Çalış – 19th May

I met Ma, Pa, Mark, Kate, Vanessa and Matt at the Dalyan bus station at 10.20am on Thursday 19th May and we were off on another adventure! I’d luckily managed to change my breakfast arrangement to Friday and therefore I had not eaten when we got on the bus to Ortaca. At Ortaca we changed to the bus to Fethiye, as there isn’t a direct bus to Çalış. Mark and Kate were going to Fethiye first and the rest of us were going straight to Çalış where we would meet Steve and Michelle for lunch. When we got off the bus at the Citroen garage, ready to walk a few kilometres in to Çalış, a bus arrived which we got on to. I don’t have a Kent card, which is used for transport, so the regular cost was 14 lira (72p) from Dalyan to Ortaca, 28 lira (£1.44) from Ortaca to near Çalış, then 10 lira (51p) in to Çalış itself. The total journey was just over an hour and a half and was quite pleasant. When we arrived at Summer Breeze, a lovely restaurant and bar on the sea front which Julio recommended, most of us had a soft drink and then decided to order a breakfast. The prices were very reasonable and much cheaper than most places in Dalyan so we were quite happy to stay there until Steve, Michelle, Julio, Serem, Mark and Kate were going to join us later. By that time we were well and truly on it with the drinks and were having a lovely time. A guy in white shorts, and no shirt had skated past us showing off his muscles so we, and another table of ‘Brits abroad’ couldn’t help but show their appreciation. He then came back, stopped his skate board in front of us and thanked us for making his day. I didn’t even get my camera out, I was so surprised – you can’t take us anywhere. The rest of the party arrived and we continued to have more drinks, Steve had received positive news from the hospital that his leg was doing well. He didn’t drink but they did have a breakfast and propped up his leg on a spare chair. About 3.30pm Can, the man who sells sunglasses, came round and we all proceeded to try several pairs on. I treated myself to some fake Ray-Ban’s for 250 lira (£12.82) and a couple of others bought a pair.

At 5.15pm we decided to move locations, Julio and Serem had their car so this was useful to get Steve to Charcoal Palace. The rest of us walked, this time I didn’t get lost, and I was able to enjoy the fish and chips I’d missed out on last time. Steve, Michelle and I even ordered an extra battered sausage and chips to share and I thought the food was amazing. I don’t eat peas, tartar sauce or curry sauce but my friends loved the accompaniments. I tried one of Kate’s onion rings and they were very good too but I was conscious of a batter overload. My Dad had said he had not liked the fish and chips last time so I was surprised to see him order them again. This time he said they were better, but still not as good as Tony’s chip shop, back in Mosborough, Sheffield. My Mom and Vanessa decided to order the chicken fajitas and they looked incredible, as did Julio’s chicken shish which he had eaten there before. I couldn’t finish my small portion of fish and chips so I asked to have a doggy bag, unfortunately they forgot and must have thrown it away. Steve and Michelle of course were sensible and went home at a reasonable hour. It had been so good to have a Deep Blue Leg-Ends reunion and of course there were plans for another one next month. Vanessa, Matt and my parents also decided that getting a taxi back from Çalış to Dalyan for 600 lira (£30.77) would be a good option and for the 4 of them it worked out £15 per couple – well worth it!

I could tell that Kate was on her way to getting merry as she had started to speak more Turkish to Serem, at first we were exchanging idioms but we were slowly getting off track and had to resort to speaking English. Mark had considered going home at a decent time too, but Kate was out out – we were also expecting another couple of their friends to arrive. I decided I would share the taxi back with Mark and Kate as even 200 lira each would be a reasonable amount. I joined Mark, Kate, Julio, Serem, Adam & Damla for a drink in Motto bar which turned in to a few more for some of the contingent. We eventually got a taxi after Kate negotiated the bar man down to an excellent price of 500 lira. The journey back started with Kate being chatty but then she fell asleep, Mark said almost nothing the whole way back and the Fethiye shopping made it back to Dalyan. I got dropped off at home and gave 200 lira to Kate regardless of the taxi price. It was midnight when we got in and it had been a long day with lots of laughter, great food and a fair bit to drink. It was worth it to see Steve and Michelle again but I was a bit sad when it suddenly dawned on me that I wouldn’t be in Turkey for the next Deep Blue Leg-Ends get-togethers!

Dalyan – 16th May

I woke up on Monday 16th May to news that Captain Caveman had booked my flight to go to Vietnam next month and all I had to do was apply for a visa online. The cats were fed, the plants were watered and I had fruit cake with Red Leicester cheese for breakfast. In the afternoon I cycled back to Captain Caveman’s apartment on Mark’s electric bicycle to be greeted by a tortoise. I had no idea how it had got to be shade-bathing near to Amanda and Greg’s apartment but it was surprisingly spritely. I tried to feed it some leaves but to no avail and so I left it where it was to wander about, while I put some washing in. The pool was starting to look much better for a clean and a refill and I looked forward to getting in it when I moved back home, in a few days time.

That afternoon I met up with my parents, Des had gone to Kargıcak beach for the day with a friend. We decided on a visit to Dalyano where I had a couple of margaritas (well, it was a Monday) at 90 lira (£4.60) each. They were pricey but very good and the place was very busy for a Monday afternoon. For dinner we went to Yakamoz which has always been a firm family favourite and, as we ordered wine, I remembered when I came here with Kelly, Claire and Clare – it seemed so long ago now. The staff at Yakamoz were lovely and even took some group photos of us, despite the strong sunlight intruding on the quality of the images. Dad and I drank red wine to go with our beef casseroles while Mom had white wine to go with her fresh fish and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there.
By 7.30pm I had to get back to Mark and Kate’s for the cats so I said bye and rode off. Tomorrow I had a very busy day ahead and I needed to get organised to start to leave Dalyan.

Dalyan – 15th May

Sunday 15th May was great! After sorting out the cats and plants, I made myself tea and toast then got back in to bed. The Deep Blue Leg-Ends had another couple of outings in the diary and this morning we all got an invite to Steve and Michelle’s 40th birthday in Rhodes in September. Steve, who had broken his leg in Deep Blue Bar last month, had to go back to the Fethiye hospital so we decided we would have a small reunion, in Çalış when Mark and Kate got back from England. JC and Kylie, the cats, decided they were going to stay out of the sun today and were lolling about in the living area.
My parents had a walk over to Mark and Kate’s to surprise me with another visit. The 3 of us chose to try Dalyan Bungalows, which we had noticed from the ferry last week. It’s a fairly new place and we thought we’d give it a go for the afternoon. Surprisingly, beers were only 40 lira (£2 at the time) and the menu was quite varied. Mom had beer, I had an orange juice and Dad ordered a large white wine. This was 80 lira a glass and also confused things because any subsequent wines we ordered were just the standard size but still cost 80 lira. My parents ordered a main dish but I wasn’t that hungry because it was so hot. I ordered a couple of mezes as a main and the waiter asked if we wanted to share a salad. This came with the starters but it went on the bill as 80 lira as well, which is a little pricey for a salad we didn’t really choose the ingredients of.
The food was nice, the views great and the place has a very good ambience about it. After lunch we decided to move to a comfier seating area in the shade with a glass of wine to relax.

I was back in the sex swing by 5pm and word must have got out with the neighbourhood cats that there may be some treats going. An imposter cat who looked like it could be Casha’s mother had popped over to get some attention. By 6pm I was watching the sun go down on the jetty with a glass of red wine.
For dinner I made myself a simple pasta dish, had an extra glass of red wine and went to bed. In bed I watched Bad Vegan on Netflix and then looked at flights to Vietnam. From tomorrow a negative PCR test was no longer needed to enter the country which meant it might make it easier for me to be able to extend or get another visa after the first 30 day one runs out. As I fell asleep I had no idea just how good this next week was going to be, let alone the rest of May!

Dalyan – 28th April

On Thursday 28th April I was busy; I sorted out an airport pickup taxi for my friend who would arrive tonight. I had a new cat and house sitting responsibility for a few days while Debbie (Darling) and Roy went off to Istanbul for his emergency surgery. I popped over to see my parents on the way to Debbie’s, where I would be staying for about 4 days. The cats were lovely but definitely not as well behaved as Kate’s however they would probably be low maintenance and be out a lot – a bit like their owner. Debbie (Darling)’s house did have the added benefit of having a cleaner and I even got some chocolate orange left on my pillow!
For dinner I suggested we try Mahir restaurant in the mosque square and we also would meet my friend there too. I first met Des at Momma D’s rooftop bar in Phong Nha, Vietnam. Captain Caveman and I became good friends with him and we had some good times. He is the same guy who is unlucky on dates wherever dogs are around and had an horrendous experience leaving Vietnam, once they stopped extending tourist visas during the pandemic. Des was going to be staying at the Tufan apartments, a little out of the main centre of town, for a whole month in Dalyan. I hoped he would like Dalyan and I was already concerned he might find it a bit boring or too expensive.
When he arrived it was great to see him, he looked well. He no longer had long hair, had put some weight on and had been working out. I introduced him to my parents and he sat down to eat with us. We had beers and ordered food which was all Turkish meals except for me. Dad had meatballs again, but this time with cheese on, Mom had lamb shish, Des had Adana kebab and I had fish and chips. All the food was lovely and we said we would definitely eat there again, the prices were pretty reasonable as well. My fish and chips was 85 lira (£4.60) and the batter was excellent. The service was good too and after we had eaten we were given some ‘erik,’ which were green plums, and a chocolate each. We didn’t stay out late though as Des and I had a busy one planned for his first full day in Dalyan tomorrow.

Dalyan – 20th & 21st April

On Wednesday 20th April I wandered in to town ready for my Turkish lesson at noon and really enjoyed the class again. It was certainly a sign that the holiday makers were back in Dalyan because on the way to town I passed 2 shirtless fellas – it wasn’t that warm! After our class, Vanessa and I went to Okyanus for lunch, it’s becoming one of our favourite places to eat and drink on account of the nice people who work there and the good value for money on their menu. I had a chicken wrap, Vanessa had a tuna sandwich and we both enjoyed a good meal. Mark and Kate were already back from a trip to Ortaca so Kate came to join us at Okyanus. We had more drink, while Kate ate some food and then we went to join Mark, Matt and the rest of the pool group at Retro bar. It’s becoming one of my favourite bars in town on account of the music playlists the owner, Nazim, has playing – it lives up to the name.
That evening a group of us went to the Four Seasons restaurant to eat dinner, we’d not been there for a few years. The prices of steaks were easily double what I had paid on the last time I ate a steak at a restaurant in Dalyan but I really fancied one. I had the mushroom soup to start and a plain steak for main and couldn’t fault it. My meal with 2 glasses of red wine came to 400 lira (£22) and was one of the nicest meals I have had recently. My fellow diners really enjoyed the prawns and stuffed mushroom starters and the mains were excellent too; beef fajitas, chicken curry, mixed casserole, and onion steak. There was even a complimentary cheesecake for us to try which we could only just manage on account of being too full. Our waiter happened to be the painter who had decorated my parents’ place, and he and the other staff were very good. We ended up having a great night and even had a dance to Pitbull before we left.
I decided to sleep at my parents’ apartment that night so I didn’t need to cycle or get a taxi back to Mark and Kate’s.

I had a fairly quiet day on Thursday 21st April; I was back at Mark and Kate’s around lunch time and plopped myself at my laptop for the afternoon. I had arranged to meet Maddie and the rest of the gang for a bit of a welcome back drink at Tez bar from 6pm. Mark and Kate were staying in so I borrowed Mark’s electric bicycle to get there quicker. It was good to see Maddie, who was back for nearly 3 months, Tez bar was mega busy with everyone who had come to welcome her back, which was nice. I only had a couple of drinks before heading back to my temporary home. Tomorrow I was off on a trip to Fethiye with family and friends – I was definitely looking forward to a change of scenery.

Dalyan – 16th & 17th April

On Saturday 16th April I got up fairly early and went out to the market. First, I cycled over to my parents’, put some of my stuff away and went to make up the spare bed so I could stay there when I needed to. Bluey2 was doing really well cycling on the Dalyan roads now and I was enjoying being able to ride about like a local. I was in a rush at the Dalyan market today because I’d planned to meet Jamie for lunch but I bumped in to quite a few friends and got talking. In the end I bought just a few bits and went back to my mom’s to put stuff in the fridge.
I met Jamie at Porta Dalya where he was nursing a hangover after a boat trip with Turgay yesterday, who also rocked up to say a quick hello. The restaurant had no pasta left so Jamie had a pizza and I had chicken breast and chips which was tasty but it wasn’t our favourite chicken alfredo. It was good to see Jamie back in town and have a brief catch up but we both had prior engagements to attend in the afternoon. I met Vanessa, Jackie and Tracey at Rehab bar and the usual pool games were underway. When everyone had gone I sat and had a good chat with Jackie and Chris, we had more drinks and then found ourselves going for a bit of an impromptu dinner at River House. At River House Chris ordered liver and onions, Jackie had the chicken with almonds and I had chicken with halloumi. Jackie and I also shared a carafe of white wine, the food and wine was reasonably priced and we all enjoyed it. Kate messaged to tell me she had made me a treat and wanted to know if I was coming back to their’s. Not wanting to miss out on anything, and while it was still daylight, I set off on Bluey2 and just made it to Mark and Kate’s as it went dark. I was excited to find that Kate had made proper Cornish pasties which were fantastic, she’d made me some curry paste too and had got the fruit soaking in readiness for Christmas cake making tomorrow.

I decided to cycle Bluey2 to town on the morning of Sunday 17th April. Kate was up and about early with her usual routine of cats and plants, Mark was still in bed.
I had more visitors to Dalyan who had brought me some treats out which I was very grateful for; Yorkshire tea, a bottle of Silent Pool Gin and some slow cooker sachets. The day started with us going out to get some milk at about 2pm. Having waited ages for the washing machine to stop and it didn’t, we left it and went for a late lunch with wine at Bistro Blue. It had only recently opened for the season so it was nice to see Selahı and Annie again. I had the beef fajita wrap, my fellow diners had the warm liver and onion salad and we all had a couple of glasses of wine. Next we went to River Terrace where we had beers and one of the party got confused when returning from the toilet and couldn’t find her way out to the bar. She ended up slipping out the back exit and walking round on the road, which made for much amusement for the rest of us. Mark and Kate came to join us and we decided to go to Yener’s Place for dinner. I stuck to beer as the wine was very pricey at 370 lira (£20) for a bottle of red wine, but the food wasn’t bad. I couldn’t eat all my İskender kebab so took half home, the others had casserole, beef fajitas, lamb shank and chicken with pineapple. It was a lovely night and I appreciated Kate making the effort to come out to meet my visitors as they had not yet met. By 10.30pm Mark, Kate and I were back at their house where Kate had made 4 Christmas cakes. She gave me one which was really kind and meant Mark wouldn’t have to be mardy about me eating any of his.

Dalyan – 27th March

Sunday 27th March was a great day in Dalyan, the sun was shining and I still didn’t have any Corona symptoms – I was feeling a lot luckier than some of my friends too. As I had invited 6 people over to mine this evening for a meal, it was time to get preparing and get out the spare chairs.
I decided I would have a tidy up and make some veggie wraps for a starter, taking in to account allergies. The beef, potatoes, carrots and curry paste were already in the slow cooker and would be ready before lunch time as I’d been up so early.
I popped to Migros supermarket for a few essentials and here’s what I bought:

Fresh bread 3.00
1 bag of pasta 4.20
Hummus 15.05
2 Avocados 15.90
1 bag jasmine rice 16.50
1 jar of peanut butter 17.95
Cling film 19.90
1 lipsyl 24.95
Lavaş wraps 26.50
1 bottle of red wine 56.90
2 packets of sanitary towels 71.60

Total spent 272.45 lira (£14.16)

By lunch timetime I had eaten a couple of the wraps to test them out. They both had carrot, red pepper and avocado in but some with peanut butter and some with tahini – they were quite nice and very healthy.
I transferred the cooked beef masaman curry in to a pan and washed my jasmine rice, ready to put it on while I went out to meet my mates.
Vanessa came over around 2pm for us to do our Turkish homework together, I was out of water so we had to have wine! By the time it got to 4pm we still hadn’t finished it but had arranged to meet Matt, Julie, Gareth, Mark and Kate at Okyanus for a drink. I bunged the rice in the slow cooker and off we went. We had a couple of drinks there while sat in the sun then, decided to grab some wine and beers from the shop and go back to mine. Julie and Gareth felt they were imposing but I insisted there was enough to go round and was glad I’d made the starter. Of course the rice was overdone having been at Okyanus an hour after I should have turned it off but we made do. There was just enough room for the 7 of us, we had a good laugh and gave the ball a right old kick. The masaman curry went down well and I even got my cheese and pickles out for afters – it would have been lovely with a bit of fruit cake too! Some people had a bit too much wine, including Kate, who refused to go home and fell over. Her and Mark were eventually the last to leave after the 2nd taxi was called and I insisted they go home as I had work tomorrow and still wanted to watch the Grand Prix, which I had recorded.
I managed to watch the Grand Prix, drink more wine and go to sleep in the early hours of Monday morning, after a fun-filled weekend.

Dalyan – 7th March

Rain stopped the work on my parents’ apartment on Monday 7th March and the pool at Captain Caveman’s Turkish apartment overflowed. I struggled to guess my wordle games this morning but eventually managed it. I tried a new one called Nerdle, which Kate had recommended to me, then I suggested it to Captain Caveman. He was now on his way back to Phong Nha, having been to visit Raj at Curry King in Tam Coc.

After being on my laptop until lunch time, I popped to Migros supermarket for some shopping, here’s what was in my basket:

Bread 3.00
1 simit 3.27
Pasta 3.64
Chocolate 7.12
Turkey slices 9.45
2 Bounties 9.74
Toastie loaf 10.95
6 eggs 13.98
Salami 14.72
Crisps 16.31
Chicken 46.30

Total spent 138.38 lira (£7.45)

Back home I had a simit with cheese spread and crisps for lunch, then strawberries with yoghurt and honey for afters.

As I had leftover Sunday dinner, I ate that and really enjoyed it for my evening meal, with a bit of broccoli from the freezer. Before I went out that night, I called to check my parents’ place was locked and I noticed that the gardener had been round. This was unusual as the weather had been awful and they don’t usual start cutting the grass until April. I took some photos so I could let Ma & Pa know about it and went to join Penny, Phil, John, Mark and Kate for more Monday Mayhem.

The specialist section of the Wonky’s quiz this week was James Bond, of which I knew very little about. Lucky for Penny and I, Kate had taken control of the whole thing. While Phil and John got bossed about, I just drank my wine and let them get on with it, until it got to the music round. By the end of the night, though, some of our team was a little inebriated and I had to resort to some cheering up tactics. I had to pull out the only thing I knew couldn’t fail to take one’s mind away from one’s problems! My secret skill is I can flip a considerable amount of beer mats with one hand. Mark didn’t believe I could do it, so I told him to video it! It had been a while, but my Dad had taught me well and, after steadily building them up one or two at a time, and numerous failed attempts, I managed it. By this time Mark had got bored of filming and, if I remember correctly, Kate was having a Bailey’s. As soon as filming stopped, the pressure was off and I managed to flip the 20 beer mats – Dad would have been proud!
Mark and Kate left by taxi, instead of cycling, and Penny kindly gave me a lift home. I had arranged to meet Kate at 2pm tomorrow as we were off to try something new.

1st attempt of the beer mat trick – video by Mark

4th attempt at the beer mat trick, 12 beer mats – video by Mark

7th attempt at the beer mat trick, 20 beer mats – video by Mark

Dalyan – 1st to 3rd March

I’d successfully survived 5 months of being in Turkey without Captain Caveman and my first month of working online. Tuesday 1st March started with the realisation that my internet was off. It needed renewing on the 28th February but I’d overlooked this so I trotted off to the Captain Net office to sort it out. I walked through the roadworks and noticed there was progress but it was still moving slowly. The lady at Captain Net saw I had some English money in my purse and asked if she could buy a £20 and a £10 from me for ‘her piggy bank’ and I agreed. The rate was 18.5 lira to the pound now and looking likely to go up again. Back home, with the internet back on, I read an amusing article on Facebook from Vietnam about having sex during Corona.
I hadn’t eaten breakfast so I had beans on toast for lunch while pondering my choices for dinner. That’s when I got the bad news; today was actually Pancake Day! I was confused, I had no idea why I had thought it was last week but felt pp certain I had read it somewhere. Never one to pass by an opportunity to eat pancakes, I whisked up a mixture and popped it in the fridge. I decided beef stew would go with it for dinner but I just had the one then decided to join friends for a cheeky vino.
I met Mark, Kate, Andy and Kaye at Lukka bar for a drink and Kate had brought me some Thai curry paste from her trip back to England. She worked out it would be easy enough to make here and set about sourcing some of the ingredients, such as lemongrass, from an App called Trendyol which a lot of people use over here. Kate, Kaye and I chatted while Mark and Andy played pool. The consensus with everyone, but Mark, was that it wouldn’t be a late one however, as can often be the case, that didn’t quite pan out. Kaye and Kate decided they were going home, I’d ordered a 2nd glass of wine, the blokes were playing pool and arm wrestling with Appo, the waiter. Mark insisted on Kate staying for another drink as he didn’t want to go home yet. I could see he was being daft so I offered to drink some of the bottle of wine he’d just ordered so they could leave sooner – I’m kind like that! It didn’t work and everyone went home, leaving Mark playing pool with the staff. It was after midnight when I failed to force-feed pancakes to my impromptu house guest, despite my best efforts to help sober him up.

On Wednesday 2nd March I woke up late and got ready for my Turkish class. I met Kate at Lukka, she had brought her blanket to crochet while I had my lesson then I stayed and had lunch while she had her lesson. I tried the chicken and mushroom penne and it was a really tasty and healthy sized portion. I chatted with Katrina and Abi who were having sweet and sour chicken, another dish I needed to try. When Kate finished her class she was heading up to Rehab bar and asked me to join her. The cleaner was at mine so I agreed, despite the heavy rain, the new road was starting to flood and by the time we got there we were soaking wet. I had a Turkish cider while we took off our layers and arranged wet belongings in front of the heater. The blokes were playing pool, as they do on a Saturday afternoon, and there was some banter going on. One bloke was in trouble with his wife because he’d bought cucumbers instead of courgettes and had to traipse back out in the pouring rain to get the right vegetables.
My Sheffield friends, Vanessa and Matt, had flown from England to Antalya and were currently on a coach to Ortaca. We were all looking forward to them being back in Dalyan about 5.30pm so, after pool, we hung about in Rehab bar for them to arrive. When they arrived we all had hugs (get the LFTs at the ready) and it was great to see them. More drinks followed but I still limited it to just the 3 ciders as I didn’t want to go mad. Unfortunately, we experienced a new first in Dalyan and had a bad meal. We ordered a takeaway, to eat in Rehab bar, which was pretty terrible but we were all hungry. Vanessa ordered a pide which looked like burnt cheese on toast, Matt and Mark ate their’s without complaint, Kate and I had a chicken burger each and shared chips – the chicken burgers were grey inside. We still ate it all though, but made a note not to have another takeaway from the burger place next door to Rodrigo’s bar. It was definitely the worst meal I’ve had since I’ve been here. I walked home with Vanessa and Matt and was home by 9pm to a newly cleaned apartment and an early night.

I had cornflakes for breakfast on Thursday 3rd March then did a bit of work before going to meet Ann at Porta Dalya. As I was leaving the house, Penny called but I didn’t answer it because I didn’t want to be late.
When I arrived, Ann had already got a coffee and I ordered a diet coke. When our lunch arrived Ann had underestimated the spicy arrabbiata sauce on her pasta and had to get some yoghurt. I stuck with the chicken and mushroom Alfredo which is always a winner. We had 1 glass of wine each and then we were sensible and went home.
I called Penny back and she was at Lukka bar, my loaned bicycle was ready to pick up, so I went to meet her. When I arrived there was quite a crowd sat drinking in the sun. I ordered a cider but then my phone rang, it was Captain Caveman so I went back to the apartment so we could chat. He had an invitation for me! Vietnam had been promising to open to international arrivals and the date was set for 15th March. He wanted to know if I wanted to come to visit sometime in May or June for a few weeks and, of course, I said yes! His colleague has a wife who was keen to visit too, so Captain Caveman put us in touch to discuss travelling out there together. He sent me his schedule up to July and he’d got some tours back-to-back to accommodate gaps in which I would be able to visit. I went back to the bar feeling delighted that I would be getting to see my other half within the next 3 months. I drank my cider with a big smile on my face, then Penny drove me to her villa to pick up the bicycle. I cycled it back to Lukka not knowing it had gears so found it was like peddling through treacle. It certainly warmed me up and I was once again, mobile! Having got a bit of a sweat on from cycling, I ordered another cider, not realising I had missed an upsetting incident. Debbie (Darling)’s street dogs, Socks and Brin, had gone on a cat chase with a terrible result, Socks was in the dog house and tied up at the bar, Debbie was upset. Sheila arrived next and we got chatting about music and her accordian playing. She is part of a singing group in Dalyan, which Kate and I got invited to and we agreed to give it a try next week. I didn’t stay much longer and went home for a good home cooked dinner of stew, Yorkshire pudding and broccoli.
Before bed, I checked the cost of flights to Vietnam, there were no direct ones as yet but the ones via Singapore Airlines were £581 return. I was so excited to perhaps be able to plan to see Captain Caveman, that it took me a long time to get to sleep!

Dalyan – 18th to 20th February

I had more grapefruit for breakfast on Friday 18th February and I had invited Ann over tonight for curry. I got on with making that and had more Baba Ghanoush with bread for lunch. It was my weekly weigh-in day and I had put on 1kg which was disappointing, but not surprising.
When Ann arrived at about 6pm I already had a beer on the go but she brought round 2 bottles of white wine and I’d already bought 1. She also bought me an ornament for the apartment which was very thoughtful. We decided to go to Lukka bar for just 1 drink and we did just that and came back so that we could eat chicken curry. The food turned out well and we had a good night, listening to music and even dancing. At one point we both managed to do a plank for at least 30 seconds! Ann couldn’t stay over because of the dogs and left about midnight, having had a great night. It made me appreciate not having any neighbours so we could have the music loud and sing.

I finally got round to opening the plum jam I bought in Fethiye before Christmas on Saturday 19th February. I had it on toast for my breakfast and it was really good with massive pieces of plums in. The spinach I had taken out of the freezer, in an attempt to make Saag Aloo yesterday, had finally defrosted so I made it today instead. I had managed to find most of the ingredients that I needed here but because I can’t eat chillies, I left them out. The curry that night was good but I didn’t eat too much of it – there was still some leftover too. I had a couple of glasses of white wine and a relatively early night, despite the noise of the Jazz bar keeping me awake.

I was pleased to speak to Captain Caveman on Sunday 20th February at 9.30am. We used the background changing function on the phones which looks as if you are somewhere else. I showed Captain Caveman that you could do this with a photo or video from your own phone. We were definitely missing each other now and this week would mark 5 months of us living in different countries. It wasn’t the longest we had spent apart in the 10 years together, but it was still hard and there was another 6 months to go, if we stuck to the plan. Captain Caveman had a week off coming up so he had planned to go to Hanoi – the trains had recently recommenced since they stopped due to the pandemic. I had toast with plum jam for breakfast and went shopping to Migros and A101 in the afternoon. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira:

A101 Supermarket

3 onions 1.64
2 soda waters 3.80
3 red peppers 8.35
Toothpaste 22.90
White cheese 25.20

Total spent 61.89 lira (£3.32)

Migros Supermarket

Cornflakes 9.30
Quark 9.30
Tomato paste 10.24
Turkish salami 13.04
1 litre milk 14.91
500g chicken 20.22
500g minced beef 35.25
Red cheddar 46.71

Total spent 158.97 lira (£8.52)

Although the prices in English seemed cheap because of the current exchange rate, I was still using Turkish money that had been deposited at almost a third of the rate so my shopping today had cost me more like £36!

I wasn’t hungry so I didn’t have lunch but I had yet more chicken curry and Saag Aloo left for my dinner. I even warmed up some lavaş bread to have with it.
I was about to start my 3rd week of being busy so I got on with a couple of tasks to make it easier for time off in the week if I needed it. It was a great weekend, mainly spent at home instead of in the pub, for a change! The rest of the curry went in the freezer as I think I might have eaten enough of it for now.

Dalyan – 16th & 17th February

My Turkish class on Wednesday 16th February was great and I really enjoyed it. After I finished the class, I was waiting for Debbie (Darling), as arranged, to go to the doctor’s for our booster vaccines. I’d also arranged to meet Sabine and Ray who were selling citrus fruit for charity and the time slightly overlapped. Debbie (Darling) didn’t turn up and I’d already been playing lightsabers with Katrina’s child, for too long. I went without her, but at the Doctor’s they had ran out of Pfizer vaccines and told me to come back next week. I headed back along the river to meet Sabine and Ray at River Terrace for a drink in the sunshine by the river. I managed just 2 diet cokes and a really good chat with my friends. Katrina joined us and I took home a kilogram each of oranges, grapefruit and lemons for 10 lira (54p) which was an absolute bargain!
That night I tackled the mystery meal which happened to be chicken chasseur so I was lucky to have it with rice. I had the carrot cake from Sara for pudding and one of the oranges I bought earlier, both were great.

I started out with good intentions on Thursday 17th February and had half a grapefruit for breakfast. It was so sweet and juicy and I was glad I’d bought them. Today the weather was looking good so I went to Migros supermarket and had planned for another evening at home.
My shopping bag consisted of:

2 onions 0.79
Bread 3.00
Caramac chocolate 9.30
Cumin seeds 11.12
Curry powder 11.92
Turmeric 12.06
Hummus 15.05
1 pack of jasmine rice 16.74
2 bags of crisps 17.50
650g natural yoghurt 20.99
1 packet of wraps 23.50
Dustpan and brush 32.96

Total spent 174.93 lira (£9.50)

I had a macaroon for lunch and tried to crack on with some emails, only to find that an email wouldn’t send and I needed it to. I decided I would nip to Lukka bar and try to send my email from there. When I arrived some of the pool lads were having a game so I went over to say hello. I ended up having a red wine while I sorted out my admin and watched the pool match. It turned in to a late night with a few glasses of red wine and a snack of Baba Ghanoush at gone midnight!

Dalyan – 14th & 15th February

I’d stayed up late watching Netflix the previous night so I didn’t wake up in time for a chat with Captain Caveman on Monday 14th February. It was Valentine’s day but, obviously, we wouldn’t be celebrating it together. I got a message from Tatas wishing me a Happy Valentine’s Day though, which was nice. I didn’t bother with breakfast and was making pasta bolognese when Captain Caveman called, it was already early evening in Vietnam. We talked about the possibility of me going back to Vietnam for a visit this summer, if the visa and tourism opportunity allows, but it looked likely that the visa would be 30 days maximum. There was also no way that Captain Caveman could take any time off and would probably be working 22 days out of 30, no matter when I went. After my lunch I walked to my parents’ to take more photos of what needed to be painted and look for a missing patio door key. I found it in a box of freezer bags in one of several drawers I searched through. I started the word game Quordle which is more difficult than Wordle but good and I’m now getting better at Wordle. In the afternoon Sara, from River Terrace, popped round with some Valentine’s Day treats; chocolate truffles, chocolate brownies, chocolate covered strawberries and a slice of carrot cake. As I wouldn’t be seeing my partner to celebrate Valentine’s Day I had an exciting evening planned with the girls instead.
Finally we were getting the chance to go to Yolo, a restaurant near to the petrol station on Atatürk Boulevard. I’d arranged for us to go on a ‘Galentine’s’ night out, with the intention of spending Valentine’s Day with the ‘gals’ instead of ‘absent’ men. Ann came over to mine just as Sara was leaving and she had one of the chocolate truffles with me – they were very good. We went to Jiks to meet Debbie (Darling) before we met Nanny Kay, Sarah and her friend, Rachel, at the restaurant. Yolo was busy and we hadn’t booked, I’d niavely thought there was no need to book but we managed to get a table for the 6 of us. The wine was a whopping 240 lira (£12.95) a bottle and the first white that was tried wasn’t good but we got lots of free mezes. Nanny Kay and I splashed out and shared a bottle of red wine and, I ate my pepper steak with jacket potato and salad. My steak at Yolo was excellent but it’s definitely not the cheapest place to eat. After we finished eating, the musician put the volume up and Yasemin, the waitress from Lukka bar, came over to get everyone up dancing. It was a great night but we left relatively early as Nanny Kay’s taxi had arrived and Ann was cycling home.

I woke up early on Tuesday 15th February to news that my Zumba class was cancelled this week. Three people had tested positive for Corona so we were unable to meet and anyone with symptoms was asked to do a lateral flow test.
I read in the news an article pondering if Vietnam will open up for tourists, more here:
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/1155051/viet-nam-could-fully-reopen-international-tourism-from-mid-march.html
For breakfast I had chocolate covered strawberries, I took out a mystery frozen meal for tonight, then got ready for my lunch appointment with a new friend. We decided to meet at what used to be called Iz cafe and has now changed to Velvet cafe after it was Moto Lee for a while. We spent several hours there and ate a tasty lunch at a very reasonable cost. I had chicken shish, my friend had meatballs, both with chips, rice and side salad plus drinks for a total of 176 lira (£9.50). We only left as I needed to pick up my macaroons from Lukka bar, which Louise had left there. When I arrived I sat with Debbie (Darling) and Sue who were enjoying an afternoon beverage or two. I picked up my macaroons and Louise had given me a piece of home made cheesecake to try. I dropped them off home and rejoined Debbie (Darling), Sue, Sarah and Fiona at Tez bar. A little later Mark and Kate joined us and we ended up all having a good laugh. When I got home it was gone 8pm and I’d had 3 beers, I didn’t really fancy the mystery freezer food so I had the cheesecake for my dinner – it was very nice. Later I had a macaroon, which was delightful then some roasted chestnuts and I had an early night.

Dalyan – 7th to 10th February

When I got up on Monday 7th February I discovered several people I knew, and had been out at the weekend, had either symptoms of, or tested positive for Corona. I decided it would be a good idea to do a lateral flow test despite not having any symptoms, just in case. While I waited the 15 minutes for the result I read in the news that schools in Vietnam would reopen at last, more here:
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20220207/vietnam-starts-reopening-schools-after-yearlong-pandemic-closure/65605.html
There was also an article about how the people in Vietnam were queuing for Corona tests, following the Tet holiday:
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20220207/in-vietnam-people-queue-for-covid19-tests-after-tet-holiday/65601.html
Luckily, I was negative because at 2pm I had a meeting with a decorator. This is when I noticed I was missing a glove and that my boots were a mess from walking through the roadworks after the party at Sofra bar at the weekend. In the afternoon I went to Migros for some shopping, where I bought the following:

Bread 2.50
3 apples 5.31
Orange juice 7.45
Crisps 7.90
Milk 11.75
Honey 18.25
Bowl (for popcorn) 24.95
5 Babybel cheeses 26.95

Total spent 105.06 lira (£5.70)

I was pleased to finally find a bowl for popcorn but then remembered the popcorn maker lid was missing so I didn’t get to use it. I had a very late lunch of bread with homemade baba ghanoush, a Babybel cheese, some crisps and an apple. I also cooked a 3 egg omelette to go in rice for dinner later. I made sweet and sour chicken to go with the egg fried rice for dinner which I really enjoyed. I also marinated some chicken in tandoori tikka paste for tomorrow. Captain Caveman had invited Tatas round to his place in Phong Nha and they were drinking wine, we had a video call and I saw he was cooking bacon pasta for her to try and he was pretty drunk as she had taken wine round. It was good to see them and I missed being there, drinking wine and talking about cave issues. It had been a pleasant day, my 2nd week of doing some work where I had managed 5 hours today as well as being a domestic Goddess! I’d also decided that tomorrow I would try something new in my ‘lunch hour’.

When I woke up on Tuesday 8th February I read the news that a Chinese city near the Vietnamese border was in lockdown due to Corona, more here:
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20220207/china-locks-down-city-of-35-million-near-vietnam-border/65600.html
In Dalyan it was windy, bad weather and lots of rain was forecast. I didn’t have any breakfast as I had an exciting event planned at midday which I needed to ensure my stomach was good for.
Because I’d clearly found it easy enough to dance for quite a while at Alp’s birthday party, without too much pain, it was time to get more active. I joined Maria’s Zumba Gold class with a few other ladies and I’d gone for the easy session as this group is better for my leg. I foolishly stood at the front of the class which meant I had to keep going and had no chance for a cheeky rest. I actually enjoyed it and I was worn out after dancing for about an hour. Back home I had baba ghanoush, bread, Babybel cheese, crisps and some fruit cake for lunch and had a busy afternoon. I did my Turkish homework and accidentally finished the worksheet because I’m enjoying being on fuller sentences. I made tandoori chicken for dinner with rice and had plenty of leftovers for the freezer along with the rest of the sweet and sour chicken.
I spoke to Captain Caveman who really made me laugh when I asked him if he had any plans for Valentine’s Day. His response was ‘I think the answer you want to hear is no’! Unfortunately there was some sad news; poor Carrot, the Elements Collection dog, had died! Captain Caveman didn’t know the details just that he was gone.
I finished the night off with something on Netflix and some chocolate orange.

At my Turkish class on Wednesday 9th February we learned even more useful sentences. It was a lovely sunny day in Dalyan, although in nearby Köyceğiz there was a big storm which caused flooding, more here:
https://youtu.be/SASXGcrsSM0
When I went to the bank I saw that there was more progress on the road improvements but it still seemed to be taking a long time to finish.
I had more baba ghanoush with fresh bread and a Babybel cheese for lunch (no crisps today) then had sweet and sour chicken with steamed rice for dinner. It happened to be the 3rd day of me not having an alcoholic drink so it was only about right that Ann and I should plan to meet up tomorrow for a cheeky afternoon wine with some of our friends.

I was at King Emlak to see Leanne at 11am on Thursday 10th February. Captain Caveman had asked me to pay the council tax and it was proving difficult without any paperwork so Leanne was helping me sort it out. We had a good chat and then I went to my Zumba Gold class. I had leftover sweet and sour chicken for lunch, then popped to Lukka bar to meet more decorators. It was a sunny afternoon, Penny and Phil were there so I sat for a chat but didn’t get a beverage, until after the meeting. I joined Penny and Phil for a white wine and soda while sat outside in the sun. I’d arranged to meet Ann, Sarah and Debbie (Darling) at Wonky’s but Ann came to join us at Lukka for one.
We got to Wonky’s late, Debbie (Darling) had decided not to join us and Sarah was working and on the phone. After one wine we decided to go to Porta Dalya for some dinner and more wine, the place was busy but welcoming. I should have stuck with having the pasta, like Sarah did, but I opted for the chicken shish and Ann had the chicken schnitzel. Mine was fine but I do prefer the chicken and mushroom Alfredo from there. While we were eating Ann said that she had seen Mal earlier who mentioned meeting up with a few of the other expats so we went to a new bar. It wasn’t officially open yet but in we went and had a jolly good night.

Dalyan – 24th & 25th January

I have no idea what time it was when I went to bed in the early hours of Monday 24th January after the frivolities of the night before’s Comedy night at Lukka Bar. The initial CSI style evidence check downstairs showed that we had drank whiskey, white wine and red wine, there was a coffee cup but I don’t have coffee in the house. I found soda water and Coke zero in the fridge, the apartment was very tidy still, there was a nice scarf on the sofa, a pair of black leather gloves, a couple of blankets and lots of glitter! I checked my phone and gleaned information from the other ‘party people’ that when we got back I had put Rod Stewart on the music channel, which was great as I didn’t even know how to, and it must have been a request as it would never be my choice of artist. I messaged the rest of the gang to all meet in Jiks at 1.30pm for a ‘post-piss-up’ debrief over much needed food, not realising at the time that most wouldn’t make it.
At Jiks there was a glimmer of sun so they had all the doors open and it was freezing, I was the first to arrive and ordered an orange juice and a cup of tea. Due to hangovers it was a slim turn out, I had a bacon sandwich and another juice, I could hardly eat it and was about to go back home to bed but the sun was out and a window table became free so we moved.
I was about to go home, after leaving most of my breakfast, when Roy had the bright idea to have a wander round to Tez bar for a bit more sun as it was really warming up a bit now. As it was on my way home we decided to join some others there and this time I had an IPA blonde beer, a hair of the dog at 3pm. Captain Caveman got in touch, he asked how my comedy night had gone but I didn’t get to speak to him as I was still out. I made my 1 beer last until 2 more friends arrived then had one more beer. I’d almost forgotten that I’d agreed to go to the Wonky’s quiz but I couldn’t do it alone so messaged Jamie for reinforcements.

At Wonky’s I ordered a mini burger which came with chips for just 50 lira (£2.71) and decided the only way to get through a quiz with a hangover was wine. Jamie commented that it looked like I had got dressed using a charity bag as I was wearing Christmas patterned trousers, a pink t-shirt, a camouflage hoody, a multicoloured scarf and a black coat – fetching, but I had only gone out for breakfast! Everyone enjoyed the quiz but most of it was way beyond me, even The Beatles section which I thought I would be good at. It turned in to a mental Monday evening and Jamie got told off by the quizmaster for having his phone out (he was reading an email) and people were smoking indoors which I didn’t like as it made my cough come back again. As another bottle of wine was ordered to get us through the rest of the quiz, we made friends with a new couple in town who had just moved to Dalyan. Debbie left first as she still wasn’t feeling well, then Sarah as it was a school night, then Roy. As the rest of us were about to leave, it started to snow so we had another drink thinking it would stop but it just got worse. It was definitely after midnight when I went outside to check how bad the snow was for my walk home and saw that it was settling and coming down very quickly. I did have my boots on, but not my wellies, and I certainly had enough layers of clothes to be warm enough but I knew I was drunk and shouldn’t walk home alone.
I was walking (actually drunkenly skipping) down the newly concreted bar street while sticking my tongue out to catch snow on it. It felt so strange but fun until I put my hands in my pocket and noticed I didn’t have my phone. I was suddenly stone cold sober – not my phone!!
I went to bed, as I went to turn the light off my glass of red wine from Sunday night still sat in my Jacqueline De Plonk glass on the bedside drawers!

On Tuesday 25th January I didn’t even wake up with a hangover, just a snowy Dalyan and a real panic that I had lost my phone and that really upset me – I can’t believe I would be so careless!
I got up and decided I was going to go out to try to find it and report to the authorities. There was no way anyone could get hold of me without it and only Jamie had my new Turkish phone number. I was hungry so I had some buttered toast for breakfast and had just eaten it when there was a knock at my door. It was Jamie with my phone – I was so excited and relieved. He had received calls and arranged a meet up with the person who took my phone by mistake at the quiz. Dave, the new man in town, had mistakenly put it in his coat pocket during the Wonky’s quiz and hadn’t realised until he got home! Jamie and Dave had arranged to meet up this morning to return it which I was very grateful for. I was definitely happy about getting the phone back and was looking forward to a quiet day and night today but I’d already arranged to go to Jamie’s with Ann and Nanny Kay for a Sunday roast – it was all go!
Captain Caveman messaged to say he was off to his Son Doong briefing tonight and would be off in to the cave for 4 days with customers tomorrow and I was pleased he was busy again.
Jamie picked me up at 6.45pm, we had wine and pre-dinner chat with lots of laughs with Nanny Kay and Ann, before we sat down to a roast beef dinner which was fantastic. There was beef, veggies, and three different potato dishes as well as Yorkshire puddings and a full on cheese board for afters. The wine and chat flowed and we didn’t end up going home until almost midnight, after a wonderful night.

Photo credit – snow pics taken from Facebook

Dalyan – 17th to 20th January

I was looking forward to a quiet(ish) week on Monday 17th January as I got on with some chores, including making a bolognese in the slow cooker, ready for dinner later. I had also lined up a few interviews and discussions with various people from my LinkedIn connections about doing some paid work for a spell, just part-time temporary positions until a more permanent opportunity presented itself.
I had leftover Sunday roast for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed it. The pasta bolognese for dinner was so good and it was another day of zero booze.

On Tuesday 18th January I arranged to meet Jamie for lunch so that he could try Kebapçı Yusuf for the first time. This was not before I managed to almost embarrass myself and Captain Caveman in front of the advisor for the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, as you do. It was cold so I had on my thermal lounge wear with my fluffy dressing gown on top when Captain Caveman video called. He was at Chay Lap drinking with Vinh and his son, who had just returned from their trip to Son Doong. I was on the video call when Captain Caveman noticed my dressing gown at the same time he wanted to put Vinh on to say hello so he pointed it out. My reaction obviously was to take off my dressing gown, to expose my perfectly decent black top underneath but Captain Caveman didn’t know I had anything underneath and thought I was stripping off! It was nice to see them in Vietnam having a good time, though, but I had to go get ready for my lunch date.
Jamie and I both ordered the Turkish sausage pide which came with complimentary side salad and fresh chillies at Kebapçı Yusuf. Even though I warned Jamie the chillies would be hot he still shoved one in his mouth – he didn’t have a second one. The lunch was lovely and we had a good chat and decided we would have a wander along to Lukka Bar for an afternoon alcoholic beverage. It was a very cold day but inside it was warm and cosy. For dinner I had pasta bolognese with birthday cake for pud and an early night after making a list of things to do in Dalyan for when my friend comes to visit in April.

Another day off the booze was had on Wednesday 19th January and my knuckles were still bruised but my face was less painful now. It was my Turkish class today and I was a bit tired because of not getting to sleep until about 2am due to it being so cold that I had to double up on duvets on the bed.
Turkish class went well and it is helping me progress on Duolingo better but I still can’t hold much of a conversation with a local. In the afternoon the weather had improved, it was cold but dry, so I decided it was time to go shopping, properly this time:

Migros Supermarket

1 loaf 2.50
1 simit 3.50
2 red peppers 3.88
1 pack pasta 3.90
Potatoes 4.08
Mini cheddars 7.50
Cheese spread 9.95
Smoked turkey 10.45
2 Probiotic drinks 13.20
6 eggs 13.30
Salami 15.75
Fabric softener 18.25
2 quark 19.90
Cheese slices 24.50
500g minced beef 32.90
500g diced beef 36.49

Total spent 220.05 lira (£12.19)

A101 supermarket

Onions 1.21
Carrots 1.59
Garlic 5.00
2 Crisps 11.80
3 popcorn kernels 13.50
4 Chicken thighs 23.05
4 Chicken breasts 30.52

Total spent 86.67 lira (£4.80)

I was certainly noticing the difference as prices in Turkey continued to escalate to try to cope with the extreme rates of inflation – I was managing ok but I really didn’t know how the locals were coping.
I’d had no breakfast but I had a simit with beef ham and a cheese spread triangle for lunch, which looks boring but is one of my favourite things. I wasn’t too hungry for dinner so I just had a smoked turkey sandwich with 3 cups of earl grey tea and some birthday cake. Katrina and Abi made a poster for my comedy night as Jacqueline de Plonk, the event was on for this coming Sunday!
By the time I was watching Catfish on my new Firestick TV I had to indulge in some crisps making a note to myself not to buy them as I find it hard to resist eating a whole packet.

On Thursday 20th January I woke up with a sore throat and a cough but I didn’t feel unwell. I lounged in bed a little while reading the news and saw an interesting article from yesterday on how you can now buy Turkish citizenship, given the economic crisis here, more info:
https://tfiglobalnews.com/2022/01/10/in-a-desperate-move-to-save-its-economy-turkey-puts-its-citizenship-up-for-sale/
I had a cheese sandwich for breakfast and was slightly expecting a bad stomach from it, as this was the first uncooked cheese I had eaten this year – I was fine! After popping all the ingredients for a beef and ale stew in the slow cooker I decided to have a walk while the weather was decent enough and walked past my parents’ place. I saw a chicken cross the road and it reminded me I had better write my comedy routine when I got home. I did a bit more shopping for the things I was missing at Migros and I was still struggling to find a popcorn bucket or receptacle that didn’t involve buying a 5 litre tub of ice-cream to eat first. Here’s what I did buy:

Migros Supermarket

Ginger 5.60
Bounty 6.95
Apple juice 8.45
Milk 11.75
Mushrooms 12.67
800g Chicken breasts 32.17
6 mini magnums 42.50

Total spent 120.09 lira (£6.65)

It was interesting to see how much the price of meat was increasing so I got a bargain on the chicken while it was on offer, I suspected others were doing the same as there was not much of it left. The fresh milk was much more expensive these days too so I had gone for the skimmed UHT carton which keeps better but isn’t as good for pancake mixture. It was still shocking to see apple juice is cheaper than milk. I got a few treats in and hoped some fresh ginger would help with my sore throat and cough.
Back at home I had a smoked turkey sandwich, crisps and a mini magnum for lunch then finished off half the bottle of Efes beer I’d used in the stew. That night I made Yorkshire puddings to go with the stew but they didn’t rise enough, despite tasting good and me having a very hot oven. The stew was so good and I was glad to have the slow cooker mix from the UK to put in it. For afters I had a chocolate spoon (the ones Ann bought for my birthday) with a couple of glasses of birthday red wine. The red wine made me cough more so I had a ginger tea and a Tylol before bed. Tylol is like an English Lemsip mixed with a Vietnamese Tiffy and it makes my heart palpitate so I have to be careful I don’t have them often. This time I was asleep within seconds of my head hitting the pillow.

joloyolo

The ramblings and observations of a fortysomething lady of leisure

Tag: money