Dalyan – 30th November

It was the last day of the month and I was surprised and relieved that I had managed to survive the month without losing it, to be quite honest. Saturday 30th November was a fairly busy day for me and it started when Captain Caveman’s alarm went off at 7.30am. The weather app said it was a mild 9°C, with a likelihood of 19°C later on, but rain was very much on the cards. After seeing to Norman and Edna, I updated my shopping list ready for a market visit and had my cup of tea.
Captain Caveman and I were at the market by 10am and here is what we bought, prices in lira;

Stall 1
Potatoes & onions 60 lira

Stall 2
Carrots 34 lira

Stall 3
Başlamak bread, pumpkin, spinach, spring onion, green beans and fresh mint 250 lira

Stall 4
Mushrooms 50 lira

Stall 5
Sweet potatoes 60 lira

Stall 6
Peppers 84 lira

Total spent at the market 538 lira (£12.17), which was a bit more than usual.

We didn’t take Norman and Edna and we decided to share a cheese and spinach gözleme (pancake) sat at the little stall in the market. They are quite big and cost 80 lira ($1.81) for the one we had and it was so fresh and delicious – not Slimming World friendly, either.
Back home, and after leaving Norman and Edna for the first time alone, we had soup for lunch and the water man delivered us more water for 70 lira (£1.58) and was super efficient. I decided to attempt to clean the kitchen a bit while Captain Caveman went over to Fire Opal to collect more stuff. I also put all the ingredients for a Bolognese in to the slow cooker and decided I would try out one of Jamie’s new ovens with a lasagne for dinner. We managed a dog walk while it was cooking but the rain came down in the afternoon and most of the evening. Norman and Edna didn’t mind one bit as it meant they got to be lazy and have sofa snuggles until they fell asleep.
I totted up how much we had spent in November so that I could compare it to October and plan for December. The 2 of us had lived off just over 20,000 lira and was about £455 in November – it was double that of October but I was very proud of myself for being able to manage it as it was less than the Turkish minimum wage for 2 people. Of course, we had no mortgage or rent to pay but that included bills, food, drink, transport and any hobbies etc. I doubted I could live off that for just myself back in the UK, let alone the 2 of us here in Dalyan.
Before bed Captain Caveman and I watched Undercover on Netlfix, which had not previously worked but was ok now so we got 2 episodes in. Tomorrow we would start December, Captain Caveman’s last month in Dalyan, with a walk.

Dalyan – 29th November

It was only 6°C at 7am on Friday 29th November when I woke up. I made myself a cup of tea and sorted the dogs out. Edna had been sleeping on the sofa cushion and Norman was up and about. After their breakfast, Norman wanted to go back to bobos with me. I had toast for breakfast and then Captain Caveman and I walked the dogs. We decided to spend some time at Fire Opal with the dogs – I would work there while Captain Caveman went to Bridge Club. I noticed that he still hadn’t mended the hole in the gate, which he had said he would, and cats were still coming in and spraying their scent on the staircase. I’d found him some netting and had put it next to the door ready to use. The sun streams in to Fire Opal making it warm indoors and the dogs could take off their jumpers and relax. They loved it at our place and they snoozed on the sofa for ages.
I made pizza wraps for lunch but asked Captain Caveman to make something for dinner so that I could carry on working. He also went out to do the shopping and here’s what he bought with prices in lira;

Hardware shop
100 zip ties 65.00 lira (£1.47)

Migros Supermarket
Milk 37.95
15 eggs 81.50
Fabric Softener 99.95
Total spent 219.40 lira (£4.96)

Balcı Pharmacy
1 pack Cerazette 329.18 lira (£7.45)

I had it in my diary to message a friend to meet up tomorrow but I decided I was not in any fit state to be out and about socialising. My back still hurt most of the time and I was going between the 2 houses. My friend kindly offered to come over to see me but I wasn’t sure which place I would be at and when for her to pop over. A close friend had messaged me about coming over to Dalyan for a visit in February and I was already really looking forward to that so much, as I missed my friends from back home.
We walked the dogs back over to Jamie’s for their dinner, Captain Caveman cooked pasta but he was not enjoying cooking in a different house. I washed up and by the time I came to sit down, Captain Caveman and the dogs were all asleep. I woke Captain Caveman up and we watched more of ‘Until I Kill You’, which was good and made my problems look insignificant.

Dalyan – 28th November

Of course there was no apology from Captain Caveman on Thursday 28th November, not that I had expected one, but I had hoped. He said that he would just play Bridge on the days when I was busy working, he said he was annoyed that I had all these things to do but I didn’t finish them because I did other things instead. I explained that when I asked him to do them, he didn’t because he was playing Bridge and then I would end up doing the things myself anyway. He only did the jobs that he wanted to do and played Bridge the rest of the time, he still didn’t see my point of view and, as I looked over, he was playing Bridge while having this conversation!!!
I fed the dogs their breakfast and while Captain Caveman went off to Bumming, I stupidly googled Bridge addiction (instead of doing my to-do list) and found that it was really quite serious. All the advice on the internet said to leave and get out of a relationship with a Bridge player as they will never stop. There was no plan to change as far as I could see and I was not the person he would ever listen to enough to change, not that he wanted to. I already knew if he had to choose Bridge or me (or anything else, for that matter) he would always choose Bridge.
I went to get a cup of tea and some breakfast and saw that Captain Caveman had made a point of leaving the kitchen a mess with his breakfast pots, as he wasn’t doing the washing up.
I decided the only thing I could do was to concentrate on my own goals and surviving the rest of this year – I had certainly made it through worse. I would avoid anything and everyone that didn’t have anything to do with work, the dogs, Fat Club, Turkish class, blogging or content for my books. Once all those were sorted I could look at other stuff.
I ate a samosa and a cheese roll and, when Captain Caveman got back, I warmed us up some soup and we pretty much ate in silence, while he watched tv.

We walked the dogs who looked so cosy in their jackets and called in to Fire Opal to pick up some food. For dinner, I made jacket potatoes with leftover chicken chasseur and did all the washing up today. That evening, feeling knackered from no sleep last night, Captain Caveman and I watched a drama called ‘Until I Kill You’ which was pretty harrowing and just the ticket to cheer me up!

Photo Credit – some photos from the Riverbums

Dalyan – 27th November

Wednesday 27th November was weigh day so Captain Caveman and I got weighed at Fire Opal. We had our breakfast while the dogs watched and generally kept out of the way of the painters at Jamie’s for the day.
On our home scales I had lost 0.8kg (1.8lb) but Captain Caveman had done even better and had lost 1.1kg (2.4lb). My measurements were really good this week too and, although I had stayed the same on my bust, I had lost 3cm from my waist and 4cm from my hips. This meant I was 2cm under my target measurements for each. I still needed to lose 1.1kg (2.4lb) to hit my weight target. Captain Caveman decided to also set himself a target and chose 75kg, which meant he wanted to lose another 3.6kg (8lb).
At 11.30am I had Turkish class and I still hadn’t done my homework, so I quickly did that just beforehand. Turkish class this week was at Ela’s Kitchen which I do prefer and I ordered a Yorkshire tea for my drink. It was 80 lira (£1.82) and very nice. I walked back through the square where Wonky’s was and via the bakery which now had a tent front being added to their cafe area.

Back home, where Captain Caveman had been left in charge of Norman & Edna and making our lunch, I had a small but good salad. We then took the dogs on a walk along the river, bumping in to a couple of friends who were drinking wine at Okyanus in the lovely sunshine. They asked why they hadn’t seen us out at all and I explained about being on a health kick and neither of us having any work until recently. They said I was looking very well and could tell I had lost a lot of weight, and it was nice to have their support and encouragement.
At Fat Club, I was in charge while Carol was away. There were 6 attendees plus me and I really love our little group as it is so supportive. To my surprise I had lost the same as on my home scales, although weighed 0.2kg (0.4lb) heavier on Carol’s scales. There was a mixture of results; 3 ladies had put a little weight on but could understand why, 1 had stayed the same and 3 had lost. I’m glad I had lost as I wanted to try to lead by example as I know it’s really hard to support others if I’m not showing it can be done.
Back at Fire Opal, I noticed we hadn’t finished off the Yorkshire pudding mixture so I made myself a couple of pancakes with a drizzle of honey and then ate an orange which I had taken from a tree.
For dinner, Captain Caveman made a chicken and vegetable pasta which was topped with cheese and very tasty. We stayed at Fire Opal until 7pm to give the painted doors a chance to dry and then we walked back with our bags and the dogs. They were a bit disgruntled that it was past their dinner time and were eager for food.
I fed the dogs and put stuff in cupboards before getting ready for the Resort Experts weekly team meeting at 8pm. Luckily for Jamie, he was about to get his learning from actually being on a cruise!
After the team meeting, something had gotten Captain Caveman upset as he was being a bit off with me. I explained that I was getting quite annoyed that I was trying my best to hold things together but his Bridge addiction was getting me down and I wanted him to do something about it. He turned the situation around to say that the only reason he was playing Bridge so much was because I was working and he was ‘allowing me the time to do my stuff but was getting annoyed that I wasn’t getting on with my list of stuff’. He also said that he was annoyed that he always did the washing up. I was so annoyed because I didn’t agree and I would love nothing more than to get on with my to-do list! As he decided to take himself off to the bedroom, I sat and cried out of complete frustration. I stayed downstairs with the dogs and got on with some of my to-do list, but by 4am it was too cold to stay downstairs. I needed a human version of the dog jumper to keep me warm.

Dalyan – 25th November

Captain Caveman went Dogging on the morning of Monday 25th November but I had arranged to meet him at the Fenerbahçe villa at 1pm for something a bit different on a Monday afternoon. While I was having my second cup of tea of the day and my cornflakes for a late breakfast, I read ‘Lily’s Not so Secret Diary of Dalyan Doings’. It’s a Facebook blog written by a friend and ex Dalyan Dweller and I found it very interesting to read, especially as she had promised to share all about her recent departure from Dalyan to go back to the UK to live. It wasn’t nearly as ‘name and shame’ as I thought it might get but she did mention about being palled out by her so-called friends and that it had upset her. It left me thinking I was not the only one this had happened to recently but at least it hadn’t upset me as much as it had her. It was a good read of why, after 5 years of living in Dalyan, that her and her husband had decided to move back to England. Here’s the link if you want to have a read of her Facebook post;
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AmTNPUaaR/

I worked in the morning and then got a bit lost on my way to meet Captain Caveman. Our friend Debbie (walking group, not Fat Club Debbie or my parents’ neighbour Debbie) had kindly offered to drive the 3 of us to the Sultaniye mud baths after I had mentioned how much Captain Caveman and I liked going there and she had not yet been.
We drove to the Denizkizi ferry and paid to cross which was 100 lira (£2.30) and quite a bargain for 3 people and a car, I would say. It’s then a short drive to the Sultaniye mudbaths once you get past Pirates & Skulls and Mavi Yasemin café at the other side of the river. When we got parked it was good to see we had certainly chosen a quiet time to visit and I paid the 30 lira (69p) each entrance fee, which incidentally has no time limit on it. This allows you access to the mud pool, a sulphur hot bath and 2 separate hot pools which are usually inside a dome structure but they were being repaired and currently in use as an open air hot pool. The lake was also there to swim in, there was a hose pipe type of shower, changing rooms, toilets, a café and a bar. If you’ve not been before it is advisable to remove silver jewellery as the sulphur will tarnish it and I’d recommend taking old swimmers as they will get smelly. It was so lovely to get in the red hot sulphur pool which only had Turkish customers there today. We stayed in a while then went in to the open air hot pool, Captain Caveman had a lake swim along the way but that was too cold and choppy for me to indulge in without my glasses on! At the café Captain Caveman fancied a snack and a beer so I ordered in Turkish a mixed toastie, a beer and a tea. The woman told me to take a beer from the fridge, that the toastie would be brought to our table and that I had to wait for the tea to brew. I ended up asking for the tea again and she said she was still waiting for the machine but we saw others drinking and I never got mine. I wasn’t about to ask for a 20 lira (46p) refund as I paid on card but I never got my hot tea. Debbie, Captain Caveman and I loved the Sultaniye mud baths experience and it is easily the cheapest spa/pamper afternoon I’ve had. It’s a shame it is just a bit too far to walk and a taxi would cost more than the visit. Here’s a breakdown of what we spent there, in lira;

Sultaniye mud baths
3 x entrance fee 90.00 lira (£2.07)

Café
1 Turkish tea 20.00 (not received)
1 mixed toastie 100.00
1 Efes Malt 120.00
Total spent 240.00 lira (£5.52)

Car ferry 100.00 lira (£2.30)

Total spent 430.00 lira (£9.89)

We got the ferry back and decided it would be nice to have a walk along the river, rather than going to Debbie’s and walking back home from there. As the sun was going in, it had turned quite cold and we were all togged up in our winter coats. It was just before 5pm when we got home so, after hot showers and getting all our sulphur smelling clothes in the wash, it was time to make the Yorkshire puddings I had promised. We had a roast chicken with cabbage, carrots, onion, garlic and potatoes with the Yorkshire puddings and of course I just had to have 4!!! It wasn’t looking good for a weight loss this week.

Dalyan – 23rd November

Captain Caveman had invited a couple of friends round for breakfast at our place on Saturday 23rd November at 10am. I was hungover and Captain Caveman had promised I would make them Pho Ga, chicken noodle soup. Christine, who is a friend from Fat Club too doesn’t even like it that much but she had agreed to come out of politeness and I was absolutely not with it. Usually I would use cooked chicken but it had all gone in to last night’s curry so I had to roast some chicken in the oven while I messed about doing the soup.
Luckily, Captain Caveman had got up and cleaned the house after last night’s drinks with Jamie, but we were only just ready when our guests, Christine and Jez, arrived. They very kindly brought us limes, kefir limes, fresh mint and coriander and we drank green tea or Vietnamese coffee with the breakfast. It was not as good as my usual efforts and I think the chillies might have been a bit lively. Regardless of my hangover and me having to polish off pink grapefruit pop to feel a bit better, it was really nice catching up with Jez & Christine. They even gave us a lift to the market after as it did look like rain and I definitely needed to go there this week. Here’s what we bought and the prices in lira;

Stall 1
Bananas 85 lira

Stall 2
Potatoes & onions 60 lira

Stall 3
Apples, peppers, tomatoes & garlic 200 lira

Total spent at the market this week was only 345.00 lira (£7.97) and I felt like it seemed more expensive than usual for what we bought at stall 3. It was still relatively cheap but I would keep my eye on it over the coming weeks. The new market roof was being built but not ready for the stall holders just yet.
We were back home by 1pm and the skies on the walk back were looking very dark – rain was certainly coming. By 2.45pm it was raining quite heavily again so I got on with some work stuff while Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone. For dinner we had more of what we had last night and it tasted even better the day after, as curries often do.

Dalyan – 22nd November

On Friday 22nd November it looked like the rain and storms were over and we had a glimpse of some sunshine. As I had my cup of tea and some cornflakes, I read a little about an alternative destination in Lapland, called Oulu. Usually visitors at Christmas flock to Rovaniemi but it can be busy and pricey so Oulu was looking like a good option for anyone wanting to go to Finland at Christmas. I’d always fancied it although I thought it would be for kids but this city looked like it had lots to do. It was on my list for the future!
Unfortunately, Captain Caveman’s Bridge Club was cancelled so he wasn’t too happy but I managed to find something to keep him from despair! Someone we knew well, wanted us to go and look at a property that was for sale and I needed Captain Caveman to help me find it. I had my reservations as to whether it had been advertised correctly so we decided to go and look without the agent to get an idea of location and condition, just from the outside. It turned out to be very similar to one we had looked at before Captain Caveman had bought Fire Opal. We thought it would be too small for the potential buyers and that it might be overpriced.

It started to rain while we were out but not nearly as bad as it had been yesterday so we persevered and called at the shops. Here’s what we bought and the prices in lira;

Yaman Büfe 2
1 Idol white wine 215.00
1 Idol red wine 215.00
Total spent 430.00 lira (£9.93)

A101 Supermarket
2 packs mini wraps 30.00 lira (69p)

Migros Supermarket
1 pack spaghetti 11.75
2 packs pasta 23.50
1 pack broken rice 24.95
580g Chicken thighs 91.35
1.6kg whole chicken 108.98
1kg Chicken breasts 196.03
Parmesan cheese 199.90
Total spent 656.46 lira (£15.16)

As we passed the bus station, Captain Caveman took a photo of the new timetable for the bus to the beach. There was only the one winter service now, going at 12 noon and returning at 5pm. We bought the usual fresh bread from the bakery across from the bus station and fresh bread is still so cheap in Turkey. We paid just 10 lira (23p) and the bread is very good.
As Captain Caveman had free time on his hands, he made us a chicken salad sandwich with sweet potatoes done in the air fryer, for lunch.
We messaged back to the UK with photos and videos to the potential property buyers and I asked if they fancied a video call to discuss – they didn’t as they were busy and had also had snow where they were in England.

I carried on with work while Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone. Tonight our team meeting had been moved from Wednesday so I had invited Jamie round so that we could do it together. Our boss had given strict instructions that, as we were at a team meeting on a Friday night, we should bring a bottle of wine from the country we were in. Jamie and I had no problem with that and he had a bottle of Rituel and I had chosen Idol, both red. Norman and Edna came too and they had cuddles with Captain Caveman while we tried not to get too merry for the team meeting. I’d done a curry in the slow cooker and I’d also made some curried sweet potato samosas to have as a starter with a cucumber, mint, lemon juice and quark dip. Jamie was on a health kick too so I’d made everything Slimming World friendly. We had the samosas before the meeting as Captain Caveman couldn’t wait and I was getting peckish.
The meeting went well and we had an update from the bosses about a new website for villas which anyone with luxury holiday villas, in any part of the world, could add on to the site, as a host, to attract customers through Resort Experts.
After the meeting we snaffled down the chicken, sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry with steamed rice and başlamak bread, then finished off the wine. It turned in to quite a night – Jamie, Norman and Edna didn’t leave until gone midnight!

Dalyan – 21st November

Bumming on Thursday 21st November was cancelled due to the awful rain. Captain Caveman didn’t have a morning activity so it was a quiet day at home. Jamie came over to collect Norman and Edna and he had to put the dog bed in a bin liner to keep it dry just going to the car. Captain Caveman and I reassured Jamie that Norman and Edna had been more than happy at our place so they would be fine to stay with us while he went on his next holiday in a few day’s time. The rain kept coming as we warmed up last night’s leftovers for lunch. I made a meal plan and looked at our budget for the rest of the month and things were very tight. It didn’t stop me from looking up holidays that I would like to go on, though! I worked, I blogged, I made a list of all what we needed to pay for between now and the end of the year – depressing, but necessary. It was now over 3 months since I had a wage coming in and almost 2 months since Captain Caveman had got paid. Luckily, we don’t celebrate Christmas but if we did, it would certainly have been cancelled. I felt lucky to be in Turkey where we didn’t need to celebrate the festivities as I know most people in the UK do.
When the rain got even heavier, I went upstairs to check the bathroom and found we had some very small leaks in both bathrooms and a damp patch in the spare room. I mopped up and cleaned the floors then put dry towels down to catch any more leaks. I put the winter quilt on our bed and did some more cleaning in our bedroom.
Captain Caveman made pasta for dinner and we had a dog-walk free evening, even though we were both missing the dogs already.

Dalyan – 20th November

Captain Caveman took the dogs out early on Wednesday 20th November and then we both got weighed. Even though Captain Caveman wasn’t actually on a diet, he had agreed to support me on my healthier lifestyle by eating the same as me, if not just a little bit more than me in terms of portion size. I had stayed the same weight as last week on the home scales, my bust and waist measurements also remained the same but I had put on 2cm on my hips. Captain Caveman had lost 1.15kg (2.5lb) and was now under the 80kg mark.
As his schedule is free on Wednesdays, Captain Caveman had previously said he would look after Norman and Edna while I went out to Turkish class, which I ended up being late to. Today it was held at The Pier which is a lovely new restaurant. I had already been warned that a coffee could cost up to 200 lira (£4.59) there so I had decided I wouldn’t buy a drink. An hour’s Turkish lesson is less than that and buying unnecessary drinks soon adds up. The Pier was very lovely, though, and I thought it looked like a great venue to bring family and friends when they come to visit.

On the way back home, I spotted a dead snake on the pavement and took a photo to try to identify it later, but it was upside down. At Fire Opal it was evident that the painting was finished but the cleaning up after, wasn’t included in their work! Once again it was soup for lunch, a dog walk with both of us and then I was off to Fat Club.

Miraculously, I had lost 0.2kg (0.4lb) and meant I only had just over 2kg (4.4lb) left to lose to hit my target. The app we were using was still showing I had the body of a 58 year old though, down from 61 at least. Carol was off to the UK for 3 weeks so she had asked me to hold the fort for her. I was honoured and hoped it might be a bit of motivation to actually keep on track and not lapse while she was gone. Carol dropped me off at mine with the precious scales and all the books. For dinner we had a Slimming World friendly chicken and leek bake with pasta and it was so tasty, washed down with a bottle of white wine between us. We went to bed that night, having walked the dogs and told them Little Daddy, Jamie, was on his way home right now. Tomorrow he would be picking them both up and we would be responsibility free once again.

Dalyan – 19th November

Captain Caveman had reached the halfway point of his 90 day stay in Turkey on Tuesday 19th November. I took the dogs out for their morning stroll, gave them breakfast and made my own cup of tea. I then went to the shop and bought Captain Caveman some more coffee beans as he was desperate for coffee now that the Vietnamese one was gone. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Peanut Butter 79.95
Coffee beans 349.95
Total spent 429.90 lira (£9.82)

Wow, coffee was dearer than I expected.
I had my breakfast of cornflakes and got on with my to-do list while Captain Caveman went to Bridge Club. After a lunch of soup and both of us doing a dog walk, I carried on with my work and Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone. I got a weather warning on Facebook that said the area was about to start to get some more rain in the next few days and I thought this typical, especially with dogs to keep warm and dry. We both walked the dogs in the evening as Captain Caveman needed to put the bins out but rain was imminent.

For dinner we had a lovely treat when Captain Caveman made a roast chicken dinner with vegetables, and rosé wine but no Yorkshire puddings. The dogs weren’t given any on account of Norman having a sensitive tum and Edna being on a diet but it didn’t stop them trying to get a morsel. I did more social media post scheduling for my Resort Experts Facebook page in the evening.
I did the dog walk late at night on my own as Captain Caveman had done the washing up (again). When I totted up my syns for this week I was on 313 and was definitely not going to be getting a loss at Fat Club tomorrow – why do I always forget to be better on a Tuesday!?

Dalyan – 17th November

Captain Caveman had changed the walk on Sunday 17th November to an easy one as the one he had planned would have been slippery and wet after last night’s storm. He was up early and took the dogs out for their walk first and then brought me a cup of tea in bed. My weather app predicted more rain today but Captain Caveman has more weather apps that said it was going to be fine. Once I had fed the dogs and Captain Caveman had his breakfast and left for the walk, I put all the ingredients for a bolognese in the slow cooker. I also made myself a pho for breakfast and really enjoyed it before getting on with work, as well as doing some writing I needed to do. I added more items to the shopping list and, when Captain Caveman got back from his walk we had cheese sandwiches for lunch. The Sunday Walk had turned out to be a good one and they hadn’t had the rain predicted. I could’ve gone but I had the dogs to look after and it was too far for their little legs to manage.

I had a bit of a mission that I needed to carry out in the afternoon as I had agreed to update Matt, Vanessa’s husband’s, Play Station at their apartment. I decided it would be a good idea before I got on the phone with Matt to go round (I had a key) to their apartment and check I could switch on the electric and that the internet would work. Captain Caveman and I took a dog each and did a walk along the way, when we arrived at Vanessa and Matt’s I realised there are cats living there so Norman and Edna had to wait outside the gate with Captain Caveman. I got in the apartment and found the meter to switch on but while I was there I heard the neighbour, shouting me. I came downstairs and she said that her and Captain Caveman had heard me shouting – I had not uttered a word. I went back up and as I reached their apartment door, it was closed and the key was inside.
Oh shit, I was in a dilemma and had already sent Captain Caveman and the pooches off back home. I messaged Vanessa to tell her what had happened. Luckily, there was a spare key and all was ok. Not even an hour later, I had logged in to the device, followed Matt’s instructions over the phone and sorted it out. I’d even learned a new skill of being able to use a Play Station controller, which was a first for me – a man definitely invented that gadget!
On the way back home, I called at the shop for a few essentials and here’s the details;

Migros Supermarket
1 pack of filo pastry 54.95
1kg Sweet potatoes 73.10
A 1.6kg chicken 124.40
400g of beef mince 191.96
Total spent 444.41 (£10.17)

Of course, the beef mince was expensive but I didn’t realise that I had got it at a better discount than it should’ve been as I chose the 7% fat as opposed to the 20% fat, but still got it for the same price as the fattier meat. That evening we had Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner with some red wine and we took the dogs out together. Norman and Edna were reluctant to go out but I think it was because they knew it was rainy/stormy.
I had a video call with Vanessa and she updated me on everything she had done since leaving Dalyan, 12 days ago. Her trip to Istanbul had been good and she was glad to be back in the UK. While we were on the call, my Resort Experts Facebook page had hit 10,000 views and it had not been active a month yet, so I was pleased things were taking off a little bit.
Downstairs, I got relegated to the sofa where I get a stiff neck if watching TV, while Captain Caveman and the dogs comfortably took the other sofa. By 10pm, all 3 of them were fast asleep and snoring away.

Photo credit – some photos taken by people on the Sunday Walk, including Captain Caveman

Dalyan – 14th November

There was some excitement on Thursday 14th November as my parents and I had arranged for the 4 of us to meet up and go out for a bit of a treat. I had Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) for breakfast and a cup of green tea. Captain Caveman was Bumming and would be rushing to get back in time for the taxi. I went to the bank and noticed that our neighbour in A Block and her painter team were hard at the painting, even Aslı herself was getting handy with a paintbrush. I decided to wear a red dress and my fancy jelly shoes, the ones Khanh Linh, in Phong Nha, had bought me as a gift and they looked a bit more respectable than my porter sandals. It was great that it was the middle of November but still warm enough in the day to have bare legs.

My parents had arranged for Fikri to pick them up and we were meant to be at theirs in time but as we dashed over there, we met the taxi. We drove over to Yalıcapkanı restaurant, which translates to Kingfisher, and has had a recent refurb. I’ve not been there for a while and they only had certain things left on the lunch menu as they were changing the menu as of that evening. We were lucky to be the only customers in the restaurant because we had gone for a late lunch.

For starters we each chose something and shared it all; mezes including a chickpea and red pepper dip, artichoke, atom with chillies and liver with red onion. We were given warm bread, oil and cheese to go with it and it all tasted amazing. Captain Caveman drank beer while the rest of us ordered a glass each of wine, which was very nice and cost 220 lira (£5) per glass. For mains we had a limited choice because each of our first choices weren’t available. Dad had wanted lasagne but plumped for the chicken with mash, my mom chose seafood linguine, while Captain Caveman and I both had the meatballs. The waiter and other staff were very nice, even told my Dad he had ordered the best dishes, and took a photo of us all.

It was so sunny in the light and airy, newly decorated restaurant and we also had a walk around the grounds after our food. We perused the dessert menu and all ended up choosing either Goat’s milk ice cream (Captain Caveman and Mom) or a cheese cake. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch, including the pomegranate cheesecake, and was glad that our last meal out with my parents had been so good. The waiter had been right about my dad’s choice as the chicken was excellent. The cost for 4 of us with a drink, starters, mains and desserts came to 5,000 lira (£114.42) so just under £30 per person, not bad for a 3 course lunch out at a beautiful place.

We waited for the taxi while watching some turtles have an orgy, which is always nice! Back at home the painting of the outside of the complex was making the place look much better.
Captain Caveman had been away from his Bridge for too long so he spent the rest of the day doing that. We didn’t bother with any dinner that evening, as we were full. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day as we had visitors coming.

Photo credit – some photos taken by Mom and

Dalyan – 13th November

There was no Turkish class on Wednesday 13th November as our teacher was on a holiday, which gave me a couple of hours free to do my blogging. It was a lovely sunny day in Dalyan as I got on the home scales and took my measurements. Surprisingly, I had lost 1.05kg (2.3lb) on the home scales but, as we know, I had to wait until this afternoon to get on Carol’s scales at Fat Club. My measurements were very favourable with 2cm off my chest, 1cm off my waist and 3cm off my hips. Captain Caveman had only lost 0.05kg this week and I think he expected more, as did I. It was definitely making a difference us not drinking alcohol so much and it was helping to lose the weight.
As I left the house that day, Aslı (from A Block) and her painter friends were doing some cutting down of the bushes that the gardener had not done last month, so that the painting could be done. There was a young boy doing some painting with his mother and an older grandmother sat supervising – it looked like Aslı had a whole family doing the painting. They had cut down quite a lot of the bushes and put them at the bottom of the steps and gate to our apartment. Luckily, I could pick up the branches and move them to get out of the house because I was meeting with a clothes buyer. This lady bought another item and we had a good chat before I nipped for a bit of shopping. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Green peppers 16.87
Wine gums 17.00
Cake mix 21.85
10 eggs 65.00
550g chicken breasts 115.50
Total spent 236.22 lira (£5.42)

Back at home, I had a chicken wrap with lettuce and cabbage in it and then popped back out to meet another clothes buyer. The lady was coming to buy a dress but it didn’t fit, she did try on a couple of others and ended up buying 2 dresses, instead of the one she came for.

In the afternoon I went confidently to Fat Club thinking I would have lost 1kg, as I had this morning at home. Unfortunately, I had lost only 0.15kg (0.3lb) which was quite poor but still a loss. I still had 2kg to lose to reach my target and it was proving difficult. I didn’t help myself, though, as I went to the shop on the way home and bought some treats, here’s the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 Dido chocolate (Gold) bars 31.00
1l Schweppes tonic 45.00
1l Schweppes pink grapefruit 45.00
2 Quark 59.90
Mushrooms 74.95
Total spent 255.85 lira (£5.87)

For dinner, Captain Caveman made chicken fajitas which were really nice and we used Quark instead of sour cream. At 8pm it was the Resort Experts team meeting and we had some training on Costa Blanca and learned about a luxury villa website that Resort Experts were launching soon. We were going to be able to ask villa owners we knew around the world to list their properties so that we could offer these to any customers looking to book a luxury villa for their 2025 holidays. I already had a couple in mind from Vietnam and Thailand which I hoped would be suitable to be added. Jamie and I also decided that we were off to Costa Blanca at some point next year.

Dalyan – 11th November

There was a planned power cut on Monday 11th November but we couldn’t work out whether our street was 9am to 1pm or 2pm to 5pm. I decided to have a veggie egg fried rice for my breakfast before the electric went off, so that I wouldn’t be too hungry at lunch. Captain Caveman had already had his, played some bridge and then left around 10am for Dogging. I did some writing as it’s something I don’t need to be connected to the internet or have power for. The electric didn’t go off until lunch time and it was fortuitous that I had prepared a salad for lunch. When he returned from Dogging, Captain Caveman had a shower and then we went to the shops – here is what we bought, prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Wraps (lavaş) 43.50
Kitchen roll 65.00
630g chicken breasts 132.30
Olive oil 245.00
Total spent 485.00 lira (£10.97)

Green Grocers
Red peppers 90 lira (£2.04)

In Turkey, olive oil is known for being pricey but kitchen roll is so cheap! Our salad was rather good and Captain Caveman added boiled eggs to his.
The electricity came back on after only a short time and I managed to have a hot drink while doing some more work on the laptop. We both went back to the shop later, as I needed a break from my screen, here’s the details of what we got and the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
2 bags pasta 23.50
Green peppers 67.95
Feta style cheese 74.75
Ricotta style cheese 79.90
Sucuk 95.90
4 tins of tomatoes 119.80
1kg Melty cheese 244.90
Total spent 706.70 lira (£15.99)

Unfortunately, cheese can be expensive in Dalyan, with just the melty stuff costing a third of the total bill. We were also being even more frugal than usual as an unplanned for amount of money had to be paid without much notice. Captain Caveman had agreed to give 5,000 lira (£113) to Aslı, our neighbour in A Block. She had quoted all the owners a total of over £1,000 for the whole block to get the external garden walls painted. I’d have done it myself if I’d known how much it would be! When we came back in from the shops the painter looked like he had made a start. Captain Caveman didn’t seem too put out at the cost but I wish we’d got other quotes to compare. For dinner, Captain Caveman made us a pasta dish which is always really tasty.

Dalyan – 9th November

On Saturday 9th November, things got a little bit unpredictable; Captain Caveman did not get up before me, nor did he make me a cup of tea in bed. We had said last night that we would get up early to go to the market but it looked like Captain Caveman had changed his mind.
I made my own tea and had some buttered toast and a banana for breakfast, while I waited for Captain Caveman to get up, as he said he would do shortly. I chopped all the veg to make a large amount of leek and potato soup and put it all in the slow cooker with some vegetable stock. It would be ready around 1pm, in time for lunch and with some leftover to batch up for the freezer. I got impatient waiting for Captain Caveman to come downstairs and went to check on him. He still hadn’t got out of bed and was on his phone, scrolling at a load of what I would describe as ‘crap’. I needed to go to the bank and I was also meeting a lady as I had some clothes for sale, which she was interested in buying an item from me. I was now down to a size 12 so I had lots of clothes that were far too big for me and were taking up space in the wardrobes and cupboards. Captain Caveman said he would be up and ready for the market after I had been to my parents, the bank and met with the potential clothes buyer.
The lady bought the item and we had a lovely chat. My parents were well and were also off to the market and I could have gone with them but I hadn’t brought the shopping bags or list and I was waiting for Captain Caveman so that he could help carry all the items I had on the list. I didn’t want to be too long as I still needed to do some work and some writing and the weekends are the busiest times for enquiries so I wanted to make sure I was available. I also needed to be back to turn off the slow cooker with the soup in.
Having been in and out of the house twice already, it was 11.30am as I walked back in glorious sunshine to get Captain Caveman, who had assured me he would be ready to go to the market. He wasn’t, he was still laying on the bed scrolling through his phone. I got told he didn’t fancy going to the market today as he was going to have a lazy day. I was fuming, as I could have already been and done the market shopping ages ago. I would also have loved a lazy day myself but I didn’t have that choice of such a luxury. It really felt like I was trying to fight a losing battle and that Captain Caveman, who was ordinarily more of an action person, was becoming even more of an argumentative, lazy, phone addicted teenager. I wouldn’t have minded as much if he had said hours ago that he had no intention of doing what he had suggested yesterday. I was at a loss as to how to handle the situation as Captain Caveman is not someone who will do anything he doesn’t want to. I decided that all I could do is do things as if he wasn’t going to join in or be of help and then quickly adapt when he decided he would be. I asked the internet for answers but that was a lot more worrying than real life.
Finally, at gone 12.30pm, I hurried to the market and here is what I bought at each stall, prices in lira;

Stall 1
A massive white cabbage & leeks 100

Stall 2
Plums 30

Stall 3
Bazlama bread, spring onions, lettuce 140

Stall 4
Potatoes 40

Stall 5
Pumpkin & garlic 90

Total spent 400 lira (£9)

With hindsight, I should not have bothered going and maybe managed without going to the market this week. Even my favourite stall holder tried to rip me off but she had picked the wrong time and I was having none of it, right now. She’s an old lady and it could’ve been an honest mistake but I asked (in Turkish) how much the pumpkin and garlic came to, she replied 90 lira and I gave her the only note I could, a 200 lira. She then gave me 10 lira back and was about to go on with her day. I asked her where my 100 lira was and she told me I gave her 100 lira, the 200 note was still in her hand with the open bumbag and her friend was listening to me to see what I was going to do next. I again, speaking in Turkish, told her I gave her 200, that she had a 200 right there and that I had 10 lira but wanted another 100. She was about to weigh the pumpkin and garlic again but I stood firm and then got my 100 lira – we all had a laugh and I made out like she made a mistake but I was unsure if she hadn’t done it on purpose. My bag was so heavy that I had to not bother getting any more fruit or peppers as I really struggled to carry the bag.
When I put it all away at home, we had some of my homemade leek and potato soup with some of the nice bread from the market for lunch. It was gone 2.30pm when I managed to start any work and I had to be finished by 4.30pm to go to meet a friend, who was over from England but leaving to go home tomorrow. I mentioned to Captain Caveman that his laziness and lack of communication this morning had meant I was behind by a lot and he suggested we cancel going for a tea at the tea gardens with my friend. Obviously, this was because he had been playing Bridge and didn’t want to stop. I said he had to come and I had invited my parents as well. At the tea gardens we both drank fresh sage and lemon tea, which is amazing and one of my favourite teas there. My parents had a beer and we watched the sunset after my friend had arrived from her boat trip.
By 6.30pm, Captain Caveman was feeling the cold, my friend was still in her shorts so we decided to walk back home. At home, Captain Caveman tried to redeem himself by making a pasta with peppers, olives and sucuk for our dinner. I decided I had too much to catch up on tomorrow that I wouldn’t go on the Sunday Walk, despite probably needing the exercise and it being the last one my parents would be going on this year.