Dalyan – 30th December

Charlie was loving having a bit of a lay in on Friday 30th December and even slept after I had got up, got ready, had my cup of tea and done some housework. He didn’t want to venture outside, even though it was nice weather. I took him for a walk, then back home before I went to meet Josh at the bus station in town. We had decided to go to the turtle hospital and the beach, but without Charlie this time. The bus left Dalyan at noon and the return fare was 36 lira (£1.58) per person. We were given a card for the return ticket and reminded that it was necessary to book a return ticket these days so that the driver knew he was required to come to collect us at 4.30pm, as per the winter bus schedule.
Josh and I went to the turtle hospital first and saw lots of good work and knowledgeable staff trying their best to ensure rescue, safety and recovery of the turtles. We tried to get some photos but the area where the tanks are is kept in low light and for obvious reasons, flashes are not allowed. Iztuzu Beach was very quiet today as Josh and I wandered from the bus end towards the boat end and back. We even had a paddle and the sea was not that cold, although I wouldn’t have swam right out.

We had lunch at the beach café and then decided to go off exploring up the side of the cliffs. It was beautiful scenery and we could see a German Shepherd dog was playing with his family. When he saw us he came running up the mountain side and I think he was just checking we were ok as he went back down when called.
We got the bus back just as it was starting to get a bit cooler and I still got off at the bus station and walked back to Charlie’s. Josh went back to our home and I was starting to miss being in our apartment. It was a month since I’d moved in to look after Charlie and he was so pleased to see me when I got ‘home’. We played catch Slothy, his toy, for a bit before walkies and then cuddles on the sofa.
That night was Josh’s last night in Dalyan so I’d planned to make the most of it!

I arrived at China Town, a few minutes late where Josh, Mark & Kate already had a beer. I joined them and we perused the extensive Chinese menu for ages, uncertain on whether to have a set meal or order dishes separately. I went for a set meal and had chicken and sweetcorn soup for starters followed by sweet and sour chicken with fried rice. It was very good and I completely forgot to take photos beyond those of the starters. After a couple of Efes beers and our Chinese we went to join friends for Lukka music bingo night.

Most of the time it was evident that Josh was too young to have heard of a lot of the songs but it didn’t matter and we had a good old laugh. We didn’t win but we didn’t care and I think Appo, the waiter, had to ask us to leave at gone 1am! Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve and Josh would be heading back to the UK to celebrate it, so I had no particular plans.

Dalyan – 29th December

I’d set my alarm for 8am on Thursday 29th December but woke up before it. Charlie and I were at Jamie’s with Norman and Edna while Jamie was on a quick trip away. I let his dogs out for a wee but Charlie was still asleep on ‘my’ bed. I made a cup of tea and took it back to bed only to find Charlie had taken my spot and got right in the bed!
Captain Caveman was in Saigon already where the weather was nice but it was pretty cold and fresh in Dalyan. Captain Caveman had news that a Ganesh Indian restaurant was opening in Phong Nha so he was excited.
Josh came over after I’d took the dogs for a walk then we sat outside in the very hot sun at the patio table and chairs. We were waiting for the plumber to come and I had been informed by the maintenance company that it would be mid to late morning. Nanny Kay popped over to drop off some ‘spare’ wine and a slow cooker from Christmas Day. Her hands were full when she opened the gate so Norman and Edna got out in to the complex. Luckily Edna returned as soon as I shouted her however Norman, who’s a tad deaf, had legged it to check out what was going off in the far corner, but Josh was able to find him. The plumber came and blamed holiday makers in another villa putting toilet paper down the toilet, then had to get a machine to suck out the blockage. Even though the problem was from another villa, they used Jamie’s downstairs toilet to do the procedure and the smell made me heave. Luckily, they were finished fairly quickly and I’d cleaned the floor and had a cheese sandwich before the next dog walk.
In the afternoon Josh went back to our place and I stayed at Jamie’s with the pooches. Cath (wife of Keith) messaged to say she had tested positive for Covid after feeling like she had a cold yesterday. This meant she needed me to tell all of the attendees of Monday’s boat trip to Köyceğiz, which I did. Everyone was kind and wished her well and some went to get test kits from the chemist as they had ran out.
After another short dog walk, first with Charlie and then with Norman and Edna, I went over to meet my new drinking buddy. Josh and I decided we would go for a drink in Lukka bar where a glass of white wine was 85 lira (£3.75) so I had a couple, Josh had beer and we watched the sun set over the river. Next we decided to go to Jiks bar where they would have a fire on, as we were feeling the cold at Lukka. We ended up have 2 pizzas each, I took one home, and they were really tasty for around only 80 or 90 lira each (less than £4). The price of drinks had gone up now to 80 lira (£3.53) and was more expensive than in Lukka for an Efes beer. We both went home early that night but with plans for an early start tomorrow and a night out for Josh’s last night in Dalyan.

Dalyan – 28th December

On Wednesday 28th December Captain Caveman had arrived in Istanbul after midnight and was leaving for Saigon at 2am. Jamie had left early for an overnight trip away and I was ready to go over to his villa for dog sitting. The maintenance company were going to contact me to organise coming to look at his plumbing either today or tomorrow too. I walked Charlie, who must’ve known he was going to see Edna and Norman as he took his time on his walk.
My weekly measurements were favourable so I was hopeful for good results at Fat Club later. I’d put 1cm on my bust, lost 3cm off my waist and hips while my legs were the same as the week before. At Jamie’s the dogs were pleased to see me and they enjoyed a walk separately to Charlie, mainly because I thought I’d struggle to take 3 together. Jamie had some Christmas cake left for me and I had a small piece just to taste it, before Fat Club. It was rather hot and a bit of a sun trap on Jamie’s back garden so I was too hot in my long sleeved top. On my walk round to Nil Lounge I spotted a stray sheep, eating foliage in the garden of an unoccupied complex. Josh went to join the pool afternoon at Rehab bar but us ladies probably wouldn’t join them as it was Ghislaine’s birthday celebration straight after Fat Club.

There were Carol, Kate, me and Nil with Ghislaine at Fat Club to help celebrate her special day. She had brought bottles of Prosecco with her as a treat for us all and, before I’d even got weighed, Ghislaine and Carol were on it.
When I stepped on the scales I had lost another 0.5kg which meant I had lost a total of the equivalent of half a stone in old measurements. I was pleased with that and surprised to be slimmer of the week, as I got handed a chilled glass of fizz. We sat down to order food and I decided to go for a cheese burger, as did Ghislaine. Kate ordered a chicken shish and Carol opted for a vegetarian spaghetti dish. The food was very good at Nil Lounge and my lunch cost just 120 lira (£5.29).

The afternoon started off very civilised but you know you’re in a bit of a pickle when Mark and Josh turn up, to help us all get home ok. During our luncheon a nice Russian hotel guest had bought Ghislaine a bottle of fizz and had it sent over to our table. This was very kind and we got chatting to Atyom who bought us more champers and was very lovely. He ended up buying several bottles but when we asked him to join us for a drink he said he didn’t drink alcohol but he would have a coffee with us before he had to go to Dalaman to meet friends. By 7pm we had asked for the bill and were sorting out who owed what. Kate ordered Fikri’s taxi for Carol, who could not pronounce where she lived, and called her husband to ask for the address. Ghislaine decided to get in the same taxi, despite living at the opposite side of town to Carol, and she forgot to take LuLu the dog home. Mark and Kate went home in their invalidity scooter, Josh and I walked back to Jamie’s and Lulu was invited to stay by the fire at Nil Lounge.

I’d promised Josh a curry from Spice Garden which arrived so promptly that I had forgotten it was coming. We got the set meals which were so good that they weren’t on the plates long enough for me to remember to take a photo. I remember us eating every single morsel and then, when I went to check on Josh after sorting the dogs out, he was done! Sleeping on the sofa by 10.10pm, I popped a blanket on him and went to bed, knowing that tomorrow I would feel a little fragile!

Dalyan – 21st & 22nd December

On Wednesday 21st December we had Jamie booked in for introducing his dogs to Charlie. Captain Caveman was leaving in less than a week and I already had Norman and Edna (Jamie’s dogs) booked in at the end of December and again in January. Jamie had kindly agreed to let me bring Charlie with me when I moved in to his villa but we did need to make sure the dogs got on. They had met before but Edna had been a bit of a Diva so Charlie had been scared of her. Captain Caveman decided to warm up left over sausage casserole and potatoes for our brunch, it certainly wasn’t Slimming World friendly but tasted lovely. An update popped up on a Facebook group to say that the local buses were going to be on from 12 on Christmas Eve to take people to and from the beach at the usual cost of just 36 lira (£1.60) return and I sent it to my mom just incase but she’d booked the private bus with Vanessa already so she didn’t need it. I popped a curry in the slow cooker, we both walked Charlie and then I went to find out my fate at Fat Club. To my surprise I had lost 0.4kg (less than a pound) which meant I had lost just over 3kg, in total. The group had a good chat, mainly about trying not to use the Christmas excuse to eat and drink more in the run up to Christmas Day. Our group leader, Carol, confirmed we would still be having a meeting next week, in between Christmas and New Year, so that we could attempt to keep things under control! After Fat Club, I went to meet Captain Caveman at Rehab bar where he was playing pool. Charlie was making more new friends and trying to eat cat food from a hole in the bottom of a bag. I’d invited my parents but they didn’t fancy it; they had been for a walk, called at the tea gardens and were heading to Tez bar. I saw Kath, Kate and Vanessa at Rehab and more talk about Christmas arrangements/buses and such like had ensued and I could feel the tenseness of it all. I was glad not to be doing anything Christmassy as it seemed to be stressing some of the women out. Captain Caveman had decided he was going to watch football on Christmas Day and I fancied doing a dog walk. When we got home the chicken curry was coming along nicely and Jamie, Norman and Edna were due over soon. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman and I had a row because he was annoyed at me for getting involved in Christmas arrangement discussions. I was upset and was very close to cancelling Jamie coming round but decided it was too late and I didn’t care if I was emotional in front of Jamie anyway. I took Charlie out for a walk, it was dark and he alerted me to something by the side of the road – a dead cat. I took a photo so that I coud send it to the Cat charity woman, Tina, it looked like a well fed pet rather than a street cat – I thought she could post it on her page to let people know.
Fortunately, I managed to hold it all together and get on with our night without a meltdown. Jamie never suspected a thing because Captain Caveman acted as if nothing was wrong. We were all so pleased that the dogs did get on, albeit a little apprehensively on Charlie’s part at first. The curry went down a treat as did the red wine and we had a good night in the end.

It was our 11 year anniversary on Thursday 22nd December but it didn’t go well. We had mentioned it a couple of days ago but that morning, Captain Caveman didn’t acknowledge it and neither did I. He was constantly playing Bridge on an app on his phone and every time I spoke I had to repeat myself so I was at the point where I couldn’t be bothered to converse. He went Bumming in the morning and I got the laptop out. There was meant to be a plumber coming today or tomorrow too so I stayed in to make sure Charlie wasn’t near any workmen or left alone as he would be scared. In the afternoon my Mom messaged to ask if we were planning on doing anything for our anniversary and I replied that Captain Caveman was probably playing Bridge on his phone. She suggested we go out to celebrate, I wasn’t really feeling it and I needed not to be hungover tomorrow for a busy day. When Captain Caveman returned I asked if he wanted to go to meet my parents and he then twigged it was our anniversary so we decided to go. My parents had already been out for a bit when the 3 of us got to Tez bar, which was busy and full of smokers. I instantly had a coughing fit and just could not stop, despite having not coughed for 2 days. I walked off towards the river to get some air and my mom joined me shortly afterwards. I eventually went back and sat down but I was not enjoying not being able to breathe very well. I joined my parents, Captain Caveman and Gay Gaz outside and at least I could tell Gaz to move his fag without upsetting him.
While I wasn’t looking, Dad organised for a bottle of fizz to celebrate our anniversary and we were probably in the wrong place to get champagne. I think he paid a lot for it and I got annoyed that Captain Caveman didn’t even say thank you. We ended up giving Gay Gaz a glass seeing as he was sat with us and he didn’t waste any. My parents asked us to go for a meal but we weren’t up for it and we had some curry left over at home. We said our goodbyes to my tiddly parents and then arguments got worse between me and Captain Caveman. He was generally being condescending and unkind, I was not happy about it so I went in to the bedroom. Charlie kept me company as he could tell I was upset but nothing prepared me for what happened next; Captain Caveman had eaten all of the curry for his dinner and not saved me any.

Dalyan – 14th December

Knowing that I had something arranged in the afternoon of Wednesday 14th December, I cracked on with getting stuff done in the morning. Captain Caveman went Dogging so I took Charlie out for a walk to Poo corner. At 2.30pm Kate came over to pick up her house key and pop some stuff in the freezer for Christmas day. Captain Caveman and I were looking forward to having our mate, Josh, over from Christmas Eve and we were happy to not be doing a traditional Christmas Day, we were in Turkey afterall.
At 3pm I got weighed at Fat Club where I had lost 1kg (2lb). This was good news as we were about to start our Christmas party at Nil Lounge where we had already pre-ordered food and prosecco. The place looked gorgeous, everyone was dressed up, except for me as I’d not taken many clothes over to Charlie’s. Kate and I had 3 bottles of fizz between us. Others from Fat Club were much more sensible and only had 1 bottle between 2. We also both ordered the mixed mezes as we didn’t want to eat a big main course but it was huge and I ended up taking quite a lot home. We had issues opening all of the bottles of wine, which Carol had got for us from outside of Dalyan, so Katherine got the knife out on them – for the price we didn’t care! The food was very good and we had a lovely afternoon which turned in to a late one for Ghislaine, Kate and I as we had a couple of beers in Mustang bar. We had tried to join the pool lads at Rehab but it had closed and they had all gone home. When I got home I was very tipsy having had a really good time with the Fat Club girls.

Dalyan – 11th & 12th December

At 5.25am on Sunday 11th December it was only 17°C and I was wide awake and a bit nippy. I decided, as today was likely to be a bit of a right-off, weather-wise, I would start my tasks early. The cats were fed at 7am and the rain was on its way so we were going nowhere. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and one of Michele’s gorgeously sweet pink grapefruits for breakfast. By 9.30am it was throwing it down. I spent most of the day on my laptop until Casha finally came in for a cuddle. Later on it became quite stormy and the internet went off but the electric was still on. I even got a text from Captain Net to say that there had been an outage and they were trying to fix it. Captain Caveman gave me a call to check on me, as the power was out at Charlie’s with the storm getting worse around bed time. The storm was loud and pretty relentless and I hoped all was ok at our own home.

On Monday 12th December all the cats were fed and accounted for by 7.50am but it looked like JC had some swelling on her face. She wouldn’t let me look or touch it and I thought it might have been a bee or wasp sting. I let Kate know in case a vet visit might be needed and we decided to see how she was throughout the day. Casha was fed up of being bothered by Bebek and decided she would sleep in the box of crisps. It was raining so all the cats stayed indoors all morning, except for Kylie. When the sun came out later that morning I decided all the cats but Casha, who was now sleeping on Kate’s handbag, could go out as I had an important appointment at noon. I had to walk to Charlie’s as I had no money on me, Captain Caveman had gone on a long walk with Cath and Keith but not taken Charlie on this one as it might be too difficult for him. He had remembered to leave me some cash which I needed as I’d arranged to meet author, Rosie O’Hara, at the Kaunos tea gardens to purchase her new book and have a quick catch up before she went to cookery class.

Captain Caveman sent me photos of his walk around Dalyan with his new walking buddies.

My wellies were falling apart but were necessary to get through all the puddles and mud from Mark and Kate’s place. I ordered a tea and Rosie gave me a yarn bag for Kate, a marvellous invention of which I’d never seen or heard of before. Rosie has written more than one book and, as I was buying her latest work, she very kindly gave me her previous book and even wrote a dedication and signed both books for me. I was also gifted some cards to experiment with and I was looking forward to seeing what effect they may have. Now I just needed to make some time to read them, I still hadn’t finished Mike Tyson’s autobiography which is really good. Rosie also recommended I get some Centaurium drops to help with my allergies/stomach reactions which now seemed to have transferred from stomach issues in to face and neck eczema. We had a short catch up before I walked back to Charlie’s in my broken wellies. If I had not lost weight at Fat Club this week I would be disappointed as I was walking for about an hour per day, minimum.

As Captain Caveman was out, I took Charlie for a walk then I took more Bolognese and some clean clothes from that house back to Mark and Kate’s around sunset. Kate had messaged to say that flights from the UK today had been cancelled due to snow and that their flight tomorrow might also get cancelled – I might need to stay longer. JC definitely had a poorly cheek and, although she still wouldn’t let me touch it, she did let me give her a cuddle.
I got most of my stuff together and did a few tasks in the evening so that I wouldn’t have to do as much tomorrow. Captain Caveman and my parents were both leaving in 2 weeks and I’d not really been out with them much. I was very tired, it’s surprising how the relaxing week at Mark and Kate’s had not really ended up as that and I was starting to miss being in my own home with all my own things.

Dalyan – 8th & 9th December

I had another gift from Bebek at 7.30am on Thursday 8th December, this time it was alive. I asked Kylie to take care of it again and this time she took it in to the garden, killed it and ate it. She then came back in and ate her breakfast while I felt too queasy to eat mine. Captain Caveman joined the Riverbums on his weekly bumming and found some shocking areas of litter, no which is disappointing. As he was out until 2pm it was up to me to put my laptop away and walk to Charlie’s place to keep him company and take him out. When I got there, Charlie was pleased to see me but was very tired from his massive walk yesterday and just wanted belly rubs.

Video of Kylie taking a live rodent away

When Captain Caveman got back we had the BBQ chicken from Tuesday but it was a tad dry. I made extra rice to take to Kate’s with me as we now had my rice cooker in the kitchen at this house. Captain Caveman and I had a walk with Charlie but it looked like rain, when we checked the forecast, 9 wet days were predicted.
Back at Mark and Kate’s I did a meal plan to try to help with the not being able to get proper diet friendly meals because of being so ill prepared. After feeding the cats they decided to play on the stairs and Casha appointed herself as the gatekeeper of who could pass.

There were some planned power outages on Friday 9th December but I wasn’t too sure which areas either of the houses I was at, fell in to. I forgot to set an alarm so all the cats were waiting for breakfast at 7.40am when I finally woke up. I had Yorkshire tea and toast for breakfast then I decided to take my laptop and walk over to Charlie’s as Captain Caveman was out. My 8GB of data I’d bought on 21st November had already run out and the WiFi at Mark and Kate’s only works for me when sat in the living room on the sofa. I prefer to type at a desk where I can have all my materials beside me and no cats helping me. When I arrived at Charlie’s, he was pleased to see me but the power was off. I decided to cut up an apple in to wedges and send a top tip to the Fat Club group on substitute snacks when there’s no electricity. Instead of potato wedges I had apple wedges, without the BBQ sauce I may have had, and that was my lunch. At 12.30 I walked Charlie over to Lukka, where Captain Caveman had been playing bridge. I dropped the pooch off while I nipped home to get my hair conditioner, moisturiser and get weighed. I found my scales said that I’m heavier than the ones at Fat Club and my weekly measurements showed the following;
Bust stayed the same,
Waist -3cm,
Hips -5cm,
Right thigh +1cm,
Right calf stayed the same,
Left thigh -0.5cm,
Left calf -2cm.
At 2pm I went to my last Turkish class of the year where we talked about what our plans for Christmas were, as part of the lesson. It was actually quite reassuring that a lot of the people in the class don’t celebrate it and would just be having a usual day, but I’m sure the teacher must have thought we were a set of miserable buggers.

When I finished class I walked over to Bistro Blue which had now opened on certain days during the winter months. It’s one of our favourites in Dalyan so it was good news and my parents were very happy about it too. Captain Caveman, Charlie and my parents were already there and I was surprised to see my Dad drinking strawberry cider. As they had just opened, we got a bit of a deal on the beers and wine which were only 50 lira each (£2.17) – the cider was 70 lira (£3). The owners Selahı and Annie had the place looking good and it had an awning up and heaters inside. We didn’t go inside because we had Charlie who was loving being able to nosey around. It was quite pleasant being sat outside and it meant that Charlie could say hello to some street dogs. As we were leaving, Annie and Selahı treated us all to a free shot of either amaretto or a minty concoction to celebrate their first day of winter opening.

Instead of going straight back to Mark and Kate’s while it was still sunny, I decided to join Captain Caveman and Charlie for a glass of wine at Waterfall bar on the way to get my laptop and rucksack. Mehmet, at Waterfall, gave everyone jacket potatoes which were delicious. While I went to pick up my bag and order a taxi to go back in time for cat feeding, Charlie was given jacket potato skin which he loved. When I got in, it was a little later than usual but the cats seemed fine with it and settled down indoors after eating. I had broccoli soup which I put pasta in, to be more filling, for my dinner. I was looking forward to a quiet weekend when I got another online project with a deadline of a week so it meant I would be busy this weekend.

Photo credit – use of photos from the Riverbums

Dalyan – 29th November

While Captain Caveman was on his way back from London to Dalyan, on Tuesday 29th November, I was doing my best to finish as much stuff as possible so that we could go out and play later. I’d spent the last 2 days at home, had zero alcohol and had not spent anything. I had cereal for breakfast and the remaining pasta for lunch before I headed off for an appointment. Unfortunately, this meant I had to miss singing group in the afternoon and instead I went to see some friends about a house and dog sitting arrangement. My Mom and Vanessa still went to singing group so at least they had each other to get into trouble with. Charlie, the dog, recognised me from before and was very friendly so I knew we would get on fine. Captain Caveman and I would be moving in to his apartment tomorrow and would look after Charlie for a bit. While I was there I got a message from Captain Caveman to say he was home and I headed back to meet him. When I got there, having past a bicycle on a gate and a big black cockerel, the kitchen table had lots of goodies on it and the freezer was being stocked with even more. Captain Caveman had brought back grub screws, cheese, bacon, crumpets, muffins, sausages, a proper Yorkshire pudding tin, freezer bags, a fish slice, silicone pan lids, hoops for poaching eggs in (apparently called poachettes), chopping boards and, best of all, 210 Yorkshire Tea teabags!
I was very interested to see how the prices were in the UK as I hadn’t been back for almost a year so I took Captain Caveman’s receipts to check out the details. Here’s a list of what Captain Caveman bought in England and the prices in pounds;

Ikea
2 bathroom pots £1.80
Ziplock bags £3.00
3 saucepan lids £12.00
Total Spent £16.80

3 Phone Store
10GB SIM and phone package £10

Wilko
Yorkshire Pudding tray £1.50
Fish Slice utensil £1.50
Poachette rings £4.00
Chopping boards £6.00
Total Spent £13.00

Lidl Supermarket
Ginger nut biscuits £0.49
Muffins £0.65
2 Malt Load £1.44
1 Unsmoked bacon £1.55
Vegetable stock cubes £1.65
2 Crumpets £1.78
Gorgonzola cheese £2.19
Red Leicester cheese £2.69
2 Oxo cubes £3.78
2 Cheddar cheese slices £3.98
Yorkshire tea teabags £4.49
2 Richmond sausages £4.78
1 Christmas cake £4.99
3 Smoked Streaky bacon £6.57
Total Spent £41.03

He also bought some meat, galangal and lemongrass back for Kate, as you can never have enough.
We really didn’t need those lids from IKEA for £12, nor the new chopping boards when we already had some. I wouldn’t use the rings for poaching eggs either so they would be redundant until at least September 2023. It was amazing how he got all this and his clothes in his hand luggage, but I was very happy that he had.

Seeing the teabags made me actually cry tears of joy and Captain Caveman couldn’t stop laughing at me! To cheer me up even further he suggested drinks with Ma & Pa at Tez bar so I texted Ma to see if they were available. She didn’t answer so we decided to go there anyway and, when we arrived, my parents were already there, sat with some of the usual frequenters. They had taken to having an early bar recently so I should have known they would be there. After a couple of drinks we decided to go to Duble for dinner to celebrate Captain Caveman’s return. I tried to order sensibly to help the diet I was meant to be on, so I had lentil soup and a chicken shish. Of course the main dish comes with chips, rice, salad and flat bread, with oil and butter used in the cooking, but it was better than some of the dishes I could have had. Dad and Captain Caveman had some delicious looking potato croquettes and we had wine with our meal. We had a complimentary hot beverage to finish off our meal and were home before 10.30pm having had a lovely night. Tomorrow we would be taking on another canine responsibility that was just so cute!

Dalyan – 26th November

I had a mystery meal defrosting on Saturday 26th November so that I could eat a sensible lunch before I went out. I was busy all morning until lunch time and then worked out what the mystery meal was. It was a chicken casserole so I added roast potatoes and roasted cauliflower to give it a bit of substance. It was delicious and would sort me out for any beer drinking which might (would!) happen. Captain Caveman had been in touch and he’d given me some money to go to the Christmas Fayre with but it came with strict instructions to not buy anything unnecessary. Neither of us like ornaments or trim up for Christmas so there was no chance of that – it was more likely to be spent on food and drink, unsurprisingly.
I’d told friends I would be at Bistro Blue at 2pm and I was already running late so when I arrived some people were there and others not yet. Vanessa and her mother in law were waiting for me and we managed to find a seat, as Diane isn’t too good with her legs. Ann, Jax, Debbie (Darling) and Kate were already there and I briefly said hello. Vanessa ordered a white wine and soda, I had a beer and Diane didn’t order a drink. My parents were running late and when they arrived my mom had a black eye from being drunk lask night. At first she started to tell everyone about her drunken walk in to a door but in the end I said she may as well say Dad hit her (which he didn’t), and no-one seemed to care about that. Kate came over to join us and was keeping an eye out for a tall black guy with dreadlocks, Julius. She did ask a few people if they had seen him and they said they wished they had. Julio (the less tall Welsh man) turned up first and his friends were also joining us later.

I had a little mosey round all the stalls with Kate and there was a lot of stuff for sale. We bought some cheeses and Kate bought a crocheted top. I decided to get some curry from the Spice Garden stall to take home and I also ordered some onion bhajis for us all to share. The afternoon got lively, my parents got tired after overdoing it yesterday and I walked them part way home with the intention of dropping my stuff at home and returning. I got changed and came back out as it was difficult to not get involved with 40 lira Bistro Blue beers and DJs giving it the ‘what for’! Most of the day time people I knew had either gone home or were about to leave but the evening crowd and the hardcore few had arrived already.

There was lots of dancing and I really enjoyed chatting to and dancing with Katrina, Steff, Penny, Eileen, Julio, Toni, Julius and Mark before it got quite messy.
Needless to say a few of us ‘accidentally’ ended up back at Mark and Kate’s for some more shenanigans, despite Kate having gone home before it got dark. I slept in the upstairs room in a single bed with a tremendously warm blanket. Not everyone made it back to Fethiye as planned either so tomorrow was bound to have people with sore heads!

Dalyan – 20th to 24th November

On Sunday 20th November I had to rectify my diet quick sharp! I had plums and some bread for breakfast, and a tea with milk. Captain Caveman was in Sheffield but I didn’t speak to him so I wasn’t sure if he was catching up with any of my friends, back home.
For lunch I had pasta bolognese and then the rain came down heavily.
For dinner I had something a bit different, bolognese on a wrap, like a pizza, with some cheese. I had no alcohol because I’d had a week’s worth last night!

My day was very productive on Monday 21st November. I was up bright and early, had cereal for breakfast then I bought an 8GB data package for my phone and generally got prepared for a workshop tomorrow morning. I had red onion soup for lunch and planned to go to bed early so that I would have enough sleep before my 3.30am appointment, tomorrow. Tonight, England was playing Iran in the football world cup but I wanted to be asleep before then. I had a lovely jacket potato with bolognese and was about to settle down for the evening when I got a few last minute updates to deal with. Storms were due so I had charged everything up and got a Plan B in place.

I didn’t get to bed until stupid o’clock on Tuesday 22nd November because of all the last minute faffing about with changes for the workshop. I was awake at 2.30am with more last minute updates and horrendous storms outside.
At 3.30am I logged in to the call and I could hear everyone but by 4am, as we were meant to be starting the workshop, there was a technical hitch. I was distraught as I’d spent so much time and effort preparing for this only for me to miss the first part, due to circumstances beyond my control. By 4.30am I could hear everything and had to sit back, watch and listen. The workshop went well and a great set of speakers, who we learned from. By 8am (which was midday in Vietnam) the workshop was finishing and I had my last Yorkshire tea bag in a cup of hot tea to make me feel better. I ate a cheese sandwich, made chicken stock in the slow cooker and was off back to bed.
When I woke back up it was only an hour later and I probably could have gone to singing group but I was super tired and not in the mood. I had some noodles for lunch and got out a hotpot for dinner then went back to bed again. The sun was now out, I couldn’t sleep and by 5.30pm there were flood warnings for the area. I didn’t stay up long after eating dinner and, as I fell asleep that night, the rain had been coming down heavily again.

Wednesday 23rd November started with a nice sunrise at 07:54 and cheese on toast for breakfast (but without a cup of tea). I’d arranged to meet friends at the tea garden to discuss a dog sitting situation that was coming up soon but we cancelled due to more heavy rain. I was in two minds as to whether I would go to Fat Club in such a downpour but I decided no matter how much I had fell off the wagon or been naughty I would go.
I decided not to have lunch before I went and instead had a couple of cups of winter tea, despite it being 24°C in the apartment. When I got on the scales at Fat Club I was pleased to have lost 0.9kg, so I was doing ok. The rain eased off a little so I decided to walk round to my parents’ place. Halfway there the heavy rain came again and I was a bit damp when I arrived. I saw their new toaster, which Chris and Jackie had ordered for them, and they were pleased that Dad no longer had to stick a knife in to get his toast out each morning. I had a beer with my parents and the rain got worse. I eventually decided to go for it and left before 7.30pm, despite my mom saying to stay as it was too wet out. I borrowed an umbrella and once outside I didn’t think it was too bad. When I got home my trousers, shoes and socks were soaked so came straight off. I put my masaman curry on and jumped in the shower to warm up a bit.

I kept Thursday 24th November I saw a post on Instagram for Bistro Blue saying that they were going to be having a Christmas party at the Winter fayre which looked like a good idea. It was cloudy but not rainy today, I messaged my parents and a few friends to let them know about the Christmas party. I had a pasta bake for lunch and by the afternoon the weather was sunny again. For dinner I had beans on toast and some roasted chestnuts later on.
I’d done better than I expected at cutting down on eating and drinking, Captain Caveman was due back on Tuesday so I just had the weekend to get through.

Dalyan – 19th November

On Saturday 19th November my diet didn’t quite go according to plan! It was one week since Captain Caveman had flown to England. I’d spent a mere 999 lira (£45), including 3 days where I spent zero, 4 days without any alcohol and I’d pretty much stuck to the diet.
I made a shopping list for the weekly market and called for Ma & Pa along the way. I spent just 80 lira (£3.64) on mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, onions, plums and chestnuts before we all walked back via Migros. Dad wasn’t up for walking round the supermarket with a rucksack full of purchases so he used it as an excuse to go for a beer at Jiks while Ma & I went in. I bought just a fresh loaf and some Turkish sausage for a total of 33.90 lira (£1.54) then we went over to join Dad in Jiks. It was sunny but looked like rain – still I didn’t cave and have a beer, just a diet coke.
After walking home, in a bit of rain, I went back out to buy top up data for my Turkish phone. I didn’t realise the Turkcell shop closed each afternoon (2-8pm) in the winter season so I had missed out and would try again tomorrow. I walked past Penny and Phil at Tez bar who were with other friends and I didn’t call in, but went straight home.
I had a cheese sandwich (no butter) out of my allowance and was doing so well, I even had a few plums and a big glass of water.
Kate messaged to say that the pool afternoon wasn’t at Rehab bar today so she was at Lukka bar and she was sat on her own having a wine if I’d like to join her. It was the first time she’d been ‘out out’, so of course, I would! She was already on her second glass of wine as I ordered my first, then Janet and a friend walked by and decided to join us. I spoke to Lily Fish who had unfortunately had a bad experience at the restaurant I was planning on going to tonight with my parents so I spoke to her at length about that. Kate and I decided that it worked out better to get a bottle of wine, given that the staff at Lukka were looking after us and it was a lovely sunny day. By the time we paid the bill a second bottle of wine had been had and it was jolly nice. Kate went home and I met Ma & Pa who were coming out fo the evening. We’d arranged to meet friends in Sofra bar to watch the Rugby match at 8.30pm.
My parents and I decided Çağrı would be a good venue for dinner so we went there. My diet was well and truly on hold for the day as I tucked in to the courgette fritters for a starter and ordered a glass of wine. By the time we got sat in Sofra bar I was drunk and I was probably more of a hindrance to anyone trying to watch the rugby, than a supporter.

Dalyan – 16th November

I woke up on Wednesday 16th November excited for Kate’s birthday party this afternoon. I was also looking forward to finding out if my frugal lifestyle and 3 days of no alcohol had paid off when I got to Fat Club later. So far this week I’d only spent 888 lira (£40.36) so an average of £10 per day and I’d only been in a bar once. The weather was lovely so I went to meet my parents before Fat Club at the Kaunos tea gardens where I resisted the urge to eat anything or drink beer. When I got to Fat Club I was pleased I had lost almost 1kg so my efforts this week had been rewarded and I just had to keep it up.
I walked to Mark and Kate’s feeling happy and ate a Bounty on the way as my lunch/dinner. Jacket Potatoes were being cooked on a fire by Mark but I’d already decided that today’s calories were going on wine. I took a bottle of Tılsım, which I’d took a splash out of to put in a slow cooker meal and that would be enough. My parents had taken a bottle of white and a bottle of red but I wondered if that would be enough for Dad.

On entering the party, which I was late to, due to going to Fat Club, there were lots of familiar friendly faces and the sun was shining. Mark had made a punch which Kate insisted I try and it had my 2 least favourite ingredients in; Melon and Bacardi. It actually didn’t taste too bad but I was ready for the red wine. Despite Kate having to have a party at home due to recovering from her op, it was a successful move. She looked well and she was able to drink prosecco and have a little lay down if she needed it.

Around sunset Kate, Debbie and I walked down to the jetty to admire the view with a glass of vino in hand. It was a pity Captain Caveman, Vanessa and Matt had to miss the do as it was really fun and such gorgeous weather. When I got back to the house, Dad had ran out of wine so had poured a glass of mine and I asked Mark if it was ok to ‘borrow’ some of his for my Dad. At 7pm there were still jacket potatoes in the fire, surely they were cooked by now!?

Mark managed to get Kate a birthday cake without her noticing, we sang Happy Birthday then slices were passed around. I even resisted the cake and the jacket potatoes. It was a brill party and, as you can imagine, we were there later than expected, and probably the last ones to leave, with Gorgeous Gay Gaz from Gateshead with the Glass eye and the Giant Gonads. We got Fikri’s taxi to my parents and they invited me in for a beverage.

Mom pulled out all the stops as she dished up some curry while Dad got the gin and bitter lemon (with mint) out. I’d not brought a coat or a cardi so I left my parents place with ma’s hoody on. I was glad of it as it was so cold on my bare legs and this was the coldest I’d been for a while. I was pleased to have only had 1 glass of punch, (slightly less than) 1 bottle of red wine and a couple of gins in about 7 hours. I’d only spent 111 lira (£5) and come home pretty sloshed having had a great time.

Dalyan – 14th & 15th November

The weather forecast for Monday 14th November looked nice with a high of 23°C. I was meant to be going with my parents on a trip to Ortaca but, unfortunately, I had decided not to go. Vanessa had let me know that Matt had tested positive for Covid, after feeling unwell for a couple of days. The best thing to do was to cancel my plans in case Vanessa had caught it and /or passed it on to me without us realising. I finished batching up my various soups and sauces for the fridge and freezer then I got an invite to Kate’s birthday party on Wednesday.
Vanessa and I both decided to do Covid tests and we were both negative, which was good because I needed to have more than just soup in the house. I decided to go shopping, in case I started to get poorly. Here’s what I bought at the supermarket:

Migros Supermarket

Ginger 4.12
Noodles 9.95
Chicken pot noodle 12.90
Sweetcorn 16.90
Cauliflower 22.34
Mushrooms 24.90
Milk 31.50
Beef mince 44.91
2 tins chopped tomatoes 49.00
Beef mince (reduced fat) 58.05

Total spent 274.57 lira (£12.48)

The exchange rate was now 22 lira to the pound which was the highest I’d known it.
I bought a notebook at the stationers for 40 lira, a months worth of contraceptive pills for 115 lira from the pharmacy and a cooked chicken for 80 lira at the butcher’s. My total spend for the day was 509.57 lira (£23.16) and I had so far managed to avoid going to a bar or having any alcohol.
When I got home I noticed that my Turkish phone had a text on it from Aydem from this morning saying they had closed the job. I went to check the meter and they had not done anything at all, I was so annoyed with them! It was a good job it was winter and we didn’t need any communal electric on, although I did notice that the roses at B1 and the route between A and B Block was now looking a lot more overgrown and would need more than kitchen scissors.
For lunch I had a salad with about a quarter of the roast chicken, without the skin, then put the bones and skin in a tub to make stock.
Later my parents were out at Tez bar but I resisted the urge to go out for a drink and stayed in. I wanted to have lost some weight this week and I knew if I went to join them I would definitely find it difficult to resist the booze or eating out.
I added some of the chicken to a couple of portions of pumpkin and lentil base for dinner and added spinach and chopped tomatoes for a nice curry with steamed rice. I resisted a beer out of the fridge!

I had marked in my diary that the restaurant Duble was reopening on Tuesday 15th November, but it didn’t. This was good news for my diet and reducing the amount of booze I drank. I didn’t have any breakfast and I noticed we were running low on freezer bags so I messaged Captain Caveman to add them to his list of things to bring back. He’s bad at keeping in touch when we are apart but I got a thumbs up. I went to Turkish lessons, Vanessa was unable to come so I messaged her with the homework later. For lunch I had the curry but with a warmed up wrap instead of rice. I ate yoghurt with figs and honey as a dessert and then went to call for mom to go to singing. Vanessa and Kate couldn’t come and there was still no sign of Gay Gaz joining the group.
I’m not quite sure what had got in to the singing crowd today but there were a few more choices of different, more lively, songs; I have a Dream, Wonderful Tonight, When you say Nothing at all, The Boxer, Moon River, I’d Like to Teach the World to sing, Will you Still Love me Tomorrow and there was a request for The House of the Rising Sun. Peter and I had added it to the request book but some people at the other end of the table decided we weren’t singing it, for some reason. I readded it to the list and we did sing it but I noticed a few members of the group not joining in.
After singing, Mom and I went to buy Kate’s birthday present ready for tomorrow then we each went home. For dinner I had chicken and vegetables with noodles then some popcorn while watching a selling houses series on Netflix. It was a nice cosy evening until I went to bed and decided I needed a winter quilt on the bed. Captain Caveman had moved all of our 6 quilts around so it ended up taking me quite some time to get the right bedding out and reorganise the linen cupboard. It was my 3rd night without alcohol so I was hoping it would have made a difference at Fat Club tomorrow.

Dalyan – 12th & 13th November

Captain Caveman was packed and ready for an 18 day trip to the UK on Saturday 12th November. He made his own breakfast and I had cereal a bit later on. The electric meter issue was still not resolved so I called Aydem again and this time I felt like they were listening, understood and were going to fix it. They agreed to send someone out, gave me a job reference via text and Captain Caveman could leave, happy it would all get sorted – I still wasn’t holding my breath! Captain Caveman’s taxi with Fikri was booked for 11.30am so we still had some time to go to the bank and the chemist. Kate had messaged to ask if I could pick her up some more dressings and some veg, Captain Caveman was still suffering with a cold so he bought some flu medicine to take with him. He’d not seen his parents for quite some time so he was looking forward to seeing them, as well as attending the screening of A Crack in the Mountain, the Phong Nha film at the Kendal Film Festival.

After saying goodbye to Captain Caveman, I went to the weekly market with my parents and here’s what I bought:

Broccoli
Spinach
4 Onions
3 Potatoes
5 red onions
Grapes
Garlic

Total spent 71.50 lira (£3.33).

I was meant to have bought a cauliflower too but, because I didn’t put it in to one of the plastic bags, the stall holder didn’t think I wanted to buy it and put it back, rather than in my shopping bag.
While Captain Caveman flew from Dalaman to Luton I walked over to Kate’s. Mark was at Rehab bar for pool afternoon with the lads so I was taking her some dressings, spinach and tuna. We had a good natter and Kate gave me a couple of pairs of jeans, they were a bit snug but with all the weight I’d be losing I felt sure they’d soon fit better. I just drank water while there and on the way back I called in for 1 drink at Rehab bar. John was meant to be in Mark’s team at pool but Andrea had turned up so he was leaving. He asked me to play his game and I was surprised to see Tay and Wolfie beat Mark and I so easily. Mark and Wolfie were still playing pool at 7pm when I went home to cook up a nice dinner made from leftovers, pleased I’d managed to go to a bar ‘just for one’. I used the half portion of beef casserole, which I’d had in the freezer from Duble. I had it with steamed rice and it was delicious.

When I woke up on Sunday 13th November, there had been an earthquake in Rhodes at 5.30am this morning but our friends Steve and Michelle, who live there, were fine – in fact they hadn’t even noticed.
I decided to have a bit of a soup making day, I tried the Slimming World slow cooker red onion soup which is super easy to make and smells amazing. I also roasted some pumpkin to make a base for soup, or curry which I would add lentils and Kate’s curry paste to. Vanessa came over in the afternoon and we did our Turkish homework together. She’d also brought me a piece of writing she had done from after her operation, which we’d been talking about. When I read it, I cried, it was well written, interesting and so emotional. At 5.15pm Vanessa had to get off because she had a family call. I was still batch cooking up more soup, after having a delicious bowl of the red onion one, then made a diet friendly pizza.
While Captain Caveman was away I was going to use the time to my advantage to try to lose weight by not drinking, eating things I shouldn’t and spending too much money. I was on a mission and, although yesterday I had 1 beer and spent 122 lira (£5.68), today I had drank no alcohol and spent nothing.
I stayed up until after midnight watching some murder series on Netflix, tomorrow I had a busy day planned.

Dalyan – 8th & 9th November

I had cereal for breakfast on Tuesday 8th November before my Turkish lesson at 10am in Lukka bar. Captain Caveman was there at the same time for his Bridge group which lasts for 3 hours.
I went to Singing group in the afternoon while Captain Caveman bought 5kg of washing powder for 82.50 lira (£3.84) in Migros. I was back trying to redeem what was left of this week’s chance to lose any weight but at this point all I could hope for was to have not put weight on. I would probably have gained weight but it might be a good idea not to throw the towel in just yet.
At singing group we sang a new song, to me, Running Bear. It was really hot with the sun coming through the window and I wish I’d wore shorts.
For dinner I made a bit of a make-do meal using my left over Chicken Shashlik, from M-Eyhane on Saturday. I added some extra veg and served it with steamed rice for a low syn dinner which was very tasty and filling. We even had a fruit salad with yoghurt and honey for a treat and I refrained from having any alcohol. By 7pm the temperature had dropped to 21°C and I was a little chilly.

Captain Caveman went Dogging on Wednesday 9th November while I got on with making a syn free snack to take to Fat Club. I went for the easy option of popcorn, which is virtually syn free and you’d have to eat a lot for it to count. I had cereal and milk for breakfast as part of my allowance then for lunch we had a lovely salad. It had lettuce, carrot, red cabbage, onion, peppers, figs, olives and cheese in it and I’d done some Slimming World friendly garlic potatoes to go with it but left them in the oven by mistake. We had a couple of them and saved the rest for another meal as I had to get off to face my result. Obviously, I had put on weight, 0.7kg to be exact, so that wasn’t good. We sat around in the group and tried each others’ snacks. There were courgette fritters and quiche which I didn’t try as they were made with egg. I accidentally did try the breakfast muffin and curry loaf which did have egg in and enjoyed them. If I hadn’t known, it was difficult to tell it contained egg and both were very nice. The pasta salad and broccoli soup were egg free and ones I could definitely do myself so it gave me some good ideas.
After Fat Club, I called at Rehab bar to collect Vanessa so that we could go to see Kate. I also needed the toilet as the egg had taken effect. Kate had been recovering at home after surgery in Fethiye hospital so it was so nice of everyone at Fat Club to give me some of their snacks to take. Vanessa and I cycled over as she updated me on the events and their recent trip to Fethiye. When we arrived it was clear that Kate had not been taking things that easy and had been baking, quite a lot! We sampled a small piece of plum scone which was lovely and she’d made plum chutney with Wolfie’s plums. We didn’t stop too long as we hoped she would get a nap in before Mark came home from pool.
Back home I limited myself to just 1 glass of wine with dinner, Captain Caveman made a diet friendly chicken pasta dish and we had strawberries with yoghurt for after.