I had scheduled to take the morning off work on Friday 21st March because I really wanted a lay in. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen as the builders were putting a roof on next door from 7.30am! I decided I needed to up the ante on getting my book sold so I really focused on that in the morning. I also decided to check every permutable flight back to Dalaman in April from various airports and on all dates starting from as early as a week after I landed. I’d agreed to dog sit but didn’t know the dates yet, so I couldn’t book a return flight. By lunch time I was back on it with work, where I was busy promoting Jet2 holidays – they proved to be popular lately. I worked all afternoon and then went to celebrate having had more book sales, with friends. I’d arranged to meet them at Ren Garden after work and it was a good evening where we were too busy chatting so I forgot to get any photos. We had a great night and never stopped laughing. I did rush back home so I could call my parents as they were off on a trip the next day. It was after midnight when I got to bed and the Jazz Bar was playing loud music until about 2am!
Gratitude List 1. More book sales 2. Out with friends on a Friday night 3. Video call with Ma & Pa.
Tuesday 18th March was a day of catching up after not being full time at work over the last couple of days, due to the residency process. I started with tea and toast for breakfast and then threw myself in to getting stuff done. I was meant to go to the free yoga session at Nil Lounge at 11am but I was too busy catching up. I managed to pay off my credit card at lunch time, which was not yet at its limit and was 10 days before it was due. That felt good to be able to do. I had a cheese, walnut, sundried tomato salad for lunch, which was really good, and then I had a bit of an idea. Captain Caveman was coming to Dalyan for a visit at the end of March but only for 2 days and I looked at how much the flights were for me to take a quick trip to the UK in April. They varied from £60 to £155 so I would need to think about it. The weather was nice and Jamie’s flowers were out so I sent him the photos of his granny’s and late husband’s memorial plants. The weather forecast was saying storms and bad weather were due soon, though. Edna enjoyed a cup of tea with me outside on the terrace and Norman had a mooch about looking for cat shit to eat. He came back looking sheepish so I knew he’d found some to munch on! In the afternoon, we got an alert to say the electricity would be off tomorrow so I decided I would work late today. After more work, a dog walk and a chat with Captain Caveman, who had temporarily forgotten I had been for my residency yesterday, I decided to go to the shops. Here’s what I bought in the 3 shops, with prices in lira;
When I got back, Captain Caveman had booked me a flight and sent me the details. I was going back to the UK on the 1st of next month, on the same flight as Captain Caveman, for £60 one way. I worked late and then made a chicken wrap with lettuce and BBQ sauce for a late dinner before going to bed, tired but happy.
Gratitude List 1. Having a busy but productive day 2. Shopping 3. Having a trip to the UK to look forward to next month.
It was a very busy day on Friday 14th March and I didn’t really know if I was coming or going for most of the day. It started with tea and toast before 7.30am then I got on with sorting out my health insurance which I had decided to go with Aytaç Saraymine for. He had quoted me for a 2 year policy, starting from mid-April for 4,372.50 lira (£92.25) and covered mainly in-patient use. Aytaç used to work in the bank and now has an office within Hey Dalyan, he was very nice and efficient, given that I needed the proof of insurance for my residency appointment. I would be paying 6,125 lira (£129.22) for the residency application and new card fees. A total expected pay out of £230 for a 2 year residency with the essential costs. I was glad I had been frugal in the last couple of months to be able to do this. Then there were the agent fees on top of that, if you didn’t do the application yourself, which varied depending on who you went with and could cost up to £300 so it definitely was a good idea to shop around. The first issue of the day was that Gurkan, in Fethiye, had checked my bank documents and said that the amount deposited in March was short by a few lira. I checked my bank statements, I didn’t think it was but I had an amount of 2,172 lira (£45.82) gone in to my Turkish bank that morning. It would be easier to get the bank statements printed again than challenge this. The next issue was that Aytaç needed me to come to pay and sign for the insurance papers NOW so I had to do that. I got the insurance paper copies, email copies and Aytaç said he would get the official stamped ones sent over for tomorrow morning. I questioned this, with it being a weekend, but he was confident all would be fine. I stopped by Maizie Moo where I had a Coke with Jan & Katrina – it was nice to sit down and rest. I rushed back to Jamie’s to take the dogs for a walk and, as I was walking them, I got a call with my next issue, the Residency application system was down so it was proving tricky to get an appointment for next week. I was asked that I keep my Turkish phone on so that the OTP code could be sent through and they would keep trying, in the meantime I needed to get those bank statements reprinted at the bank, urgently. I parked the dogs at Fire Opal, they were quite happy on the sofa, while I went to the bank. While in the long queue, I got a call from Aytaç who needed Captain Caveman’s Turkish tax number and, of course, I had no idea where I would find it. This was for the renewal of the earthquake (Dask) insurance. I messaged Captain Caveman to ask where it would be and then got served at the bank. Time was cracking on and the bank was about to close so I was pleased when the bank employee started the transaction. He then asked me for my passport, which has never happened, and I didn’t have it. It was at Jamie’s so he promised to stay late after closing and told me to go and get my passport, he wouldn’t take any other ID or a picture of my passport.
I walked quickly back home, found Captain Caveman’s tax card, walked the dogs back to Jamie’s and picked up my passport. As I turned round to leave again, Norman was having what I thought was a funny turn and his back leg wouldn’t work. I got him up off the floor and he looked fine but he couldn’t stand and Edna was licking his eyes. I got the lid off the treat tin and, miraculously, Norman’s legs were back to normal. I waited a few minutes, snaffled down a chicken wrap, then put him on the sofa and left. I almost ran back to the bank and was in there way after 5pm. I was hot and red from rushing so the young girl brought me water and offered me her last Toffifee, which I politely declined. They printed everything out, and updated my Turkish phone number. Aytaç then phoned to say he wouldn’t have my insurance documents ready as it was a Saturday and I was fine with that as it was unlikely I would need them until Monday. I was meant to be meeting friends for a drink at 5pm and had already let them know I was going to be late. I had not had an OTP code on my phone so I had assumed I wouldn’t be getting an appointment date today, but then I got a call to tell me my appointment was for first thing on Monday morning. I said I only had copies of the new insurance policies and we could take them as my originals would arrive too late. I arrived at Ren Garden to meet friends after 5.30pm, a hot sweaty mess but in need of a cold beverage. I love Ren Garden, which is the bar at the Grandma’s Garden hotel. The mother and son who run the place are really nice and always friendly. I ordered a rosé wine with soda and the others had beers. We had a good catch up and a bit of a laugh before Debbie and Mike went home. I tried vegetarian çiğ köfte which The owner and her friend were eating, it was very nice. The remaining three of us decided it would be a good idea to head back to Sezgin and Nur’s house for a bit of tongue and cheese!!! We called at Yaman Büfe for drinks along the way and I took a photo of the rakı which Sezgin recommended for when Captain Caveman arrived. I went to check on the dogs and let them out for a wee. Norman was his usual sprightly self so I was pleased he was ok. When I arrived, Nur was cooking up a bit of tongue for us to eat with Tulum cheese. I had more wine, they had raki and the food was great. We listened to music and had great fun but Nur got upset when we called Captain Caveman and she saw he was in the Broady with 2 gorgeous women! She was jealous on my behalf which was funny and I had to explain he was with Caz and Lucy plus a whole group of men and women who were celebrating Leroy’s birthday. I got home late and wondered if I would get up early enough for a market visit tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. Being able to afford the Residency Renewal application and all the costs associated with it 2. Having drinks with friends at Ren Garden 3. Hilarity at Sezgin & Nur’s place and a video call to the UK.
The first job of the day on Saturday 8th March was to make a shopping list while drinking a cup of tea. I decided I would go to the bank before the market so that I had enough cash to spend and then I could get some nice treats for the week. I also decided I would treat myself to a spinach gözleme (pancake) from the market for my breakfast. Here is what I bought on my first visit, prices in lira;
Market Stall 1 Potatoes & red onions 35.00
Stall 2 Strawberries 150.00
Stall 3 Carrots, Mushrooms and Spinach 120.00
Stall 4 Spinach Gözleme 80.00
Total spent 385.00 Lira (£8.14)
I rushed back, bumping in to my parents’ neighbours as I had a call booked in but I was stopped in my tracks when I read some bad news. A Facebook friend and ex colleague, who was about 10 years younger than me, had died from Cancer after a reasonably short illness and chemo. Of course it really upset me, as this person had been so motivational in recent months and had helped to encourage me to get on with life in a much more positive way. I had a cry and felt too upset to even be able to respond to his wife just yet. I had a video call with Vanessa, who was sympathetic and really helped to cheer me up, as she always does. While on the call, I realised that I had forgotten some things from the market so, blaming the menopause, I went back to the market for a second visit in the afternoon. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;
Market visit no.2 Stall 1 Tomatoes & apples 75.00
Stall 2 Peppers 40.00
Total Spent 115.00 lira (£2.43)
Just over £10.50 in total for the weekly fruit and vegetable shop plus breakfast didn’t seem too pricey to me. On the way back I also bought a comb as I was getting tired of having to remember which house my hairbrush was in. It cost 19.90 lira (42p) from Şevikoğlu supermarket, so was a bargain! I had some strawberries when I got back and I gave one each to the dogs as I had read that it was good for cleaning their teeth. Norman was not impressed but persevered and Edna wanted a second one – she will shove anything in her mouth, that girl! For dinner I had a warmed up Sunday dinner (on a Saturday) which I had defrosted from the freezer, and it was so good. I refrained from any wine and was hoping to be 100% fit for tomorrow’s meeting up with friends.
Gratitude List 1. Being able to go to the market (twice) 2. Video call with Vanessa 3. Celebrating it being Women’s Day by simply being alive!
Here’s 20 additional things I did to save money and stick to a low budget in Frugal February, as well as continuing with the 15 from January:
1. I set a budget of £400 for the month and divided it in to the 28 days. It was intentionally double my January budget. For easy maths I allowed 650 lira per day. 2. I continued to write down every single thing I paid money for, every lira I spent, including bills. 3. I stopped buying small waters in plastic bottles and used topped up water from the big water cooler at home. 4. I changed the date of my credit card payment to coincide with my pay day and continued to pay off in full to avoid unnecessary interest, paying little bits off throughout the month too. 5. I made sure that I had no subscriptions, recurring bills or Direct Debits that I didn’t absolutely need. 6. Instead of buying new clothes I wore donated clothes from friends which fitted and suited me better. 7. I accepted more invitations to dine and drink with friends at home rather than going out and I took a contribution/wine. 8. I made sure I shopped around for the discounts on what I did need, even if it meant buying from more than one supermarket. Conversely, I didn’t buy anything I saw on offer that I wouldn’t need or use in February. 9. I reduced/stopped any unnecessary phone credit by changing my plan to match my usage and used more WiFi instead. 10. I decided against a trip to the UK to see Captain Caveman, despite cheap flights, knowing the trip would still cost more than being in Turkey. 11. For every day that I managed to spend less than the budget, I put the money to one side to pay off debts or add to savings, no matter how small the amount was. 12. I didn’t order or buy anything without knowing the price first. 13. I limited eating out in a restaurant to just twice in the month, none of which were for evening meals and didn’t include alcohol. 14. Cabbage, lentils and chickpeas became my best friend for cheap additions to meals as well as in batch cooking. 15. All my meals were made from scratch and I limited any imported or luxury items. 16. I said no to a lot of things, including joining friends on a holiday, because it didn’t suit my budget and I needed to be sensible. 17. I made a list of all the food items I already had in the cupboard, fridge and freezer and planned meals using those up first. 18. I didn’t have any beauty/hair/massage appointments. 19. I took advantage of free or low cost hobbies and activities like Fat Club, language classes, walking, online courses and training etc. 20. I used my time much more wisely so that I could make improvements to my life and work on earning more money in the future.
I know some of these tips have helped a few friends out already and hopefully you have some ideas of your own. It’s been a good exercise for me and I will continue to be money minded as I go through the coming months. I’d challenge anyone to do something like this for just one month and see how much it benefits you. I think, even if you have money to spare, it’s still a good way to live to enable saving for something special or using your money to prioritise it better without being blissfully unaware. If I’d followed this plan when I earned loads of money, I’d be retired by now.
Have you got any tips you’d like to share? Do you already do any of the above? Which do you find easy? What’s the hardest?
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During the night it had been stormy so I was up early on Friday 28th February. The dogs got wet on their wander out and Norman seemed to have a sore ear that he wouldn’t let me touch. Captain Caveman called me as soon as he woke up to tell me he had been paid (his first pay day) and he was going to transfer me the money for my February residency requirement, with it being the last day of the month. He was very pleasantly surprised to hear that I had already managed to do it and any money he wanted to send my way could now be used for March and to help pay the costs involved in getting the insurances and bills for the upcoming residency renewal application. I needed to put the same amount in for March plus pay for the application, the new card, the transport, the Health insurance, Earthquake insurance, passport photos, and bringing the council tax and any bills up to date. I also needed to reconnect my Turkish phone number and add more credit for that. It was going to be costly, but this time I could apply for 2 years residency renewal so, to me, it was worth doing. I was too busy for breakfast, so just had a tea and a cuddle with the dogs. I worked all morning as it was the last day of the month and I wanted to try and get a last minute deal or two booked so that I got paid for it in March. Sadly, it didn’t happen as one potential customer had decided not to bother and the other potential customer wanted to think about it over the weekend and discuss it with the family. It did mean that I had not hit the target I had set for myself for March pay day and I would be moving in to Money-minded March from tomorrow. I already had plans to increase my opportunities and income for April, though. I had leek and potato soup with a cheese sandwich for lunch and got back on with work while the dogs snored. In the afternoon, Captain Caveman sent me a photo of my free book that had arrived in London. Charlie Day had sent me her ‘Sales is Easy If You Just Know How’ and I was looking forward to getting my teeth in to that when I could. I checked on my Resort Experts business page to see how my week of using the marketing training had gone. I’d only been following the training for the last 4 days but I was impatient to see if it was having a positive effect. While the rest of the team had reported that engagement had increased, mine had gone down by 30%, in the last 7 days. Interestingly, the age and gender of my followers was changing so that I had attracted a few more men and had some younger people following now. Norman was restless and kept wanting to go out and then back in the door so I decided I would make him Chairman for the day and promoted him to sit on the chair next to me. Norman seemed happy but Edna was asleep and missed out on any extra responsibilities. The weather was very miserable so wine on a Friday was postponed, much to Edna’s disgust and she was obviously going to log it as a complaint. After walking the dogs, I had pasta for dinner and had night 3 in a row, of zero alcohol. I snacked on pineapple which felt like a real treat as I don’t normally buy it. I decided before bed to tot up my expenditure for February to see how I had done against my £400 budget. February had still been frugal but I had definitely felt like it had been a bit of an easier month, especially as it was a shorter month. Does anyone fancy a guess at how I did against the budget?
Gratitude List 1. Call from Captain Caveman to say he would transfer me money for February 2. Captain Caveman giving me March’s money, instead, so that I didn’t have to worry or struggle 3. Fresh pineapple to nibble on.
On Thursday 13th February I had breakfast of tea and toast then walked the dogs. I spoke to Captain Caveman before lunch then had a banana and a chicken sandwich. Jamie and his guests arrived back earlier than expected so I was back home for a Webinar on Adult Escapes, our Team Meeting and another Webinar on AI with Mel at Sales Geek. All 3 meetings were excellent and I spent the afternoon doing all my follow ups. I also decided to sign up for some more free courses, including the well-known Race to Recurring Revenue with Lisa Johnson. For dinner I had defrosted a surprise meal from the freezer and found it was the remaining half of shepherd’s pie from the last time I was at Jamie’s – it was so tasty!
Gratitude List 1. A good Resort Experts Team Meeting 2. Being back home 3. Free Training Sessions
After tea and toast with marmalade I got on with my dog free day on Friday 14th February. It was Valentine’s Day but unfortunately I had decided not to go over to see Captain Caveman in the UK. It made sense to save money to build up some savings before splashing out on trips. The flights weren’t that expensive but it was all the other stuff I would want to do that would cost me money. It did mean that we had overlooked the need to get Captain Caveman’s IRATA log book back to him ready for his rope access course next week. Luckily, Jamie and his guests came to our aid and agreed to take it back to England with them and Captain Caveman would go and collect it. I was pleased with that as it meant we could use the money I would have spent on another trip, instead. I had Pho Ga and a green tea for lunch. I should’ve been meeting friends but they had to cancel as they had a workman popping round. I cracked on with some work and had a few Friday Follow ups to do before having a veggie curry and half a bottle of wine for dinner. It felt a bit weird knowing that my actual book was launched and was available for people to buy. My Mom was going to have a call with me over the weekend and let me know what she thought.
Gratitude List 1. Help to get Captain Caveman’s log book back to him before Monday 2. You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle… being LIVE!!!! 3. Wine to celebrate being an author.
Sunday 9th February was still pretty cold as I went to meet friends for a Sunday stroll. I’d had a cup of tea and some overnight oats for breakfast and we aimed to walk to Gunlüklü and back. I hoped my feet would be ok as my trainers had fallen apart and my wellies still smelled of shit so I had to wear my Vietnamese porter sandals. I put an ankle support on my sore ankle to help and had a pair of socks in my bag, just in case. The walk was very nice but we did go back to show the others Shits Creek where Debbie and I got a bit of a surprise. The road with all the puddles on had been levelled off and the manure in the arık had been ‘tidied up’ somewhat. In the dry weather it did look as if it would have been impossible for the incident I had previously found myself in, to have happened without noticing. We had a cup of tea at the Gunlüklü, walked past the dinosaur and, at the end, decided to go to Kaunos tea gardens. By which time it was a bit warmer and we decided to have some food, even though my tummy had been iffy this morning. I had a sage tea and a chicken sandwich which was fantastic for 165 lira (£3.75).
On the way back home I decided to pop to the supermarket, here’s what I bought with prices in lira:
It was a sign I had increased my monthly budget, as I was splashing out on nuts and beef in the same shopping trip! I was meant to be meeting Jamie and his friend, Aimee, to celebrate her birthday but I lost my phone, which turned out to have fallen out of my pocket in Migros. When I went back the girl who found it had put it in the till, which was so good of her. Once home and after a hot shower, I did a couple of email replies, then realised I needed to rest my foot and didn’t go to join Jamie, Aimee and Scott. I ended up having left over Sunday dinner and painkillers that night and staying in. Before bed I had a sage tea and a Dido chocolate bar.
Gratitude List 1. Sunday Walk with friends 2. Ankle Support bandages 3. Dido chocolate bars.
Photo Credit – some photos by Debbie, the last one from Captain Caveman on his Sunday walk in the UK
It was so cold when I got up on Saturday 8th February that I decided to wait until it got warmer to go to the market. I did more with the Amazon KDP and reformatted my book document, using the training notes on Amazon which were about as clear as mud. I had tea and toast for breakfast, more veg soup with pasta for lunch and made a shopping list. At the market, the new stalls made it look so much bigger than before but it also meant that it was completely shaded and so cold. It would be ideal for shade from the sun in the summer months! Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira:
Stall 1 Potatoes 24.00 lira (55p)
Stall 2 Carrots, Leeks, Spring Onions, Bananas & Courgettes Total 180.00 lira (£4.09)
Stall 3 1 Big Cabbage 70.00 lira (£1.59)
Stall 4 Tomatoes 17.00 lira (39p)
Stall 5 Mushrooms & Apples 65.00 lira (£1.48)
Total spent at the market 356 lira (£8.09)
I tried my best to get a smaller cabbage but the stall holder insisted I take the biggest one, as they were all the same price.
On the way back through the garden at home, I picked a load more oranges from the tree and took 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary from the plant. I worked more in the afternoon and took a break for a couple of oranges and an apple, as I felt like I needed some fruit. Captain Caveman unexpectedly called me from inside a cave and it gave me a bit of a shock. He was in the Peak District and had gone for a walk so gave me a call to show off that he was in a cave and I suggested he learn the monologue from ‘The League of Gentlemen’ for the best cave phone call. I made a Sunday dinner on a Saturday with lots of leftovers for the fridge and freezer. There was still a drop of wine left so I polished that off, too. I had a fairly early night as it was cold and I had to get up for the Sunday Walk tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. Market Day 2. Not giving up with Amazon (yet) 3. Having free fruit and herbs in the garden.
I woke up to exciting news on Thursday 6th February; my book ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle….….and other handy travel tips’ was published on Kobo 2 days earlier than expected. I was an author! People could now buy my eBook on Kobo and read 12 chapters of what not to do in various situations while abroad. It was an informative short book aimed at helping people like me who had never travelled to Vietnam or South East Asia before. I hoped my reader could get an idea how to experience better travel and have a few laughs at the situations they may find themselves in. My target audience was me, 15 years ago! I was a bit taken aback as I wasn’t expecting it to be published so fast but when I logged in to see it, the Kobo website told me I couldn’t buy my own book, as I was in Turkey. I sent the link to a Turkish friend to see if he could help in any way, but he couldn’t view it either. I also now had to figure out how to check it and get it marketed so that people would buy it. I’d had so many people say they would, while I was writing it, so I hoped so – I wanted to make a series of amusing handy travel tip books so that I could eventually get them published in book shops at airports. I would only make about £3-£4 per book so I couldn’t afford to set the price any lower than I had. I decided to see how it went, after all I do a blog for free so those readers might possibly support me as well as Facebook friends. I worked out that if I wanted the books to sell enough to support my residency in Turkey, I would need to sell at least 8 per day on each and every day of the year. I shared the link with The Aussies as Kobo can be used in Australia but they said they preferred to wait for the physical copy to be available. Kobo was eBook only. Jamie popped round to bring me 2 light fittings that he didn’t want, but Captain Caveman did, and we had a hot beverage and a chat. I told him about me becoming an author of a handy travel tips book and he too said he would like the physical copy, not an eBook. I messaged my Mom and she was also in favour of a physical copy of the book so it looked like I needed to work out how to get that sorted out.
I had more of Captain Caveman’s veggie soup with pasta for lunch and it was really tasty. Our team meeting with Resort Experts was at 2pm where Jamie did an update about Turkey which was really good. After that, I cracked back on with more work and then decided to pop to the shops as I had run out of Fabric Softener. I made the mistake of going before eating dinner and bought some treats plus a whole chicken which was on offer. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket (6.30pm) 1 Bounty chocolate bar 34.90 1 pack Marshmallows 34.95 1l Pink Grapefruit 39.90 Lentils 39.95 Fabric Softener 95.95 A 2.3kg chicken 182.57 Total spent 428.22 lira (£9.73)
It was a sign I had upped the budget this month as I seemed to be doing Frivolous February, instead of Frugal February. I warmed up some of the leftover vegetable curry for dinner with steamed rice and decided to finish off the rest of the wine I had opened yesterday. At 9pm I had a video call with Vanessa who is back in Sheffield and was asking how we were both doing in our new jobs. She was hoping to catch up with Captain Caveman since they were both in the same city. We were on the phone for about 2 hours talking about anything and everything and it was nice to speak to a Dalyan friend who knows me well. When I told her about my newly published book she was up for buying it once it was available on Amazon for her Kindle!
Gratitude List 1. Having my book published on Kobo 2. Free light fittings from Jamie 3. Catching up with Vanessa.
When I woke up on Friday 7th February, it was so cold at only 3°C, with a feels like -1°C because of the wind. I stayed in my office with the AC on until the sun came out enough to warm the room up a bit more. I had wholemeal toast with cheese spread for breakfast and then had a hot chocolate with marshmallows mid-morning to keep warm. I worked all morning and signed up from some ad-hoc free trainings and webinars to increase my earning potential and freshen up my sales skills. After more soup at lunch, I finished off all my follow ups and then decided I was going to tackle Amazon KDP once again. Captain Caveman had suggested I set up a new email and reregister just for the purpose of the book(s), so I did, and faffed about for ages trying to load my manuscript on to their bespoke system in the right format. I worked on it for so long that I forgot to have any dinner and later had cheese and wine before bed. I also got a message from Vanessa to say she had sorted out a suitcase for Captain Caveman to use to bring over to Dalyan at the end of March – this was so good of her!
Gratitude List 1. Finally getting somewhere with Amazon KDP 2. Managing to stay warm in my spare room/office 3. Helpful friends in Sheffield.
Jamie was due back at about midnight on Monday 3rd February and the dogs were looking forward to his return. I had my breakfast ‘cake’ with a cup of Yorkshire tea then got organised for my last day with Norman and Edna. I cracked on with some work before going to meet a friend who I’d not seen in ages. We met at the tea gardens for a cup of tea and a quick chat. I felt bad as my friend was up for going on outings but my schedule was not yet flexible enough that I wanted to be away from my laptop. My priority right now was building up my Resort Experts customer base and getting the handy travel tips book out there for people to buy. Luckily, she understood and I said, once I was in a better situation, I would let her know. I did mention her joining us for Sunday walks but she was busy then. Later, I walked the dogs and had soup for lunch. By which time, Captain Caveman was already on the train from South Yorkshire to Scotland for his first day in his new job. He would be near Glasgow for 2-3 days and had been put up in a hotel. I worked all afternoon and then took the dogs out again. I made a Slimming World veggie wrap pizza for dinner and had snuggles with the dogs until it was their bed time. I had a bit of an issue with my English phone number, in that it’s with GiffGaff and it doesn’t always get signal in Turkey – they advised me to reply to their text to keep my account but then it wouldn’t send! It was very frustrating so I put it on my To Do list to try to find another way to keep my number and change providers. I spoke to Captain Caveman who had survived his first day at work and seemed content, which I was pleased about.
Gratitude List 1. Tea Gardens with a friend 2. Having a great team at Resort Experts 3. Norman and Edna.
I was super busy on Tuesday 4th February as I had work and my book project. I had decided that I needed to get the book published on Amazon KDP and Kobo so I had cracked on and loaded up both. The Kobo one was much easier to do but it then said, as I was in Turkey, that I couldn’t review what I had submitted and it would let me know in 3 working days when it was published. I had no idea about the lay out and if the cover looked ok, as it had auto formatted it, but I had submitted a book for publishing. The Amazon KDP submission was on hold as it was giving me issues. I forgot to have breakfast, had curry and rice for lunch and immersed myself in my To Do List while enjoying being back at my own desk today. For dinner I just had cheese on toast but it was almost 11pm once I had finished work and I had another video call with Captain Caveman. He had a new work van so he was very happy and he filled me in on what he was up to in Scotland. There was news from Santorini that there were earthquakes and a scientist had said that it could be serious with a risk of a Tsunami so I got Captain Caveman’s advice on how that will affect the surrounding areas and if it would impact Turkey. I was meant to have had a video call with Vanessa too but I hadn’t had the time and had to move it to later in the week.
Gratitude List 1. Being back at my own desk 2. The sun coming in through the windows and doors of the apartment and warming up all of the house 3. Knowing Captain Caveman was happy with his new job.
I had an incredible day on Sunday 2nd February; Debbie and I were back to safety in numbers on a Sunday get together . Sezgin had invited Debbie, Mike and I for a trip to the beach. I had some work to do in the afternoon so it was perfect timing that I would go to the beach and be back before 5pm, which is 2pm UK time. I got a lift there with Debbie and Mike, who were still laughing at last Sunday’s debacle, so I was determined not to have another incident this week. We met Sezgin & Nur at Iztuzu Beach café where they introduced us to their son, Zen, for the first time. We all took a walk along the beach, it was beautiful and sunny – warm enough for a paddle too. It felt so nice to have the sand and sea between my toes and the breeze in my face.
We took a few photos, all chatted about a variety of subjects and I learned there was an alternative book publishing company to Amazon. Zen told me all about Kobo and how he used that to read books on his phone, without even the need to have a Kindle. All the young people he knew used this but I needed to look into it as I’d never heard of it. We ate lunch at the beach and here’s the prices, in lira;
1 Water 15.00 1 Lemon Soda 30.00 1 Mixed Toastie 125.00 1 Tuna Salad 150.00 1 Chicken sandwich 150.00 Total spent 470.00 (£10.68)
We left the beach all happy to have made the effort to have a Sunday outing and I had a task for Sezgin back at Fire Opal.
Captain Caveman needed his Irata Log book which was in a cupboard above the stairs so, on the way home from the beach, Sezgin and Zen came to help get it down. Captain Caveman had told me where the key was which was to unlock a ladder, attached with a bicycle lock to the outdoor balcony. I was then to place the ladder half way up the stairs to be able to go up it to get one of the boxes out and pass it down to Sezgin. I didn’t want to try it alone in case I fell or hurt myself doing it, but by the time I had got the ladder unsecured, it was obvious that Sezgin was tall enough to not need it. Sezgin thought it hilarious that Captain Caveman thought he needed to secure a ladder to a balcony railing when we are on the second floor. The 2 men got both boxes down and all was good – no incidents, so I was very grateful. It did mean that I needed to take photos to send the contents of the book to Captain Caveman and then would have to take it to him if/when I went to visit. I was still hoping to go to England in a couple of weeks’ time. I went back to Jamie’s and took the dogs out for a walk. In the evening I cracked on with work and was really pleased to be able to organise a family holiday for a good friend. For dinner I had a lentil and chickpea curry and then a cuddle on the sofa with the dogs who had been so well behaved today. Edna had not had as many snuggles as usual but she said she wasn’t going to complain if I could guarantee it was a one off. We had a video call with Captain Caveman who was preparing for his first day of work tomorrow. I was so proud of him and wished him luck, I admired how self-sufficient and confident he is and knew he would do well – his new employers were lucky to have him.
Gratitude List 1. An outing to the beach 2. The ladder fiasco which made us all laugh 3 Being able to help my friend with a surprise family holiday.
On Monday 27th January I was looking after Norman and Edna while Jamie and Drew jetted off for some winter sun with friends. Jamie picked me up while it was practically still dark and the dogs were still a bit snoozy when I arrived. After a quick run through any changes to Norman and Edna’s requirements over a cup of tea, they were off. I had another cup of tea and some buttered toast for breakfast and felt a bit woolly headed as I got on with some work. At 12.30pm I joined a free sales mastermind with Charlie Day from The Sales Agency, which was interesting and gave me a few things to think about. Jamie had left me a cottage pie for dinner but I ate half of it for lunch, it was really tasty. The rest I put in the freezer for later in the week and hoped I wouldn’t forget about it. I worked some more and then took the dogs on a walk around Gulpinar. For dinner I had a chicken dinner followed by a Dido chocolate bar, which I had forgot I had bought for Debbie and Mike yesterday, but had left them in the fridge. Thankfully, today was a relatively tame day compared to yesterday but I really did ache after my ordeal on Shits Creek.
Gratitude List 1. Norman and Edna – they always cheer me up 2. Having a desk and a chair to use 3. Cottage pie from Jamie
I woke up just before 8am on Tuesday 28th January and had tea and toast with cheese spread on for breakfast. I got on with work and found myself looking at some Japan itineraries which I fancied for myself. I did love Japan and would definitely visit again. I made some banana, oat, and peanut butter ‘cake’ for breakfasts/snacks before moving on to group tours in India in the afternoon. I had some of the ‘cake’ for lunch with oranges from a tree at Fire Opal and then got ready for my second day on the Charlie Day Challenge. In the afternoon I got a message from Ben, from Victory Road Villas in Phong Nha, my old boss and friend. One of the ladies from the Dalyan Ladies Night boat trips and the Sunday Walk was touring Vietnam with her husband, by bicycle, and was at Victory Road Villas enjoying a cold drink and some food. They were having an amazing trip, it was great to hear from them and get a couple of photos from Ben with the three of them on. I recommended that they call at Phong Nha Vegan and asked if they would be around there until the weekend to meet up with a couple of my friends who could show them around a bit, but they weren’t in town too long, just enough to rest those legs before cycling further south. I had a break from work to take Norman and Edna on a walk which they loved. Dinner was left over chicken dinner from yesterday and I did a bit more work before bed. It was that time of the month when lots of people were hoping they could book a holiday on pay day and get a good deal for later in the year. It was also hard to tell the difference between genuine customers and people who were bored at work and wanted to waste a bit of time looking for a holiday they only dreamed of going on. I got a message from a complete stranger in the afternoon who was interested in hearing more about me and my new book, after being on the Sales Course this week – that was nice. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was still doing well, he had been in the UK for 4 weeks now and was adjusting better than I would have been.
Gratitude List 1. Free Sales Training with Charlie Day, which was really good 2. An update from friends in Phong Nha 3. Seeing that Captain Caveman was happy in my home town, Sheffield.
Saturday 25th January was my last day with Lady C as her owners were arriving back late tonight. I had planned to go to the market but the weather wasn’t looking too good. Luckily, I managed to get Lady C out for a walk with Chico and back in before it started lashing it down. I had the same again for breakfast and I was definitely finding it kept me fuller for a bit longer. I noticed when I opened my diary to check flight time that the internet was due to expire today. Unfortunately, it’s a pain that we can only pay per month, with proof of residency, now so I had to venture out in the rain. For 2025 the prices had, of course, increased so I was prepared to be parting with more cash. When I got there I was soaking wet, despite the umbrella, and my tariff had gone from 400 lira (£9.09) to 550 lira (£12.50) per month. It was still much cheaper than the UK but a 38% increase here is a lot. My next job was to call at the shops as I was already out in the rain, anyway. Here’s the prices and also what I spent at the supermarket, in lira;
Pharmacy 2 boxes of Cerazette Total spent 658.36 lira (£14.96)
I got ready for Lady C’s owners returning and gave her a brush to make sure she looked smart, then I had pizza and wine for dinner while I waited for their arrival. Lady C was excited to see them and her owners were so glad to be back. The rain was still heavy so I called Fikri, the taxi driver, and little Lady C tried to jump in to the taxi with me – another dog friend happy with my services! It was nearing midnight by the time I got to bed so I was really tired and looking forward to a bit of a lay in tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. Lady C being off the lead but walking with me and following commands 2. Pizza and wine 3. A happy dog.
There was another breakthrough with Lady C on the morning of Friday 24th January, she actually came to the bin with me and walked the opposite direction to what she would usually want to go. The big cockerel wasn’t there so she wasn’t scared. I decided to attempt to list my book on Amazon again and reset my password but then it sent me a code again to a phone number I didn’t have. I decided I would look in to other options as I wasn’t an Amazon fan anyway. After my new breakfast option, which was just as good cold, I cracked on with work so that I could perhaps finish early. I was pleased for Captain Caveman that he was going to the cinema and London today, and I wished I was joining him. The last time I went to the cinema was probably to see the Barbie film in Fethiye ages ago. At home, I noticed that the building next door, which had been demolished and rebuilt, had a concrete roof on but no metal reinforcement in. This either meant that they were not replacing the second floor or that the next floor they added would not be earthquake proof. It was apparent from speaking to some locals that the authorities were cracking down on illegal builds and structures that didn’t comply with the rules. For dinner I had made a lentil bolognese in the slow cooker which I had with some of my recently purchased Gamay wine after a nice dog walk.
Gratitude List 1. Lady C coming to the bin with me 2. Finishing work early on a Friday 3. Slow cookers and wine.
joloyolo 