I may have food poisoning, had got everyone scrubbing the place down. I was sure it was nothing I’d had at the Vegan but it can’t hurt to give them an excuse to exercise a bit of hygiene awareness. Hoan made me a vegan pho which felt like the best meal I’d ever had. I also shared a pot of licorice and ginger tea with Chung and Hoan. I wasn’t going to stay long but it started to rain and I got talking to a couple of English holiday makers. As we sheltered, Hoan cooked up some jack fruit seeds which I absolutely love. They taste like chestnuts and are also great in a vegan curry so we looked at some recipes. Chung worked on her laptop at the Vegan as it lashed it down around the edges of the open building. There was Vegan condensed milk at the Vegan which costs 100,000VND (£3.10) per tin – very expensive, I thought. I didn’t leave until the rain eased at 3.30pm and then called at the shop, where I bought the following;
I got in the room to find it had been cleaned and the rest of my fruit cake and cheese had been thrown away, my tupperware had been washed out and was drying on the table. I ate the KitKat and felt ok, then had a shower before getting ready to go back to the Vegan at 6pm. May, the dog, was gadding about with the dog from next door and he came to say hello. Ha made me an iced kumquat tea and Hanh made me a tofu and tomato noodle soup which was extremely good, she even gave me steamed rice to go with it to keep my strength up. I was very grateful of the vegan restaurant right now as they fed me very well. I didn’t stay long as I didn’t want to overdo it and I had a video call booked in with my parents. Ma & Pa were in good spirits as Dad had been checked out following a poorly ear and all was good. They had decided to fly back from Turkey especially for the appointment so, although it turned out to be nothing to worry about, for the price of the flights it was worth doing. It did mean they could now go back to Turkey again when they wanted and hopefully would be there when I got there. I only had 28 days left in Phong Nha and would be in Dalyan in less than 5 weeks time. I went to bed late and hoped I’d not kept the people in the next room awake with our call. Tomorrow, Captain Caveman was due back from the cave and I was probably going to be practicing my Vietnamese at the Vegan at both lunch and dinner times.
As it was the weekend and I’d only had 60 syns so far this week, I chose pineapple pancakes for breakfast on Friday 3rd May. Captain Caveman had already eaten earlier as I felt under the weather and had a little lay in. He was in the pool when I got down but he had a plan that he needed to go back to Phong Nha. I took that as a good opportunity to call in at Phong Nha Vegan so Captain Caveman said he’d give me a lift on the motorbike and off we went. Just before 11am, we had to stop at the pork shop and take shelter as a downpour came. It didn’t last long and I soon was at Phong Nha Vegan where I only stayed from 11.30am to 1pm. May, the dog from down the street, was there getting some attention from a customer as he loves some fuss. On our way back, we called at Lotus restaurant and met Multi who I shared Lotus tea with from a cute tea set and Captain Caveman had a shandy. Captain Caveman and I shared a beef Luk Lak which was very tasty for our lunch as I’d not eaten at the Vegan today. We couldn’t stay long as Veronika was on her way to Greenfield as she had some time off from teaching the grandchildren. It stopped raining long enough for us to get back and have a swim, Veronika arrived and the 3 of us had a beer. She decided to get a room and stay over when the weather looked a bit wet again and we opened a bottle of white wine. Ngan and the team had arranged an amazing dinner for tonight- a BBQ chicken with accompaniments; 2 different types of rice, pork, peanuts, chips, fresh spring rolls, green beans and salad. It was really good and one of the best BBQ chicken platters in town. We had a really lovely evening and a few frogs joined us to shelter from the rain. Guests from York and Peterborough had become our new friends and we enjoyed sharing some great laughs together before they had to move on to their next destination.
Sunday 31st March was a busy and full on day to end the month with. It was also my Dad’s birthday and I hoped I would be able to speak to him later on. Caroline went to 9 Grains Bakery while I packed and tried to finish my Canva course as today was the last day. I didn’t get too far on practising anything as Caroline returned with a little friend; Le’s little boy. She also brought me a tea and a croissant for my breakfast which was good of her. Captain Caveman was cycling from Hue to Danang today for his last day of the Saigon Children’s Charity Cycling Adventure. We were leaving by car for Danang at 1pm so it was only right that Caroline thought it a good idea to put her bikini on and jump in the shower with Vee, the dog, to give her a good wash. Vee needed to be clean before her girl’s night away at The Sheraton. She was also trying to teach Le’s son how to shower a dog, neither the kid nor the dog seemed keen. Le’s wife arrived to pick up the child but there was almost an incident when the small child decided to scale the balcony side to see the small dog downstairs better. He almost fell over the side, a massive drop, so the mother decided it was time to go. Caroline and I had a couple of things left on the to do list that we hadn’t got round to doing yet. They were; buying some leather flipflops and trinkets to take to Phong Nha, eating the traditional Hoi An noodle dish of Cao Lau and Caroline wanted me to get my hair chemically straightened at her hairdresser’s. I decided the only one on that list which was feasible was to eat the Cao Lau, so Caroline ordered it to be delivered. It was so tasty and Vee loved us sharing a bit with her, but only the meat. Caroline also decided she needed to give me some unwanted clothes, which I was surprised to find did fit me. But they wouldn’t fit in my rucksack and I had to use a Vietnamese laundry bag. At 1pm the car was here but, of course, we weren’t quite ready. Jake was staying in the apartment while we were gone and there was still the issue of whether the thumb print door knob would work. By 1.20pm, we were on our way to Danang, to a yet to be confirmed location and finish line for the Saigon Children’s Charity cycle adventure.
Captain Caveman had sent me the map coordinates of where we needed to be for the finish line. This is where Caroline got the car to stop, after we had dropped our bags off at our respective hotels. It was literally in the middle of nowhere on a busy main road. Caroline kept the driver on stand by which was definitely a good thing. I messaged Julie and Gareth so that they could join us and we all waited at a little stall for word from Captain Caveman. After 30 minutes of being sat about, Captain Caveman sent a photo of himself at the top of the Hai Van Pass – he’d made it up the hill! They were waiting for the rest of the cyclists to all get to the top and then they would do the last section, downhill, together. He video called and he looked hot and sweaty but happy he was almost finished. We were told to look out for a bus or wagon which would come to mark the finish line. When we saw the guy on a motorbike with a finishing flag, it was almost too late. Captain Caveman and whoever was in the front were only a minute behind this man and we only just captured the video of them arriving. It was so hot and all the cyclists made it to the side of the road where Heart of Darkness had provided some beers. I was thirsty and eager to have a drink but I made sure I waited until all the cyclists had one. It was great to see them all so humble but quietly proud they had done it.
Video of Captain Caveman finishing the cycling event
Video of more cyclists finishing
Video of more cyclists finishing
Captain Caveman joined the rest of the group to go to the Nalod hotel to shower and change. Caroline, Vee, Julie, Gareth and I got in the car and went to Maia Beach Bar for drinks. It was a lovely place but, as is the case with a lot of the beach bars in Danang, service wasn’t the best and there was no soap in the toilets. Captain Caveman joined us briefly before he headed off to the end of the event dinner at My Casa. Our next stop for the 4 of us was to Esco Beach bar where we ordered food, and more drinks. Caroline ordered Vee a steak and she was a bit fussy over how it was cooked but ate it. I had a really nice sweet and sour chicken with rice. Caroline ordered seafood, while Julie and Gareth were keen to try some Vietnamese food. When Captain Caveman rejoined us, he was proudly wearing his medal from the Saigon Children’s Charity Cycling adventure. He was quite merry but pretty tired and we went back to the hotel when the bar closed. Vee got the best service at the Sheraton hotel, where they really cater well for dogs, so Caroline was really happy. At 12.50 am, it was 6.50pm in the UK so we were able to call my Dad and say ‘Happy Birthday’. I still hadn’t told my parents the news about Captain Caveman’s job at Oxalis finishing this year and it wasn’t the right time to discuss now and spoil Dad’s birthday or a great weekend for Captain Caveman. Hopefully, I would get to speak to them properly once we were back in Phong Nha in a couple of days.
There was another walk planned on Sunday 11th February which I was looking forward to. I hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday but I was starting to feel better. I had a couple of bananas to give me some energy but didn’t bother with any tea. Luckily, I was walking with Christine who has a bad knee so she goes at a similar pace to me. She and I only managed 2 hours, there was a bit of rain and we were struggling to keep up with the others. Very kindly, Christine gave me a Slimming World skinny bar which I had when I got home with my cup of tea. Vanessa and Matt were coming round for Sunday lunch which had kind of happened by accident. Initially I had invited Kaan over, thinking we would be able to have a video call with Captain Caveman and Caroline who were celebrating Tet together. When I’d realised the etiquette of not having a single Turkish man in the house with just me, I’d roped in Vanessa. She had not only agreed but had also said she would cook the chicken and bring it over with some Yorkshire puddings. When I let Kaan know, he cancelled as he had some business he needed to attend to in Fethiye. I did the carrots, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkin, brussel sprouts and stuffing. I’d got some gravy but when Vanessa and Matt arrived she had brought some homemade gravy too. What a treat, I poured us some fizz to start, then we went on the white wine with our very delicious meal. Vanessa and Matt left so that she could have her family chat but, by this time, Jamie and Geoff had stopped by for a bevvie. Not being one to miss a party, Vanessa promised to come back after the chat. Jamie and I had wine, Geoff had his own beers and we caught up on what the two of them had been up to. Vanessa came back and the 4 of us had a great night, drinking until about 11pm. At midnight I was in bed when Captain Caveman sent me a photo of him and Caroline and I told him Kaan cancelled on us.
I was getting quite used to not working on a Monday but on Monday 12th February I had some decisions to make about work. I had a bigger breakfast than usual with 2 slices of wholemeal toast, 2 cheese triangles, a banana and I used the last Yorkshire tea tea bag! It was a tough day but I put on my big girls pants and got on with it. I went to the bank to ask about various ways of getting Euros cash in to my Turkish bank and they were very helpful. My local bank can take Western Union payments, which I know they have a branch of in Rhodes Town. I decided to go for a little walk around Dalyan before lunch time. Lunch was more of the tomato and lentil soup with pasta in and lots of water. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was off to his briefing and would be in the cave again tomorrow. At 4pm I went to meet Vanessa and Matt at Tez bar for their farewell drinks. They were off back to the UK tomorrow and I might not see them until the summer. I had a soda water at Tez bar which was only 20 lira (52p), some bars were now charging 3 times that. Wolfie and Rey were there, who I’d not seen in a while as they’d been back in the UK. At 6pm we went to Ozzy’s where I treated myself to a chicken pizza and 2 wines. The pizza was amazing so my well intended plan of eating half and taking the rest home, went out of the window. We had a good night in Ozzy’s, even Jamie and Geoff (with Norman and Edna) popped to say bye to Vanessa and Matt which was really nice. My bill including a tip and just 2 wines came to 600 lira (£15.46) which I thought was reasonable. Back home, I had a ginger tea and watched some Netflix before bed and a huge storm.
I was looking forward to getting back in to some form of regular exercise class so I’d signed up for Zumba with Maria on Tuesday 23rd January. While still in bed, I spoke to Captain Caveman who was at Oxalis on his day off because he’d left his house keys in the hotel in Dong Hoi and couldn’t get in the house. For breakfast I had overnight oats with frozen berries and a cup of tea. I was up and about early so I also had a mid-morning snack of 5 black olives and 5 barbecued green olives with 30g of cheese. Before Zumba class at noon, I went to the bank and, on the way, I noticed that the road between Çağrı and the bakery was being taken up to be replaced and improved. Zumba was good but I did find it quite difficult, I’m not great at getting the feet and arms doing what they should at the same time. I was starving after an hour’s class so I polished off the leftover wrap from yesterday when I got home for lunch. I followed it with a tangerine, 3 pieces of melon and 4 squares of Dairy Milk chocolate, which I’d only just opened! In the afternoon I popped out for some shopping which I needed, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket Milk 22.50 Mozzarella cheese 30.00 Chocolate milk 39.90 Cashew nuts 56.00 Ale 75.00 Total spent 223.40 lira (£5.82)
Even though I’d spent more than the daily budget today and yesterday, I was still on track and they were things I needed to make another fruit cake and a casserole so, along with rather expensive women’s products, all was justifiable to me. At 6pm I had a video call booked in with my parents and we had a good catch up and a laugh. They were missing Dalyan but were doing fine in a chilly Sheffield. My Slimming World friendly dinner tonight was chicken stir-fry with egg noodles and a bit of black bean sauce. It was really tasty and meant my total syns for the week stood at a substantial 244. That was not ideal but was 47 less than last week and I was hopeful for a small loss at Fat Club tomorrow.
Bill and Jaxx were due to land back in Dalaman airport on the afternoon of Tuesday 9th January. They were coming in on the Manchester flight that my parents were going back on. The rain was heavy, I’d already packed and just had to put the remaining fridge contents in my rucksack. Lucy had taken to being able to open the downstairs door and was already coming upstairs to tell me she wanted a walk. I borrowed Jaxx’s wellies, popped a woolly hat on and took Lucy out. She was unusually giddy in the rain and didn’t half slosh about. Back home, I dried her with towels, she was quite muddy, then I left her in the house while I took Big Boy out. He also loved the rainy walk and was pretty sprightly. He had seen Lucy get a drying and so he wanted to get one too. They both had a biscuit and a lay down on a towel. I had to phone Fikri for a taxi back home as it was still pouring it down. I shoved my stuff in the apartment and would unpack later as my parents were on their way for our final goodbye. Ma brought me a bag of spare provisions that she’d not managed to use, which I would certainly not let go to waste. We had arranged to go for breakfast at Ela’s Kitchen as my parents had a long journey ahead but they weren’t getting picked up until 12.45pm.
At Ela’s we all went a bit mad by ordering different permutations of the Full English breakfasts. Nicola and Sev, the owners, are great and are so good at accommodating my fussy requirements, plus they do amazing food and a great cup of tea. Dad went for the large one, no mushrooms (I asked Nicola to put his mushrooms on mine). Mom went for the large one, no toast. I ordered the large but asked if Dad could have my eggs and tomato, in exchange for his mushrooms. My parents had a cappuccino and a latte, I had 2 cups of tea. The food was fantastic and we all left some! Mom was a proper lightweight and should have gone for the small! Dad did a remarkable job of eating his, considering the amount of eggs and tomatoes he had! I had the luxury of being able to take my leftovers home. Here’s the prices for those who like to know what we paid, bearing in mind pork and English products are obviously more expensive in Turkey because of being imported;
3 large Full English 1125 2 coffees 140 2 teas 120 Total spent 1385 lira (£36.45)
That worked out at £12.15 each and we were all so full! The FEB was 375 lira (£9.87) each but it is a massive portion!
We walked back towards mine, in the rain, after my parents got some sweets for the flight. We said our goodbyes, not quite knowing when exactly we’d see each other but probably in Sheffield in July, if not before. I tried not to cry as we hugged but I was a bit teary when I got back indoors. I went to hang my wet coat up and noticed my hair wasn’t the best, due to the moisture! I unpacked Ma’s shopping bag and unpacked all my stuff. In the afternoon I got settled in, made shopping lists, tidied up, had a naughty chocolate bar and a bit of fruit cake! I’d got weigh day tomorrow and it wasn’t looking good. My birthday was this week too and people had asked what the plan was this year. I decided I didn’t want to celebrate it on my actual birthday. I’d still not been paid so couldn’t afford to go out for a meal and drinks. Some sensible friends were doing Dry January too so I decided, instead, to set up an event for the 1st of next month, just to go out for some drinks. For dinner (yes, I was eating yet again!) I made a prawn and veg stir fry with a peanut sauce and steamed rice. My weekly syn count was a bit of a joke at 334, not including at least 2 packs of Strepsils! I got a message from Jaxx to confirm all was good and we had a laugh when she told me that they don’t bother walking the dogs if it’s raining heavily!!! I didn’t mind as Big Boy and Lucy had loved it and I found it quite therapeutic. To round off my day, I had a video call with Captain Caveman before he went to bed, then I sat on the sofa and watched a bit of Netflix. It was nice to be home, but I wasn’t going to get too comfy – I was off dog sitting again in 4 days!
It was my last full day and night at Bill and Jaxx’s villa on Monday 8th January. On our walks today, Big Boy had decided he wanted to go after a cat and I only just managed to keep him from zooming off. He wouldn’t listen and he got a little telling off for nearly pulling me over. To say sorry he licked me on the nose while I was trying to tell him the rules. The dogs had sofa snoozes while I drank tea, ate an apple and then some noodles for breakfast. I was meant to be back on the healthy wagon but I indulged in fruit cake and cheese instead of lunch. The Turkish lira was now over 38 to the pound, the highest it had been and was not good news for the Turks. At 11.40am Captain Caveman and I had a video call and he seemed to be missing me. He suggested I send him photos for my Vietnamese visa and he would apply for it for me. That way he could pay for it as I didn’t know exactly when I’d get paid. Ordinarily, I would’ve been working today, as I do on Mondays, but it was on hold until after I received my wages, next week.
I fed Big Boy and Lucy early so that I could get the bus in to town for my parents’ farewell evening. I was looking forward to going out for a nice meal and spending some time with Ma & Pa before they went back to the UK, especially as I wouldn’t be seeing them for 6 months. I was still not 100% better and the cough was pretty bad so I wasn’t thrilled that we were meeting at Tez bar at 6pm – I find it too smokey even though I would be sat outside. My parents, understandably, had lots of friends who also wanted to see them off, as well as it being Adam and Kath’s leaving drinks too. The 4 of them were travelling to the airport together and had become firm friends. They had given the ball a right kick last night, getting on the gins after everyone had left – I can no longer keep up with them all. When we got to Tez bar it was very busy so I sat between my mom and Daisy. It was smokey and I nursed my white wine for ages as it was making my cough worse. When my mom went to the toilet, John took her seat so I wasn’t even sat near my parents and would’ve been better off meeting them at the restaurant. After 2 hours at a smokey Tez, I’d had enough, I think Ma and Pa would’ve stayed there if I hadn’t have insisted on us having a farewell meal. I should’ve learned after Captain Caveman’s leaving drinks, that perhaps not everyone wants a farewell meal!
When we got to Simple at 8.15pm, we only had 45 minutes before closing so I hoped it would still be ok. Onur greeted us and was fine about the time and I was relieved because I was famished. We all had the red pepper and sun-dried tomato soup for starters and it was amazing. It was 100 lira (£2.62) per bowl but well worth it. For mains my parents had the Asian style noodles and I was tempted, but after having the burger last time, I couldn’t resist. They had sold out of the pulled beef burger, with us being so late, but the cheeseburger and fries that I had was still fantastic. The chicken noodles were 180 lira (£4.72), beef noodles 210 lira (£5.51) and my burger was 250 lira (£6.56) which we all agreed was value for money. Simple is not licenced for alcohol so we got a bottle of wine from Nazo’s, next door, which was 450 lira (£11.81) for a decent bottle of chilled white. I thoroughly enjoyed our ‘last supper’ and I was going to miss my parents a lot. They’d had such a great 3 months in Dalyan that I did worry that they would be going back to a more sedate, somewhat boring and more expensive life back in Sheffield. After Simple, we decided to have a drink in Ozzy’s, the new bar which had replaced 2 Charlie’s. John, Andrea, Daisy and the Aussies were in there and apparently had been shouting us as we walked past but we’d ignored them – I hadn’t noticed. It was very smokey inside which set my cough off straight away and I had to go outside and use my inhaler. Ma and Pa were fine and stayed inside the smokey bar but I couldn’t go back in. I drank my wine outside but that meant that I wasn’t making the most of being with my parents. Daisy and the Aussies came out to join me and I got updates on the eventful first week of January, which I’d missed from being so ill. I decided I’d had enough of the smoking inside, and complained to Ozzy, it is illegal here and the bar owner can get fined 9,000 lira (£236.22) per time. He listened and said he would take it onboard. As I was finishing my drink a drunk woman was becoming annoying to my friends so I messaged Fikri for my taxi, said goodbye and left.
It was the day that Josh and Martha had to go home on Tuesday 26th December and I was going to miss them a lot. We had laughed so much this last week and had done some really nice things together; mainly eating and drinking! It had also got me through the depressing fiasco of having not been paid and took my mind off being skint. My Christmas Day this year had been one of the best I’d had abroad and we’d spent less than £120 between the two of us. I wondered how much the average Christmas Day spend had been amongst my friends in the UK! I cut up an apple and some of the Köyceğiz cheese and fanned it out all posh on a plate so that Martha could have a nibble or two before we had to leave the apartment. Josh was on ‘provisions for the airport’ duty and I helped by giving him spare food. I had my overnight oats with persimmon for breakfast, I was going to have to get back on the Slimming World plan as the weigh in on Wednesday was probably going to be quite enlightening. When Martha had packed she asked me if I would like her hair straighteners, as she was buying new ones when she got home. What a lovely thing to do and it was my first set of hair straighteners in years. I’m not sure what on earth was going on in Captain Caveman’s head because what happened next was awkward! We’d mentioned previously that we would be getting the bus to Bill and Jaxx’s, who were on the same flight as Josh and Martha. Jaxx had said to get to Villa Infinity, between Marmarlı and Okçular, for about noon and we could go through the final dog requirements and have a wee drink before the taxi came at 1pm. Captain Caveman and I were sharing the dog sitting while they went back to the UK to visit Bill’s mom. I’d mentioned the bus several times, we’d toyed with the idea of getting a taxi but had discounted it as we would have 4 of us, plus bags meaning not enough room for a regular taxi. We were ready and about to put our shoes on when Captain Caveman said he was cycling and would see us there. I was confused, I didn’t have internet on my phone so I couldn’t call or find it if we got lost and, if there had only been 3 of us we would have ordered a taxi. I was fuming with him, why hadn’t he said this earlier? I knew he’d probably done it to force me to learn how to find my way to places as he hates that I don’t use maps and I get lost easily. It was embarrassing and I could tell that Josh and Martha were doing the looks to say this was one of ‘those moments’. I didn’t even say bye to Captain Caveman as I was so annoyed that he would be so rude and the rest of us went to the bus stop. We got off the bus and Captain Caveman was waiting at the side of the road a bit further up to point out the turning to us. I was even more mad now that he probably thought we couldn’t manage to find it without him. I knew in his head he wanted to make sure he had his bicycle with him because he probably wanted to go Dogging tomorrow, after missing it yesterday – but he could have communicated it. Josh and Martha could see I was mad and couldn’t understand what was going on either, they didn’t even laugh at the situation this time. Big Boy, the big black dog, and Lucy, the Airedale terrier, were pleased to see us and were friendly. They really liked Martha and tried to encourage her to share her pack-up for at the airport. Bill took Captain Caveman in to the kitchen to show him how to work the TV, coffee machine and fire, show him what was what with the dogs, etc. I sat outside with Jaxx, Josh and Martha and had a wine. The taxi arrived and we all said our goodbyes, with plans to visit Josh and Martha in July 2024. The dogs were a little sad that their parents had gone and I tried to speak to Captain Caveman about what was going on with the bike v bus palaver earlier. He didn’t think he was wrong, obviously, and he got more wine and some pastries out of the kitchen. Bill and Jaxx had told us to help ourself to wine and food but I didn’t want to take advantage, I never do. Captain Caveman was on fire duty and we both cuddled and stroked Big Boy. Lucy was a bit more free spirited and quite vocal. When it came to the dogs’ dinner time, they wolfed it down and enjoyed it, they also had some home made dog biscuits which looked great. Captain Caveman cooked us some veggie pasta for dinner and we had a cosy night in our new temporary home. I still totted up my syns for the week and was on 426, 4 times the allowance! I was bound to have put weight on but I’m sure anyone who had said ‘well, it is Christmas’, would be in the same boat.
It was all go on Tuesday 19th December and we were both excited for Josh and his girlfriend to arrive in Dalyan that afternoon. Today was also Daisy’s 25th birthday with a party booked at Tapa from 2pm. The cleaner was not at our apartment at 8.30am, as agreed, so we waited to see if she turned up. She was late as the office wasn’t open for her to collect the keys any earlier but no harm done. Captain Caveman and I decided we would go to a cafe or somewhere for a hot beverage, maybe some breakfast, before he went to Bridge Club. After walking round Dalyan to find nowhere open yet we bought 2 chocolate croissants for 37.90 lira (£1.02) from Migros and walked round the streets eating them.
When Captain Caveman left, I waited for Kaunos tea gardens to open and had a tea. I messaged Jamie to see if he fancied meeting up and I had a second breakfast with him, at Ela’s Kitchen. As tomorrow was weigh day, I tried to make as sensible a choice as I could. The beans on toast that I ordered was a very generous size and I was pleased id managed to resist Sev’s sausage. By 11.30am I was on my way to my parents’ place as arranged so that I could go to Jiks with Dad, while Mom went for her hair cut. Captain Caveman would meet us at Jiks for lunch. Ma finished early and we all ate together; Dad a burger and the rest of us had pizza which was great – my diet was well and truly blown! While there, Jamie messaged to ask if I would be able to take 2 bed side lamps to Tapa for Janet. He was selling them for a friend, Janet, who was going to be at Daisy’s birthday party, where we were going to go for one, before Josh and Martha arrived. Of course I agreed and we carried them over to Tapa where the Dalyan gossip started that Jamie must have sold his house because he was getting rid of some lamps!
Daisy’s 25th birthday party at Tapa was busy with lots of friends. My parents had a cold but had managed to muddle through and I had a bit of a sore throat coming. We’d already said we weren’t staying long as we needed to get back to greet Josh and Martha who were on the plane. Captain Caveman left first with instructions to ring me when he knew that Josh was in the taxi. He forgot, so when I got back home our guests were already there! It was great to see Josh again after a year and it was impressive to see he’d really done well for himself. Captain Caveman and I liked Martha straight away as she was really lovely – it takes a special kind of person to agree to a week in Dalyan with us lot (as I’m sure you can imagine). I just hoped we wouldn’t be spoiling her Christmas holiday and that she could get through the Dalyan shenanigans. We decided to ease Martha in gently with a trip to the Waterfall so we could have a drink together and get to know each other a bit better. She had a good sense of humour and it was obvious we were going to have a great week. Jamie popped in for one with Norman and Edna and he wasn’t too pleased that Dalyan Dwellers thought those lamps were his – surely they knew he had better taste in décor! We asked my parents, who had also left Tapa when I did, if they wanted to join us to meet Martha and welcome Josh back. Dad had already got bored at home waiting, so they had gone back to Tapa. The four of us decided to go to join them where we introduced Josh and Martha to everyone, some people Josh had already met. We had a couple of drinks and decided we were going to go for a meal as we were all peckish and I’d already booked Simple for the 6 of us. Daisy didn’t want us to leave and Josh, the not so devout vegan, managed to eat a slice of chocolate birthday cake as we were departing.
Simple was lovely, just the 6 of us indoors, with Onur the chef making us very fresh and tasty food. Josh and I had the vegan pumpkin soup, the others had the chicken soup – all were delicious. Martha and I had the pulled beef burger (with chips), Captain Caveman had a chicken quesadilla and the rest had the Asian noodles (meat for my parents, veggie for Josh). All the food was excellent although the noodles were on the spicy side. Simple is not licenced for alcohol but we were able to get beer and wine from next door. The prices were reasonable to say it felt like a private dining experience. Unfortunately, my 2 breakfasts, a pizza lunch, a few wines and a loaded burger meant that I had completely gone over the top on the syns this week. We went back to Tapa to rejoin the birthday shenanigans which were now getting even more lively. It had been a great day and we had more excitement planned for tomorrow. Fat Club was going to be a bit more like a confessional for me tomorrow, having had 548 syns.
I don’t know if it was because Xena knew that Captain Caveman was leaving or that she had eaten something she shouldn’t have, but we were woken up at 4am on Friday 15th September with her being sick on the bedroom floor. She seemed fine after that but I decided to keep my eye on her today and not give her any of the leftovers or the bone from Valantina’s. At 6.30am we were at the bakery getting a sandwich for Captain Caveman to take with him on his 2 hour bus ride to Diagoras airport in Rhodes. The bus was at 7am so we said our goodbyes and, of course, I was sad to be parting ways again but it made sense for me to stay in Turkey while Captain Caveman spent the rest of his 41 days out of Turkey. Money was tight and I needed to work so there was no point me going with Captain Caveman, spending more money.
I took Xena for a walk, she was a bit sad and didn’t want to go far so we just did the short walking route which Steve had suggested. I had grapes, a peach and some yoghurt for breakfast and then worked from 11am to 4.15pm with breaks in between. This meant I had already worked a bit of my time from next week. When I went to take some washing in, I noticed that someone had put some discarded takeaway food on to the terrace for the cats to eat. It looked greasy and smelled disgusting so I removed it and threw it away. Apollo was not happy with that decision and had a face on with me. When I fed the cats the Friskies, they went mental for it, apparently it’s got something in it that makes it very moreish. For my dinner I made egg fried rice which I had with some left over pork, onion and potatoes – it was very nice. Xena had snuggles as she was missing Captain Caveman and we had a quiet Friday night in. She wasn’t sick again but I wanted to stay in with her, just in case.
I was looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday 16th September but at 4.15am Xena was sick again. Trixie knew Xena was out of sorts so we all got on the sofa in the living room for cuddles. It was just bile but I was worried and decided to just walk her a short way around the block at 7am. By 7.30am we were back and Xena was hiding behind a tree in the garden while I watered the plants. Before 10am I had a video call with Captain Caveman who was concerned if Xena was ok too and came on the phone to talk to her. Later, I decided to nip to the shops to stock up on things to take back to Turkey, as well as a few provisions to tide me over at Steve and Michelle’s for the next few days. I spent almost €18 (£16) on Teriyaki sauce, Sweet & Sour sauce, bacon lardons, cereal, pitta bread, crisps, plums and snackpots – using the rest of the cash Euros I had left. Aside from that quick shop, I stayed close to Xena and kept an eye on her. For dinner I ate the mushroom snackpot, some crisps, bran flakes and a couple of plums. I watched a bit of TV but had an early night.
joloyolo 