Dalyan – 23rd & 24th March

Monday 23rd March was all about writing and Norman, the dog. After his own breakfast he demanded a corner of my toast, using his cute face!
I broke off for a lunch of homemade lentil soup with wholemeal bread and did something a bit weird. I’d had several people mention ‘my ADHD’ recently, and it wasn’t for the first time. I don’t have, or think I have, ADHD so I decided to take a test. This didn’t go as I expected as the result said I ‘have symptoms highly consistent with ADHD in adults and further investigation is warranted’. Well, that taught me to try to prove people wrong! It went on to refer me to see a professional to get a proper diagnosis. I was unlikely to do that here in Dalyan and put it down to menopause and being a woman who tries to multitask.
For the rest of my lunch hour I proceeded to check out flights for my trip to Spain in June and got some booked in.

Captain Caveman, who was in Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City), called and he was looking forward to his upcoming cycling event, despite very hot weather.
I took Norman out for a walk, fed him and then he watched with anticipation as I ate more chicken chasseur with vegetables. I had a zero spend and zero alcohol day too.

Gratitude List

1. Norman

2. Getting my own travel sorted

3. Good food.

I was up ridiculously early on Tuesday 24th March to be greeted with 3 presents from Norman, the dog. There were no rubber gloves or kitchen roll and the mop that has the floor cleaner in had none in. I managed with wet wipes and poo bags and it was all cleaned up before 7am. I fed Norman and then made myself a cup of tea, I couldn’t face eating any toast. It was raining and cold so today was all about getting through the to do list and making sure Norman was ok.
At lunch time I had soup with toast and then decided to chop some veggies. Little Norman was hoping to get a snaffle and was standing behind me. When I turned to put stuff in the fridge, he’d fell fast asleep and was snoring away.
We had a very short walk and had to turn back because Norman didn’t like the rain. I managed to sing Happy Birthday to Mom who was getting ready to go out for her birthday meal in Scotland with the family. Norman got to say hello to Granny Annie and Grandpa Stupot too.
I had a chicken casserole with potatoes and courgettes for dinner then decided I would watch some TV. The TV had other ideas and it wouldn’t let me.
It was another zero spend and zero alcohol day, which was great, and it helped that it was raining. Tomorrow would be Norman’s 15th birthday so we had plans to celebrate.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. A video call with Ma on her birthday
3. Managing more no spend and no alcohol days.

Dalyan – 22nd March

I woke up to my 7am alarm on Sunday 22nd March with a banging headache and feeling quite out of sorts. I went downstairs to let Norman out and, unfortunately, he had already peed in the house – right next to the lamp and Dennis, the doorstop. I cleaned it all up and fed Norman before messaging Jamie to check they had arrived in the UK and that all was ok – it was! They were flying to Tenerife tomorrow. I checked my budget and updated my expenditure list. It wasn’t great as I’d spent £72.23 this week, just over the increased weekly budget and £29 over for the month so far. I needed to really be careful this next week and I planned to.
It was cold, even with a thermal vest, t-shirt and hoodie on so I walked over to town to run some errands. I would be looking after Norman until the end of the month and Norman seemed happy with that.
By the time I was walking back, via the chickens who wanted some bread from me, the sun was out and it was a tad warm. I had a rare bit of time where I wasn’t doing anything related to work or travel so I decided to do a puzzle – guess what? It was a travel related one!
I took Norman for a short walk and he didn’t seem overly keen to walk on the road where my parents stay and he was super slow. On the way back he was quicker because he knew it was time for dinner.
I met a friend in the evening at Joy Cafe where they had the spaghetti bolognese and I had a sandwich and some cheese rolls with Turkish tea. They also brought us a free dessert to celebrate Bayram, which was sweet. It’s a really lovely cafe in Gülpınar and there was just us there. I paid 320 lira (£5.42) and my friend dropped me back off. Norman hadn’t moved since I left but was happy to see me when he did wake up, so that he could have sofa cuddles – he loves those.

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. The sun coming out
3. Joy cafe.

Dalyan – 20th & 21st March

While Captain Caveman completed his last day at work on Friday 20th March, in readiness for his charity cycling event in Vietnam, I got a lot of admin done. It seemed cooler and looked like it might rain, which is usually the case whenever I have Norman, the dog. Jamie and Drew were off on holiday and Norman was going to be in my care while he celebrated his 15th birthday.
I wasn’t expected to finish work until after 8pm tonight so, at 3pm, I nipped out for a quick bit of fresh air and to the shop as I needed some essentials. I checked against the budget and I had just over £18 left for this week, plus the cash I had in my purse for the market tomorrow. It was Bayram, a bank holiday for Ramadan, so I wanted to get meat before it sold out and make sure I got cash out before ATMs ran short. Here’s what I bought at the supermarket, with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Onions 5.31
Peanuts 52.00
Dark chocolate 66.95
Mushrooms 86.95
Wholemeal sliced loaf 97.50
500g Beef mince 375.00
Total spent 683.73 lira (£11.59)

Beef is expensive in Turkey so I’d gone mad by buying mince at over £6 for 500g but I fancied making a Bolognese this weekend.
I had a cruise training session with Travelpack from 7pm so I was still working until gone 8pm, then I made a pasta dinner with a glass of wine to round off my week. I’d plan to get more content for my next book done this weekend but I was already feeling exhausted.
I topped up my wine and tried to relax. Captain Caveman sent me a photo of a vodka named after me in the duty free – he was finally on his way to Vietnam for 2 weeks, and I was a little bit jealous that I wasn’t going too.

Gratitude List

1. Getting some work done

2. Excellent free Cruise Training with Travelpack

3. Pasta and wine.

Things certainly didn’t go according to plan on Saturday 21st March. While Captain Caveman had arrived in China for a 7 hour lay over but was unable to get to the lounge, I shoved the ingredients for a Bolognese in the slow cooker. I had plans to go to the market. Jamie and Drew weren’t leaving for the airport until 11.15pm but I had said I would meet them for an afternoon farewell drink and also go over to their’s for wine after dinner. I called round to Jamie and Drew’s on my way to the market, Norman was still in his bed.
Unfortunately, the market had limited stalls open due to Bayram so I only bought 5 bananas and 2 courgettes for 85 lira (£1.44). Back home, I ate more homemade soup for lunch. I didn’t make the 3pm drinks with Jamie & Drew, as agreed, because I was waiting for a work related call with one of the owners of Resort Experts. That didn’t happen until much later than expected so it was 7pm by the time I left the house.
When I got to Ren Garden, it was empty so I waited. Jamie and Drew had been in Sofra bar with friends. Drew arrived first, followed later by Jamie – late, ladened with shopping bags and walking Norman.
Drew just had the one drink and left, as Jamie and I were talking about work. We ordered another wine and continued on about work, even though we both had to get home for dinner. My 2 wines were 300 lira (£5.08) and we left Ren Garden, intending on going home to eat dinner. I only got as far as next door in Jik’s where another glass of wine was ordered.
Jamie and I parted ways after Jik’s where my glass of wine was 150 lira (£2.56), I bought a bottle of red wine from Yaman Büfe 2, to have later and rushed home to turn off, then eat, my Bolognese.
When I arrived at Jamie & Drew’s to see them off, Norman was napping, Drew was drinking wine and Jamie had popped out to the bank. The electric gate wasn’t working so there was some faffing about with that and I had to look away for fear of a finger or hand being cut off.
The taxi arrived and I said bye to both, Norman got kisses from Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew, but didn’t seem unduly concerned – he was used to the comings and goings of us all now.
I went inside feeling tired but poured myself another glass of wine, which I would probably regret in the morning. Going through the menopause has meant that my body cannot tolerate alcohol like it used to.

Gratitude List
1. Getting work stuff sorted
2. Norman
3. Farewell wines with Jamie and Drew.

Dalyan – 19th March

On Thursday 19th March I was busy but doing the bit of my job I enjoy most – speaking to potential and existing customers. I made myself some fresh orange juice to have with my homemade lentil soup for a late lunch and it was very good. The oranges from Kate were just so juicy and tasted of sunshine.
I spoke to Captain Caveman who was flying to Vietnam tomorrow so was busy getting everything ready. He had also moved out of the house in Pontefract and was hoping to be living in Sheffield when he returned in April.
In the evening I decided a walk by the river was a good idea, despite it being dark already, and I called to the off licence for a bottle of wine. It wasn’t in the budget but I felt I needed it and it was just 300 lira (£5.08) for the one I liked. I called at the bank and took out some cash for the market this weekend.
Back home I had another chat with Captain Caveman as I was trying to plan when to visit him in the UK. I had seen a cheap flight for Easter but he said not to bother as he had volunteered to work all of it. We discussed May and June but he couldn’t commit to where he would be and nothing got agreed. Later I enjoyed a glass of wine while I caught up on my blogging.

Gratitude List
1. Fresh orange juice
2. Speaking to Captain Caveman
3. A lovely glass of red wine.

Dalyan – 18th March

It was weigh day again on Wednesday 18th March and I was slightly optimistic since my home scales said I had lost 0.5kg (1.1lb). My measurements did show that I had put on 1cm on my bust and waist, my hips had stayed the same.
I was busy in the office again and too much time was spent on unnecessary stuff so that I had to mute my phone to get on with what I needed to.
At Fat Club I was very disappointed to find I had put on a whopping 1.8kg (4lb)! I bought a water for 30 lira (51p) because I’d already overdone it on the Turkish tea this morning. I was out of Quark so I nipped to the shop after the group, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket

Dido chocolate bar 34.95
Haribo 44.95
Cheese spread 46.95
Olives 61.50
Rye bread 85.00
2 Quark 111.90
Total spent 385.25 lira (£6.53)

I got a notification from Facebook, based on the content I had written in Georgina Chapman’s training, that I was a conversation starter. The actual post had got over 3,000 views which I was pleased about as getting seen online is always an uphill slog.
After work, I had leftover chicken chasseur for dinner, then had a bit of a treat while watching Netflix. I had some Haribo, a Dido bar and made myself a White Russian (or two). I even made my own popcorn and turned my phone off early.

Gratitude List
1. Thinking I’d lost weight
2. Treats
3. A relaxing evening watching Netflix.

Dalyan – 17th March

It was a very busy day on Tuesday 17th March. It was also a very noisy day as I had 2 neighbours both grinding, sanding and drilling for most of the day. I decided to shove a chicken chasseur in the slow cooker too.
I worked in the office all day and did quite a bit of author related stuff in an attempt to be ready for when, and if, I got the agreement for my books to be on shelves in book shops.
I got paid and I was pleased to have my first pay day of 2026. I had spent £55 already this week, against my new weekly budget of £70 so I decided to have a low spend day today. I was trying not to spend my pay as soon as I got it and save for my 2026 travels. After making a sandwich for lunch, I noticed that spider season seemed to have started as there was one on the kitchen door.
I got some photos and a message from my parents, who I had sent birthday/mother’s day gifts to. I had sent them 2 boxes of retro and liquorice sweets. They were due to be going to Scotland with my sister and I thought it would be nice for them to have sweets for the journey. They were really happy and I loved getting the photos as it cheered me up on a busy day.
After work, I decided to get some fresh air and had to walk through a mess of iron shavings that had gone into the stairwell. The workmen had tidied the outside but had assumed the gate to our stairs was locked so didn’t clean up that bit.
I walked by the river and to the bakers where I spent just 15 lira (25p) on a fresh loaf of bread.
Back home I had the chicken chasseur, which was lovely, and I tried to relax.

Gratitude List
1. Getting further towards having my books in book shops
2. Pay Day at last!
3. Chicken Chasseur for dinner.

Dalyan – 16th March

I was beside myself with excitement on Monday 16th March; Claire Clarke, my publishing consultant, was about to give me help to get my book(s) in to actual UK bookshops – on the shelves or to preorder! I needed to buy the ISBN numbers for the books. These were £93 for 3 or £175 for 10. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was super supportive and thought that it was a great idea to get more of my books out in to the world. I decided to buy the 10 ISBNs as it would mean I had the rest for all my other books – if I didn’t think of myself as a writer or author before, I needed to now!

Claire and I got on a Zoom call at 1pm and, while it was technical for me, we got through the necessary work to get it set up (I won’t bore you with the details but it wouldn’t have been easy to do on my own). At the end of the call, I had a few more things from Claire to do and she was going to do her tasks. We would reconvene once we got an answer from the publishing company, which would allow us to then be on the national database for all booksellers in the UK.

I was so giddy, as I’d been trying to get to a point where my book(s) could be found in bookshops rather than just on Amazon. If all went well, all those people who ‘didn’t do Amazon’ would be able to buy my books in a bookshop this summer! ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ was first in line, then we would add ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself’ on a Bicycle…’ before the next couple I was currently working on. There was a slight setback in that my next book, ‘You Can’t Eat a Whole Blancmange and Dance….and other handy travel tips’ would be delayed. It was a bit scary, but also very exciting.

I was so grateful for Claire being there to support me and if you’re reading this and want to get a planner or journal published you should definitely get in touch (link below).

https://iamclaireclarke.co.uk/

I decided to celebrate in the evening; Vanessa was going back to the UK so we had arranged for me to join her and Matt for fish & chips at Cadde Balık. We’d had it planned for a while and Vanessa came to call for me at 5.30pm. Matt had decided not to come as he had eaten out at lunch time so wasn’t hungry.

As we were walking along the river, Vanessa said the reason we had picked fish and chips was because of Matt, and I’d been recently so we decided to change the venue so we could have a celebratory wine. We arrived at River House and the weather was nice enough to sit outside at 6pm. We decided to splash out with a full meal plus wine and it was amazing. Here’s what we had with prices in lira;

River House

1 soda water 50
1 Carafe white wine 590
1 Lahmacun 295
1 Chicken risotto 850
1 Liver & Onions 950
1 chocolate pancake 230
Total 2,965 lira (£50.25)

We also got free bread and mezzes so we had lots of food! Various stray cats and dogs waited to see if they would get any leftovers and one dog got a bit of liver from Vanessa. Obviously, we split the bill. It was the most I’d spent on a meal out in a while but I thought it was excellent. While we were there, a friend from the UK on holiday here, stopped by and she joined us. It was a lovely girl’s night and it felt nice to go out and treat myself while saying bye to one of my best friends. I would worry about the £70 weekly budget later!

When I got home, things had progressed with the pay day chase up and we were getting paid tomorrow. I was certainly looking forward to the money being in our accounts!

Gratitude List

1. Progress on getting my books in to actual UK book shops!

2. Getting to say hello to a friend on holiday

3. A wonderful send off for Vanessa.

Dalyan – 15th March

It was an interesting day on Sunday 15th March; I’d already turned down an invite to a boat trip with a friend so that I could get on with tasks that I needed to do. I had something exciting brewing with regards to my books but I couldn’t say anything yet, mainly as I didn’t have all the information. It was Mother’s Day in the UK but they don’t celebrate it in Turkey. I messaged Mom to see when I could call as I didn’t know if she might be doing something with my sister. I tootled off to meet Nanny Kay, Jamie, Drew and Norman in Luvi, a cafe I’d not really taken any notice of before.
It’s next door to Mimi’s and near Ozzy’s Bar in the square next to Migros. It took a short while to order a hot chocolate on account of the staff making the others’ 3 drinks but it was worth the wait and cost 140 lira (£2.37), it wasn’t much more for wine and the wine by the bottle was reasonable, I noted.
The cafe was nice and Norman got some attention. I decided to call to see if there was any chicken on offer on the way back, and I had run out of oats.
I was in luck and here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Oats 87.50
876g Chicken drumsticks 118.26
958g Chicken breasts 238.54
Total spent 444.30 lira (£7.53)

I had a bit of a fiasco with trying to log in to my Amazon account, which was irritating because I needed access for the important meeting I had booked in for tomorrow. That was frustrating as I was sure I had the right details.
In the afternoon I walked over to Vanessa’s, while eating a banana in place of breakfast or lunch, and had a cup of tea with her and Matt and picked up a bag of oranges.
Vanessa and I decided to have a walk round town and called at the tea gardens, it was incredibly busy. We’d already seen Mark, Kate, Pamela and Glynn in Efe bar when Vanessa dropped a scarf off for someone who had left it. Next, we went to Public bar for a glass of wine. It’s one of the more expensive places at 180 lira (£3.05) for a white wine and we shared a soda. I was getting peckish and thought I might order food at Public but resisted and we called at the supermarket. Vanessa recommended some chicken pieces that were a bit like a KFC and I decided to buy those. A bag of them was only 189 lira (£3.20) so much cheaper than eating out and I had wraps at home already, so that was late lunch and early dinner sorted. In the evening I had a video call with my Mom to wish her Happy Mother’s Day.

Gratitude List
1. Cancelled plans
2. Catching up with Vanessa
3. Chicken wrap at home.

Dalyan – 14th March

It was market day again on Saturday 14th March so I had arranged to go with Vanessa. I had already checked the remaining budget from my readjusted £40 for the week and today was the last day. There was no way I was going to be able to stick to it and I knew that the remaining £6.61 would get spent easily at the market today. I needed to better plan if I wanted to reach my saving goals. I called for Vanessa at 10am and we planned for a quick market shop then to go to the nice cafe for a cup of tea and a chat.

Here’s what I bought, prices in lira;

Stall 1
Lettuce 30 lira (51p)

Stall 2
Carrots, spring onions, radish 150 (£2.54)

Stall 3
Strawberries, oranges, bananas 340 (£5.76)

Total spent 520 lira (£8.81)

This week’s reduced budget was blown already, mainly due to strawberries at 200 lira (£3.39), but I was not unduly worried as we headed to Mornings in Mavi, my new favourite cafe.
I decided to throw caution to the wind and ordered a fancy tea for 120 lira (£2.03) and a toasted sandwich for 300 lira (5.08). It was fantastic and very filling so I wouldn’t need any lunch today. The owner of the cafe is from Eskişehir and seems very conscientious. After discussing my budgeting plans with Vanessa and realising I was being quite restrictive trying to live on less than £6 per day, I decided for future weeks I would reset and up the budget to £10 per day, so £70 per week. This way, when I didn’t spend it all, it would be more motivating but it would also not be such a burden if I did. I’d still not been paid but surely that would be due on Monday.

Back home, I put the shopping away and totted up that this week I had spent £49.32, which was pretty good to say I’d had 2 days where I had alcohol and only 1 zero spend day. I had a video call with Captain Caveman who had one week left until his trip to Vietnam. He was heading over to take part in the Saigon Children’s Charity bicycle ride for charity. Ordinarily, I would have been there for support but I had already committed my time to Norman, the dog, and his 15th birthday – I couldn’t miss that! Captain Caveman offered to send me money but he had enough on, with his trip to Vietnam and the apartment maintenance and repairs he needed to pay for, plus he was moving house, so I said I would manage by continuing my Money Minded March.
I worked for the rest of the day, my post using the new skills from Georgina Chapman had got so many views that it was scary! I had a cheese salad sandwich and realised I should’ve gone halves on the lettuce this week – it was huge!!! Later, I decided to swing by Ren Garden to say bye to Lucy and Scott before they went for dinner and then the airport.

Gratitude List
1. Splurging at the market and in the cafe with Vanessa
2. Speaking to Captain Caveman
3. Seeing Lucy and Scott one last time.

Dalyan – 13th March

It was the final day of The Signal on Friday 13th March and I felt like I’d really benefitted from Georgina Chapman’s free insights this week. I’d learned loads and I hoped to be able to put all the lessons to good use in my travel business as well as my books.
I took myself off to the shop and, as I had only spent £20.25 of my £40 weekly budget with 2 days left to go, I decided to get some Friday treats that weren’t alcohol.
Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
1 Maxi Dido chocolate bar 24.90
2 500g pasta 27.50
1 Gold Dido bar 30.00
1 Nut Dido chocolate bar 35.00
1 Pot Noodle 40.00
Marshmallows 48.00
1 glass jar 50.00
Total spent 255.40 lira (£4.33)

I’d really splashed out on some unnecessary items today but I was happy with my glass jar which came with a lid and a spoon – ideal for overnight oats.

After a busy afternoon, I went to meet a friend at the new fish restaurant. I’d missed Matt’s birthday there on Wednesday but reports back were that it was excellent so I was really looking forward to it.
I’d not realised that the owner of Cadde Balık Ekmek, Suat, was Suha’s Dad and he came over to say hello and introduce us. I know Suha from Bistro Blue and his family are very nice. The place was very clean and well organised, we sat inside and ordered the fish and chips with a small bottle of water. I wasn’t drinking as I had a customer call this evening, hence why we were dining early, but they don’t serve alcohol, anyway. I paid 500 lira (£8.47) for the fish and chips and 20 lira (34p) for the water. The meal came with lots of condiments and extras which I personally didn’t eat as I’m not one for sauces, my friend did though. I was a massive fan of the very light batter, the chips were reasonably good and made better by the proper vinegar! There was talk of adding mushy peas at some point, but I don’t like them and prefer my meal without. I really enjoyed my first visit – my friend and I were very impressed and would definitely be recommending and going again. I live very close but it was also good to know that they would be doing takeaway and delivery in addition to their dine in option.
I hurried back home to deal with some work and then had an early night without any alcohol and happy that I was still under budget.

Gratitude List
1. The Signal & Georgina Chapman
2. Friday treats
3. Fish and Chips.

Photo Credit – some photos by Cadde

Dalyan – 11th & 12th March

My weight on the home scales on Wednesday 11th March showed no change and I hoped that was because the battery was low on them. My measurements were much more favourable as I had lost 1cm from my bust and waist and 3cm from my hips. I just needed to lose 3cm more from my waist and hips to be back to target.
After a couple of hours work, I did day 3 of The Signal, the free course which was really opening my eyes to how I write content and how I might want to improve it in the future. At 1pm I was on a zoom call with the publisher, Claire Clarke, and the Create, Publish, Grow group that I’m part of. We started to discuss advertising and getting our books in to actual bookshops which is what I really needed. I still wanted to do more book sales as I knew my handy travel tips and the handy travel planner could certainly help more people have better holidays.
At Fat Club I had a bit of a surprise when I got on Carol’s scales – I had lost 1.9kg (3.8lb) so, naturally, I was pleased. The swimming pool and the garden area at Ren was looking good, ready for the tourists coming soon. It was colder than it looked out so I was regretting wearing shorts! I spent just 30 lira (51p) on a water, although I was meant to be on a zero spend day today. I rushed back home as I had more work commitments booked in which meant I couldn’t make it to Matt’s birthday meal at the new fish place in town. I’d decided I might meet them after for drinks but I didn’t go in the end. I’d not been paid yet and I was keen to wait until I knew what I was getting, before I spent money on going out or alcohol, plus I was absolutely knackered. Most of the people out had gone to Corner bar, some had gone home. I had an early night, ready for another busy day tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Free help with courses and zoom
2. Losing weight
3. A very low spend, zero alcohol day.

It was a busy day in Dalyan on Thursday 12th March. I did a couple of hours work while having tea and toast. At 10am I attended the 4th session of The Signal with Georgina Chapman.
In the Resort Experts team meeting at 2pm there was no apology or mention of the late pay day so I asked the question (again). Luckily, we were reassured that it was being worked on as we spoke. It was likely we would get paid tomorrow but definitely by Friday! I was fine with that, I just wanted to know how much I was getting and when, so that I could make sure my money was in the Turkish bank account before the Bayram bank holidays. It was hot today so I sat outside and got sunburn through my black trousers. I ate left over curry for lunch, outside on the balcony.

At 6pm I decided to go for a walk and take some photos by the river, go to the bank and call for some wine. I bought 2 bottles for 560 lira (£9.49) and took them over to Jamie & Drew’s where I had been invited for dinner.

At Jamie’s I sat outside with a glass of red while chatting to Lucy (Drew’s sister-in-law) and getting to know Scott (her friend). They are really nice people and we had such a laugh. Nanny Kay arrived shortly after and more wine and more laughs were had before enjoying a delicious chicken dinner.
It was late when I got home and I was a bit tipsy!

Gratitude List
1. My new phone and camera
2. A great night at Jamie & Drew’s.
3. Wine.

Dalyan – 10th March

I was so busy on Tuesday 10th March, the day started with the banana cake and tea and then I was in the office until 3pm.
I bought Captain Caveman’s annual Earthquake Insurance for 1,797 lira (£30) as well as the annual home insurance for 10,723 lira (£182). I now use Aytaç Burçak of Saraymine Sigorta for all our insurances as he knows what he’s doing and is easy to do business with.
I needed some essentials and some lunch so, at 3.30pm I took a break and went to the shops. Here’s what I got with prices in lira;

Parlak Bakery
1 Bread 15
1 simit 15
Total spent 30 lira (51p)

Migros Supermarket
Bin Liners 29.95
4 Quark 180.00
Total spent 209.95 lira (£3.56)

I got as many Quark as I could because they were on offer. Back home I ate the simit with cheese, olives and gherkins for a very late lunch, before getting back to my desk.
There was still no email or sign of pay from Resort Experts but I was reliably informed it could sometimes be as late as the 14th so I waited patiently.
I arranged for some quotes for home repairs to be done by Leanne at King Emlak and then I finished a busy day around 6.30pm.

I went to meet friends who were back from the UK and had brought me butter back. When I got to Corner Bar, I ordered a red wine, and found out my friends had forgotten the butter! Still, it was nice to see them as I don’t get out an awful lot these days and they always make an effort to check on me, which is nice.
I paid 170 lira (£2.88) for a glass of wine, but limited it as I had Fat Club tomorrow!
Jamie walked past and was with Norman, the dog, Drew and his sister-in-law and her friend so we all did the usual hellos and Norman got a stroke.
Back home I had curry for dinner and then did some writing. I hoped I’d done enough this week to lose some weight at Fat Club tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Getting boring tasks sorted
2. Seeing friends
3. Nice food.

Dalyan – 8th & 9th March

I arranged to meet a friend on Sunday 8th March, at Kaunos tea Gardens. I couldn’t take the whole day off so we decided to meet at 9.30am with the intention of having a bit of a walk too. As I walked past the River House I noticed they had sea bream and bass on special for £10.
We ended up sitting inside as it was still quite chilly. I had 2 large Turkish teas and a cheese toastie for 195 lira (£3.30). We had a good catch up and then a walk along the river, stopping to speak to the owner of the new fish and chip place between the Zabıta office and China Town. It looked really good so my friend and I added it to our places to try out soon. I went back home with the intention of getting on with my next handy travel tips book, which I needed to start again as the document had disappeared. That didn’t happen as I had emails to reply to and I ended up working until gone 5pm.
I had bacon and asparagus for dinner, with parmesan on. It was so good and rather extravagant. For afters I made strawberries with quark and mini meringues.
I was going to bed when I got a message from Vanessa inviting me to Matt’s birthday at the new fish and chip place on Wednesday at 5pm.

Gratitude List
1. Fresh air and a walk
2. Catching up with a friend
3. Asparagus.

I had some overripe bananas that needed eating up on Monday 9th March so I made a flourless cake. Moshed bananas, oats, egg and blueberries in the air fryer (or oven) for 20 minutes – and Slimming World friendly too.
I worked all day and was impatiently waiting for the pay day email to come through to show what I was getting paid. Usually we get a statement which shows the top line amount then less any fees and charges. It is broken down by customer name and I cross reference it with my spreadsheet. I was particularly looking forward to this pay day as it was my first one from Resort Experts in 2026, my last pay day had been in December. Because I have more bookings in for spring & summer it means my first pay was due now.
I started The Signal, a course about writing, with Georgina Chapman at 10am and it took my mind off it for an hour. I had plenty of tea and wrote my content for the rest of the week.
At 6.30pm I made myself a Slimming World style pizza and did some blog writing in the evening. It was a zero spend and a zero alcohol day.

Gratitude List
1. Something different for breakfast
2. The Signal, a free course I’d signed up for
3. Eating healthy.

Dalyan – 6th & 7th March

On Friday 6th March I only broke off from my laptop for a cup of tea or a couple of chicken fajita wraps. I wanted to finish as much as possible so that I could take tomorrow morning off. I had planned to go to the market with Vanessa and then grab a drink in a cafe somewhere.
I didn’t take any photos, I didn’t leave the house, I didn’t spend any money and I didn’t drink any alcohol.
While sitting down to post my blog, though, I saw a post which made me cry. A friend who I met 26.5 years ago on our first day of our new job at Norwich Union (now Aviva) had a date for her surgery to remove a brain tumour. About 15 years ago she met her now husband and later moved to the States to be with him. I remember this as it was around the same time I met Captain Caveman and we would both end up moving abroad ‘for love’. I’m older than her and have probably abused my body and made worse lifestyle choices than she has, so there’s something that happened to put so much in to perspective today. I didn’t even need a Gratitude List today, as it would just read ‘everything’. Over the years we’d not kept in touch as much and I’d never met her American hubby. I messaged her and we had a conversation about how she was feeling, she was being brave and was understandably shitting herself. I shared her go fund me page on my Facebook and I got a message from another friend to ask if I’d been hacked. I imagine, like me she also thought it might be too unbelievable to be true. It wasn’t!
If you’re reading this and are able to donate towards Angela’s medical costs, it would be much appreciated. Here’s a link and her photo of what the tumor looks like.

https://gofund.me/61f18c7b3

I woke up early on Saturday 7th March and read some awful news on Facebook. A bloke I used to work with at Norwich Union (now Aviva) had died. He’d been one of the most entertaining people I’d known and was just so lovely. He was only about 10 years older than me so it was quite a shock. He had a huge family and was so well loved by everyone who knew him. I’d had the pleasure of being his manager for a few years and the customers just loved him too. I felt sad and searched out a photo from that period – we were a motley crew back then but had some great memories.

I was involved in a customer enquiry over the phone and I was meant to go to Vanessa’s on the way to the market but she ended up coming to mine. I checked the weekly budget and I had less than £9 left for this week, which was not impossible but unlikely, given that I needed to buy quite a bit today. We both needed the bank so that worked out better and I withdrew just 1,000 lira (£16.95) at the ATM. Before we even got to the market we noticed the new florists in town and went in for a nosey. It is brilliant and has plants, flowers and gifts – just what Dalyan needs.

Here’s what I bought at the market, prices in lira:
Potatoes 30
Mushrooms 47
Cabbage (half of) 25
Satsumas 110
Asparagus 120
Strawberries 200
Total spent 532 lira (£9.02)

We went halves on a cabbage as they are huge and we even asked the stall holder to cut it in half for us. If I had gone home then, I would have been on budget for the week, but I didn’t.
Vanessa had a soirée that she had been invited to tomorrow at Adam and Kath’s, so she wanted to buy some treats at the supermarket. Unfortunately, I couldn’t resist and I also got a few treats for myself:

Şevikoğlu Supermarket, now with a new name

Bread 15.00
Chocolate wafers 34.90
Biscuits 36.00
Mini meringues 66.90
Dark chocolate 67.00
Turkish black tea 184.90
Total spent 404. 70 lira (£6.86)

I had run out of conditioner and was down to the bottom of my shampoo so I had to get a bottle of each, luckily it was on offer and is my favourite.

Millennium shop

Olive oil 1 Shampoo & 1 Conditioner
Total spent 210 lira (£3.56)

Our bags were heavy so we decided to go to a lovely cafe next door to the computer shop. Here’s what I had:

Mornings in Mavi

2 large teas 100
1 Granola bowl 300
Total spent 400 lira (£6.78)

That granola bowl was so good and I really enjoyed it. Today I had spent a lot more than I should’ve, despite it being my 5th zero alcohol day this week. I had gone over my £50 weekly budget by £17.44. I decided to reduce the next 2 week’s budgets to £40 to compensate. It was going to be tight but it was doable if I put my mind to it and didn’t get tempted by alcohol or treats (easier said than done). Today was pay day from Resort Experts which would probably be in the bank on Monday, with it being a weekend. This was going straight into my emergency/holiday fund.
It was almost 3pm by the time I got home so I ended up working until gone 8pm.

Gratitude List
1. Out and about in the fresh air
2. My first Granola bowl in Dalyan
3. Seeing Vanessa.

Dalyan – 5th March

I was in my office by 8am on Thursday 5th March, writing Resort Experts content and catching up on more free training and courses. Today marked 10 years since I had done the trip to the biggest cave in the world, Hang Son Doong, in Vietnam. I bet I couldn’t do it now!
I noticed a woman I had been following on Facebook for a while, was doing a free challenge next week; 5 days of using your voice in a market that’s stopped listening. It peaked my interest and I decided to sign up, I even decided to share it with lots of other Facebook friends who worked for themselves or had side hustles. There was a prize to be won if we got chosen, for sharing the link so I asked everyone I could think of, including my Resort Experts colleagues. I had a quick walk round the block and to check if my parents’ trees had started to grow back after a rather over zealous winter prune – they weren’t but it had been a pretty cold and wet winter, here. I let my mom know and tried to reassure her they would be in full bloom by the time they arrived.
At 2pm I attended the team meeting where more talk about new improved systems were coming our way and things were business as usual, despite the Middle East conflict.

After a busy day I decided I would have chicken fajitas for dinner, only to realise at gone 6pm that I didn’t have any peppers or onions. I took it as an opportunity to leave the house for some fresh air to go get some and have a walk by the river with my new phone. It was also a good opportunity to get a selfie of me wearing a music related t-shirt in memory of an old Aviva friend who had died 1 year ago today.

I tried doing sunset photos and videos to have a practice with my new phone too, appreciating the beauty around me. It was quite a warm evening until it got dark.

Here’s what I bought at the shop, prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
2 Onions 4.27
2 Green peppers 24.79
2 Red peppers 25.89
8 Satsumas 26.63
Total spent 81.58 lira (£1.38)

Seasonal fruit and vegetables are still quite cheap here in Dalyan but I’m always careful not to buy out of season produce. I was tempted to pick up a bottle of wine but decided to enjoy a 3rd day this week without any alcohol. I also thought I might try to avoid alcohol for the rest of this week.

I walked the long way round to take a photo of a couple of local hotels which I was recommending to friends who were coming later in the year. They were closed for the winter at the moment but would open next month. I made sure to say hello to my regular doggy friends, the usual white two were excited to see me and came over for belly rubs.
Back home I made fajitas which were really tasty and I got ready for a busy day at my desk tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Being busy from getting out of bed to getting back in it.
2. Appreciating a walk while using my new phone
3. Good food.