Dalyan – 18th & 19th January

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit – some of the Sunday walk from Debbie

Dalyan – 17th January

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 15th January

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

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

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

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

Photo/video credit – Julia and Drew

Dalyan – 14th January

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

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

Dalyan – 12th & 13th January

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 5th January

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit – some photos by Debbie W

Dalyan – 3rd January

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

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

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

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

Dalyan – 2nd January

On Thursday 2nd January I had a busy and expensive day; Our water bill for last month was 351 lira (£7.98) and that was pretty good considering people had seen a rise in utility prices already. The electric bill was 250 lira (£5.68) for the month and of course was much less than usual as we weren’t home all the time.
I did my measurements and found that I had lost 1cm from my bust and waist, while my hips had stayed the same. On the home scales I was 0.25kg (0.5lb) heavier than my target which wasn’t bad considering how much we had been eating and drinking and that I had not tracked or stayed on plan at all this week.
At the first Fat Club of 2025 I stepped on to Carol’s scales to find that I was 0.25kg (0.5lb) under my target and I was really pleased and relieved. It was good to know that I had finally done it – I had achieved my goal weight of 66kg. In total I had lost 11kg (24.2lb) which is more than the weight of my full rucksack when I take it as hand luggage on a plane. In centimetres I had lost a total of 7cm from my bust, 13cm from my waist and 6cm from my hips and had gone from a size 16/18 to a size 12!Wow, I just needed those ‘before and after’ photos of me stood with a massive pair of trousers, as they do on the Slimming World adverts. What I found out from Carol at group was that once you hit your target, you are allowed some extra Healthy Options as well as a few more syns! I’m sure if I’d known that at the beginning, I’d have done it sooner. The Fat Club had really helped me be accountable, more disciplined and motivated to no longer be fat and I was so pleased to have been able to have the group support. Now, I just had to keep it off but I did decide that I was going to treat myself to something I fancied to eat that wasn’t good for me and that I’d been avoiding since August. I called at a couple of shops on my way home, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 Dido Chocolate bar 14.00
Cheese spread 29.90
1 tin chickpeas 29.95
1 pack of egg noodles 33.50
Cashew nuts 74.50
1 small iceberg lettuce 79.95
Mozzarella cheese 89.90
Total spent 351.70 lira (£8)

I did not check on the price of the lettuce as I wanted it for my Pho, but that was an expensive item at £1.82!

Şarküteri
1 pork sausage roll 50.00
3 tins of coconut milk 195.00
Total spent 245.00 lira (£5.57)

I knew the coconut milk would be pricey but it can be hard to get here so I bought the last 3 tins. After eating the sausage roll and not being that impressed with it, I realised I’d finally overcome wanting to eat food that was bad for me, more than I ever thought I would.
For dinner, I made Slimming World style pizzas which were lovely.

Gratitude list:
1. Being able to afford to pay the bills this month
2. Finally hitting my weight target at Fat Club
3. Eating a pork sausage roll as a treat then not being that impressed by it.

Dalyan – 1st January

🎉 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 🎉

How was the first day of the year for you?

I slept in until gone 9am on Wednesday 1st January, New Year’s Day of 2025 and I was glad to wake up hangover free. There was a Sunday Swim at Iztuzu beach at 11am and I had contemplated going. Unfortunately, the bus goes at 12 noon, and when I checked with the organiser, they would have left by then. I could still have gone by myself to the beach and the return bus was at 4.30pm, but I decided to crack on with working on how I was going to improve things this year. I had 3 key areas I needed to look at and they were;
1) Money
2) Healthy eating
3) Planning trips/holidays

My first job was to tackle the budget and I did that by first looking at what Captain Caveman and I had spent in December. We had been pretty frugal during October and November with us both living off an amount that was below the Turkish minimum wage (not including rent or mortgage as Captain Caveman owns the apartment).
As a reminder we had managed on 10,900 lira (£246) in October and 20,134 lira (£455) in November but, of course, I had already stocked up in the previous month with all of the store cupboard essentials, toiletries and wine, so that had made a big difference.
We had been a lot less frugal during December and I was somewhat surprised to see we had spent 32,048 lira (£728). This was still a pretty tight amount for 2 people but it had proved to me that it could be done when needed. Dalyan is certainly not the cheapest place in Turkey to live, as it is a holiday town, however, if I was able to follow a few ‘rules’ it was certainly going to be possible during 2025. This would mean that if I could live on less than 15,000 lira (£340) per month when I had a regular income coming in, then I could start to save up again. I also made a note to write some top tips for saving money in Dalyan. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of my friends spent that (and more) on just Christmas Day alone so we were very lucky to have been able to opt out of that unnecessary expense.
Do you make a note of what you spend each day, week, and month and do you work to a tracked budget as you go? How do you find it? Are you surprised at our spending in Turkey?

My next job was to get myself some fresh juice and a notebook to start to meal plan again. I started a shopping list based on my meal plan which would start tomorrow. There was no weigh in or Fat Club today with it being New Year’s Day and it had been moved to tomorrow.
I had the red vegetable soup, which Captain Caveman had made loads of before he left, with fresh bread for lunch. I decided I would do a word puzzle instead of getting in to watching anything on TV that might distract me from getting on with some holiday searches. They were meant to be for potential customers but, if I’m honest, I was looking at places I fancied myself. I saw so many good deals that it spurred me on to start earning money to fund our future trips. Captain Caveman and I had a video call and he had settled in to his parents’ home in London. For dinner, I made myself a delicious Slimming World chicken and vegetable noodle dish and then had a video call with the family. My parents were going round to my sister’s to have a Sunday (on a Wednesday) Dinner with all of them together. My Mom said that after the overindulgence of Christmas they had all decided they couldn’t face any more alcohol. It was good to speak to them all and they looked like they were all glad that the festivities were over. I was meant to have an early night ready to get stuck in with stuff tomorrow, but I was still in my office at 1am, working out how much discount I could get on a cruise.
I decided to bring back the writing down of 3 things I was grateful for every day before I went to bed – apparently this can really help to keep a positive outlook so if you need to, join in. I’d be happy to know what you’ve been grateful for too.

Gratitude list:
1. Sleeping in and not having to set the alarm
2. Having plenty of free fresh oranges and pink grapefruits growing on the trees around me
3. My new office in the spare room

Dalyan – 31st December

While Captain Caveman completed his packing on Tuesday 31st December (New Year’s Eve), I was in my office finishing some social media posts and scheduling them to go live while I was off for the afternoon. Captain Caveman got weighed for the last time in Dalyan and had put on 0.4kg (0.9lb) so I got on the scales to find I was finally under my target and had lost 0.2kg (0.4lb) which was negligible but, still, I had hit my target by the end of the year – on my home scales! It had been tough and I had made some difficult choices to make sure I tried harder, the cutting down of alcohol was the main thing that had worked and mostly avoiding sugar. I was eating so much more healthy foods and even getting some exercise.
I finished working at 12 noon as we had arranged to have a bit of a jolly with Jamie. As a last lunch for Captain Caveman we decided to go to the prison restaurant which I always enjoy. We even had some last photos together outside, taken by Jamie. The food is reasonably priced as well as tasty and the service excellent, here’s what we had and the total price in lira;

3 cokes
2 sodas
2 chicken kebabs
1 Adana kebab
Total paid 860.00 lira (£19.41)

I paid by card for the 3 of us and it was cheaper than it would have been for the airport taxi! Jamie then dropped Captain Caveman off at the airport and we said a quick goodbye. Captain Caveman was going to England and would be looking to work and live there. He had some interviews and meetings lined up and also needed to decide where he would be based so that he could find somewhere to live.
I would hopefully see him again in 3 months’ time, unless I had a chance to meet him outside of Turkey before then. Jamie and I drove back to Dalyan and chatted about plans for 2025 and how I didn’t really know what was going to happen yet. I did know that I was determined for it to be a better year than 2024. I was back home before Captain Caveman’s flight took off at 4.10pm and I decided I was going to enjoy an evening at home by myself. A friend had messaged to invite me for drinks out but I politely declined as I didn’t fancy waking up on the first day of the New Year with a hangover. Instead, I popped my playlist on YouTube, finished off the open wine and had a bit of a dance in the living room. I was actually still awake at midnight, sipping Sage tea to help with my menopause symptoms, which is unusual as I’m often sick on New Year’s Eve. This year, I put it down to the fact that I had been following the Slimming World plan and trying to be much healthier than previous years. That night, the bed felt empty without Captain Caveman and it was quite chilly when I woke up in the early hours, needing a pee.

For me, 2024 was one of my toughest years in a few ways, even though I was very grateful to still be able to have the life I have. The end of 2024 was a good turning point for me; making some pretty harsh changes to my habits and plans. I learned how to survive on a very low income and find a job that was actually a passion of mine; travel. I freed up time to finally get on and do more writing and complete some of the projects I’d started.

My blog became like my therapy and the best support came from places I hadn’t expected it, even though I’m not sure why. My sister became a voice of reason with her blunt words of wisdom and encouragement to put myself first. Friends who were going through some serious health issues took the time to check on me and spur me on with kind words and just the odd message here and there. Captain Caveman, despite all the moans I write about him, always believed in me and pushed me to do and be better. He stuck to the Slimming World Plan alongside me when he was in Dalyan, so that I wouldn’t be tempted and could be the weight I wanted. He encouraged me to write more and not be put off by negativity from people who did not like my style or content and probably did not have my best interests in mind. He never once doubted that we would be ok and would tell me that, often. I also found out that over 60% of the online support I had got in my new venture was from strangers who liked what I did. This is what motivated me to crack on with my 2025 goals as I knew I could really help people have some amazing holidays. I believed I would be able to make enough of a living to meet the minimum criteria to remain a resident of Turkey, which had risen by around 25% from the 1st of January. With uncertainty around what we would be doing in 2025, I was confident that I needed to get on with it and make it a successful one. My mind was made up, and I was going to do just that!!

Thank you to those of you who encouraged, supported, offered help and just generally were there and had my back when I had to take a back seat from being the life and soul of the party so that I could concentrate on building a better 2025.

Dalyan & Köyceğiz – 30th December

I took the day off work on Monday 30th December as it was Captain Caveman’s last full day in Dalyan and we had exciting plans. I had booked us on to the Yellow boat with Waterlilly & Hakkan for the Köyceğiz market trip, which runs every Monday including through the winter. It had been a while since I had been on the Yellow boat trip as I had often been working or had dogs to attend to on Mondays. Captain Caveman always went to the Dog Shelter to walk dogs on Mondays and so it was never convenient, until today. With The Aussies being here, I thought it would be good to join them and also so that Captain Caveman could have his last day with his friends to say bye.
When we got on to the boat, it was all trimmed up in a Christmas fashion and had 2 Calor gas bottle heaters, on full blast to keep us warm. There was tea and coffee being served by Waterlilly and she asked after my parents. There was a nice group of 10 of us and it was good to see Adam & Kath who have become good friends of my parents and we had a little catch up. Kath asked why she’d not seen me in the bars on any day or night with all the usual Dalyan Dwellers. I explained that for health and money reasons we were not able to go out like we were on holiday (as we aren’t) and that I had cut right down on alcohol. I said I was tired of not reaching my weight target and spending too much time out in bars so I distanced myself a bit from the drinking culture in Dalyan in order to achieve what I wanted and to concentrate on my new job.

In Köyceğiz, and for the first time, the Lutra Lutra Bookshop was open while we were there so I was so happy. I wanted to show one of the other guests it so that we could perhaps get a book or two. The book shop has a small coffee shop and the owner showed us around. Karen and I both bought a couple of books and I paid 75 lira (£1.70) each for Turkish copies of Fahrenheit 451 and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

We then went to the fruit and veg market while the others went elsewhere. Here’s what we bought with the prices in lira;

Onions 10.00
Potatoes 30.00
Pumpkin 40.00
Garlic 65.00
Cauliflower 80.00
Total spent 225 lira (£5.08)

It was cheaper than the Dalyan market but we had paid 400 lira (£9.03) each for the trip, so it’s not something we could do every week just for the shopping. I wanted to get some cheese but there was a queue and we were getting peckish. We decided to walk over to the tea gardens right on the end of the promenade as they have good value, tasty Turkish food. Captain Caveman had an Efes Malt, I had a lemon soda and we mistakenly only ordered one main meal of a chicken shish and ended up sharing it. We also got loads of bread with it so there was plenty of food. Here’s what we paid, in lira;

1 Lemon soda 20.00
1 Efes Malt beer 100.00
1 Chicken kebab 180.00
Total spent 300.00 lira (£6.78)

This was really cheap for what we had, especially the beer – I wondered if the cheap chasers in Dalyan knew this!?

We were due back to the boat by 2.30pm on Captain Caveman’s last full day in Turkey. It was so beautiful that we kept stopping to take photos of the scenic lake as we went back to the boat and it was so lovely to have spent precious time together. It was also amazing that we had spent less than £35 for the whole outing so far!! Back on the boat, Waterlilly had prepared a fruit plate with nuts and more tea which was lovely and the boat was red hot from still having the heaters on. We had brought swimmers as we were told we would be calling at the Sultaniye Mud Baths but we went straight back to Dalyan. I was happy with this as I needed to get back for work.

Once off the boat, we said our goodbyes to The Aussies as they were off to Kalkan tomorrow and, of course, Captain Caveman was leaving tomorrow too. I had said I would be in touch with a Dalyan Dweller who had been referred to me from Jamie as he was wanting to discuss a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. Unfortunately, the meeting didn’t take place as planned so I just caught up on what I’d missed coming up in the January Sales then, as it was Captain Caveman’s last night here, we decided to go out. We had a beer and a wine in Ozzy’s Bar for 230 lira (£5.19) but we didn’t stay as English customers were smoking inside and it sets off my asthma. It is illegal in Turkey to smoke in bars, but many of the smoking expats don’t abide by the rules and the bar owners don’t want to refuse for fear of losing much needed winter custom. It’s a shame but I would think twice about going back in.
Next, we decided to go to the Waterfall bar where they usually are smoke free and it was while we had our first drink, however, as we ordered a second round one of the owners lit up a cigarette. We drank up and paid our 460 lira (£10.38) bill but I was a bit disappointed that we had to leave because of indoor smoking in bars, yet again. I begrudged paying the money to stink of fags and come out with a cough – it reinforced staying at home in future.

Some extra photos from Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 27th & 28th December

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

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

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

Migros Supermarket
Hummus 39.75
Total spent 39.75 (90p)

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

Dalyan – 26th December

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

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

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

Dalyan – 25th December

It was just a normal weekday for us in Dalyan on Wednesday 25th December, or Christmas Day to most people reading this. We had a lay in without any dogs to let out and it was nice to be able to relax and have a day off. I left Captain Caveman getting up and went to the bakery and supermarket. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Parlak Bakery
1 fresh loaf 10.00
2 simit 30.00
2 açma 30.00
Total spent 70.00 lira (£1.59)

Şok Supermarket
Milk 24.00
BBQ Sauce 79.00
550g chicken breast 115.50
A 1.7kg whole chicken 160.67
Total spent 379.17 lira (£8.60)

I was the only one in the supermarket but the bakery was busy with Turks who were probably enjoying having the town to themselves for a change, while most of the Dalyan dwelling expats did Christmas. I found it very pleasant and the sun was shining at first but it started to rain while I was out and I had to shelter.
We had a Turkish style breakfast; açma, simit, kaymak and cherry jam with tea for me and coffee for Captain Caveman. We had the AC on heat mode as it was a bit chilly.
For the rest of the day, we decided to watch some TV. Our first film choice was the rather good Sleuth, with Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier. We had cheese on toast as promised to ourselves and it was just so lovely. By late afternoon we had opened a drop of red wine, the Christmas present from my parents, and had more cheese on toast, with salt and vinegar crisps.
I made popcorn when it went dark and we watched another film; The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing about cracking the German Enigma code. It was not something I thought I would enjoy but it was really good. We finished our really relaxed non-Christmas, Christmas Day by watching a few episodes of 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown. I had one of the best days in ages and I didn’t mind missing Christmas, I was grateful to be in a country where it didn’t matter and we could just have a day on our own. This time next week Captain Caveman would have left Dalyan for at least 3 months. We found a flight for only £27 from Gatwick back to Dalaman at the end of March so we booked it, for that price it didn’t matter if he didn’t get to use it.

Dalyan – 24th December

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

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

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