Friday 3rd March was not as healthy or budget friendly as it should’ve been. I started well with 2 slices of wholemeal toast and a cheese triangle, washed down with Yorkshire tea, for breakfast. I got confirmation that our Aussie friends and Dalyan neighbours, Amanda & Greg, were going to be in Dalyan from the 26th March to the 2nd April. It would be over 4 months since they’d last been here and I was looking forward to seeing them again. I tried making my own Slimming World friendly tomato based soup/vegan sauce in the slow cooker and it smelled amazing. For lunch I had a fajita wrap then some falafel with steamed rice, tahini, carrots, radishes and pickled onions. Our Turkish class was cancelled that afternoon because our teacher was on holiday for a couple of weeks. In the afternoon I was on to the bank trying to sort out the issue of them continuing to charge me £13 per month fee for an account I had not used in over a year and was getting nowhere on resolving the issue or stopping it from reoccurring. I logged an official complaint and was only just off the phone almost 2 hours later! I’d promised Jamie I would join him, Drew, the Beverley sisters and some of their friends for Lukka bar music bingo and I was looking forward to it. I managed to make 2 wines last all night but I did treat myself to sweet and sour chicken which was so nice. Both Jamie and Drew had chicken shish for their meal, the Beverley sisters didn’t eat and their friends, Angela and Neil, had burgers. The food was great, the music was fun but we only did one round and it was the 80s. The company was top notch and I had a really great night, singing away to some of my favourite songs and making new friends. After, we played pool but by 10.30pm I was knackered, so was Jamie. This going out drinking and enjoying ourselves so much on a weekend had taken its toll and we said goodnight. My total bill had been 420 lira (£17.75) which was obviously over my budget but I would cut back on the following days to compensate.
On Thursday 2nd March I had cornflakes and the usual cuppa for breakfast then got the slow cooker out to try a new Slimming World meal. I was going to give the chicken fajitas a whirl so I chopped all the ingredients and chucked it in. I met Jamie for a beverage in Jiks where I had 2 teas and he had 2 coffees, at a reasonable 100 lira (£4.21). Next I went over to the stationer’s where I got 10 photocopies of the weekly meal plans for 15 lira (63p). I called in to Şok Supermarket, as I was out of rice, and bought 1kg for 29.50 lira (£1.24). Back home I used up fresh bread to make a kind of veggie pizza and had it with another cup of tea. I got a message from Gay Gaz to say he’d managed to get his Turkish residency renewal at the 11th hour and we joked about what ‘favours’ he’d had to do to get that. Residency renewal criteria was getting more strict and, although mine wasn’t due until October, I was already preparing for what may be required. My chicken fajitas were coming on a treat and I was looking forward to trying them when Kate messaged to invite me to Tez bar for a drink. I declined as I really was trying to be good and stick to my budget and my diet plan. I had some white wine left in the fridge anyway so I decided to measure it out and have some using my syn allowance. Unfortunately, it tasted terrible and I ended up throwing it away (surely that’s a first)! The food was really nice and I had some left for another day. After dinner I got my first message from my parents, who had now been on holiday for 5 days. They were having a great time and loving being somewhere sunny again. I’d spent a total of 144.50 lira (£6.79) today, about the same as yesterday, and I was within the budget. This weekend would be a big test of whether I could stick to it, though.
Rather than get stressed about lack of money in March, I decided that I would focus on a plan to get through the month. I knew I’d be ok but I just had to be really careful and I had worked out a strict budget until I was back working again. From today, Wednesday 1st March, I would only allow myself to spend a certain amount each day. I was attempting to live on 40% less than Turkey’s minimum wage for this month and I was ready for the challenge! I had wholemeal toast with cream cheese and a cup of Yorkshire tea for breakfast, then I got on the scales at home. I was the same as last week, but Carol’s scales at Fat Club would, once again, be the judge at 3pm. I took my measurements and they didn’t look too peachy either; Bust +1cm, Waist no change, Hips +1cm, Right thigh +1.5cm, Left thigh +0.5cm, Calves no change. An art auction was taking place later this month to raise money for the earthquake survivors so I unpacked some artwork I had. I’d brought 4 Egyptian fine art prints, by David Roberts, over a few years ago but had never put them on the walls, mainly because I don’t have any walls to put them on. I decided I might be able to sell them at the event but when I looked at the value they were worth over £1,000! Kate suggested getting in touch with 2 of the well known art dealers in town, which I did, thinking if I could sell them I could give half to the earthquake fund and keep half for myself. Unfortunately, they were a bit niche for potential Dalyan customers and I didn’t get anywhere with it. Kate kindly offered to transport them back to the UK but it seemed another waste of money, I would bide my time, and be on the look out for someone who appreciates Egyptian fine art. At lunch time I got a welcome surprise, I’d received some money that I’d been owed. I didn’t even eat lunch as I went straight to the bank to take out some cash. At Fat Club it was a really hot day and there was plenty of us at the group today, which was nice. Carol gave us all a bit of a refresher on what the allowances were and how to calculate our syns. I was gobsmacked to find I had not known we could have 2 lots of Healthy A options which is calcium. Since I’d done Slimming World before, the allowance had doubled and I had not realised this – I was so happy about being allowed double the amount of cheese! I got weighed and was relieved to find that I had lost 0.3kg (0.7lb). I was still a little disappointed, though, as I’d only consumed 160 syns this week, of which 61 were alcohol. I’d had 6 days of zero alcohol, 6 days of exercise and 2 meat free days, in fact this was one of my most sensible weeks so far. Carol and the rest of the group were very encouraging and made sure I was still focused on the goal, a loss was a loss and I wasn’t to get too discouraged. One of the ladies had the same happen to her and we thought it might be that my body was getting used to the food I was eating. I drank a 1.5 litre bottle of water for the hour that I was at Nil Lounge hoping to keep my water intake up as much as possible. This week I would try my best to eat well and have lots of fruit and vegetables. After Fat Club, I walked with Andrea and Kate to Rehab bar where I treated myself to 1 beer – my first in 11 days. We had a laugh with the pool group and then Jamie came to pick me up on Derek the scooter. We’d decided to pop to Lukka bar for a bit and I got dropped off at the Turtle Roundabout. I was walking over to Lukka bar when I saw Charlie, the dog, he was walking with Gill, he saw me and went berserk. We stopped traffic and he nearly knocked my glasses off with all the kisses he wanted to give me. It was emotional and it was so lovely to see him still remember me. At Lukka I had 3 soda waters and Jamie asked me if I would come to the music bingo night on Friday. We booked in to join the Beverley Sisters and their friends, plus Drew would be back in Dalyan then so it was a good excuse for a night out. That evening I had a gorgeous dinner; chicken, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, roast potatoes, stuffing and Yorkshire puddings. I even had some of Kate’s lemon drizzle cake for afters. I was pleased to have been out but still kept within my budget today, I’d spent a total of 144 lira (£6).
Jamie picked me up at 11am on Sunday 26th February and we took Norman and Edna for a walk on Iztuzu beach. It was nice weather and we had a lovely walk and a chat while trying to find some sticks for Edna to fetch, they were a bit sparse today though. I left my phone in my bag in the car so I didn’t take any photos, instead I focused on the positive aspects of my Sunday; getting 90 minutes of good exercise at the beach, having day 4 of no alcohol and day 2 of no meat for this week. Back in town, I called at Migros to buy more pasta and Gluten Free wraps which came to a total of 50.40 lira (£2.14) then went home for brunch. I made a makeshift pizza with the rest of the fresh bread from yesterday, then had strawberries with quark and crushed ginger biscuit. I found more positivity in the Fat Club group chat where I borrowed a Slimming World Mac n Cheese recipe to cook for dinner. Carol suggested adding extra spring onions in, which I did, and it was very tasty. I sliced up some radishes and had a couple as a snack later on.
On Monday 27th February I decided to set up a new bank account, as the one I had in the UK had been left unused for over a year and had been taking a monthly fee out of £13 per month which I hadn’t realised. I decided to put in a complaint to the bank, surely they should only be charging the fee when I’m using the account! I had cornflakes for breakfast with strawberries and a cup of Yorkshire tea. I decided I would try out another slow cooker recipe today of fried rice and it would be my first time cooking it this way. My Decluttering Bootcamp had come in handy and my towels, utility and linen cupboards were looking smashing. For lunch I had the left over healthy Mac n Cheese, then some extra cheese and membrillo. Although it was my 5th day of no alcohol this week, I didn’t manage to do any exercise and the experimental slow cooker fried rice was not as good as doing it in a frying pan. Still, I’d made loads so I ate some and froze the rest.
I was up early on Tuesday 28th February and was aware that the internet was due to expire at any time today. I had the usual cup of tea and a bowl of cornflakes for breakfast but I had only just realised that cornflakes were not allowed as part of the Slimming World plan as a Healthy B option, and that I should have been using syns for these. If only I’d bought bran flakes or Special K instead, they would have been allowed. Now I had a massive bag of cornflakes and I wasn’t about to waste them. I took a walk to Captainnet and paid 400 lira (£16.92) for 2 months of internet. The lady in the shop said I could pay in advance to secure the rest of the year at the same price but I still wasn’t sure which months I wouldn’t be here for. Already, in Dalyan, there were more price increases and if I wanted to eat or drink out I was going to have to budget very wisely. A lot of venues would be reopening in March and April and were putting out their new price lists ready for the start of tourist season. For lunch I had a gluten free wrap pizza with green peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn and cheddar cheese sprinkled on. I had strawberries and quark for afters and I was feeling optimistic for weigh day tomorrow at Fat Club. I had also managed 6 days this week without alcohol, 6 days of exercise and 2 days of no meat. In the afternoon I had another walk and called at the pharmacy to pick up 3 more months worth of contraceptive pills. It came to 470 lira (£19.88) but confused me because the total wasn’t even divisible by 3. I bought a small wholemeal sliced loaf at Bim supermarket (11.50 lira which is less than 50p) as it’s better for me, and I didn’t even look for any chocolate treats. On the way past the butcher’s I could not resist and bought a whole cooked chicken for 100 lira (£4.23). I bought fresh bread at 5 lira (21p) and called in to the corner shop for another filtered water which is 30 lira (£1.27) for 19 litres. You can drink the tap water safely here but I prefer to use the filtered water cooler because my stomach isn’t used to the high mineral content and I prefer to have less scum on top of my hot drinks. I had the most tastiest dinner of the freshly cooked chicken, red and green peppers, carrots, spring onion, radishes and bread with Becel spread on. At 8.30pm I had an overdue video call with Vanessa, she’d been having a busy week in England and we hadn’t even caught up on our Turkish homework. We had a good chat for a while with lots of news to tell each other about. When I came off the phone I realised I’d eaten a small jar of radishes, which I’d absentmindedly been shoving in my mouth.
I felt very rough on Saturday 25th February as I got up to see what carnage remained in the kitchen. I had leftover curry with rice and the forgotten nan bread for breakfast, washed down with an orange juice and soda water and a cup of Yorkshire tea. I really needed to get to the market before it closed but I was feeling so fragile that I just couldn’t. I was meant to be meeting Debbie (Darling) for an afternoon drink but seeing as her Slippery Nipples were my downfall last night, I thought it would be wise to stay home instead. Around 3pm I pulled a bit of energy from somewhere and got to the market. I had a few things on my list but, after buying some strawberries for 50 lira (£2.13), I had an urgent need to get back home for a lay down. I called in to Migros on my way back to buy cornflakes and Quark which came to 51.40 lira (£2.19) and was a bit of a blur. As I came out of the supermarket Debbie (Darling) shouted me and was sat in Jiks with Brian and Ann. I was in no state to stand around watching people drink wine so I said to Debbie I wasn’t coming back out or joining them but would be on Jamie’s alcohol free night out later if she wanted to come along. Debbie (Darling) was so drunk yesterday that she didn’t recall seeing me, Jamie or Mark. I proved she had, by telling her we had restored all her lost photos on her phone and, when she checked, she was genuinely surprised. Back home, I ate strawberries for lunch, had a nap and a shower then had chicken, Turkish sausage and vegetable pasta for dinner before getting ready for another night out. This time, it was a pool night with Jamie and the Beverley sisters, which is always good fun. Both Jamie and I were on water and managed to enjoy a really lovely, civilised and sober evening. I went home just before 10.30pm and Jamie walked home past a rather lively Tez bar. I got an invite to go to Sofra bar but I declined, I was quite tired and sober on a Saturday night – it felt good!
I was awake for sunrise on Thursday 23rd February and got up early for my cup of Yorkshire tea. I decided that since I’d had zero syns on weigh day, yesterday, I was also going to be good today. I’d done a meal plan but instead of it being for the week, I had just done it up to Saturday. This is because I would buy what was on offer at the market and plan the rest of my meals around that. For breakfast I had a banana, strawberries, pineapple and quark. Debbie (Darling) messaged me to ask if I fancied joining her and Sue after their Turkish class this afternoon and I did, as I’d not seen either of them for ages. I had my lunch first which was a bit of an eclectic mix; radishes, carrots, stuffed vine leaves, roasted pumpkin and potato wedges. I met Debbie (Darling) and Sue outside Lukka bar, where they were having a beverage. Katrina was getting ready to open up the Maizie Moo shop for the season and she gave me my dogsitting money, which was nice. It would have been easy for me then to spend that money on having an alcoholic beverage but I resisted. We wandered over to Tez bar where I just had a soda water with ice. After saying hello to Angela and chatting briefly to Gary about residency renewals, it was time for me to go. At 5pm I walked to meet Jamie, we had arranged to set off on a dog walk from Mosque Square then call in to Waterfall bar. Again, I was good and had just 2 sodas, Jamie had coffees. On my way home, I decided to treat myself at the Şarküteri where I bought the following; 1 tin Heinz baked beans 35.00 BBQ sauce 45.00 Gluten free soy sauce 50.00 1 tin Coconut milk 55.00 Total spent 185.00 lira (£8.20)
It’s expensive to buy imported food here but I’d decided that I really wanted those items and had only spent just over the equivalent of a bottle of wine from the off-licence. When I got home I made more of my fake takeaway, sweet and sour chicken, which I had with egg noodles and loved every mouthful. I had a video call with my parents, the last for a while as they were off on holiday, then I did another Decluttering Bootcamp challenge at 10pm. I was starting to see some areas I could make some small changes and improvements, which was really good.
My week started quite positively on Monday 20th February! I confirmed a house and pet sitting job in Rhodes. I checked out some flights and chatted to Captain Caveman about the possibility of going to Vietnam from Athens, in May. For breakfast I just had a cup of Yorkshire tea and some orange juice, left by Kate yesterday. I decided to go out for a walk as I needed to run a few errands and get some exercise in. I called at the stationers to buy a notebook and pencil which cost just 35 lira (£1.50). I went to the pharmacy to buy contraceptive pills and order more, one month’s worth was now 163 lira (£7) and they were in short supply. For lunch I had the rest of the fresh bread with tomato soup and gorgonzola cheese. Today would be a no meat, no alcohol and more exercise kind of a day. In the afternoon I decided to take my Marks and Spencer black boots to the cobbler as one of them had a cut in the rubber soul. I went for a walk around Gülpınar, checked on my parents’ place and then walked the long way back after about an hour. The boots had been repaired at a cost of 280 lira (£12) which was quite an unexpected expense but cheaper than buying a new pair. Rain was forecast later in the month so I needed these or to buy some wellies. I had a banana for a snack then had a bad stomach again – I don’t even like bananas. For dinner I had left over leek and potato soup from Jamie and I added some cooked pasta to make it even more filling. Around 6pm Jamie popped round, with Norman and Edna, as he was passing on his evening dog walk. The dogs were really excited to visit and were so happy to see me and be allowed on the sofa for cuddles. In the evening, I stayed up to join the first one of Heather’s Decluttering Bootcamps at 10pm (Turkish time) and I found it really interesting. It was all about planning, Heather did a live session where she taught us how to plan to declutter a specific small part of our home and then set us a challenge to do. We would post our outcome in the group and then join for the next challenge tomorrow at the same time.
Sunday 19th February was a lovely day all round. It was still dark when I set up my makeshift dining area, ready for my first Sunday dinner with 4 guests. Some had doubted I’d get everyone in, in our small apartment, but I’d squeezed in 7 for a curry night once, although that was a bit too much and we didn’t have enough spare chairs. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and some fruit to start my day off then took a trip to the shop. Here’s what I bought, some of which I needed for today, with the prices in lira:
Migros Supermarket
Fresh ginger 4.00 Fresh bread 5.00 Bottle of water 5.45 Becel spread 17.45 6 bottles of soda water 18.75 Flour 19.50 White beans 27.90 Fresh milk 28.90 Fabric softener 41.50 Falafel 49.90 3 tins of tomatoes 59.76 Toilet roll 68.90 Chicken breasts 78.45 500g Diced beef 82.00 Total spent 507.46 lira (£22.26)
I called at the corner shop to chase up what had happened to my water refill and they had forgotten again. They promised it would be there by noon and it was. Jamie was the first to arrive with his leek and potato soup and a bottle of water with cordial in. Next was Matt with his slippers and he grabbed the orange chair so he could pop them on. Mark and Kate arrived late and hungover after Sofra last night. Kate had brought orange juice and soda water as she wasn’t drinking alcohol today. She’d also brought a huge fruit salad for dessert. Luckily, I had got some cream and some ice-cream at the ready. Mark brought some cans of Efes and had them in a cooler but he too wasn’t feeling like drinking much. I had been looking forward to wine today and had opened a bottle of Tılsım, just for me by the looks of it! After a bit of a chat I warmed up Jamie’s soup in the Pampered Chef jug that he said was microwave friendly. Unfortunately it wasn’t and the handle melted so we had to resort to the good old fashioned pan method. In the to-do I forgot to get the butter out of the fridge but no one commented as we ate the soup and dry bread. Jamie’s soup was packed full of extra veggies and tasted really good. Our next course was more of a chicken casserole with carrots, onion, leeks and boiled potatoes. I served this with Yorkshire puddings and mini jacket potatoes so that it was more diet friendly than a usual roast dinner. Kate had brought some stuffing to accompany it and I’d made a chicken gravy from my own stock for those that wanted it. For afters we were ate the fruit salad with different combinations of toppings (crumbled ginger biscuits, ice-cream and cream). It was a lovely get together and Mark did quite a bit of the washing up and clearing/rinsing the plates as he likes a tidy ship. Once everyone had gone I finished the wine off and chilled out on the sofa for the rest of the day.
On Thursday 16th February I was looking forward to a day at home with nice healthy food, no meat, no alcohol, perhaps some exercise and no dramas. I had a slice of wholemeal toast with 1 cheese triangle on, some cherry juice, a satsuma and some quark. For lunch I had leftover vegan bolognese, some in a pasta bake and some in a stuffed pepper. I was loving this meat free alternative. I had a snack of some of the lovely chocolate that Nanny Kay had given me, then I went for a walk to one of the Estate Agents. Some friends of mine who are looking to move to Dalyan had seen a property come up for rent and I’d agreed to view it on their behalf. When I arrived at the Estate Agents they weren’t there so I waited outside for them. We drove to Arıkbaşi where the 2 bedroom property was. It was nice and there was a massive garden for the dog so I took lots of photos and a video and thought it would be a good fit. I was chatting back and forth to my friend about the property which unfortunately they got pipped at the post with and we got messaging about general life. I happened to mention that this week I had put my CV out there again due to being without work. How fortuitous that they would be looking for someone to work part time for them shortly and they agreed to send me more info. I had a veggie wrap pizza for dinner which meant it was my first meatless day for this week. I also refrained from any alcohol today, despite it being wine Wednesday. That evening it was quite chilly so I decided to put 2 duvets inside the one cover on the spare bed and move in to the spare bedroom, where it would be warmer.
Friday 17th February was a lovely relaxing day. I had fresh bread and 16 olives for breakfast with a Yorkshire tea and a cherry juice. For lunch I made an egg fried rice with 2cm of Turkish sausage, garlic, onion, carrot and sweetcorn. My Turkish class at 2pm had been cancelled so I got on with a few chores at home. For dinner I had mantı, Turkish ravioli, with a spoonful of quark on top. I finished off the white wine in the fridge from Tuesday and I made some popcorn in my popcorn maker, so that it’s oil or butter free. I added soda water and ice to my glass of wine in an attempt to be a bit healthier. I was doing well on the diet so far this week and wanted to continue to do well, even if it was just making some substitutions rather than limiting myself completely. I also decided to sign up for a free master class on decluttering with my friend, Heather, at the end of the month and put myself down for the daily challenges which would start next week. Even though I do live a minimal clutter kind of life, I still find it’s a good idea to keep on top of these things – plus Heather is just so good at what she does that I wanted to be a part of it to show support and see what I could gain from it.
Tuesday 14th February was a good day, despite me waking up at 3.40am. It was cold and I obviously went back to sleep. At 8am I got the best message ever from Captain Caveman. We don’t often spend Valentine’s Day together so it was nice to know he loved me. For breakfast I had chocolate and tahini with bread and some cherry juice. I was trying to be good seeing as I had Fat Club tomorrow and I’d gone way over on my syn allowance this week. For lunch I had a simit with cheese spread and in the afternoon I went for a walk, then to the shops and bank. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;
I’d planned a non-valentine’s Valentine’s Day at mine that evening and everyone was bringing some food and drink. On the guest list was Ann, Nanny Kay and Jamie. Ann brought a massive salad and some other healthy nibbles, including potatoes, Jamie brought his version of a chicken şakşuka (aubergine and tomato based), I had the rice in the rice cooker and had made vegan Bolognese (using lentils instead of beef mince) which I’d stuffed the green peppers with then roasted. I poured the drinks and we had a good natter. We sat at the table to eat and all the food was delicious, and healthy. However, le pièce de la résistance was Nanny Kay’s dessert; she’d not let us down with her promised Christmas pudding and cream. It was amazing and quite naughty, but a great way to end our Valentine’s evening. As a treat, Nanny Kay had also bought me a bar of chocolate which looked a bit too tempting. It was 1am by the time I got to bed having had a really nice night with close friends.
I woke up at 8am on Monday 13th February and felt relatively refreshed considering I’d missed sleep on Friday and Saturday nights but had since had about 14 hours sleep, in two lots. I mixed hazelnut spread with tahini and had that with fresh bread for breakfast with a cup of Yorkshire tea. Foolishly, I didn’t have any lunch but was running late to meet Jamie, Mark, Kate, Matt, John, Andrea and Kev in Waterfall bar. Jamie drank coffee but I really fancied a beer so I had 3. Jamie, Kate and I were talking about healthy eating and roast dinners. I decided I’d try doing a Slimming World friendly Sunday dinner at the weekend and invited Matt, Mark, Kate and Jamie. Kate was doing the pudding, I the main and now we’d roped Jamie in for the soup starter. I was merrily going on my way home to make myself some dinner and have a nice relaxing day when I got waylaid. Walking past Jiks I saw Roy and he called me over to join him and Sarah, who I’d not seen since before she moved to Eskiköy in September. I sat down and ordered a glass of red wine but then, almost immediately, Roy left. While Sarah caught me up on some of her life of late I had 2 glasses of red wine and a pizza. It was a bit overdone but I manage to get it down me without realising, as I’d had a few to drink by this time. I went home feeling a bit disappointed that my lack of willpower had let me down (again), I really needed to be more motivated if I wanted to lose weight and stick to my budget. I decided I would really give it more effort this week and try to not get sidetracked on my way home in future.
I was back home in Dalyan before 11am on Sunday 12th February and I could not wait to get a shower and have a sleep! I’d had a short spell away from Dalyan and had been gone for 37 hours. After a cup of Yorkshire tea, I showered first then took out my leftover Sunday dinner (from Lukka bar last week) from the freezer. Next, I cooked and ate some mantı, a Turkish ravioli, as I was starving. Once in bed, I turned my phone on to Do not Disturb, I set my alarm for 7pm so that I could sleep for 7 hours then eat dinner and go back to bed. At 7pm I put my Sunday dinner in the oven and added some additional sucuk, Turkish salami, to the chopped sprouts to make them a bit tastier. I also made up some gravy from an Oxo cube to freshen up and keep the beef moist. It was an absolute delight, my evening was relaxed and I was back in bed by midnight.
On Thursday 9th February I woke up feeling cold despite wearing my dressing gown for bed. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and some cornflakes before getting on with some last minute arrangements for the weekend. For lunch I had a bit of a mixture; 10 olives, 4 gherkins, carrots, pickled onions, and homemade Baba Ganoush with fresh bread. I decided on another no meat day today as I was trying to be extra frugal with the housekeeping. I slipped off the diet somewhat in the afternoon when I ate a small bag of jellies (which I was meant to be packing in my rucksack for the weekend), drank an Efes beer and ate 2 pieces of chocolate orange. I went to Tez bar to say goodbye to Vanessa and Brad. This is why I had the beer, but it was still within my syns and I was under control, honest! I got back on track for dinner with veggie egg fried rice but then ended up having a glass of red wine with some cheese while watching Netflix.
My blog posts were about to get disrupted slightly from today, Friday 10th February. I decided to take a day off from blogging about life. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and some fresh bread with hazelnut spread, to finish it off. At 9.30am I got picked up to go to Fethiye in the morning but was back within a few hours. I made it back in time for a quick shop, where I bought some probiotic drinks, wine gums and satsumas for a total of 46.12 lira (£2). I ate steamed rice with sweetcorn and egg for lunch, before going to Lukka bar for my Turkish class. In the afternoon I accidentally snaffled some crisps because I was peckish then had a veggie pot noodle for dinner. I had managed my 3rd day of no meat and 2nd day of no alcohol this week but I did know that tomorrow I would definitely be going off plan. I packed my bags, including a Tupperware of emergency snacks such as carrots, walnuts, cake, jellies, a satsuma and the rest of the chocolate orange. I tried to have a nap but didn’t get one. My blog would miss a day tomorrow and start again on Sunday.
On Tuesday 7th February I had an appointment with Vanessa and our friend ‘007’ at 11.15am. The Turkish classes were now back at Lukka bar, which although it was nearer to where I lived, it meant we wouldn’t be going to Ela’s Kitchen. The temptation to have a fry up breakfast would be avoided at least though. For lunch we went to Jiks and all ordered the breakfast, mine without eggs and tomatoes, and it was good, but not a patch on the one at Ela’s Kitchen. After lunch, Vanessa and I tried to buy cutters for removing Brad’s stitches but the pharmacist said he needed to go to a doctor for that. Next, we went to singing group at the Merhaba Cafe, in Mico hotel. As we were leaving I got a message from Jamie, he was at Lukka bar with the Beverley sisters if I fancied popping in. I did and I had myself a beer and some peanuts while chatting away. Mark came to meet us for one and then was off to Tez with Kate, so I joined them. Matt, Vanessa and Brad also came to join as Vanessa had said they all fancied a burger. I unexpectedly decided to join them for food and ordered a cheese burger too, completely forgetting I’d already gone way over my syn allowance and that it was Fat Club tomorrow. Matt didn’t want a burger after all and Tez ordered him a tuna and onion pizza from Pizza 48, which luckily arrived at the same time as the burgers. It was the first time I’d had a burger at Tez bar and I have to say it was absolutely delicious. It was really getting cold at night so by 7.30pm I was back home in front of the TV with a blanket over my legs! As I’d already ruined my diet, I went one step further and ate some of the dark chocolate orange from Josh! I’d gone a bit mad on the spending today, despite me still waiting on some money I was owed. Today I’d spent a whopping 500 lira (just less than £22) on lunch, beers and dinner – I would probably regret not being frugal.
It was very cold when I got up at 7.30am on Sunday 5th February. Norman and Edna were still snoozy and Little Ted had slept longer than yesterday. Teddy was a bit overexcited to see me and accidentally caught my lip with his mouth when he was trying to give me kisses. It hurt but it didn’t draw blood so I thought I’d be ok. While I had my cup of tea, all 3 dogs wanted cuddles and they had to share me, begrudgingly. Norman, Little Ted and I were all squeezed in to the arm chair where the dogs had a nice little nap. I didn’t have chance for any breakfast! Every time Norman snored, Little Ted raised his head in a disapproving manner which was funny.
I decided to try walking all 3 of the dogs together but when I went to get my shoes I’d made a massive error. I’d left them out and at some point, Teddy had chewed them. Luckily I had brought another pair of shoes with me as I had an important lunch date that I didn’t want to miss. The walk with 3 dogs was hilarious and I looked like I was going to get tangled up at one point. I’m sure I heard Edna say to Norman ‘Come back, Charlie’. Little Ted was just happy to be out with his new pals and wanted to jump up a lot. I got back, hoping for a shower but the water was off and I looked a state – I didn’t even have any wet wipes. I used the filter water to clean my teeth and wash my face but that would have to do. The rain was torrential just at the time that I needed to leave, and the water came back on as I was going.
Video of Teddy being a bit friendly with his toy
Lukka bar had reopened this weekend and was doing Sunday lunch today. I’d already asked some friends if they fancied it and I’d remembered that Vanessa’s son, Brad, loved a Sunday dinner as she had mentioned they often go out together for one in the UK. We had all pre ordered our meals and agreed to meet at 2pm at Lukka bar. The Beef Sunday dinner was 255 lira (£11.10), the chicken dinner is only 185 lira (£8.05). The portion size is massive so I took Tupperware for any leftovers (I hate wasting food and money). On arrival, Linda and I decided to splash out on a bottle of red wine between us, Nanny Kay was driving so had a soft drink. Brad arrived extremely apologetic having not been able to find where Vanessa had hidden the house keys, making him a tad late. He ordered a beer and I introduced him to Linda and Nanny Kay. Linda and I had lots of cat talk as she was looking after Kate’s 6 cats for the first time in ages and had taken over from Vinnie. When the food came it looked fantastic, there was no cheese sauce on the cauliflower, as advertised, and I had my gravy on the side so I could do damage limitations on my Slimming World diet. Nanny Kay was short on carrots and the Brussel sprouts could do with a few minutes more cooking as they were too hard, so I let the waiter know for future diners. The Yorkshire puddings are phenomenal and the biggest I’ve ever had, this is a good recommendation to a Turkish chef from a Yorkshire lass, who hasn’t been to England for 13 months. I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and the company, we had a break before dessert where I filled my Tupperware with half of my dinner, plus the others’ spare sprouts and Nanny Kay’s left over Yorkshire pud. I had a smaller Tupperware which I intended the apple crumble to go in, however, when it came I couldn’t resist it. We’d all had a jolly good time but the rain was threatening again so we said our farewells. Nanny Kay drove home, Linda cycled to Mark and Kate’s and, as you may have guessed, Brad and I decided we could probably have another drink!
Brad kindly agreed to a dog walk, to walk off a bit of our Sunday dinner and get some exercise for his recovering knee. I had to call in to Captain Caveman’s apartment briefly on the way. As I pointed out to duck under the rose thorns, Brad snapped the stems with his bare hands and tucked them in to the plant – that was that problem solved! We went to Jamie’s and collected all 3 dogs who were obviously pleased to be getting out after being left for 3 hours, Little Ted in his crate. When I told them we would have a walk to the Waterfall, Edna was beside herself with excitement at the chance to see Skippy. Little Ted didn’t remember what Waterfall meant but was enthusiastic regardless. After a walk around the block and round by Poo corner we arrived at the Waterfall. All the dogs were made welcome and a fuss made of them but Skippy wasn’t there to see that I’d not shrunk Norman. Brad and I got chatting, the dogs were quite happy and we ended up having a couple more drinks in the Waterfall where it was toasty warm. We were reassuring ourselves that we were quite fortunate not to be on the all inclusive-big-bender weekend for Alp’s birthday. We knew that without our partners there we’d probably have had alcohol poisoning by now, as well as putting on loads of weight from the all you can eat food! We had a good laugh and when it got to the dog’s dinner time we decided to grab more drinks and go back to Jamie’s.
I never thought to offer Brad the WiFi password at Jamie’s villa and we were just so busy chatting that we didn’t check our phones. After more red wine for me and beer for Brad I decided to do us a curry for dinner. I was a bit drunk and had to do the rice in a pan for the first time in years, the curry was a vegetarian Dahl type so I chucked in some leftover cooked chicken from Jamie’s fridge. It was pretty good and we ate it all, as if we’d not already had a big lunch! We didn’t realise the time until Vanessa messaged to check Brad was ok! As no one had heard from him, and he’d only gone out for Sunday lunch with the ‘oldies’ at 2pm, there were concerns from his girlfriend and parents. It was after midnight when Brad left and I told him to message me once he got home. I got in bed and fell asleep before seeing that message.
joloyolo 