Sheffield to Pontecarlo – 14th January

After a lovely night’s sleep, with no snoring from Captain Caveman, I woke up quite early on Wednesday 14th January. Ordinarily, I would have done my measurements and got weighed, but I didn’t today. I didn’t have my tape measure with me, although I’m sure I could have borrowed one from Ma. I also knew the scales at my parents’ were different and I could wait. I was due back in Dalyan in 4 days time and needed to get back on the wagon then. It was a very busy morning at work, where I crammed in helping customers who were thinking of, or who were already booked for, Vietnam. I spent time on 3 key areas; money exchange (as the laws were being tightened), destination advice and the weather in different months per region. I also checked my analytics on my various pages as I was trying to get over 500 followers so that I can earn money from Facebook. So far, my Jo Lo – Resort Experts had over 17,000 views in the last 28 days but only 358 followers – it was a constant grind to get this figure up as once you’ve invited a Facebook friend, you can’t re invite them. I had gained 10 new followers in a month so, at this rate, it would take me until June 2027 to reach that target! I checked my Jo Lo – The Author and joloyolo.com pages too, but they had less followers. The frustrating thing was that I had 1,800 followers on my Facebook page so if I could get even half of them to follow me it would be ideal – I would continue to keep trying! If you’re not following, please do! https://www.facebook.com/share/1KS5eFfqPm/

At lunch time I managed to get some fresh air when I joined a friend on her dog walk. We walked around Mosborough and, although a little slippy on the farm tracks, the weather wasn’t too bad at all and it was good to catch up.
In the afternoon, my parents and I went up to my sister’s to say farewell and take her birthday card and presents. The whole family were there so we managed to get to say bye and Gayle gave me a lift to the station, which was good. I said bye to my parents not knowing when I’d see them again, which is always tough, but hopefully it would be in the next 3-4 months in Dalyan. I got the 4.40pm train from Sheffield to Pontecarlo via Wakefield.
We were meant to be going to Aldi to get more stuff for me to take back to Dalyan but we didn’t bother, as Captain Caveman was driving back from Scotland. Instead, I made it just in time for fish and chips from the amazing Carleton Fisheries where the staff are friendly and their fish & chips are just so good.
That evening we sat upstairs in Captain Caveman’s office/den where he now has a giant bean bag and a futon. It was chilly so we had to whack up the heating while we shared some Green and Black’s chocolate, a Christmas gift from Captain Caveman’s work.

Gratitude List
1. A dog walk with a friend
2. Getting to see my parents, Gayle, Neil, Morgan, April, Harley and Sumo (the dog) one last time.
3. Fish & Chips in Pontecarlo.

Photo credit – Carleton Fisheries photos used (as it was dark when I went).

Pontecarlo to Sheffield – 13th January

I was at Pontefract Tanshelf train station in the dark on the morning of Tuesday 13th January, waiting for my train back to Sheffield. A return ticket was £12.30 which I had to collect at the station using a code for the machine on the opposite platform. Captain Caveman was driving up to Scotland for work and an interview tomorrow. I’d decided to spend my birthday money and arranged to meet Vanessa for a spot of shopping in Marks & Sparks, before going back to my parents for the evening.
I met Vanessa at 9.30am and we went straight to the M&S cafe for Yorkshire tea and bacon rolls. Vanessa treated me for a late birthday gift, which was lovely and we caught up on everything. She’d arrived limping and in need of paracetamol as she had a broken toe. I was surprised she had still turned up as she was in pain despite it being strapped up. I bought a really nice jumper for £20, using some of my birthday money and I picked up part of a present for my sister. I had decided that we would buy her Hotel Chocolat products but, after a chat with the shop assistant who said they couldn’t guarantee any of the chocolate was safe for coeliacs, we left empty handed. Next, we walked down to Primark where I picked up 2 thermal tops for £11 (using my birthday money). We popped in to Superdrug and Holland & Barrett where I stocked up on 4 boxes of Gin Gins for a bargain £10.20.
We decided to have a quick look in the Korean shop and then we both needed the toilet so we nipped in to see what was on at the cinema and go there. I was tempted by the pick n mix stalk but resisted. Our next stop was to get tea and cake at Massarella cafe on the ground floor of Atkinson’s. It was full of pensioners and I could see why, their jam and cream scones were excellent and the pots of tea ideal for at least 2 cups each. Oddly, each item was priced £3.50 whether it be a pot of tea or a sweet treat. This gave Vanessa time to rest before catching her bus and I went back to M&S to pick up some bits for tonight’s dinner. I’d offered to cook but Mom had said we could have burgers and chips if I didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily. I did fancy something a bit healthier for dinner but the M&S food section had looked like it had been hit by a plague of locusts. There was not much left and what they did have didn’t appeal so I just bought some breaded mushrooms and onion rings to go with the burgers, plus some ibuprofen and a plastic bag, spending a total of £9.20. I managed to get the 3.30pm bus, costing £2.60 for the 20 minute journey to Mosborough.
When I got to my parents’ it was getting late but I managed to log on and deal with some emails before food. The dinner was a bit too much and Dad couldn’t eat his, I soldiered on and Mom did ok but we had to leave room for birthday cake. It did make me laugh that Dad, who was complaining he couldn’t eat a burger, managed more than one small piece of chocolate cake – but it was amazing. By 9.30pm crisps were out and the salt and vinegar ones from Aldi were so good! Tomorrow was weigh day and I knew I had put on lots of weight because all my clothes were tight, especially around the waist!

Gratitude List

Meeting up with Vanessa for more birthday celebrations
So much food
Birthday cake with my parents.

Sheffield to Pontecarlo – 11th January

It turns out it wasn’t the ‘snow’ that ruined my birthday on Sunday 11th January, it was me. My hangover was immense and I could barely function to open my birthday cards and presents. My present from Captain Caveman had been to pay for Marrakech as well as all the Christmas and birthday Shenanigans. My parents and sister gave me money which I was grateful for and promised I would buy something I needed with it. I also got a travel toiletry kit and a birthday cake from my sister and the family, which I didn’t realise how lovely it was until much later. On Facebook I had so many messages to say Happy Birthday and I couldn’t reply as my phone was playing up and my head was banging!
Captain Caveman took himself back to bed, he was also in a state. We were meant to be getting the train to Pontecarlo around 3pm so Ma cooked us a lovely Sunday dinner. We had forgotten that the eggs had been eaten at breakfast so we sent Captain Caveman out to get some. When he returned he looked broken and had bumped in to Neil who was walking the dog to the Angel at Spinkhill to get the car. He reported back that their household were mainly in a state too. Captain Caveman was so bad that he didn’t even eat half of is Sunday dinner – and he left the crackling! After dinner, Captain Caveman went back to bed again and I still felt rough and resigned myself to staying in Mosborough another night.
Captain Caveman decided we would leave Mosborough and we got the bus in to town, it was dark, cold and trying to snow. There were certainly no train tins on our journey back and we even got a taxi from Ponte station to Captain Caveman’s house where we got in and went straight to bed.

Gratitude List
1. Birthday cards, money and gifts
2. A pork Sunday dinner with Yorkshire puds
3. A very low key birthday!

Sheffield – 10th January

Ma cooked us a full English breakfast on the morning of Saturday 10th January and it was so good – I do miss a good sausage! It was pretty cold in Sheffield. The snow that had come down recently was just icy now and all the roads were fine in Mosborough. I caught up on some Resort Experts admin in the morning and saw a post from Claire Clarke, the business book publisher. She had posted on Facebook a photo of her with a pile of books which included mine – which was nice.
In the afternoon Captain Caveman and I decided to chance an icy walk to the Co-op for some essentials. Here’s what we bought, prices in pounds;

Co-op Supermarket
Garlic 0.80
Onions 1.10
Potatoes 1.35
Stilton 1.40
Peppers 1.95
Feta Cheese 2.45
1 bottle Pinto Grigio 5.80
1 bottle Rioja 7.75
Total spent £22.60

I got a dodgy stomach while we were in the shop, so I headed to the Alma pub for a loo stop and a pint of water, while Captain Caveman did the shopping. He then met up with me at the pub and we had a couple of pints. A friend came to join us and we had a really good catch up, drinking probably a little too much cider for me. This meant we were running a little late to get ready for tonight’s celebrations.

All 8 of us (Ma, Pa, Gayle, Neil, Morgan, April, Captain Caveman and me) were booked in for a joint birthday celebration at the Angel in Spinkhill. Because the weather was unpredictable, Neil drove in 2 trips and we would get taxis back. The place was very nice and had quite a cosy dining area, next to the bar – which was very handy. I overdosed on cheese for my meal choices; Captain Caveman and I shared baked camembert for starter, we both had the duck for main and we shared a cheese board for afters! The food was very good and I managed at least a couple of glasses of red wine too. My sister had the gluten free choices, as she’s coeliac, and it was excellent – all served on back plates so that they weren’t mixed up with the white plates, containing gluten. I was impressed with what I had and our share of the bill was paid by Captain Caveman with it being for my birthday. Our waitress happened to be the daughter of an old school friend of Gayle’s and a neighbour from when we lived in Frecheville – she was so like her mother and had a lot of patience with our group.

There was a bit of a rush to get the taxis back as the restaurant closed at 9.30pm but we took our wine with us and decided we would call for a last drink at the Craftworks in Mosborough. It was hilarious and the drinks were flowing – it was certainly not a good idea for me to drink a pint of stout as my final drink, or get a selfie with the barman who had lovely hair! It was great to spend time with the family and our combined birthday celebrations were a winner, without snow ruining it. Back at Ma & Pa’s we ended up drinking more wine! I had a feeling my actual birthday, tomorrow, was not going to be hangover free and we had to get the train back to Pontecarlo!!

Gratitude List
1. An English breakfast cooked by Mom
2. Cheeky afternoon drinks in the pub with a friend who needed a beer
3. A fantastic family meal to celebrate our birthdays in bad weather.

Marrakech to Sheffield – 9th January

Our flight back to Manchester from Marrakech on Friday 9th January was at 4.05pm. Unfortunately, news from Manchester and Sheffield said that all trains had been cancelled which meant we would not be able to get from Manchester airport to Sheffield, as planned. It was a bit annoying and I got a little upset as we were going back to Sheffield to celebrate my sister’s 50th and my birthday, with my family. It had all been planned and booked in and I was disappointed the trains were cancelled due to snow, especially when the snow had not yet appeared.
My sister cheered me up by saying she was sure the celebrations would still go ahead, in fact she had booked 3 different places just in case. She also sent me a photo of page 25 of my planner, ‘The Handy Travel Planner’, as I had a panic that I’d not spotted and changed a mistake – it was fine though. Captain Caveman and I both had our last breakfast at the riad rooftop and I was definitely going to miss the mint tea in Marrakech.

We went back to the room and packed our hand luggage, before leaving our bags at reception. We paid our bill which included the bottles of water we had got and our city tax. The government takes a small payment for accommodation in Marrakech and it has to be paid directly to the hotel on check out. The amount depends on the type of accommodation but ours was £4 per night. We also decided to book the airport transfer which cost just over £18 and well worth the money if it meant Captain Caveman and I didn’t have to have a fall out over walking to the airport! Incidentally, he did suggest we had time to walk it as check out was 12 noon and we didn’t need to be at the airport until 2pm!
We decided to grab a quick treat for lunch at a local crepe stall. I was sure I’d end up with a bad stomach as, the stall lady wore gloves but touched money, the crepes and a man’s hand while wearing them. However, I was pleased to find they were very tasty for just over £2 for the both and all was well!

We grabbed our bags and walked to our pick up car with the hotel receptionist, who made sure we were safely in the vehicle – it was rather fancy, not a taxi. We got to the airport without incident and had quite a wait once through to the gate. I went for a wander and saw lots of choice of places to get food (no alcohol) and came back to give Captain Caveman the low down. He went next and came back with 2 baguettes and water from Paul’s. They weren’t overly pricey for an airport and were very good sandwiches.
We went to get in the queue to board, our plane was late and I got stopped for a full bag and body search. Captain Caveman made a fuss about being ushered in to queuing when he liked to be the last on the plane. I got peeved when he started arguing with the staff member as I was sure he was trying to get us in to trouble. It turned out, the airport staff wanted us out so they could update the data to say we had left the building. We then stood outside for ages, waiting for everyone to board.

The flight was good and I watched some Netflix instead of typing up my blog!
When we arrived at Manchester airport we rushed to get to Manchester Piccadilly. The machines let us buy tickets to Sheffield and mine cost me £27.80 – there had better be a train!!!

All the boards showed trains were cancelled but Captain Caveman found a train and we got on it, it was empty but it was going to Sheffield. In all the faffing we were quite stressed and I was really looking forward to seeing how deep the snow was. We had a train tin and chilled out, the train was cold and we did see a tiny sprinkling of snow at Edale. I didn’t moan too much about the train situation as I didn’t want Captain Caveman to have to send the train company a strongly worded email. They were definitely in the wrong to have cancelled the trains. There was no snow in Sheffield and we got a taxi to my parents, who were waiting up for us. We had wine and my mom cooked us a pizza as we were hungry. I was just so glad to have got to Mosborough as I’m not sure what we would’ve done if Captain Caveman hadn’t spotted that train.

Gratitude List
1. Having had an amazing holiday in Marrakech
2. Getting safely back to Mosborough
3. That rogue train!

Sheffield to Pontefract – 30th & 31st December

$Sheffield to Pontefract – 30th & 31st December$

After a good night’s sleep, Captain Caveman and I got up early to start work on Tuesday 30th December. It was that weird week between Christmas and New Year where everyone else I interacted with seemed not to know what day it was. We had a new system with Resort Experts which meant we could see tasks, enquiries, bookings and payment due dates all in the same place. The aim was to enter all our existing clients in to ‘The Zone’ to test that it worked. It was meant to be my last day at tomorrow so I got cracking.
At lunch time Captain Caveman treated the 4 of us to fish and chips from Tony’s Chip Shop. It cost £45 for 4 fish, too many chips, 1 mushy peas and a bottle of chip shop vinegar but what a treat it was. I really enjoyed it and was keen to have it while I was back in Mosborough. I’d heard that people were struggling to eat out more in the UK due to the increased prices but, in the week I’d been in England, I hadn’t seen any evidence of that yet. Everywhere I went, places seemed very busy – even in Tony’s I was 10th in the queue with lots of people buying cod or haddock (on a Tuesday)!
Back at the laptop, I checked us in for our forthcoming holiday to Morocco on Friday, and downloaded the Atol certificate. As I sell Jet2 Holidays, I’d decided to take advantage of the discount which Resort Experts gives me. Captain Caveman had booked our first package holiday and I hoped he’d enjoy it.
That evening, Ma & Pa excelled themselves by throwing and impromptu early new year celebration for us 4, plus Gayle, Neil and Morgan (April was working). Dad was on drinks duty and Mom had done a massive buffet which went down very well – as did the drinks. We decided to play party games where we had to guess ‘Who am I?’ but the post-it notes kept peeling off. It was hilarious and Dad was not impressed with this game.

Gratitude List
1. The Zone – a new CRM system for Resort Experts
2. Fish & Chips
3. A family party with lots of laughter.

Wednesday 31st December, or New Year’s Eve, was a very quiet one for us. Mom made us a breakfast and both Captain Caveman and I worked in the morning. I was meant to be taking my measurements and getting weighed but I decided not to bother depressing myself. I could tell I had already put weight on this week. I’d not eaten and drunk this much for quite a while.
We would have stayed at my parents longer but we needed to get back to Captain Caveman’s and pack for our holiday, plus my parents were off out. My sister had got excited and arranged for the family to start the new year celebrations with a pub crawl from 11.45am. Captain Caveman was baffled as he thought he’d misheard and that they were being picked up at 11.45pm, in time to see in new year. Gayle had arranged for them to go to a new(ish) place in Mosborough called Grandpa Joe’s Potting Shed. Before we left, Mom made sure we’d eaten more – including a mince pie and a cup of tea before we headed off to Captain Caveman’s house in Pontefract, or Pontecarlo as I like to call it. We each left some clothes for when we got back from Morocco as we were coming back for some more celebrations.
In Pontecarlo we popped the central heating on and got the house warm then worked for the rest of the day. Captain Caveman heated up the pasta ready meal for dinner and we both struggled to stay awake until midnight. I think we both nodded off but then woke up at 11.55pm, watched some fireworks from out of the bedroom window before going to bed. We had exciting, and somewhat unusual, plans for tomorrow which I had arranged for the both of us.
2025 had been a very tough year financially for me and we had also spent too much time apart. Next year we had plans to improve things significantly; I was determined to have more income and more trips away with either Captain Caveman and/or friends. I don’t really make New Year’s Resolutions but I was determined to be successful. How about you? Did you make any plans for 2026?

Gratitude List
1. Spending time with my family and Captain Caveman
2. Being back in Pontecarlo
3. Planning for 2026 to be a better year.

Sheffield and Pontecarlo – 5th August

I worked and packed my things up in the morning of Tuesday 5th August. Mom came in to ask if I fancied a roast pork sandwich for lunch from the shop and I’d not had one this visit so, of course, I said yes. All 3 of us went for a walk as I wanted to get Captain Caveman a tin opener. He’d declined to buy the £1 one in IKEA which was probably rubbish so I got him one for a whopping £7 from the Co-op.
Ma left Pa with me while she went to the post office and cash machine but the sandwiches were ready before she returned. I had everything but dripping on, Dad had everything and Mom had her’s without apple sauce. I paid £14.60 for 3 sandwiches and a packet of pork scratchings which I didn’t think was bad and is cheaper than Beres. My sister, Gayle, popped round in the afternoon with Sumo, the dog, and we all said our goodbyes, hoping to see them in Turkey soon enough.
I got the 5.30pm bus in to town for £2.60 and then I got the 18.49 train from Sheffield to Wakefield Kirkgate. There, it was after 7pm and the waiting room closes so I was really cold in the wind as I had to wait 20 minutes for the train to Pontefract Tanshelf. I ate a packet of salt n vinegar discos while I waited and wondered why I’d not been eating more crisps this visit. I didn’t realise there were no toilet facilities at the station so I was pretty desperate for a pee when I got on the train. Luckily the train had toilets and it meant I arrived just after 8pm to be met by Captain Caveman, without jogging about for the loo.
He took my bag and we walked straight to the Robin Hood pub ready for the quiz. There were no seats inside and the huge beer garden was very smokey so we stood up next to the entrance. The quiz was a good one where we didn’t embarrass ourselves but we didn’t win. I had cherry beers and, at half time, they did sandwiches which were welcomed. I’m not usually a fan of a pub quiz, especially with genius Captain Caveman, but I did enjoy this one.
I was tired by the time we walked home so it was straight to bed without even checking where all the IKEA items were.

Gratitude List
1. Pork sandwiches with my parents
2. Being able to say bye to Gayle and Sumo
3. Pub quizzing in Pontecarlo with Captain Caveman.

Sheffield – 4th August

I had in my diary on Monday 4th August to start work early so that I could finish by 4pm. This was so that I could take time off to meet up with the friends I had promised to see while I was in Sheffield and before I went back down south. I only had 1 week left in the UK and I hoped to cram a lot in, especially as I didn’t have any plans to return for the rest of the year. I’d written in pencil the names Caz, Natalie, Becca and Louisa with a question mark and a note about tea and cake somewhere out of the city centre. I’d not heard from some of the girls so I’d added a Facebook event to suggest that I wandered over to Craftworks micropub (which do great cakes) in Mosborough for a spot of tea or hot chocolate. That way I could still have my laptop to hand as I had a few ongoing holiday enquiries that I needed to keep an eye on. What I didn’t realise is that I had written these plans on the wrong Monday and it should have been last week. Luckily, Louisa had the 4th in her diary and I didn’t realise my mistake until later on.
Captain Caveman had been up and off back to Pontecarlo very early so I had started working by 7am. He’d got back and in his lunch hour sent me my train tickets to join him tomorrow night. I worked from a table next to the bar where the internet was as good as the Yorkshire tea. It was also fairly busy with people coming and going so I got to meet and fuss a few dogs while I checked out prices of hotels and last minute holidays. Louisa arrived, on time and with a new addition to her family. Her new dog, Bodhi, was only a little puppy – he was so cute and very well behaved. He had his own seat as Louisa and I chatted and ate cake. When Louisa went to the loo, which was upstairs, I got to have a little cuddle with Bodhi which was lovely. It was good to catch up and, at this point, I was still blissfully unaware that I had agreed the wrong date with Caz! Until I got a message to say she was on holiday abroad!! I said a sad farewell to Louisa and Bodhi and we mentioned she might pop over to visit me in Turkey as she had days booked off in September/October.

I had my last meal at my parents’, which was one of my favourites that my Mom cooks, sweet and sour chicken with spring rolls. I loved it and we had a nice relaxing evening. We even spoke to Captain Caveman who assured me that the bath mat was in situ and awaiting my arrival. Tomorrow I would be back to Pontecarlo and then heading back to London before my departure back to Turkey.

Gratitude List
1. Craftworks and cake
2. Seeing Louisa and her new pup
3. A last meal in the Uk with my parents.

Sheffield – 3rd August

Captain Caveman had admitted defeat about the bath mat by the time we woke up on Sunday 3rd August. My friend, who I wouldn’t get to see on this visit, was off on her holidays and sent me a photo to let me know she was reading my book on the flight to Lanzarote, which was nice. We decided to join my parents on a walk but first we had to nip to the shop to pick up a birthday card for my niece. I had intended to put money in a card but when we got to there, they had one of her favourite tipples on offer. We bought a bottle of Aperol, a bottle of Prosecco and a card from the Co-op and hurried back as Dad was ready to go walking. We decided to walk up as far as my niece’s and then we would go drop off the birthday present, which Captain Caveman was carrying. Ma & Pa thought they might not want visitors so they carried on with their walk. When we got to my sister’s, there was a full house all eating a cooked breakfast so we didn’t stay long. My sister was stressing over a sushi situation and they didn’t have specific plans for later. We said we would probably go for a walk and end up at the pub if they fancied a birthday drink but nothing was arranged. Captain Caveman had got the wrong end of the stick that my Dad had said they were walking to the Phoenix pub for a drink so we set off to catch them up. I was struggling to make it or keep up with Captain Caveman’s pace, as usual. I had worn jeans and a black long sleeved top so, for once, I was too hot once the sun came out!
When we got to the top of Ridgeway Road, I was really flagging so we decided we would walk down to the Queen’s Head for a refreshment and miss out the Phoenix. While there, I called my Mom to check if they were in the Phoenix but they had not got that far either and were now back at home. Captain Caveman had the bright idea that we would cut across the fields and meet them in the Alma pub. He reckoned it would take 40 minutes and I suspected it would be twice that, at my pace. We set off walking and all was quite pleasant, we picked blackberries and raspberries and ate them as we went along.

Unfortunately, I got slower and slower while Captain Caveman sped off with my bag which had the working phone and water in! We got to a bit of a field that had recently been burned so the path was not clear. I was fuming and convinced we were going the wrong way. A couple of ramblers were heading our way and I saw Captain Caveman chatting with them. When they got to me, I asked if I was heading to the Alma and Mosborough. The man said I needed to turn back and I just lost it and even used the F word. He then looked concerned and said he was only joking and that I was going the right way. I thought Captain Caveman had told the guy to play a trick on me for a laugh so I shouted to him to wait for me! When I got to Captain Caveman he swore he did not and that the man made the joke of his own accord – what is wrong with people!?
I eventually got to the pub and my parents had been there a while, waiting! It took us 1 hour and I was surprised it wasn’t longer. They were laughing as when they asked how our walk was Captain Caveman said it was great while the look on my face said it all. I was pleased Captain Caveman had enjoyed his Sunday walk as he doesn’t get much exercise and fresh air these days, but I was hot, sweaty and tired.

While at the pub I got a message from Jamie, back in Dalyan, to tell me that our pool was a funny colour and half empty. He wondered if we knew about it, as it’s unusual for this to happen during the holiday season. We didn’t know so Captain Caveman and I were a bit concerned that the pool and garden company were not doing their job properly (again). My mom noticed in a Facebook group that there was a bloke nearby giving away a dining room table so Captain Caveman, my Dad and I decided to say we would have it and we arranged to call and collect it. We had a couple of pints and then Ma cheered me up no end! She had decided to make us all a Sunday dinner, the second one in a row. Captain Caveman was so pleased that he even raced to the shop to buy stuffing when Ma said she didn’t have any. He also bought more wine and chopped up the whole cabbage – he knew I wasn’t eating enough veggies. The Sunday dinner was so good and we each got 3 Yorkshire puddings and I even had a drop of gravy! Ma excelled herself as we also got fresh strawberries with evaporated milk (my favourite) for afters. More wine was had and Ma gave Captain Caveman some of the kitchen things I had left at their’s over the years, including a board for cheese and a pie maker, plus her massive slow cooker she had already promised.

Gratitude List
1. Getting to wish my niece happy birthday in person
2. Knowing that Captain Caveman thoroughly enjoyed our Sunday Walk
3. Spending time with Captain Caveman and my parents at the pub and having a Sunday Dinner.

Pontecarlo and Sheffield – 2nd August

Saturday 2nd August was a more stressful day, as we had to wait all day for the Virgin engineer to come. We had been using our phones on GiffGaff as hotspots which was fine in certain parts of the house but Captain Caveman had also bought EE as a hotspot which required me to keep logging in every hour. I was getting a bit tetchy about it and was also a bit aggrieved that there was only one towel in the house that we had to keep washing, drying and sharing. 15 years ago I’d have had a complete meltdown at that situation as I used to be that woman who used a massive bath towel for body plus a smaller towel for hair and a decent bath mat! Over the years of knowing Captain Caveman I’d grown accustomed to using just the one towel, and often a lot smaller in size when we lived in Asia. He was surprised that I had not brought my travel towel with me from Turkey but I had wrongly assumed there may have been adequate provision for towels. I was trying to convince Captain Caveman he needed more stuff, he was adamant that he had only rented until the end of the year so was reluctant to spend any money or time on getting things he could do without. Meanwhile, I was stressing over not having a bath mat and having to use a t-shirt to stand on so I didn’t slip on the tiled floor. I packed all my stuff up while Captain Caveman waited for the engineer, we were meant to be doing things in Sheffield but we got delayed.
Finally, the engineer arrived, agreed with Captain Caveman on the cause of the problem and proceeded to instal wires and fix it. He finished by 6pm and we were on the road, heading for Mosborough via a trip to IKEA.
At Ikea, we ate food first then I pretty much followed Captain Caveman around trying to keep up and suggest things he ‘needed’, then face an argument that he didn’t need things. The main thing we needed, in my opinion, was a bath mat, needless to say we did not agree on that item and we almost didn’t get one!
Here’s what we did buy with the prices in pounds;

IKEA
1 washing up brush 1.00
Oven glove 2.00
1 corkscrew 3.00
1 plate rack 3.00
1 draining board 3.00
1 bath mat 4.00
1 pair of scissors 5.00
1 bath towel 6.00
1 small frying pan 7.00
2 pillow cases 8.00
1 fitted bed sheet 9.00
2 roller cheese graters 10.00
2 pillows 12.00
1 double bedding set 20.00
3 pans 35.00
1 office chair 60.00
Total spent £203.00

We attempted to get 2 folding chairs but they were out of stock and only had one available so I suggested we come back for them tomorrow. The assistant said he would have more out tomorrow but Captain Caveman wasn’t keen on that idea so he just bought the one chair. I left him to do the check out as I needed the loo and by the time I got back he was ready to leave. He was not in a good mood and neither was I, I think we were still bloody arguing about a £4 bath mat. The good thing is though we both had a new roller cheese grater which I had seen at his parents, they are a game changer – especially for parmesan straight out of the freezer!
It was late when we arrived at my parents, we’d brought them an adapter plug, some Pontecarlo midget gems with liquorice black ones in and a bottle of wine. My head was frazzled so I suggested we opened the wine then showed off my new cheese grater!
It was too late to go out so we had a couple of drinks with Ma & Pa and they laughed at us falling out in IKEA.

Gratitude List
1. Finally getting Virgin internet sorted at Captain Caveman’s home
2. A successful (as in we got necessary items) trip to IKEA
3. Finally arriving in Mosborough for drinks with my parents.

Sheffield to Pontefract – 29th July

$Sheffield to Pontefract – 29th July$

Tuesday 29th July was full of excitement as I was leaving Mosborough and Sheffield to go visit Captain Caveman at his new home in Pontefract. A place I’d not been to for quite some years. I worked in the morning then had a tea break where my Mom offered to give Captain Caveman her big slow cooker and I said he’d have it – ideal for batch cooking! I also tried some fab chocolate cookies from Aldi. My sister came to say bye and I gave her a copy of my book as she had still not managed to order one to read. She’s the funny one of the family so it would be interesting to see what she thought of it.

I said my farewells and rushed for the 3.35pm bus from Mosborough to Sheffield train station. The train wasn’t until 4.44pm so I had a browse round M&S and the Whistlestop before going to the platform. My first train was on time to Wakefield Kirkgate where I had to wait 11 mins for the next train to Pontefract. I arrived at Pontefract Tanshelf station at 6.02pm and Captain Caveman was there to meet me. It was very cold and looked like rain as we walked to the big Tesco to get something for dinner. It was obvious that if we had a club card we would save quite a lot, so I asked the very helpful security guard where we could get a club card. We had to get it online although he did offer to let us use his this time. We decided we would leave the big shop until tomorrow, apply for the club card and go check out a pub in town.

We arrived at the Malt Shovel, where I had an overwhelming sense of deja vu. We ordered drinks which were cheap but the barmaid insisted I had a taster of the pale ale with it being expensive at £4.60 a pint!! I applied for the Tesco club card and then had to go outside to have a look around, I felt sure I’d been here before. When I saw the alley next to the pub I realised it was the building where I sometimes had worked on Saturdays as a mortgage advisor at the Alliance and Leicester. I recognised the back upstairs rooms as well as the place now being made in to a strange bar called Society. I worked out it was probably over 30 years ago since I’d been there.

Next, we walked towards where Captain Caveman lived and called at another pub, the Robin Hood. This was a much more cosy place which happened to have a quiz on Tuesdays. We got chatting to some locals but we didn’t stay for the quiz as we needed to get home and eat.

It was about a 10 minute walk up a hill and Captain Caveman was living on a quiet road near to a Chinese takeaway, a sandwich shop and a newsagents/off licence shop. The Chinese was closed for a holiday so Captain Caveman bought us a bottle of red wine from the shop and we decided to order a pizza from nearby Papa John’s. While we waited for the delivery, I got a tour of the house. It was mostly unfurnished but did have a double bed with wardrobes in one bedroom. The kitchen was nice and modern but with very little crockery and the downstairs bathroom had a bath with a shower over it but no bathmat and only the one towel! There was no internet because Captain Caveman was waiting for Virgin to install the cable. All of the outside dustbins were rammed full from when the previous tenants had moved out and they had also left quite a few items. Luckily there was a washer, a tumble dryer, an oven/grill, a fridge and a freezer so all was good. Overall, I liked the house and could see Captain Caveman being happy there, for at least the next 6 months.
The pizza arrived and it was lovely, washed down with the wine while sat on camping chairs at the folding table/desk!

Gratitude List
1. Spending time with family
2. A trip to Pontefract to see Captain Caveman’s new home
3. Pizza and wine with Captain Caveman.

Sheffield – 28th July

Captain Caveman left Mosborough very early on the morning of Monday 28th July to go back to Pontefract. He would work from home there and I was working from home at my parents. It was cold again and I checked my banking before work. I paid off my Turkish credit card in full and the monthly water bill came out at just 337.88 lira (£6.23). At 12, I broke off from work for a break and walked with my parents to the pharmacy, I then walked to the shops to see if they had any treats that I liked. They didn’t and I came back without buying anything. I had a sandwich for lunch and then cracked back on with work.
After work, I had nothing written in my diary and I’d not heard from any of the friends I’d not caught up with at the weekend yet. I had got a catch up pencilled in for next week, though, which I was looking forward to.
Before dinner, I met Amanda and Chris for a walk with their dogs, Ted and Bruno. We had a good walk and chatted about all things, including holidays. I even went back to their house for a cup of tea which made a nice change from the pub. I’d been drinking far too much alcohol on this trip and needed to get back on track a bit. In the evening, I worked on designing my Resort Experts business card and decided I would use QR codes to link to my website and also put my book on the back of it. I spoke to Captain Caveman who had booked my train ticket to come visit his new home in Ponte, tomorrow. He helped me with the QR code and I got my mom to test if she could access it, it worked!

Gratitude List
1. Having zero debt and my Turkish bills being paid
2. Dog walking with friends
3. Coming up with a design for my business card.

Sheffield – 27th July

I really enjoyed spending Sunday 27th July with Captain Caveman, Ma & Pa. I had tea and toast for breakfast followed by finishing off the butter chicken and rice from Friday night. We chilled out and I also managed to eat the M&S salad I still had in the fridge. In the afternoon, Captain Caveman and I went for a walk to the new Mosborough Co-op which had been the talk of the village. Mom had got a Co-op card so we took that but it turned out she needed a different coloured one. The Co-op was quite impressive and had lots of choice. Here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Co-op
Antihistamines 2.30
1 bottle of white wine 7.65
Total spent £9.95

When we got back, Ma had excelled herself with a roast chicken Sunday dinner with all the trimmings. Ma and I sat upstairs in the new comfy chairs with a glass of wine while it cooked and it was really nice with the sun streaming in. The dinner was fantastic and Captain Caveman was particularly impressed with the Yorkshire puddings and stuffing.
After eating, we drank wine in the living room and just relaxed after a boozy weekend. Captain Caveman was off back to Pontefract tomorrow, I would join him in a couple of days so he booked me my train tickets.

Gratitude List
1. A visit to Mosborough Co-op
2. Spending the day with my parents
3. A fantastic Sunday Dinner (I forgot to take photos).

Sheffield – 26th July

Saturday 26th July didn’t quite turn out as I’d imagined. Quite a few of our friends had said they would be at Tramlines festival over this weekend so we could meet up with them and I was looking forward to listening to live music. We hadn’t bothered getting tickets for the main events but we would just wander round the free stuff.
Mom excelled herself by doing a cooked breakfast for everyone in the morning. I had beans on toast with bacon, while the others had eggs and tomatoes with their’s. Ma & Pa weren’t up to coming in to town for Tramlines so they were going to stay home. My sister had said she might join us but then didn’t as they had overdone it last night. A few of the people who went to see Pulp last night had also overdone it so weren’t up for today.
We had arranged to meet Natalie and Paul in town and had chosen a pub on the edge of town, the Rutland Arms. It’s a cracking little pub with a great selection of beers and ciders, good staff and excellent music. We got the 1.30pm bus from Mosborough for £2.60 each and went straight to stock up on essential medication, here’s what we bought with prices in pounds;

Superdrug
Ibuprofen 0.39
Imodium 3.39
Fexofendine 8.99
2 packs of cystitis tablets 12.28
Total spent £25.05

Our next stop off was rather ill thought out and neither of us had realised it might have been a silly thing to do. As Captain Caveman had moved in to his new home without any crockery or cutlery he needed to buy a sharp knife. In fact he got 2 that were lovely and sharp with pink handles.

Nisbets
2 knives £12.71

With hindsight, walking round a town centre with entertainment on and an increased reputation for stabbings of late, carrying knives may have been a bit daft!
We met Natalie and Paul at the Rutland and had a couple of beers and a good chat. It had been quite a while since we’d all met up and, although we’d spoke on the phone, it was just great to meet in person. The chat flowed and we decided to walk in to town, nearer to where the action was. We wanted to meet up with Caz and the gang and also see Vanessa & Matt who were out with their friends too. Along the way we bumped in to a familiar face, another ex-Aviva colleague, Devon Francis, who was playing on stage later and we hoped to catch him. I messaged a few more friends to arrange where to meet and, although a few had sacked it off or were away, we had a plan to meet on Devonshire Green around 4.30pm.
I’m not entirely sure what happened but as we got to the entrance to the Devonshire Green music event, we noticed a queue and bags being searched – Captain Caveman was wary his new knives would be an issue, or be confiscated. We decided an impromptu beer in The Bath (another old pub) would be wise. They had some music on inside but we sat outside as the sun was shining. Here we met up with ex-Aviva colleague and friend, Sara (Killer), and her fella, Mark. We had another round while we were all introduced or reacquainted and by this time, Louisa was on her way to join us so we waited at The Bath. Captain Caveman was buying our rounds so I wasn’t really taking note of the prices, they were certainly cheaper than London.
We had such a laugh and Captain Caveman was on good form, enjoying being with old friends and meeting new ones. We even had a second Natalie join us when we sat at her table. Her friends had gone and she was on her own so we kind of got chatting.

By the time we were meant to be at the Devonshire Green we were already a bit merry and we decided we had better get a snack before we met the others. We tried to go to a pizza place but it was busy, Louisa had the idea to go to Cambridge Street Collective which is a food court style place with many different types of food. At first visit it can be a bit overwhelming as to what to choose but there is every type of food which makes it easier to please a group. Captain Caveman got on the app and ordered our food. I got the wrong end of the stick and thought he and I were sharing a pizza but he ordered Mexican for him and got me a slice of pizza from the top floor.
I finally put my hand in my pocket and went to the bar, here’s what I bought with the prices in pounds;

Cambridge Street Collective (bar)
1 rum and coke 6.25
1 pint of Guinness 6.70
2 pints of Abbeydale Heathen 11.50
2 pints of Aspall’s cider 12.00
Total spent £36.45

When my buzzer rang for me to collect the pizza I don’t mind saying I was pretty disappointed with it. It was a deep pan pepperoni (normally fine) slice but it was dripping in honey. I ate it but I wouldn’t have it again and Captain Caveman thought his burrito was nice. After that, I wondered if my stomach would tolerate the bus ride home and if buying only 1 pack of imodium earlier was a little optimistic. I was now drunk, tired, cold and bloated and needed my bed!
Unfortunately, we then had to say bye and go back to Mosborough but not before a cheeky visit to Sheffield train station for a toilet visit and some train tins. Here’s what we bought and prices in pounds;

M&S
1 porn star martini, 1 G&T, 1 limoncello spritzer (train tin deal) 8.50
2 large sausage rolls 1.20
Total spent £9.70

Our bus came at 9.50pm and it cost another £2.60 each to get home by which time we’d snaffled our sausage rolls but saved the train tins for home – we aren’t that wild!
When my parents asked how we’d enjoyed the bands and we replied that we hadn’t even seen one band, we did feel a bit foolish. We’d gone all that way for Tramlines, not even entered the Devonshire Green area and missed seeing bands and some of our friends!

Gratitude List
1. Breakfast by Mom
2. Meeting up with (some) friends in Sheffield
3. Sunshine and nice pubs.

Sevenoaks to Sheffield – 25th July

Captain Caveman had booked my train ticket from Otford on Friday 25th July at 10.59am which would go via London Blackfriars and St Pancras stations. I was due to arrive in to Sheffield at 2.42pm where Captain Caveman would already be working from a nearby cafe. Claire came with me to the train station and we said our farewells, hoping to see each other in Turkey in about 6 weeks’ time. I was still a bit teary at having to say goodbye, though, and always have such fun when I’m back with Claire.
My train was full and the couple sat next to me were mildly irritating by taking up all the table room which could’ve gone on the rack above them. Then sloshing tea and cake about and finally moving seats when we got to Leicester.
Captain Caveman met me in the Sheffield Tap and I used the facilities and logged in to finish some work emails before getting the bus. My parents had very kindly invited both Captain Caveman and I to stay with them for a few days and we were really looking forward to it. We got the 3.36pm Sheffield to Mosborough bus which cost £2.60 each for just one way – things had definitely gone up since my last visit! It was great to see my parents were doing well after both having some health issues; Dad was recovering well from a knee op and my Mom was doing well after eye surgery. It seemed only appropriate that we would celebrate with a quick trip to the pub. We were sipping pints int he The Alma by 4.30pm and, by 7pm, my sister and brother-in-law had joined us. We were going to have fish and chips at Tony’s but my sister is coeliac so it was a better option to go for an Indian. By 7.30pm we were all in The Vine Indian restaurant having a real feast with more drinks. We’d had a great afternoon and evening with the family, where a round of 4 drinks was less than £20 and starters, mains and drinks for 2 in the Indian came to £60. I even took half of my butter chicken and someone’s left over rice home for tomorrow.
Back home we had more drinks and celebrated being back in Mosborough some more.

Gratitude List
1. Travelling back to Sheffield
2. Seeing family again
3. Drinks and Indian in Mosborough